Thoughts regarding headlamps :)

I think I've come to a few conclusions regarding headlamps as I use them/am interested in them. They are convenient around the house/yard of course but my interest in them is mainly in their use for hiking/camping.

Some are spot with a diffuser option, some are a combo (in one beam) and some are spot and flood (two beams). Then there are the dedicated flood only (Zebralight). For the multi-purpose types however like Petzl, BD, PT the flood options really are useless except around camp and in the tent. The red LED function is even more limited as most are very dim.

So although some may have more "bells and whistles" than others what it really comes down to is the "power" emitter and except for the lights like Zebralight none of the multi-purpose lights use power emitters for the flood function and that's why flood is not that useful in these lights.

I've had the BD Spot. I have the BD Storm and I was looking at the PT Eos and I've looked at the Petzl Tikka XP 2 in the past. Even though the Storm has more bells and whistles than the Eos they are essentially the same. All I really use is the spot beam which I've put a piece of translucent tape over and this is more or less the same as the Eos.

The XP 2 is interesting in one way. At least when the diffuser is used the emitter is the efficient one rather than a 5mm or SMT emitter which all the rest of them use.

I've also noticed that 60 lumens is about where I use my light most of the time even though it's infinitely adjustable from 100 lumens to 4 lumens (this is when hiking) If it's just a trail not in the mountains I may use at 30 lumens. Those also just happen to be the two settings on the XP 2 and 60 lumens is close to the upper end for the Eos as well (70).

I have the option of 100 lumens on my headlamp but it's more a pain than anything else because I always have to adjust it down. If max was 75 lumens it would actually be better.

I see that the Eos is available in some places for $35 or less (although with tax in some cases and high shipping it's a lot more) . It's waterproof and regulated. It might be the best light out there just because they kept it simple. An Eos with a built-in diffuser (similar to the XP 2) might be perfect especially if it came on in low first!

I'll probably not get the Eos just because mine does what it does (and more) but I don't really need that "more" most of the time.

They (Eos) didn't keep adding features to the point where they messed up and made the light undesirable in some aspect like Petzl ended up doing with the XP2 even though I like the build-in diffuser concept. Plus the XP 2 is $55 vs Eos $35...they should be the same.

So I'll just keep on using mine in diffused spot mode only I guess until someone actually puts all the pieces together a little better. If I decide to get a second or backup headlamp anytime soon I'm sure it will be the Eos while I wait for the next round of "improvements"

Actually the Eox would be an improvement in a way over the Storm because it would always come on in spot mode

Just some observations. Comment if you wish I went on a hike tonight and also finished up a little work after dark in the yard and came to these conclusions.

Hi gcbryan, interesting observations.

The most fundamental thing I've learned about headlamps, is that their intended use almost completely determines what headlamp a user determines "good." Your observations make sense for hiking/camping. I use headlamps for work, not for recreation. I work with my hands, usually between 1'-3' in front of my eyes. Also I read a lot in darkness. Which means I have a completely different needs from headlamps.

Where you find the flood options mostly "useless," I find anything but flood, frustrating. Yet, on rare occasions, I do need a head-mounted spot; just as on occasion, you need a flood. It all depends on your needs.

Same with your observation about red light usefulness as "even more limited." I'm also an amateur astronomer. A dim red light is exactly what I want. Again, the brilliant light (hotspot or flood) is not only unwanted for this purpose, it's counterproductive, shutting down your night vision.

Multipurpose lights are trying to give some functionality to a variety of uses, and are therefore compromises (except for the high end dual purpose lights that cavers use, and all they compromise are high price and heavy battery).

I agree that there seems to be a lumen sweet spot (I think it's around 30-50) but that's for close-up work. That would seem pitifully inadequate to a search-and-rescue worker.

I don't think a person can approach the question of "what's good" in a headlamp until the purpose is known and stated. So many of the arguments about whether one lamp is better than another, are actually arguments regarding different purposes of lights. Take the SureFire Saint. Opinions are sharply divided on it. Some people have strict allegiance to it; others sell them off shortly after getting them. Is it a "good" or a "bad" light? It's a high quality light with a particular range of purposes. If you use it within that range, it's excellent; if your needs fall outside its talents, you sell it off.

