Fenix HM65R-T Headlamp Review

Fenix has released an updated headlamp, the HM65R-T. It has a novel ratcheting system, with very fitting emitters and a simple UI! Read on!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Fenix HM65R-T headlamp product page.

Versions

The HM65R-T is an iterative design – I’ve reviewed the HM65R already.  I believe these might be the only two versions.  There are no emitter options.

Price

The Fenix HM65R-T headlamp is available at Fenix-Store for $99.95.  This includes the cell as tested here.

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Short Review

I am super pleased with this headlamp, most notably for the headband and this new ratcheting system.  It’s absolutely fantastic and secure, and I really love it.

Long Review

The Big Table

Fenix HM65R-T Headlamp
Emitter:	Both emitters
Price in USD at publication time:	$99.95
Cell:	1×18650
High Runtime Graph
LVP?	Questionable (No?)
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	With Cell: Low only Without cell: Low only
Claimed Lumens (lm)	1500
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1225 (81.7% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	7.4
Claimed Throw (m)
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	707lux @ 3.496m = 8641cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	185.9 #DIV/0!
All my Fenix reviews!

Fenix HM65R-T Headlamp
Emitter:	Cree XP-G2 (Flood) (S3)
Price in USD at publication time:	$99.95
Cell:	1×18650
High Runtime Graph
LVP?	Questionable (No?)
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph for USB-C Charging
Power off Charge Port	With Cell: Low only Without cell: Low Strobe only
Claimed Lumens (lm)	400
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	407 (101.8% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	1.9
Claimed Throw (m)
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	78lux @ 3.199m = 798cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	56.5
All my Fenix reviews!

 

Fenix HM65R-T Headlamp
Emitter:	Luminus SST-40 (Spot)
Price in USD at publication time:	$99.95
Cell:	1×18650
High Runtime Graph	Medium Runtime Graph
LVP?	Questionable (No?)
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph with USB-A Charging
Power off Charge Port	With Cell: Low only Without cell: Low only
Claimed Lumens (lm)	1300
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1149 (88.4% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	6.6
Claimed Throw (m)
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	678lux @ 3.388m = 7782cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	176.4
All my Fenix reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer:  Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What’s Included

• Fenix HM65R-T Headlamp with strap (attached)
• Fenix 3500mAh 18650
• Spare o-ring
• Charge cable (USB to USB-C)
• Manual and paperwork

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

You’ll recognize this HM65R-T if you’re a long-time reader.  This is the same base light as the Fenix HM65R which I reviewed in 2019.  That HM65R is still one of my main go-to headlamps.

Of course, the band is the big update, and the name gets a “-T” to indicate it’s a trail running headlamp.

 

Only one tailcap is removable, and that’s where you’ll swap the cells.  (You might never swap the cells though since this headlamp has built-in charging.)

Inside the cell tube is a positive contact button.

There’s no further disassembly here.  The light is physically connected to the headband.  Since only one tailcap is removable, I’m not certain how to remove the light from the headband at all.  The connector is hard plastic too, not soft, so there’s not enough flexibility to pull it over the tailcaps.

Size and Comps

Weight: 3.2 Ounces (Excluding Battery)
Length: 3.15’’ x 1.85’’ x 1.54’’

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo).  If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+.  Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple.  A very nice 18650 light.

And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light.  I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.

Retention and Carry

The main thing this light is is a headlamp.  There’s a band around the head, but no over-the-top band.

Fenix implemented a very neat ratcheting system in the HM65R-T.

If you’re a road cyclist, you’ve probably seen this before in some clip-in shoes.  It’s popular there, and that’s because it’s good.  Very secure works surprisingly well, and also it’s super neat.

There are two states for the clicker.  “Down” is the locked position, where the headband will not get any looser.  Pulling the dial “Up” (or “away from the head”) will release the system, and the headband can be fully loosened.

That clicky is sort of loud, so this is probably not going to be a tactical headlamp.   It’s also very positive (and quite rewarding if I’m being honest).

