What are the top three headlamp type LED lights?

I'll throw in another :thumbup: for the Petzl Tikka. I have the Plus model and I've been very happy with it.

And if I had a dime for every time I heard "Put a cover on that grape!" I'd be a rich man....:D
 
To the OP

I can't really give a top three.

I guess I got lucky and bought the headlamp that suits me first time. Petzl MYO XP

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Three output levels and a hinged polycarbonate lense that converts the light from spot to flood.

One set of batteries lasts for the full week around bush camp :thumbup:

Used it in heavy rain on several occasions with no problems.




Kind regards
Mick
 
Don Rearic said:
What are the top three when you consider welfare (price :D ), battery run time, brightness and ease of use / stability on your grape...
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How important is price and what price would you be willing to spend?

What I would use is this Zebralight:
http://goinggear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_20&products_id=140
There are many reasons why I would prefer that to everything else suggested so far:
- The ability to wear in on your head with the included headband but also the ability to use the included clip and clip it to a shirt pocket or anywhere else it wil clip to + the ability to sit it the ground shining in whatever direction you turn it.
- The 1 x AA format - cheap and easy to power this from any AA alkaline, lithium or NiMH cell.
- The run time can be up to 3.5 days off one single AA battery, think about how long you could get out of a packet of 4 batteries. Even on high it will run for more than 2 hours and that is a pretty bright output level.
- The size and weight is right down the bottom end of the scale for a AA light, it isn't much bigger than the battery inside it.
- The wide floody beam is really useful for so many tasks.
 
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I went to REI at night to see a bunch at once. They took me out to the back dark service drive to test them out. I wanted something with a single bright LED to shine a far focussed beam down trail and additional LED's for close up flood pattern.

It really depends what you need the light to do. Lots of choices for reasonable prices but hands on testing is the way to go.
 
Tikka is good
but definatly pick up an E-lite +1 so nice i edc it with my nite core , its tiny and light so it sticks to your noggin , and its tiny so theres no weight to worry about and it clips to a cap or something else ... granted its kinda an odd battery but they last ages ...

also the new ones , the cord lock is a whistle... and its a tiny package

petzl-elite.jpg
 
I have two different princeton-tecs that I'm happy with. I'd say as long as you go with a known name brand, readily available battery size, LED, and not to large of a unit you'll be happy. Campmor had a nice one on sale for around $15 recently. I got one for my wife and it's great.
 
How about a Zebralight. You can get one in a variety of cell sizes. How big do you want it? Big difference between one that takes four AAs, or one CR123. Petzl e-Lite is an awesome little rat.
 
I've tried a bunch and am a big fan of the new Princeotn Tec EOS. It has the Rebel emitter, which renders things more accurately than many LEDs. Also, they smoothed out the beam pattern a bit, to me it's pretty optimal now. Also, o-rings seal it off, something that's not the case on the new Petzl's. You can get higher powered for caving/mountaineering, or a zebralight for camp or indoor use. But for general outdoors use, I think the EOS can't be beat.
 
Josh K said:
The Tikka XP is a pretty nice light for the money.

e99-pi_0.jpg
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The Tikka XP has a built-in survival whistle on the band. I've heard good things about it. I have a Black Diamond Cosmo (~$30) it has a number of different settings in both spot and flood mode once you learn how to manipulate the button. Not bad for the money. -DT
 
Petzl pretty much invented the modern-day headlamp. They're bomber and there's a model to fit every budget. They just recently updated their lineup so it's a good time to buy. Though slightly more expensive, the single high-output LEDs are the way to go. I'm not sure what you want it for, but in the outdoor world they ARE the standard. I've been using them since 1991. I've used 6 different models over the years. That's my vote.

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamps/compact-tikka2
 
Man, ever since I got my Tikka Plus, I've been wanting to pick up an e+lite...they look like they'd be excellent for PSKs.
 
I've got one of those Energizer Hardcase 3x AAA headlights, picked it up from Home Depot for like $25-30 or so, batteries included. It's got a strap mounted battery pack, so it's fairly bulky in your pack, but on your head it sits comfortably. It's bright, Energizer claims 100 lumens, with a lower setting. Also has two red LEDs, and a green LED(packaging says its for pipe inspection?). It's also got a flip down difuser to spread the light out. Without it, it puts out a nice solid beam, with it flipped down, its more comfortable for reading or around camp.

I can't really comment on battery life, I've no idea how much time I've used it(not a ton), but I haven't changed em since I got it. The Energizer website says it has an 8 hour continuous run time, though I'm not sure if that's on high, or low, or what.

The downside is it's bulky because of the battery pack and it uses AA's. The upsides are it's cheap, bright, tough, runs on AA's, and has a red LED. The green LEDS don't much matter to me.
 
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