Headlamps?

wintermute

wintermute

Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
3,018
I know this has been asked a million times, but newer models keep coming out. What headlamp would everyone recommend for hiking, biking, kayaking, and fishing? Is a red mode a good thing to have?
 
The Fenix HL20 is cool, and waterproof. 225 lumens, and is kind of light for what it does.
The other I like is the HP10, same lumens, LED, and also waterproof. Both are decent and provide ample light.
 
If you don't yet know how bright is really bright....go look at some....the mini maglite LED I just got (and it's a wuss light) at 69 lumens is what I would classify as friggin bright.

I love headlamps, but depending on if you are going to use it close up, you may want to be sure it has a low setting as one of the options. 12 lumens or so is a lot nicer when something is right in front of you vs one of the super laser beam bright modes.

Mine is old, but I've had a Petzl forever and really like it. Used it for sea-kayaking all the time and generally keep it kicking around in my Jeep now. Headlamps are so handy. The new high intensity ones have to be great, I haven't gotten around to adding one to the pile yet. The mini-maglite was a recent impulse buy and my first high intensity LED light and it just amazed me. The full bright setting is pretty dazzling for looking at anything close up and the low is brighter and whiter than the old original by quite a lot. These are a lot less powerful than the Fenix and other models around now.
 
I have to back the devil up here. The HL20 Fenix is great. Three levels of power with a flashing mode (SOS) and diffuser lens. According to goinggear, the levels are 4 lumens on low, 48 med, 105 high. Best of all, it takes a single AA battery. Weighs about the same as my Petzl Tikka XP and oh so much more powerful.
 
I think headlamps are mandatory for outdoors users. I like the Petzl brand, personally.
 
wintermute said:
I know this has been asked a million times, but newer models keep coming out. What headlamp would everyone recommend for hiking, biking, kayaking, and fishing? Is a red mode a good thing to have?
Click to expand...

I really like Zebra headlamps. As to red...I don't really care for it, and I've been using it for Army operations. I really don't think it's necessary (even in a tactical situation); I would much rather have a low output white light.

ROCK6
 
I am with Rock6 on this one. Zebra light makes some great headlamps. very compact and light.

trldad
 
Im a fenix fan, Own a few, the HL20 is what I carry the most, however the switch gets turned on easily in the pack so I remove it or place a piece of a post it note over the terminal for carry. I also EDC a LD10 (traveling or hiking since I can recharge AAs with a portable solar setup from powerfilm) or PD20 (stateside since I can easily get CR123). Infact the LD10 is in my pocket right now in Balad, and the HL20 is in the pack.

And yes, the pink fuel belongs to my daughter.

lights8.JPG
 
Princeton Tec Apex (ask for the 200 lumen model, it should be going out to dealers this week) They also have great warranty so if it breaks you get a new one.

Zebralights are also very good for a smaller compact lights.
 
I have been using headlamps since before you could get an LED version,(that was anywhere near bright, and actually white) mostly for frog gigging. A red lens is a real help with that. most of the lamps I have are Petzals, they make a dam fine light.
the headlamp I use the most, when not hunting, is a simple $14.00 energizer LED, with 2 white and one red LED. You can get them at Target, walmart, or just about any auto parts store. I have one thats atleast 10 years old and it still works fine. the run time is 65 hours so it will get you through the night pretty easy. the down side is it uses 3 AAA batteries. the Petzal Tikkas are nice but a little more money.
energizer does make one now that uses a single AA battery, and has an adjustable white spot light, it goes from 65 lumen down to 12 lumen, and one red LED. The one major problem i see with the high intensity headlamps(over 80 lumen) is when you are using one(a headlamp) when you talk to people you have a tendency to look them in the eyes, with a 80 or more lumen light that actually hurts. hell with 200 lumen you can cause some damage.
my advice would be keep it simple, but definitely get a headlamp, it will change the way you do things at night.(you do it with both hands and without a flashlight in your mouth, that means no chipped teeth)
good luck
 
I have a princeton tec remix as well as a Black diamond Spot. I feel the Remix is build better but I like everything else about the Spot better...the light is much better and it seems to be brighter. They both have a ton of run time...100 hours on high for both! Both lights are around the same lumens (70 on high). The Flood on the remix is much better...has a much better fill. The black diamond also has a much better spot better concentration and better range.
 
Alright, time to resurrect my own thread (poor form, I know). I'm going to go with some sort of Zebra H51, but was wondering, what uses a true flood light, like the upcoming H51F, is best for, compared to the flood w/ center hotspot configuration of the H51?
 
It's personal preference. For myself, it depends on your task

If you like to see objects far and be able to identify them, pick the Thrower

If you need to see objects around you, it's easily done with the Flood

If I can deal with the size, then I would always pick the thrower over a flood light. That way, you can see objects up close with more clarity and farther objects also with more clarity.

I took this photo outside, it is a Throw light, specifically the 4Sevens Maelstrom G5 model. If it was a flood light, your spectrum is much wider but less bright
dsc07411h.jpg
 
Not to take away from OP's thread, but any thoughts on the surefire saint?
 
I hate to be the voice of contention here but I recommend against headlamps. I am not arguing against the use case. On the contrary, I believe hands-free is my predominant use case. I'd recommend a good stand alone light with adjustable headband (see links below). This way your headband light will also serve as a weapon light, regular EDC light, etc. Also, the technology that is put into regular flashlights is far superior to the equivalent dedicated headset.

Light:
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_305&products_id=2496

Headband:
http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?products_id=645

With this combo my "head lamp" is adjustable for brightness and angle. I have dozens of lenses and attachments to fit any given use case. And I can mount two (one on each side) with one as a high-powered throw light adjusted for distance and one as a low-med power flood adjusted down and close.

And when I'm done I can mount one on my weapon, carry it on my belt, stand it up as a lantern (with diffuser), etc.
 
I'm with gulliamo here. With a headband kind of deal, you can strap any flashlight to it provided it's not too heavy.

This gives you flexibility. You can buy different lights down the road that you can use in other activities, IE EDC.
 
Petzl and Princeton Tec are both great names in headlamps. I can vouch for PT's customer service- had a EOS-T with a loose pivot point and they returned and replaced without a question. The Petzl lights have a VERY good reputation as well.

I have heard a lot of reliability issues with the Zebralights although haven't experienced any with my h30b. Anyways, as far as brightness goes unless you plan on trail running or using it as a headlamp for mountain biking its been my experience that brighter isn't better for a headlamp. The tasks they are used for a nice low (definately less than 10 lumen) setting paired with a higher 20-30 lumen setting is ideal. Anything more and it gets annoyingly bright, you'd be better off with a handheld IMHO.

My requirements for a headlamp:
1. Light weight
2. Long batt life
3. FLOODY (well at least to some degree)
4. Proper brightness (low low and a decent medium)

Really like my EOS-T as it suits all of these PLUS it turns on in low mode so there is no blinding flash if I don't need high. Just wish the hinge looked a little tougher. But anyways, YMMV depending on your needs.

Edit: Let me add that for a "convinience light" my Zebralight is is awsome. Just have heard too many people with long term reliability issues to call it a primary light for hiking or what have you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top