Inexpensive headlamp with BRIGHT, EVEN, wide beam? Suggestions?

I typically use a headlamp at a range of 6"-5', the energizer ones I've tried all have these "cool" different modes - some with a bright mode, blue mode red only mode, etc. But all i need is a really bright version of the LED on a smartphone such as an iPhone where the beam is relatively wide and even. Dimming isn't even that necessary as I can always tape on an ND gel filter or something. Are there any economical solutions out there (say, under $30)? I'm not opposed to modding/building/buying parts from china to assemble, I have some background in electronics and am comfortable wiring LIPO PCMs and such. The title should also be relatively solid - the energizer ones I've tried are just fine for my purposes in that respect but some of the cheap ones I've ordered directly from china don't stay in place while a person is walking. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Petzl Tikka comes to mind. Is around $30 to $35. The newer model with 100 lumens is out.

marinemaster said:

Petzl Tikka comes to mind. Is around $30 to $35. The newer model with 100 lumens is out.

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Thanks, I had considered the Tikka a while back but a little concerned about whether it will be bright enough. Are there any slightly cheaper Chinese equivalents out there? Battery life isn't really an issue for me. I usually don't use for more than an hour at a time.

Not sure what you going to use it for but anything cheaper, hmmm reliability will be an issue. Depending where you live you may find a store lesser brands for maybe $15 to $20 but I would not trust it. For $10 more you get a proven and reliable light. Hundreds of lumens from a headlamp is going to be in a different category because you will need bigger battery and so on, price will definitely go up. Also a carefully designed beam is not going to be inexpensive especially in a headlamp where beam profile is very important. Cheap and bright many times comes at the expense of reliability. I think you cant go wrong with a Petzl. 100 lumens is plenty bright for most tasks.

I don't know of any lamps with a really wide beam you are describing, other than the expensive Zebralights ($89 for the H602).

The Xtar H3 may be worth looking in to if you would be OK with using a diffuser (sicker-type d-c-fix material). You can get one around $45. Not cheap, but I think this may be the cheapest, quality, high-output headlamp. I'm just not sure it would be the beam type you're looking for even with a diffuser.

The petzl tikkina is only $15-19 and has a very very wide beam. I know the new tikkina have a new led, so I'm not sure if it's still wide. But I have one coming in a few days and will let you know

The Led Lenser Neo is pretty good. It has a 150 degree beam which is very useful at close range. 90 lumens is good and you can find them for around $20-25.

http://www.ledlenserusa.com/h5-154.html USD30 A very flexible light, I lov mine.

I'm using Foxelli mx500 rechargeable headlamp. It is super bright, lightweight and rechargeable, so i don't have to spend money on disposable batteries. I think it is around $30 on amazon. Great light :twothumbs

dd61999 said:

The petzl tikkina is only $15-19 and has a very very wide beam. I know the new tikkina have a new led, so I'm not sure if it's still wide. But I have one coming in a few days and will let you know

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I got the newer tikinna 80 lumens. I like it better compared to tikka. I am more into wide beams and tikinna is definitely wider beam compared to tikka which is a spot. Highly recommended it has a nice wide pleasant beam. High and low settings.

Check out the Spark headlamps

marinemaster said:

I got the newer tikinna 80 lumens. I like it better compared to tikka. I am more into wide beams and tikinna is definitely wider beam compared to tikka which is a spot. Highly recommended it has a nice wide pleasant beam. High and low settings.

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Yeah I actually went with the new 100 lumen zipka instead because the retractable headband makes it extremely pocket friendly. But the beam isn't as wide as the tikinna. But the semi diffused hot spot of the zipka is good enough compromise for what I look for in a headlamp.

Bright, and even & wide are conflicting requirements. If some lamp has some fixed number of lumens, you can either focus those lumens to be bright, or you can de-focus to get wide.

Food for thought...

Since is a headlamp wide is better hence the Tikkina

Creelant CH10 headlamp XM-L2. 460 Lumens and $25.68

marinemaster said:

Petzl Tikka comes to mind. Is around $30 to $35. The newer model with 100 lumens is out.

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And the new 2017 model is now 200 lumens! And the same price!

https://www.petzl.com/CA/en/Sport/New/TIKKA#.WHp3UbEZOit

Maybe the Coast FL70 Focusing Headlamp? It adjusts between spot and flood and is very uniform in flood.

I have a wizard pro v3 that I absolutely love, it's a nice wash that is still focused enough to where you would be looking/working I would recommend it 👍🏻 Been using mine for about 7 months and love it