Of Your Lamps, Which is Your Favorite and Why?

[Charles L.]

We all have different interests, tastes and uses, of course, so I'm just curious to see how we settle on that favorite lamp.

My headlamp uses are: surgery (small animal veterinarian here); house maintenance projects; auto/boat maintenance; dog walking; camping; night time mountain biking. We have a dedicated head lamp/magnification loop at work, so I don't consider that one mine (although it is indispensable for working on cat or toy dog teeth). I also have dedicated lights for biking. For the other, recreational and household uses, my order of preference for my headlamps would be:

1. Armytek Wizard Pro warm: great tint and range of outputs; great beam pattern; great battery longevity; can detach and use as hand-held light; top button is easy to use; not too heavy; incredibly versatile.
2. Zebralight H600F: equally great range of outputs and more intuitive UI than the Armytek; lighter than the Armytek; similar battery life and hand-held use potential; but side button is a bit harder to operate, and tint is not as nice (should have purchased the warm).
3. Black Diamond Spot: bang for the buck is huge with this light; super light and comfortable on the forehead; infinitely variable output within its range; but doesn't go anywhere near as high or low as the top two; flimsier construction (lightness has its price); flood and red beams are too dim to be useful unless it is truly dark outside.
4. Black Diamond Storm: more water-resistant version of the Spot: but water resistance comes at the price of higher weight (still very light) and much stiffer switch.
5. Nitecore HC50: nice beam pattern; robust construction; good variety of output strengths; but too easy to switch modes when turning the light on; and too heavy to use without top strap. My least-used headlamp, this one is kept in the car.
6. LED Lenser SEO7r: light weight; variable flood/spot output; red LED is bright enough to be useful, but not adjustable in output; but rings in beam are too distracting, and wide/flat design does not fit my head very well. The only true disappointment in the bunch.

I could pare down to the Wizard and Spot, and be satisfied.

 

[blah9]

The only one I have is the Wizard Pro Warm, but I am fully satisfied with it for my uses. I mostly use it when camping/hiking or working on projects at home with my hands (car repair, etc.), so the warm, floody beam is great.

I guess it might be nice to have a little more throw for hiking at times, but it seems to be adequate. I usually hold a light with plenty of throw in my hand while I hike with the headlamp so that if I want to see farther I just turn that light on in an instant.

I also really like how durable the Wizard Pro seems to be.

 

[markr6]

Definitely my H600w II. I take it backpacking every time. Last weekend, I contemplated taking the H52w instead, but I'm so glad I didn't just to save an ounce. I ran the battery down pretty good doing some unplanned caving. I would have been totally scrwed with the H52w in terms of output and runtime.

I also use it for running and kayaking at night.

Great UI, good neutral tint, moonlight mode. Hard to beat for me.

 

[meti]

1a) Wizard pro warm: great beam for outdoor use, great modes, the switch it's the best for one hand use.
1b) Zebra H602w: great beam for indoor use, so I'll call it a tie

 

[mcnair55]

My favourite is the one i bought in a normal store for just a few £ quid,does the same job as my Fenix PD35 and other such lights that i wasted foolishly hundreds of £pounds on.

A fool and his money are soon parted they say.

 

[mobi]

H502d. It took a hit for me.

Two years later it's still going strong.

 

[davidt1]

I am coming from an on-person EDC perspective -- no bag, no organizer, no belt-carry. So no big lights or tools for me. My H52w is within the size limit of what I can put in my shirt pocket. With a 14500 battery it can shoots out 500lm when needed, and I need that much brightness everyday at work. It can be used as a handheld, headlamp, and work light. So yes, it is my favorite.

My H52w with headband next to the DQG clicky AAA, one of the smallest AAA lights.

 

[K31Scout]

My Zebralight H600FwII neutral. Most versatile by far. I have a couple of specialty lights that I would really miss but the little Zebra is the boss.

 

[Charles L.]

Zebras and Armyteks get a lot of love here. No surprise -- if my H600F were a neutral tint, I wouldn't be able to choose between it and the Wizard.

 

[RI Chevy]

Spark SD52NW - The tint is excellent, the compact size and use of AA cells. I also like the ability to switch between the flood and spot bezels. Lightweight. Magnet.

 

[hazza]

Not had my H600Fw for long, but I'm a total Zebralight convert now. There were numerous things that I wasn't convinced about when I ordered it, but that all changed when it arrived! I'm going to end up using it for a lot more things than I originally intended. The main things that I really like about it are:

Wide range of configurable outputs
Very bright high mode for when you need it
Secure mount
Balanced beam shape - floody, but still with a broad hotspot
Good size - not huge for an 18650 light, and doesn't stick out too far like some other designs

I'm fairly certain I will be ordering a H52Fw or H502w in the next couple of weeks!

 

[davidt1]

I have to add the H502w. It has replaced the H52w as my neck light. H52w for "throw" and H502w for flood is a good combo for me. Outside in the dark, I have H52w on my head and H502w around the waist belt both at 50lm. That's enough for running, walking, etc. And because of their small size I can carry both discreetly behind clothing and in pocket everywhere I go: work, church, meetings, etc.

 

[D6859]

Armytek Tiara A1 became my favorite recently. I was surprised how good the the regulation works and how long the runtimes are on single 14500.
Fenix HL30 is my choice if I need longer runtime or then I just carry an extra AA or 14500 with Tiara.

 

[Alex W]

i get two headlamps and they're different light output. Often use them when go out for camping. one is NItecore HC50, 550lm high output, good quality but a little heavy for use. another's nextorch eco star, the website has different color and my kids choose the green one. not very high output for 30lm but really lightweight enough for kids,they love it.

 

[mcs101]

I would have to say my Zebralight single CR123 headlamp. It's a "spot" version vs floody, which works much better for me in the woods. It's also small and lightweight, comfortable, and easy to EDC or toss in a pocket.

 

[hazza]

I would have to say my Zebralight single CR123 headlamp. It's a "spot" version vs floody, which works much better for me in the woods. It's also small and lightweight, comfortable, and easy to EDC or toss in a pocket.

Welcome to CPF!

There is an interesting thread about the Zebralight H32 in the headlamp section that you might want to check out (if you haven't already).

 

[uk_caver]

All my favourite headtorches (underground and surface) have self-built twin-beam units in commercial housings (mining lamps, Duos).

I'm a serious twin-beam convert, and I have been since my first unit over 10 years ago.

 

[Woods Walker]

Fenix HL20. Never got the respect it deserved on CPF but I really like it. Still in use from 2009. Just the other day Tenkara fishing in the woodland stream. Need it to hike out.

 

[mbw_151]

My favorite headlamp is the Zebra H51W I gave my wife. She uses it to read in bed if she wants to stay up later than I can stay awake. She's so considerate, she's retired but I still have to get up early and go to work.

 

[Aperture]

My favourite headlamp is hands down the Surefire Minimus (actually a Saint in Minimus configuration), I use it for hiking, canoeing, camping, travelling, etc.

I was tempted to try and buy some 18650 headlights for the increased brightness and to be able to use the same batteries as my custom 6P but they all failed to satisfy me, they either broke down, were too heavy, not waterproof, had complicated user interfaces, crushed batteries, etc, etc.

So in the end I came back to the Minimus because it is bright enough for my purpose, is very small and lightweight, really waterproof, super simple to use, tough as nails and with a proven track record after years of use in the field where others have failed.