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Anyone have a good headlamp they would recommend...?
- Thread starter drew_235
- Start date
- Mar 15, 2018
- 1,281
- 5,092
Best money I ever spent. I use it daily to run with; so good I bought another one to keep as a spare. Plus SureFire warrantees everything for life. I cannot recommend this enough.
www.surefire.com
Maximus | Rechargeable Variable-Output LED Headlamp | SureFire
The rechargeable SureFire Maximus headlamps handles them by delivering an amazing 1,000 lumens of MaxVision Beam®-shaped light that can be dialed down, lumen by lumen, to give you just the amount you need.
www.surefire.com
Backround....I run 100 mile ultramarathons and train a ton at night. I have owned a lot of headlamps. The ones with the hinges on the bottom made from plastic will wear out and you will eventually end up using a rubber band or something to keep it from pointing at the ground. Petzl, BLK Diamond, etc....Get one of the metal bodied Fenix or Nitecore lights.(I have been using an HL60R for years now and it is still functioning well, just lost some of the paint and the elastic band)
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I've been using the Surefire headlamps for about 10 years. They are still going strong. Adjustable output, 123 batteries like everything else, they don't break. Worth it to me. The other stuff I've tried always dies, corrodes batteries, etc.
This is what I bought last time: Fenix HM61R
I've used it around the house after hurricanes and out at the hunting camp.
This provided plenty of light and enough run time at a reasonable light level.
I have plenty of spare 18650 batteries, but haven't had to swap one out in the field.
I've used it around the house after hurricanes and out at the hunting camp.
This provided plenty of light and enough run time at a reasonable light level.
I have plenty of spare 18650 batteries, but haven't had to swap one out in the field.
I like the Nitcores that run on rechargeable 18650 batteries. Always seem to have a bunch of those and cr123s in my kit. Redundancy is nice.
Chinook Medical is having a Veterans Day sale.
They carry three headlamps in their inventory.
Havent read the whole thread regards if you need your headlamp to be a stand in for a Lighthouse going down or if for admin/reasonable shooting/hunting tasks.
Their three lights appear to be US/NSN items.
While buying your light Id suggest picking up some IFAK gear....
The survival gear page with their headlamps...
www.chinookmed.com
Quad and Remix look like good options....even an IR beacon feature if being lit up by friendly Hellfires is a concern.
They carry three headlamps in their inventory.
Havent read the whole thread regards if you need your headlamp to be a stand in for a Lighthouse going down or if for admin/reasonable shooting/hunting tasks.
Their three lights appear to be US/NSN items.
While buying your light Id suggest picking up some IFAK gear....
The survival gear page with their headlamps...
Survival Gear | Chinook Medical Gear, Inc.
Chinook is a Veteran-Owned and Native American Veteran-Owned 8(a) Small Business that provides custom medical solutions for the harshest environments
Quad and Remix look like good options....even an IR beacon feature if being lit up by friendly Hellfires is a concern.
Having spent considerable money on cheap ones over the years that always broke I ordered this one. Arrived yesterday and I think I am going to like it. Nice little key chain light too.I have a bunch of the cheap ones but recently stepped up to a Fenix $$. I haven't used it much but it's fantastic.
I did not get the free flashlight they are offering now.
Fenix HM65R Rechargeable Headlamp
The Fenix HM65R headlamp features both an independently controlled spotlight and a floodlight for a combined max 1400 lumens of neutral white light. Buy Nowwww.fenixlighting.com
View attachment 7461866
I've got a couple of these https://www.amazon.com/Promier-LitezAll-Clip-Light-Lights/dp/B01MYZSY25?ref_=ast_sto_dp
They're cheap, light weight and throw a pretty good amount of light for close in work and run on AAA batteries
They're cheap, light weight and throw a pretty good amount of light for close in work and run on AAA batteries
When I bought a headlamp for myself, my choice fell on headlamp amazon. Personally, I needed this thing for hiking and traveling, which I sometimes arrange for myself. I just needed a very standard headlamp that copes with its task. And it seemed to me that the selection on Amazon is quite broad. Despite the low price, the quality is average, and the headlamp fully functions as it should. I see that you are looking for more expensive models here, so I don't understand this, but I will be happy to read your review about other headlamps. So this is my opinion about the headlamps
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I've got two Black Diamond head lights , both are reliable and bright . They have even better models out now. I think mine are 100 lumen because that's the brightest they had when I bought mine .
I don't think you'd go wrong with one .
they take 3 aaa batteries I think .
I don't think you'd go wrong with one .
they take 3 aaa batteries I think .
I have several of the FENIX headlamps. They are fantastic. Fenix also has a new small re-chargeable hand sized flashlight PD40R -- 3000 lumens; 405 meter beam; 5 year repair; veterans/LE/first responder program. Log on their site for a 20% new customer discount on your first order. Look at the CL30R rechargeable lantern for a perfect camping/power outage lantern with a max 650 lumens or up to 300 hours usage at 10 lumens. We have lots of power outages in La. and I have used theses lanterns for the last 3 years with zero problems.
I also stay away from anything alkaline. I've been screwed too many times to count by corroding AA and AAA batteries, especially Duracell. Plus, the power output retention of lithium for performance devices is important.
I run mostly Nitecore and Olight headlamps. Both of my models are discontinued, but either of those brands powered by an 18650 (or two CR123s) will be good to go.
I run mostly Nitecore and Olight headlamps. Both of my models are discontinued, but either of those brands powered by an 18650 (or two CR123s) will be good to go.
