lol. i remember one of your earlier posts saying you weren't picky about headlamps, so this made me laugh a little. it's easy to fall down the headlamp rabbit hole. and i suppose that there's no turning back now.
the only other headlamp that i can think of that has a combination of throw, flood, and red light in a sub 4 oz package is the Petzl Tikka Xp2. based on your desire for a more efficient flood, the Tikka Xp2 might actually be more to your liking. but it's not as bright in spot mode, it's not totally waterproof, and it's not regulated, and a couple of people have noted that PWM is noticeable on low, so it's not perfect either.
anyway, i'm not pushing you to dump your Storm or suggesting you get a Tikka Xp2. it just seemed like you're were't really happy with your new purchase, and i was trying to be helpful.
Haha...yeah, I did say that didn't I ! I actually meant that if it had one decent emitter for spot and a diffuser for flood I didn't care so much about strobes, red leds, and having two emitters. On the other hand I do care about not being waterproof, having emitters that aren't efficient and having strobes that are triggered too easily.
I either want a small headlamp with an efficient emitter and very few other features or I want it to be perfect
I don't really like any of the spot beams so that's where the tape comes in. Most people wouldn't think the Storm has a lot of glare but why put up with any if some electrical tape will eliminate it
Now that I found something close to perfection for me it's annoying that I can't fix the few remaining imperfections. Before I bought the Storm most headlamps I read about had so many imperfections that I just had to not care since I didn't think I had much of a choice in the matter.
The Tikka XP doesn't work for me at all since it's underpowered, not waterproof, and as I recall the UI is a little annoying. I do like the flip up diffuser. There should be more models with this.
Zebralight doesn't work for me. Sure it's a good flashlight and a good headlamp but want a great headlamp. I don't want to pull reflectors or wear two Zebralights at once. I don't want to have to pull a diffuser on and off either.
If I had the electronic skills I'd replace the inefficient flood emitters and change the electronics around so that it started on low instead of high. Lighting level memory would be nice. These should be basic things but no small headlamp does all of these things. Some are still using 3 5mm emitters for their main beam. Some have buttons that don't stand out from the rest of the body.
It's like being in the "dark ages" compared to current flashlight features.
Why would anyone make any headlamp that wasn't waterproof or without memory or with old school emitters?