Headlamp suitable for grass cutting with zero-turn mower

I have done some reading about reviews of headlamps and have tried to determine what could be appropriate for late-evening grass cutting. I am commercial, and find that during the earlier and later weeks of the season, with shorter daylight hours, I am sometimes cutting in near darkness in order to finish a job so not to have to return the following day. A beam that is broad and quite bright, evenly lit, could do the trick. Sixty-ish minutes is all I need. Terrain could be around structures, backyards as well as large open spaces. I do rural and urban properties. There sure are a lot of choices out there. Thanks for any suggestions.

Try the Zebralight that takes the rechargeable 18650. They have different models all flood, some floody, need to try them see what works best. Definitely get the warm tint since it will be used outside. Once you get the hang of switching between different levels you good, even that you may not need it likely you need high at all times. I have had ZL for many years they have one year warranty and if something happens after that is just $15 to fix it. I never had any problems with any of mine over the years. They are very reliable. I had to clean and lube the threads for the body and cap every few months or so but that holds true for any flashlight, part of maintenance and also in your case will be a dusty environment. There are many very good threads here with ZL, recommend to read them since the light will be used to support you livelihood.

You didn't say which rider you have but they have mounted lights available for Scags, Sears Craftsman, Husky,Cub cadets, at any outdoor power stores. There are other makes but I cannot remember the names of the brands that offer headlights for late night mowers. keep in mind some locations don't like mowers being used after nightfall.

Another popular brand to check out is Armytek. But there are many other good options as well. I use my Wizard Pro (also the warm edition as mentioned above) and am super happy with its reliability, output, and user interface, etc.

Thank you very much for those replies.

The mower is a JD 925M with a 54" deck. I know there are lights available, but do not use because I get in close and tight to items and would have destroyed several times over by now, but thanks for the suggestion.

The Zebralight suggestion looks very good. Living in Canada, I wonder if you can recommend a place or two up here?

And, Armytek look very good, too. Somewhat less expensive and a Canadian company. How is their QC?

As an aside3, decades ago in the 1960s, I purchased a flashlight, adjustable beam, that used re-chargeable half-size "d" cells. I used it on a canoe trip in Algonquin Park and could light up the shore at least a half-mile away. It held about 6 or 8 cells.

Regards, Paul.

I've mowed my own yard by headlamp a couple times. Two things I've noticed:

1) Low color rendering index (CRI) light and very blue tints can make it very hard to see fine details in the grass. Compared to what I was using at the time, the standard CRI models from decent manufacturers are a step up in color rendering, but my preference would be a dedicated high CRI.

2.) Headlamps, being close in line with your vision, don't shine at an angle that lets you see much shadowing. This can make the difference between cut and uncut grass or subtle contours of the ground much harder to see. I think having a light mounted to your mower in addition to a headlamp would be helpful.

With the first point in particular in mind, the Zebralight H600Fc or H600Fd are perhaps the best option. The F600Fc produces a slightly warmer light (but not quite as warm as a traditional halogen automobile headlight), and would be my personal preference. The H600Fd should be very neutral in tint.

The Armytek's have a very rugged build. They don't state the CRI for most of their models like Zebralight does, but seem to be pretty good. I've been happy with mine functionally, but I know several other members have experienced quality control issues and had to have them replaced. I suspect if you don't get one with a problem, the Armytek's will stand up to a lot of hard use. The main reason I lean towards Zebralight for your use is because for the H600F c/d, I know they are very selective about the color quality of the light.

By the way, since you mentioned lighting up a shore 1/2 mile away - around here we talk about "throwers" and "flooders" a lot. Throwers have a tight "hot spot" in their beam designed for providing useful light at long distances. Flooders have broader beams good for lighting up a wider area at shorter distances so you can provide even illumination across most of your field of view. Both the Armyteks and the the particular Zebralights I mentioned are flooders, but with the power that 18650 batteries can produce, do so at pretty decent distances.