I can only find one of the old headlamps I used looking through old amazon orders. It was a Foxelli 165 lumen headlamp that was around $13. In sure my other one was in the same price range. It ran on 3 AAA batteries and depending on the brightness it would last a few hours. We were running them from about 7pm to 3am every night with our flashlights. After using them for 2 days you deff noticed a change with new batteries.
i am conflicted now if it will be better for me to get a more powerful flashlight and less bright headlamp for a total budget of $200. But I really know nothing about flashlights or headlamps.
Perfect. I figured you were using a typical 3xAAA budget light. These non-regulated lights get really long run times, but they dim significantly over that time. You're talking about using your light for up to 16 hours before changing the batteries. Is part of that time spent with the lights in lower modes, or do you just let them run on high until they're too dim? 3xAAA batteries actually only have enough energy in them to average around 30 lumens over that long of a time. In all seriousnes, I would not be surprised if your light was below 20 lumens by the time you changed batteries.
While the Black Diamonds are able to achieve higher peak brightness, they are still limited by the energy in their batteries. The $50 storm, with 4xAAA's, should last a little longer. The $100 Icon, with 4xAA's, should last quite a bit longer at equivalent brightness levels.
The Zebralights and many other regulated lights are able to maintain nearly their rated maximum output for the stated times, but that does mean they consumer their batteries faster. In their lower modes, they're often impeccably consistent right up until the battery is almost dead. For example, a Zebralight H52 gives you the option of 300 lumens for about 50 minutes, or 50 lumens for 7.5 hours (a level I like for walking around outside), or 13 lumens for 27 hours (ample for basic tasks around the campsite, in my opinion). It might dim a moderate amount in the 300 lumen mode, but in those lower modes, it will be extremely consistent.
And that's just with a single AA battery (but be aware they run more consistently with rechargeable batteries than with cheap alkalines).
If you jump up to one of Zebralight's larger headlamps, powered by lithium ion 18650 batteries like the H600W, performance takes a big leap - around 1100 lumens - so much power the light will automatically lower output to about 500 lumens after a couple minutes to stay cool, but keep that lower level up for over 2 hours. Or it will do ~60 lumens for over a full day.
Also, I think the idea of both a quality headlamp and flashlight is arguably your best option. A headlamp with a wide beam for finding your way around, and flashlight with a narrower, more intense beam for illuminating specific objects of interest at a distance are a hard to beat combo, and it sounds like both are potentially in your budget. $200 gets an excellent pair of lights. $100 still can get you a pair of very good performers, although not Zebralights.
I could say more about specific models (all of Zebralights models have different nuances), as well as other respected brands, and a few other factors that might be helpful, but I don't want to hit you with too much info at once. If what I said raises questions, just ask. If you're itching to get a light sooner rather than later, the recommendation someone else made of a Zebralight H600W is pretty safe, although keep in mind you'll need an 18650 battery and charger for it, too.