Headlamp: Its usefulness is growing on me!

I'm not naturally a big user of lights compared to many on here. Since I now have a few decent lights I'm slowly finding ways to use them. The most useful light for me has ended up being a ITP A3 worn around the neck and under the shirt (only at night when I think I might need a light).

I recently got a small angle light (Zebralight knockoff but no headband). I had to replace the license plate on my car before the end of the month although it was dark and cold tonight at least the rain had just stopped. As I'm taking the screws out of the plate I realized that I could just put the angle light on its side on the ground and rotate it until it was shinning on the screws. Useful!

I also had to remove the front plates permanently and of course one out of the two screws was stripped. I thought wouldn't it be nice to have my (new) headlamp now so I went into the house and brought that out...perfect!

I cleaned up and went inside to watch TV for a couple of minutes and the cat jumped up on my chest and started pumping with his sharp claws...very annoying. Clipping his claws is never fun but without daylight coming through the windows it's really a pain so...out comes the headlamp again and this was the easiest clipping yet.

I guess you don't realize how useful a light (and particularly a headlamp) is until you get in the habit of having one around and using it.

Normally I would have just stumbled around outside or put off doing the license plate project until daylight (even though it might be raining then) and the cat project would have been more difficult as well.

I feel the continuing slide to nerd/geekdom but I think I'm powerless to stop it at this point

Welcome to the gang! :wave: It's one of those things where after using it, you wonder how you ever lived without one.

Don't worry about becoming a nerd, GCBryan, if you have 1.3K posts at a flashlight forum...you already are one. All you're doing now is getting more sophisticated with your light. Welcome to the gang!

Bolster said:

Don't worry about becoming a nerd, GCBryan, if you have 1.3K posts at a flashlight forum...you already are one. All you're doing now is getting more sophisticated with your light. Welcome to the gang!

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Hahaha...I might be a nerd but I've resisted becoming a flashaholic! It started with a present (Surefire 6P) which I didn't really care for all that much and then an interest in the dive light forum. All (most) of my posts are in the budget and dive light forums. I don't own any "expensive" lights.

I guess just posting is enough to make me a nerd however so I won't protest too much

I use my headlamps so much people at the store stopped giving me funny looks when I forget to take it off.

Today I was eating lunch and a man came into the restaurant and he was wearing his headlamp!

I have been waiting "4 to 6 weeks" forever to purchase a saint minimus. Funny it took so long to realize there is no need to try to hold a light when both hands are already busy.

I may pull the trigger on a minimus, too. If you find a good (inexpensive) source please let me know.

Yesterday I answered the door with a Zebra H501 on my head (I was chasing down a leak in the bathroom), and it was a Kirby vacuum salesman. He got 3 lines into his pitch and then stopped dead in his tracks: "What is that thing on your head?"

Numbers said:

I have been waiting "4 to 6 weeks" forever to purchase a saint minimus. Funny it took so long to realize there is no need to try to hold a light when both hands are already busy.

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How do you like yours? I am looking to get one of these maybe.

Sadly, I dont have it yet. The SF site says 4-6 weeks but I have been waiting longer than that. I check the site every few days and will order one as soon as they are available.

Have used Head Lights for the last 8 years or so, been an electrician for about 23 years, cant believe i used to work one handed.
Have prgressed fom 3 led energiser to petzel tikka xp to silva 3 watt back to the petzel now to a Led Lenser H7R.
I Fully understand the obsession / nerd factor created by these things and fully subscribe to it!!

My headlamp ah-ha moment came when I was grilling steak on the deck late one night. Thanks to Bolster and others I am now realizing how monumentally useful a flood beam is for many if not most of my applications.

I agree with cooking and just all around the house use. Up in the mountains sometimes I use it without turning on the lights.

gcbryan said:

. . . . I guess you don't realize how useful a light (and particularly a headlamp) is until you get in the habit of having one around and using it. . . .

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I'm sure that's the main reason there aren't more people using headlamps - until you try it you don't realise it's so much better than a torch.

On the weekend I worked with ten First Aid / Rescue Team members for a 100km walk - every one of us had a headlamp, as did 99% of the walkers !