I love my zebralight powered by an 18650 battery. Long run times, plenty of brightness modes and very light for what it is. There are also some very good options with 18650 batteries from Fenix. I like the energy density of the 18650 and personally use 3500mAh Sanyo/Panasonic batteries that seem to do very well.
The first question should be what do you want it for? Hiking, biking, working on a vehicle, etc. Use case/Beam type is a big deal because a flood beam will be great for close up work, for example working on a car, but horrible hiking/biking.
18650 lights are to me the sweet spot, good power, good runtime and not too heavy if you have to wear it for awhile. 21700 batteries get pretty "heavy", it's more that the headlight won't stay stable unless you crank the head straps down super tight, which give most people a headache. AAA lights while compact/small just don't last long enough at their stated runtimes.
Also beware of the manufacturers listed lumen/runtime rates, there's a lot of #'s manipulation going on. The FL1 spec says that a company can list whatever lumens their light can achieve after 30 seconds of being turned on, and then list the runtime until it's 10% of that initial brightness. The only way to find out what they are really doing is to see a runtime/output graph that most companies won't give you. What does all that gobbly gook mean? A company can make a light that is 3000 lumens for 60 seconds, and then steps down to 300 lumens for 5 hours and put on their packaging "3000 lumens with 5 hours runtime" when in reality it's a 3000 lumen light for a minute and a 300 lumen light for 5 hours. It's just something to be aware of to not get sucked into thinking that these lights really can put out that much light for the runtime they are listing.
I've used lots of them Olight, Fenix, Surefire, Zebralight, Milwaukee, Coast, Petzel, Light N Motion, Nightrider, Turbocat, the list goes on, most for biking/hiking and working on vehicles. Honestly one of my favorites recently is the Coast XPH30R, I like that you can adjust the beam from a super wide flood to a hot spot with good spill light and it's smooth/even at both settings, the switch interface is intuitive, 18650 batteries, it has good brightness and runtime, you can charge the battery in the light so you don't have to drag a charger with you, and it's $50. They have a larger/heavier unit out the XPH34R that uses 21700 batteries but to me it's too big/heavy to be stable with the strap. My other favorite that would be my choice for a "I abuse it" light is the Zebralight They also offer 3 options for beam patterns an 3 LED color temp options. I've used a few of the Olight and Fenix models and honestly haven't been that impressed with many of them. Olight I've never really had any problems with, but their lights just "feel" cheap to me, and I don't like the proprietary charging cords. I recently tried the Array from Olight and pretty much hated it. It has a combo spot/flood beams, but neither by itself is that bright, so unless you want both for say hiking, it's a waste of output. The Prerun looks okay, but for the price I'd rather just have a Zebralight. The one Fenix I used that I did like and still have is the HL60R, super beefy but pretty heavy.
18650 lights are to me the sweet spot, good power, good runtime and not too heavy if you have to wear it for awhile. 21700 batteries get pretty "heavy", it's more that the headlight won't stay stable unless you crank the head straps down super tight, which give most people a headache. AAA lights while compact/small just don't last long enough at their stated runtimes.
Also beware of the manufacturers listed lumen/runtime rates, there's a lot of #'s manipulation going on. The FL1 spec says that a company can list whatever lumens their light can achieve after 30 seconds of being turned on, and then list the runtime until it's 10% of that initial brightness. The only way to find out what they are really doing is to see a runtime/output graph that most companies won't give you. What does all that gobbly gook mean? A company can make a light that is 3000 lumens for 60 seconds, and then steps down to 300 lumens for 5 hours and put on their packaging "3000 lumens with 5 hours runtime" when in reality it's a 3000 lumen light for a minute and a 300 lumen light for 5 hours. It's just something to be aware of to not get sucked into thinking that these lights really can put out that much light for the runtime they are listing.
I've used lots of them Olight, Fenix, Surefire, Zebralight, Milwaukee, Coast, Petzel, Light N Motion, Nightrider, Turbocat, the list goes on, most for biking/hiking and working on vehicles. Honestly one of my favorites recently is the Coast XPH30R, I like that you can adjust the beam from a super wide flood to a hot spot with good spill light and it's smooth/even at both settings, the switch interface is intuitive, 18650 batteries, it has good brightness and runtime, you can charge the battery in the light so you don't have to drag a charger with you, and it's $50. They have a larger/heavier unit out the XPH34R that uses 21700 batteries but to me it's too big/heavy to be stable with the strap. My other favorite that would be my choice for a "I abuse it" light is the Zebralight They also offer 3 options for beam patterns an 3 LED color temp options. I've used a few of the Olight and Fenix models and honestly haven't been that impressed with many of them. Olight I've never really had any problems with, but their lights just "feel" cheap to me, and I don't like the proprietary charging cords. I recently tried the Array from Olight and pretty much hated it. It has a combo spot/flood beams, but neither by itself is that bright, so unless you want both for say hiking, it's a waste of output. The Prerun looks okay, but for the price I'd rather just have a Zebralight. The one Fenix I used that I did like and still have is the HL60R, super beefy but pretty heavy.
I run a Fenix headlamp. Most all my torches are Fenix w/ the 123 battery. I like the 123s because they have a lot more storage capacity and I have yet to lose a light to corrosion that will eventually happen with AA or AAA cells.
Fenix brand 18650’s are great batteries. I use flashlights daily and I have to recharge it like once a month.
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