HeadLamp Opinions Wanted

[ride_gnu]

So im looking at buying a headlamp we all know how the saying goes, "You get what you pay for." I am looking at the following

1) From Home Depot for $19.99

http://www.energizer.com/products/flashlights/outdoor-lights/Pages/batteries-lantern-headlamp.aspx

OR

2) From my local outdoors store for $49.99

http://www.princetontec.com/?q=node/65

OR

One of the following from lee valley;

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=58277&cat=2,40731&ap=1

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=55280&cat=2,40731&ap=1

To be honest I really like the Princeton Tec one, because of it being waterproof but being $49 dollars and me still not an avid outdoors person (as much as I would like) I am having trouble justifying spending that much. But I am also worried that buying the cheaper ones will come back to bite me in the but. However I also like the idea of the crank for the Lee Valley and not being dependent on battery's. What do you guys think?

[crashdive123]

Ride gnu - I've got several headlamps. The only one on your list that I have the exact model for is the 1st one on your list. While it is plenty bright and has a pretty good battery life, it is easy to switch on while in your pack. This is easily resolved with a small piece of tape. The Princeton that I have (Fuel) is my favorite. I've got a couple from Streamlight (use mostly for work) and one from Coast. I like them all, but for packing, I like my Princeton. The water proof feature could come in handy (I seem to have trouble not falling in the water). Petzl also makes some great lamps.

[klkak]

I have the princetontec. It is a good head light. I've never had a problem with it and I've been using it for 3 or 4 years.

[ride_gnu]

Crashdive123:

You say you have the energizer one. In term of brightness and lumina how is it compared to the Fuel? or any Pirnceton Tec ones you own?

klkak:

Which princeton tech model do you have, if you dont mind me asking?

[crashdive123]

I haven't compared them side by side. The fuel has 3 brightness setting (plus a flashing mode) While the Energizer is on or off (white or red). I'm comfortable walking at night with either. IMO the PrincetonTec is of a higher quality.

[crashdive123]

OK - I just pulled them out of the drawer and walked outside. The Fuel is brighter (on high setting) and casts a wider light. Also - the Fuel uses AAA's while the Energizer uses AA's if weight is an issue.

[Badawg]

I'm a huge fan of the Petzl e+lite. It's tiny and very bright and you don't even know it's on, which is a big deal in my opinion. It's waterproof and comes with a case. and uses lithium wafer batteries. It also has an integrated clip that makes it easy to attach to anything. I clip it to the inside of the tent to use as a stationary hanging light.

I also have the big energizer with the 1 watt lamp in the center. Very bright but heavy as heck. it's great for riding a bike though.

I hear good things about the princetons though but 50 bucks seems pricey.

What I would avoid is things with external battery cases and wires to get damaged as when running through the trees, it's just more to get caught on things...

[ride_gnu]

Awesome, thanks for the field test.

[Stairman]

I have several princton tec dive lights.Rugged little boogers.IMO dry cavers have the best,most dependable headlights of anybody.Same ones that miners use.

[minuteman]

If you want an inexpensive excellent headlamp, then buy the HUSKY brand at home depot. I work in the oil fields and use this head lamp on a daily basis. It is affordable, bright, 2 leds, and water resistant. I've used it in the pooring rain and snow with out problems. For the record, I have purchased high dollar headlamps that have failed or broken, yet the Husky brand headlamp has not failed me yet. It might be cheap, but like I said I use it on a daily basis and it is reliable. I also used to be an underground miner and though overall they are good headlamps ( but very expensive )I've had them fail as well, but the Husky brand headlamp seems to take a lick'n and keep on tick'n if ya know what I mean.

[Sarge47]

Remember, you get what you pay for, & in the wilderness cheap is rarely good. I shelled out about $50 for my Petzl XP & I use it for every thing. It even has a built-in battery indicator to let you know when you need to replace them. Here's the skinny from Campmor:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___37824?CS_003=2477120&CS_010=37824

check it out.:cool:

[minuteman]

I've paid between $40.00 and $50.00 dollars for headlamps that have broken on me, yet the HUSKY brand from Home depot ( around $10-$15 ) has not failed me. It's true that in most cases you get what you pay for, but occasionally one can find cheap gear that works great. I've been using this HUSKY headlamp for several months now without problems. My work day starts at 2:00 am every morning and I rely on this cheap headlamp daily. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone if I thought it was crap. I know there are good/exspensive headlamps out there, but figured if someone had shallow pockets such as my self, that they might like to know that there is a good/cheap/reliable headlamp available at most Home Depot stores.

" And God said let there be light, and man created the headlamp " LOL

[DOGMAN]

I use a headlamp 365 days a year, doing kennel chores. I have had almost every brand there is from $8 Wal-mart specials to $150 dollar caving ones. They have all failed me or broken at one-time or another. For the past year or so I've been using the Prinetontec Yukon. Its been great, i highly recommend it.

[RBB]

Best headlamp I ever had looked like a Micky Mouse piece of crap. Paid $6 for it at Walmart. It just worked really well. Left it in a camo jacket that I ran through an industrial strength dryer while turkey hunting two years ago, and it warped. It still works, but you can't turn it off.