At some point, when we're down the rabbit hole far enough, we have to modify lights (or make our own) to be just what we want them to be. Sounds like you're on your way to becoming a modder!

I'd mod them if I could Part of the problem with that though is that most mods are just changing the emitters. It's the user interface and the physical design of the headlamp that I have the most issues with.

Actually I get the flood and red LED thing. I have but rarely use some telescopes as well and a red LED is a must there. Flood is nice as well for certain things. My comment about flood beams in many general purpose hiking/camping headlamps is just that the flood emitters used aren't the efficient ones so they are underpowered and drain the battery faster. I'd use flood a little more on an actual hike (as opposed to around camp) if they were brighter and just as efficient as the spot beam.

I realize Zebralight flood is using an efficient emitter.

I suppose my idea of a mod would be to use an existing housing that I like if I could program the PC board to do whatever I'd like and switch emitters. What I'd actually like to do I guess is build rather than mod

I'd be happy with the body of the XP 2 if the body was totally opaque but I'd like it even better if it had the design around the light opening of the original XP (reduced glare and protects lens). Make it regulated and waterproof with a 3rd (low) mode and I wouldn't have to mod anything

On the other hand a 70 lumen version of the Eos does most everything except no red LED and no flood or diffused mode. It does have add on filters available (I think) although I don't think that includes a diffuser (not sure) but I don't really like having to carry filters.

I totally agree that a good headlamp depends more on what someone needs a headlamp for. There are still personal likes/dislikes however. Some may have a need that the Saint was designed for but just not like the look of the beam...personal preference.

Some are OK with the Tikka XP2 having a clear bottom and even paying more for it because it's a Petzl even though a Spot does more at $15 less and a Storm completely overwhelms it at $5 less.

In general though most of the preferences are due to the way the person will use the headlamp and yes general hiking/camping and search and rescue have totally different needs or at least output levels and throw I'm sure!

gcbryan said:

Some are OK with the Tikka XP2 having a clear bottom and even paying more for it because it's a Petzl even though a Spot does more at $15 less and a Storm completely overwhelms it at $5 less.

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My experience and everything I've read so far seems to indicate "paying more for it because it's a Petzl" is not necessarily without upside: Petzl's headlamps seem to have the lowest anecdotal evidence of failure and seem to be built the best out of all the popular consumer brands I've seen. For instance, to illustrate the level of quality control we are seeing, the lenses of both my Petzl headlamps are crystal clear without a smudge or fingerprint or dust inside. I found both dust and a slight smudge on the inside one of my two Princeton Tec headlamps.

gcbryan said:

I'd mod them if I could Part of the problem with that though is that most mods are just changing the emitters. It's the user interface and the physical design of the headlamp that I have the most issues with.

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Very true. However, learning to "put up" with a less than optimal UI is easier for me with a headlamp.

My headlamps are typically set to a useful output, then left at that output for some cosiderable amount of time.

My flashlights frequently go on and off using the momentary fucntion, and output level gets changed much more often compared with a headlamp.

What I'm trying to say is that having a good UI is important to me for a flashlight, but I can live with a less than optimal UI on a headlamp.

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gcbryan, you asked Carrot in another thread about why the XP2 would be better than an Eos, and since i think that discussion dovetails well with what Bolster wrote above, i'll give you my two cents on that in this thread while trying not to repeat what Carrot wrote in the other thread.

like Bolster wrote, which headlamp you prefer comes down to your intended use. the XP2 has more lighting options than the Eos. it has the spot, the diffuser for the flood, and red led. while backpacking, IMO, the spot is most useful on the trail, the flood is most useful when setting up camp in the dark where you need to light up a wide area 1-10 feet from the headlamp , and the red led is very useful for doing minor tasks without disturbing your buddies who are either already asleep or hanging out stargazing.

the Eos just has a spot beam and that's it. it's a great spot beam for the trail and my favorite lamp for that use, but IMO it kind of sucks for lighting up anything up close. the beam consists of a ~15 degree hotspot that blends into a bright ~35 degree spill. on anything other than a white wall, it basically looks like a smooth 35 degree spot. but the beam fades very quickly outside of ~35 degrees so ~35 degrees is all you get. that's a narrow angle for up close tasks that require a wide angle of illumination, and setting up a tent in the dark or locating an errant tent peg can end up being a real chore, at least for me.