The cable that pulls the band tighter is exposed.  This isn’t a problem as long as everything is taught, but once the headband is off a head those cables can get out of line.  Fortunately, they are fairly short, so this isn’t really an issue at all.  But if there was a means to capture these cables, I think things would go more smoothly.

You can see here that there is no grippy strip on the back of this band.  This is a change from the original HM65R.

The Fenix HM65R-T is nothing besides a headlamp.  There are no pocket clips, magnets, pouches, etc.  It’s only a headlamp.  (And really, that’s the point.)

Power and Runtime

The HM65R-T is powered by a single 18650 cell, and one is included in the package.  It’s a 3500mAh button top 18650.

The cell goes into the Fenix HM65R-T in the normal way – the positive end goes in first.

I performed a number of runtimes, which you can see below.  First I’ll show the highest of high, which is with both emitters in their highest output level.  Note that the modes aren’t tied together – this is basically two flashlights built together, each with their own switch.  So High of Spot can be mixed with Low of Flood.  I can’t imagine why you’d want to do that, but you could.  Anyway here’s a runtime with High of both emitters.  Initially, we see nearly the 1500 lumen claim, but at 30s we see only 1225 lumens, which is fairly below the claim.

The next highest option is high of the spot emitter.  The profile looks about the same as above.  I don’t observe low voltage protection in any test.  While the light has very low output, it’s still on at around 2.5V.

Output with the flood emitter is much lower but follows the same profile as above.  That means there’s a fairly big stepdown, but in this case it’s much later – around 30 minutes.

Charging

The HM65R-T also has built-in charging.  This is via USB-C.

A cable is included – USB to USB-C.

Since Fenix includes the USB-A cable, I tested that way.  Charging looks good.

But since it’s a USB-C port on the light, I went ahead and tested that too.  USB-C charging works fine, and is essentially the same as USB-A.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
High – Both	1500		1225	4.28
High – Spot	1300		1149	3.15
Medium – Spot	400		407	0.65
Low – Spot	130		126	0.18
High – Flood	400		375	1.05
Medium – Flood	70		73	0.13
Low – Flood	5		3.5	0.00

Pulse Width Modulation

No PWM is seen on any mode.

Spot:

Flood:

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

There are two switches on the HM65R.  They’re built into the top of the light and share a rubber cover.

These switches have icons, which of course can’t be seen when wearing the light, and are indistinguishable by feel.  When the light is on your head, the rightmost button is throw, and leftmost is flood.  The emitter is directly below the corresponding switch.

These switches operate in the same way – it’s practically like having two lights on one headlamp.  So consider that for the table below.  It’s one table but essentially the same result for the emitter corresponding to that switch.

Here’s the UI table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Hold	On (Medium, unless the light was on very recently, then Mode memory)
On	Hold	Off
On	Click	Mode advance (LMH or LMH)
Off	Hold 5s	On (Medium, or mode memory) then lockout (indicated by 4 blinks of flood)
Lockout	Hold both 3s	4 blinks of flood, then low of flood
Off	Click	Battery indicator^

^ Battery is indicated by the 4 blue LED between the switches:
4 on = 100%-81%
3 on = 80%-61%
2 on = 60%-41%
1 on = 40%-21%
1 flashing = 20%-0%

There are no strobes, beacons, etc.

LED and Beam

Fenix updated the two emitters for the HM65R-T.  The emitter in the bigger opening below is the “Spot” emitter and is a Luminus SST-40.  The temperature isn’t mentioned, but it’s clearly cool (or cooler) white.

On the right below is the flood emitter, behind a dimpled TIR.  This is a Cree XP-G3, and again no temperature is mentioned.  It’s much warmer than the throw, though.​

These beamshots are always with the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

Flood:

Spot:

Both (in their same level (Low with Low, etc):

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left, and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.

Flood:

Spot:

Both (in their same level (Low with Low, etc):

I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Conclusion

What I like

• USB-C charging
• Full package including cell
• Comfortable as a headlamp
• The ratcheting system works very well

What I don’t like

• • Light is not at all removable from the headband
  • Cables from the ratcheting system are a bit “flapping in the wind” when not being worn

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Notes

• This light was provided by Fenix-Store.com for review. I was not paid to write this review.
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