This headlamp is super bright, super lightweight, and the addition of a red light is awesome. I also love the 16340 battery and wish it were common among other brands. The only caveat is the narrow beam angle. I love Fenix lights. I've been a *mostly* loyal customer since the LD-20 (circa 2010). They are bomb proof and feature rich. They stand by their warranty and have replaced many straps and clips for me without complaint. I recommend them to everyone. I've been using an HL-50 for years, and bought my wife the first version of the HM50R. The new batteries produce so much more light than AA's for less weight, so it made sense to eventually upgrade. The addition of the red light was super attractive as a backpacking headlamp, and being able to share batteries with the HM50R v1 is a really nice perk. The construction is solid and the bulb strength super impressive. The only problem is the beam angle is so narrow that walking through a dark forest feels like being in a tunnel. I really, really wish they had something to compensate for that, like a snap-on diffuser. I'm going to try building one myself. I want to love this headlamp, but it gets less use than I had hoped. I ended up buying a Nitecore UT27 Pro (800) with the hope of having spotlight / floodlight / red light options, and it has become my primary headlamp. But that, too, also has its weird quirks (see my review). I'm still looking for ways to bring the HM50-R back to the throne, and I hope the v3 will consider the new issues brought about by the v2. If you aren't moving quickly through large, dark areas, then this is a great product. It's just not perfect for my needs. Read more