I have several more expensive ones, including one my kids bought me for $80. They all seem to work okay, but don't give as much light as the cheap Walmart special.

[Badawg]

It's funny how many people equate brightness with quality or as the most important feature when it comes to a headlamp. If you only have one light source, brightness can be real nice, especially if you are doing something that requires distance vision at night. By and large though, in camp or outdoor situations where you are using both hands to perform a task, brightness or a spot is not really what you need and in fact, can be a hindrance. Take for example something like cooking in camp, or chopping wood, or changing a tire at night. You want enough diffused flood around you so that you don't trip over things and are able to find the dropped lugnuts in the gravel, but you don't want to be totally blinded to your peripheral view.

The way I have handled the "bright Vs not so bright" is to use a decent but not too bright but exceedingly durable and light headlamp (Petzl e+lite). and then when out where I really need something bright along to just carry a surefire 6P.

Another great example of why bright can be bad too is when in a group of people:

I go to Burning Man every year. If you don't know what it is you should check it out. It's not for everyone, but there is something there for most everyone. Basically 40,000-50,000 people gather in just about the harshest environment in the U.S. for a week in August, and build a city in a dry lake bed. When they arrive there is nothing but a circular city 'grid' laid out with the only services available being porta potties and ice for sale, so everyone has to provide everything else for themselves. There is nothing for sale but the ice... When you leave, you can leave nothing either.

So you are in a wide flat basin about 2 miles across and everyone is running around and biking around in the dark with headlamps on and various other ways to light up themselves, or simply no lights at all in a black trench coat... If somebody walks up to you and asks you something, guess what's right in your face? Their headlamp! If it's a 2 watt LED you are not a happy camper and your night vision is completely shot for a good 10 minutes. After being blinded many times on my first trip. I opted for less bright as I did not need all the candle power 90% of the time.

And speaking of harsh environment, My Tikka, my Wigfe's Tikka, 2 different Energizer models, and the e+lite have all handled 10 days exposure to the 60MPH Alkali dust storms, the 112 degree days and 40 degree nights, and constant use quite well. The strap on one of the energizers has not made the test of time though, I think the alkali "playa dust" ate the elastic.

And the guy in the black trenchcoat and no light at all? We refer to them as darkwads, or speedbumps...

Two photos to show what a tiny little devil is: These can be all encompassing And really bad. and it you are not prepared...

[sgtdraino]

I'm a huge fan of the Petzl e+lite. It's tiny and very bright and you don't even know it's on, which is a big deal in my opinion. It's waterproof and comes with a case. and uses lithium wafer batteries. It also has an integrated clip that makes it easy to attach to anything. I clip it to the inside of the tent to use as a stationary hanging light.

I really like the e+lite too, for all the reasons you mentioned. Also it's almost as small as one of those keychain lights, and it has multiple settings: Low, high, strobe, red, and red strobe. The only thing I don't like is that it uses a button cell (which it kinda has to, due to its size).

I prefer headlamps that use AAs or AAAs both standard and rechargeable, both because such batteries are cheap and easy to find, and (with rechargeables) you have the option of recharging your light in the field using a solar cell.

My current favorite headlamp is a Rayovac Sportsman XTreme 1W LED Headlamp:

http://www.rayovac.com/flashlight/se1whlt-b.shtml

It's got a 1W luxeon main LED, 2 red LEDs, and 1 blue LED, and you rotate between them with each button press. It's also got a really neat diffuser lens that can rotate over any of the LEDs so you can choose between spot and flood. It runs on a single AA cell (standard or rechargeable), so there's no external battery pack yet it remains pretty lightweight and not too front-heavy. This is a reasonably-priced headlamp (about $20), and I recommend it highly.

[Badawg]

That's also my one gripe with the e+lite. Not rechargeable. OTOH, they are only a $1.35 a piece and you could easily store 4 more of them in your kit in less space than a stick of gum. and they have a 10 year shelf life... The rayovac sounds like a winner though.

[ride_gnu]

Well all your opinions have been quite helpfull. I ended up going with the energizer light for a few reason.

1) Cheapest of all the lights
2) Had a lifetime warranty as well
3) Weight seems minimal after about 5 minutes of wearing
4) 4 light modes (spot, flood, Spot and Flood, red)
5) 3 AAA's proived about 100 hours of runtime (or so they say)

Again thanks for all yous tips, they came in quite handy. And now, I have an additional 30 dollars to spend on something else.

[SARKY]

Check out the Inova 24-7. It has multi uses. I love mine as it is tried and true, so a part of my kit now.

[Gray Wolf]

I have to agree with Sarge, "Remember, you get what you pay for, & in the wilderness cheap is rarely good".

[RunsWithDeer]

I use a Petzl, not sure of the model. It is about 7 years old and had a lot of hard use. Can't remember all the times it has been dropped, and a couple of times in water. It is good on batteries and I am very happy with the amount of light it puts out. It is my primary light I use when hunting.