if all you want is a slightly diffused spot beam, then the Eos is a better lamp than the Xp2 - it's regulated, it's a little bit brighter on high, it has a really useful medium level with long runtime, all levels are current controlled, and it's cheaper (i've seen some NIB Eos 70's go on eBay for $20 shipped!). but if you need additional lighting options like flood or red light, then the XP2 is better by default.

note: the UI on the Eos is just as crude as the UI on anything else. it starts on Hi, and then you have to cycle through Hi-Med-Lo-Strobe to get the level you want every time.

carrot said:

My experience and everything I've read so far seems to indicate "paying more for it because it's a Petzl" is not necessarily without upside: Petzl's headlamps seem to have the lowest anecdotal evidence of failure and seem to be built the best out of all the popular consumer brands I've seen. For instance, to illustrate the level of quality control we are seeing, the lenses of both my Petzl headlamps are crystal clear without a smudge or fingerprint or dust inside. I found both dust and a slight smudge on the inside one of my two Princeton Tec headlamps.

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this is pretty much the only reason i would get a Petzl and the reason that i was looking to buy a tikka xp2 until i found out about the bad PWM on low (bad PWM is a deal breaker for me). the two PT lamps i've bought that were assembled after 2009 have had quality control issues - both had dust and smudges on the inside of the lens, and led's that were misaligned. PT customer service took care of the issues, but still, those were extra hassles i shouldn't have had to deal with.

robostudent5000 said:

this is pretty much the only reason i would get a Petzl and the reason that i was looking to buy a tikka xp2 until i found out about the bad PWM on low (bad PWM is a deal breaker for me). the PT lamps i've bought that were assembled after 2009 have had quality control issues - dust and smudges on the inside of the lens, and led's that were misaligned. PT customer service took care of the issues, but still, those were extra hassles i shouldn't have had to deal with.

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Good point and one reason I'm getting the Eos but not having to pay all that much for it. If it turns out to be crap I may not return it but I certainly won't buy another PT. I'm buying it more out of curiosity and just to have a headlamp that always comes on in spot mode (since it has no other mode).

The Storm is fine. Just one UI setting that annoys me. The XP2 is too far (currently) from my ideal but I have a feeling next time they update it I'll try that as well.

Of course the Storm will be updated again some day and I'm sure the toggling spot/flood thing will be corrected as well although it will probably not be any lighter.

I can see I'm going to end up with a boat load of headlamps before the "perfect" one comes out As long as I have no more than 3 I can always keep one in the car, one in my backpack and one in the house for general use. I don't see me buying a third headlamp however unless someone gets it right (regarding my preferences).

Based on anecdotal evidence from around the web, the EOS is the one headlamp PT manages to get right, every time. For some reason the more "serious" headlamps with the battery packs from PT even have trouble sometimes, but the EOS is going strong and very popular amongst a lot of crowds. One saving grace I've heard is that PT has world-class customer service, so that is something to keep in mind.

The more I think about it, the more it seems that the Tikka 2 is pretty close to my ideal headlamp: simple UI, at least two output levels, a nice mix of flood and a little bit of throw, long runtimes and extremely lightweight. Funny that, when you consider all of the other headlamps I have sitting on my desk. The EOS and Saint are awesome too, but the Tikka 2 edges them out on the basis of lightweight alone.

gcbryan, based on the posts you've made about headlamps so far I think you should give the XP2 a real chance. See if your friend will swap your Storm for the XP2 for a week or two. If you put the XP2 higher up on your forehead (I put mine right below my hairline), the glare is minimal to none. The PWM is noticeable but in practice it is not as bothersome as I originally thought it would be.

Carrot, I'll likely do just as you suggest given the chance. There are only three headlamps at the moment that I even have any interest in. I now own two of them and the XP 2 would be the third.

I just don't want to pay $55, have it be my third headlamp and then have Petzl come out a few months later with an updated model that addresses all of the issues I've talked about

If it was $35 I would have ordered it yesterday along with the Eos