Are headlamps your " everything light" ?

Just curious how many people ONLY purchase/ use headlamps. Considering they could be used traditionally in the hand also, in most cases is there any need for a handheld only?

I have no use for handhelds anymore. To me they are obsolete.

Nope my EDC is my pd35


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums

It would be, if I could get one with better emitters. I like my headlamp, but hate cool white LED's

(and before it's brought up, Yes, I know I can get various emitters in various headlamps, but not the emitters I want in the headlamp I want)

Mod them. Weather sealing and reliability may suffer, but then you can choose anything you like and put it in anything you like.

Headlamps have there uses but imo will never replace a handheld,both have very different users in mind.Professionals who need decent tools will buy the correct tool for the job at hand and not make do.

I also use some bike-lamps.

Interesting thread here . . . .


Only use my headlamp when I need BOTH hands free !


When I'm wearing it, it's pretty much GREAT !


Except i miss being able to Hold My Light High Above my head,
which is my prefered hold position.
Often move it all around, when walking and viewing things.

Really miss the " Shadow " detailing, which gives me better depth perception.


lovecpf
_

By the way . . . .


Good to see Beacon of Light again !


:wave:
_

I've recently bought a couple of headlamps (H600Fw and Tiara A1). But as good as they are, I would certainly not say that they have made handheld lights obsolete. While they may be great in situations where you need your hands free, I just find that I prefer handheld lights in the vast majority of situations. I find that headlamps as a whole have three things going against them. First of all, I generally like to keep my head free, especially when the weather is rather warm. Secondly, headlamps are just harder to get aimed exactly where I want them. Handheld flashlights are MUCH easier in this respect, especially when you look in a given direction by just moving your eyeballs. And perhaps most importantly, I never liked that glare that you can with particularly bright headlamps in slightly dusty and/or hazy conditions. Handheld flashlights are FAR better in this regard since they are generally held further from your eyes. Of course, headlamps like the Tiara and Zebralight models have the advantage that they can easily be disconnected from the headband for hand holding. However, since they are essentially angle lights, they are ALOT less ergonomic than actual handheld flashlights. For these reasons, I consider headlamps to be more of a niche product than a replacement for handheld flashlights.

I love headlamps and probably cover over 90% of my personal lighting needs (excluding cycling). However, there are several reasons why I also use hand held lights:

I would never loan my head lamps - call me OCD, but I don't like sharing any headgear with anyone else (with the only exception being my wife). To me this would be just like borrowing someone's underpants. Yuk.

Even though you can hand hold a headlamp, hand held lights are easier to shine down into and under things and don't have a strap flapping around getting in the way.

A hand held light is often easier to pop into a pocket.

Hand held lights open up the world of higher outputs and longer runtimes. I wouldn't want to strap a TK75 with extension tube to my head!

So for these reasons, a headlamp is not my everything light, but it is my 'almost everything light'.

subwoofer said:

I love headlamps and probably cover over 90% of my personal lighting needs (excluding cycling). However, there are several reasons why I also use hand held lights:

I would never loan my head lamps - call me OCD, but I don't like sharing any headgear with anyone else (with the only exception being my wife). To me this would be just like borrowing someone's underpants. Yuk.

Even though you can hand hold a headlamp, hand held lights are easier to shine down into and under things and don't have a strap flapping around getting in the way.

A hand held light is often easier to pop into a pocket.

Hand held lights open up the world of higher outputs and longer runtimes. I wouldn't want to strap a TK75 with extension tube to my head!

So for these reasons, a headlamp is not my everything light, but it is my 'almost everything light'.

Click to expand...

I feel the exact same way.

If I could ONLY have one light, no exceptions, it would be a headlamp. In fact, my H600w pretty much does EVERYTHING I need a light to do...but somehow I ended up with a dozen lights

^^ I also agree.
Regarding angled head vs straight, they both have advantages and disadvantages as some have alluded to in this thread. After having a zebralight h502d as my edc light without a headband, but with a pocket clip attached to my pants every day for the last two years, I can say that while at first the angled head was a little bit of a challenge to get used to compared to the traditional, straight handhelds I was used to, I have grown to actually prefer the angled head. It's a little tough to explain, but now I feel like I am pointing the tip of my index finger at the illuminated area with the angled head instead of my thumb like I was with the straight head.

survivaledc said:

^^ I also agree.
Regarding angled head vs straight, they both have advantages and disadvantages as some have alluded to in this thread. After having a zebralight h502d as my edc light without a headband, but with a pocket clip attached to my pants every day for the last two years, I can say that while at first the angled head was a little bit of a challenge to get used to compared to the traditional, straight handhelds I was used to, I have grown to actually prefer the angled head. It's a little tough to explain, but now I feel like I am pointing the tip of my index finger at the illuminated area with the angled head instead of my thumb like I was with the straight head.

Click to expand...

That makes sense. Plus you can set it on a countertop or table and throw light in the direction of whatever you're working on. And I believe you can still lie it flat to bounce light off the ceiling, like I do often with torches that tail stand.

For years, I've mostly used headlamps. I have a Surefire and some other brand handhelds, I just haven't been using them.

I use my sc600 mkii for my edc. My h602 is my work light. Probably sees more usage time.

I find that if I am trying to illuminate something within 20' or prefer a headlamp much better than a "Flashlight" but anything over that distance I want the throw and aiming ability of a hand held light. I still EDC a handheld, but I would be better served with a headlamp for EDC I just cant get one small enough with a comfortable headband to pocket it. There is also the its cool looking to pull out a little flashlight and save the day, do the same thing with a headlamp and you can look a little dorky. (at least that's what my wife tells me.)

I can use my headlamp for most tasks (and often do use it due to its usefulness), but it's just not quite as easy to carry around. I keep it in my backpack, so it is almost always with me, but I keep a handheld light on my belt (two actually) because they are easier for me to unobtrusively have around all the time. The headband just takes up more room and can get caught on things in a pocket.

No, headlamps are not personally my everything light. I do tend to use them a lot around the house and when camping. I also use bike-specific lights when riding at night, esp. ones that have the option to convert to a headlamp.

However, I don't tend to edc a headlamp since it's obviously a bit more awkward to carry around the headband if you're not wearing a jacket.

callihan_44 said:

Just curious how many people ONLY purchase/ use headlamps. Considering they could be used traditionally in the hand also, in most cases is there any need for a handheld only?

Click to expand...

I use my headlamp about 99% of the time. I have a backup flashlight that rarely ever get used. My H52w headlamp is actually easier to EDC than my flashlight.
I wear it around my neck. It's behind the clothing when not in use. Most of the time I use it as a neck lamp.


Of course I can use it as a headlamp too.


It's pretty small even with the headband.


My headlamp comes with a clip. I can clip it to a pocket just like a small flashlight.