Tired of junk head lamps. Willing to spend a bit of cash but not interested in tacticool hundred dollar lights.
Needs (other than lasting a good while):
1. Head band that doesn't wear out quickly and get loose.
2. Runs on real batteries (AAA or AA fine, no CR123s or watch batteries). No rechargeables.
3. Good brightness, doesn't need to be brighter than the sun, but decent. Good beam for a bit of distance.
4. Switch that doesn't wear out in 3 days
5. Doesn't weigh 3 lbs with extra wires and nonsense.
6. Would be great if just on/off. Don't need 16 modes. Who in the hell needs S.O.S. blinking mode on a head lamp?
We use these daily to work with livestock early morning and late evening as well as occasionally for hunting....so need to last.
Ideas?
Thanks!
R
Ryan,
I have a bunch of them. The Petzel is the most usable and wearable. I have the Acktik model though other models may be as good or better. Plenty of light. 3A batteries. Smalle enough to stuff in your pocket when needed.
I like the C123 battery stuff but I'm starting to think the batteries last as long as I expected.
Tedd
Black diamond
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The Coast FL Series Focusing Headlamps are reviewed highly and have been working for me daily for 3 years. They are weatherproof, take AAA, bright, beam size can be changed on the fly and are so simple my kids use them. And price is right. Good luck!
Coast x2....
Tim B
Streamlight Buckmasters Trident headlamp, dependable, bright, cheap price, weather proof, green or white LED's, (the green LED's doesn't spook game and I've witnessed it), and comfortable to wear. I have 4-5 of them.
I use a Petzel. Weighs nearly nothing, simple, rugged, and bright. $30
Petzel cheep enough to have one in every vehicle.
Zebra is by far the best I've used. I have the AA one and it's great.
I have several, but like the Petzel the best. AA batteries, 3 light levels, simple band. It was about $30.
Sams club has a 3 pack of Duracell brand for about $20. Plenty bright, a couple modes and a red light setting that you can turn on without clicking thru the white light modes. Red light is the way to go IMO.
Quote from: shoes on November 15, 2019, 06:49:02 AM
The Coast FL Series Focusing Headlamps are reviewed highly and have been working for me daily for 3 years. They are weatherproof, take AAA, bright, beam size can be changed on the fly and are so simple my kids use them. And price is right. Good luck!
This
Zebra light be first choice followed by Fenix nothing else even comes close . Plus you can get in Neutral light great for blood trailing like a coleman lantern .
I have about 7 headlamps . Petzels and others ,some $80. ones but I think my favorite is the Eveready and the price has come down to less than $20. for the 300 lumen I have 2 -250 lumens. They run on AAA batteries Walmart has them in the camping dept.
I have the Nebo 250 lumen. Its pretty basic but works great! I use mine for hunting and odds & ends around the house after dark. It runs on AAA batteries.
Black Diamond 325. Reasonably priced at about $35-$40 and works well.
I'm liking the green light version.
Petzl Tikka.....$21 from REI
Fenix E12 and/or Fenix HM23
These two models are small enough that they back each other up with no appreciable form factor penalty if you want some redundancy too. Battery life is excellent. Highly recommended.
Fenix HL50. Best light I've ever owned. Takes both CR123 and AA.
Black Diamond!
Thanks, all! You've given me some stuff to compare. And thanks to the guys than took the time to PM info to me too!
R
Ryan, you should be more confused now than when the thread started :laughing: lots of good suggestions though! I'm with you on the modes they can keep them and throw in an extra battery or two.
I'm late to the discussion but I've had the best luck with Petzal and I've tried several . I'm with you on using regular batteries, no need in multiple modes etc.. my current petzal has a simple flip down red filter over the white led light.
I have found that green lens work better for game, especially hogs. They like red as much as white light. Blue is also an option.
My son has a Petzl, I have a Fenix...both have a variety of quality headlamps you desire...I love my Fenix...over 5 yrs old and never a problem.
Tim, ive carried an everready with me for many years. You're right--- a great light that works and keeps working!
I use an Atomic Beam headlamp and love it. The battery lasts forever and the beam can be adjusted from a really wide beam to a very narrow beam.
I posted a similar question years ago and got similar results! Everyone had there favorite. BUT what I hate about most head lamps is there's no safety switch. In fact most great flash lights don't have safety switches. They have simple push button that always seems to get pushed whether in back pack, fanny pack, glove box etc. So WHEN I NEED IT and pull it out the batteries are dead!
I've resorted to putting thin paper between batteries and lamp on my tracking lights so they aren't dead when I need them. I just unscrew lamp head and dump card board spacer, replace and I have a working flashlight. I just wish head lamps came with a Safety switch that I could turn off and on. Nothing worse than pulling out a head lamp that's already dead from being turned on in the pack.
