I'm in the market for an LED headlamp. It needs to be simple, dead reliable, bright, and light weight. What do I want to buy?

Thanks, RS

I really depends on your purposes. I'm currently using a Black Diamond Storm and it's versatile with several brightness settings, plus red leds for preserving night vision if necessary.

Fenix are working well for me.

zebralight

I bought a Zebralight and haven't looked back.

Zebralight user as well. Bright and great battery life....

Night stick # nsp-4614 https://www.baycoproducts.com/product/headlamps/item/nsp-4614b. Working getting firewood mail checking oil etc... OR. ProTa c HL https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/protac-hl-headlamp. If u want to weld eyes shut !

Black Diamond ReVolt, which is rechargeable, works for me.

I have had a couple variations of the Petzl Tikka's. I like the newer fancier version more than the basic version I started out with. Good tactile feel on the Tikka's. Easy to reach up and feel the on/off button without fumbling around. On/off button depresses easily. Bought a cheap(er) light as a spare before I went to Colorado. Finding the exact spot for the on/off switch can be difficult. And actually pressing it to get it to turn on is more difficult.

I bought this to just see and was very impressed. It uses 18650 rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries. Here is an ebay package that includes a charger and battery. The lumens claim is not accurate but these are very bright and are adjustable.

Link to light.

Link to Batteries.

Link to batteries.

These are the same batteries that are used in laptops, when a laptop battery pack goes bad it is usually only one or two batteries that are bad and the rest are good. I tear them apart meter the batteries and save the good ones.

You'll want to buy a few batteries to start with and then just take bad battery packs apart to save up a good supply of batteries. Battery life is exceptional and they do not lose much sitting around not being used.

This thing is so bright if someone walks up on you in the dark they may have thunk they have accidentally came across the gates of hell.

You can also use 3AAA batteries if you have an triple AAA battery holder commonly found in small LED flashlights.

Not for a first line headlamp (as was requested) but I have a few of these purchased from a few sellers and they're freaking bright! The weak point is how the strap attaches to the plastic battery box. As a curiosity, for the Ebay buyer, try it. 3AAs, zoomable, $10 shipped. First click gets full power, second is dim, third flashes, and forth off. Very nice even pattern of clean white light.


Not necessarily this seller, but this is it.

https://www.ebay.com/p/BORUiT-7000l...t-Camping-Head-Lamp-Light-Red/2126600707

Zebralight

Budget dictates form and quality, what is your intended budget ?

I'm not price sensitive for a light with all of the qualities I listed.

Thanks, RS

RipSnort;
Good afternoon sir, I hope all is well in your world and the weekend treated you acceptably.

After using an Olight Baton S1 for my pocket EDC light for a couple years, I bought this one as a companion/headlamp this spring.

https://olightworld.com/led-flashlights/headlamps/olight-h1-nova

They're both quite efficient as far as battery life and give a bunch of light for the size of the unit.

I lost the Baton S1 outside overnight in the parking lot about a month ago and found partially submerged in a small puddle - and it works perfectly - so it's somewhat water resistant anyway. Of course since I'd lost my EDC light I ordered another one from Florida that night, not knowing I'd find it the next morning. Oh well, I've got a spare now.....

Lastly I run rechargeable batteries in both and have had no issues whatsoever.

Hopefully that was useful for you or someone out there tonight sir. Good luck whichever way you decide and all the best to you all as we head into the Christmas Season.

Dwayne

Check out armyteks Wizard Pro.

https://www.amazon.com/Armytek-Wizard-Silver-Headlamp-Lumens/dp/B01E9BQTQE

At the lower settings they will work for a year on the same battery.

They all make excellent targets.

For the zebra guys, which model? I see like 42 options. Thanks and sorry to hijack

Think mine is an H52w.

Ok,
Is it for blood trailing ?
What is the max lumen/lux you really need ?
What battery format would you prefer...or are you open to better options ?
Have you had cataract surgery ?

I love my Zebralight H600 with the cool white light. Great for blood trailing, as well.

Check out the Thrunite TH20, simple one double a battery, on ,off, and Brightness adjustment.

This is the one you want - there is nothing better!

http://www.zebralight.com/H600-Mk-III-XHP35-Cool-White-18650-Headlamp_p_187.html

And the batteries you need:

https://liionwholesale.com/products/panasonic-sanyo-ncr18650ga-flat-top-1?variant=12534245700

And this glow-in-the-dark mount is really nice...

http://www.zebralight.com/GITD-glow-in-the-dark-silicone-holder-for-H600-H602H603_p_76.html

Once you try this setup you will laugh at your friends with cute little 80 lumen lights. And it is adjustable from the lowest lows to the highest highs. Trust me - this is military-grade equipment!

Black Diamond for me. I have both a Storm and Icon. The Icon you could spotlight deer with .........

The Storm is a bit heavy but is very bright. BTW the Storm comes in several brightness levels. I've seen them from 200 to 350 lumens. I have the 350.

I'd consider your purpose before buying a light. I take 2 lights with me. One for walking in/out in the dark. This light is as bright as I can find it - I use the BD Icon for this chore. It is big,bulky but is bulletproof and burns a long time on 3 AA batteries. I always take a smaller light as a tent/camp light. Goal here is enough light not to trip on camp 'things' especially on middle-of-the-night bathroom runs. I usually keep it tucked inside my sleeping bag. I bought the Storm for this duty but am re-thinking. I've used a Petzl Tikka or one of it's derivatives for years. Probably going back to a Petzl for a camp light.

Is there a good lamp with SEPARATE buttons for white and red light? I do not want to cycle through different settings to turn on or off.

Once I made an absolute stealth approach to a stand in the pre-dawn dark. I was carefully navigating the ground using the red light. When I went for the button to turn off the lamp the white light flashed on for a second and a very close deer blew, and bolted off.

I use of one these. Seperate Red button. Rechargeble.

If you want the best: Lupine Piko 4 run time of 80 hours at 40 lumens up to 1:15 hours at 1800 lumens. I use it for night mtn bike riding as well as all my night related hiking and hunting needs.

http://www.lupinenorthamerica.com/item.asp?cID=0&PID=551

I went with the zebra as suggested. Christmas present that just recently showed up. Fantastic tool. I like the pocket clip for nighttime winter grilling and the headband for setting goose decs. Thanks for the recommendation.

Start with Zebralight or Black Diamond and then just narrow down based on your preferences.

I am a HUGE fan of the 18650 battery platform (I own many flashlights and 3 headlamps that run 18650's), but my 3AAA Black Diamond is so light and small it's really my favorite to use.