Just picked up the Streamlight Buckmaster Trident with two green modes and a White. Even in daylight it looks good, will give a night test this evening. Not too heavy, Under $30!
LC I hear you! I turn the battery upside down.
This Streamlight has the cylinder with three batteries that can be taken out. Plus, I can always carry another canister from another flashlight as back-up. And I have rechargeable AAA batteries!!!
I pick up the Black Diamond or Petzel headlamps on sale on Camofire. They are inexpensive, have two modes (dim and bright) and depending on model take aa or c123 batteries. I like the c123 models as it's easier to carry one spare batt then 3.
Mike
Quote from: LC on November 19, 2019, 06:09:59 PM
I posted a similar question years ago and got similar results! Everyone had there favorite. BUT what I hate about most head lamps is there's no safety switch. In fact most great flash lights don't have safety switches. They have simple push button that always seems to get pushed whether in back pack, fanny pack, glove box etc. So WHEN I NEED IT and pull it out the batteries are dead!
I've resorted to putting thin paper between batteries and lamp on my tracking lights so they aren't dead when I need them. I just unscrew lamp head and dump card board spacer, replace and I have a working flashlight. I just wish head lamps came with a Safety switch that I could turn off and on. Nothing worse than pulling out a head lamp that's already dead from being turned on in the pack.
Yep. Extreme bummer.
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Quote from: Wudstix on November 22, 2019, 03:46:52 PM
Just picked up the Streamlight Buckmaster Trident with two green modes and a White. Even in daylight it looks good, will give a night test this evening. Not too heavy, Under $30!
Please do because 80 lumens seems pretty weak. I'd like to find a good green light though.
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Initial impression; Lo-green is good to walk in and even shoot to 12-15 yards. Hi-green (@3x brighter) is good to shoot to @20-25 yards+, these distances were not tested, but stepped of, as far as I could see well. White is good enough to light up the river for me to kayak without worries.(@40-45 yards) Let you know more tomorrow.
Petzl Tikka. I use it all the time, in the attic, working on vehicles, working in dark places, camping, hunting, etc. Three levels of brightness, and red light. 3 AAA batteries. Last a long time.
Quote from: Zwickey-Fever on November 15, 2019, 07:27:40 AM
Streamlight Buckmasters Trident headlamp, dependable, bright, cheap price, weather proof, green or white LED's, (the green LED's doesn't spook game and I've witnessed it), and comfortable to wear. I have 4-5 of them.
X2 on this light. I have 3 of them and they are great. I have been using it for about 10 years and the battery life with lithium's is incredible. I have walked right up on deer in the dark with the green light on and they have no idea what I am.
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Low green is great. I could even take a 10-15 yard shoot, if legal. Well for pigs, if you see them its legal!
Hunting creek bed right on edge of city limits, so throwing corn and making myself know is not best option. Sat where the hogs travel through, but nothing last evening. Guys were talking about dropping and breaking the case. If you break this case you have been working at it! Great headlamp, plus I have rechargeable AAA batteries.
Take a look at olight or thrunight. Both are extremely well made machined aircraft aluminum and simple to use. None of that triple click nonsense you get with some of the other lights.
After reading this thread I picked up a two pack of Coast lights for $28 on Amazon. They included batteries. They have some kind of metal housing and feel a lot more sturdy than any of the others I've had including Black Diamond, Petzl and Princeton. Very bright at almost 400 lumens. The beam focus is cool too...
From you above, this is probably not what you are looking for but I'll show it anyway. I'm an A&P mechanic for Delta airlines and I work a ten hour midnight shift. I need a light that works all night, every night. For me, that's the LED Lenser H14R.2. it's not cheap and it's rechargeable which are two things you said you didn't want. But... It has the option of running on three different battery types. There is the regular rechargeable pack, you can use 4AA's or you can use a third type I can't recall the number of. The rechargeable pack has NEVER died on me in any ten hour shift. My normal use is about 2-4 hours a shift but there are nights I use it nearly the entire shift. It's a bit heavier than many lesser headlamps when the battery pack is mounted to the headband but it's never bothered me. There is an included cord that lets you put the battery pack on your belt if you prefer. I use mine HARD. It gets jet fuel, oil, hydraulic fluid and who knows what all on it though I do try my best to not abuse it. It simply happens. They used to cost about $180 but have actually come down to about $120 if you shop around a bit. Here's a link to optics planet if you are interested.
https://shop.opticsplanet.com/led-lenser-h14-headlamp.html?_iv_code=XY-H6-H14HDLP-880036&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=plusbox-beta&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAiA_f3uBRAmEiwAzPuaM7iEgcg7AtXTBG0KwKoLMofe5CXyIDpC21m5d1gOBwzeypSJdK97QBoCBbMQAvD_BwE