Recommend a headlamp? Also, question on the Coleman mini.

I came to the light...

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I have a lot of experience with LED flashlights, but none with headlamps. I am thinking about buying a headlamp, and am looking for suggestions.

First off, I am a bit confused about the new Coleman mini headlamp. It is CR2 powered, and boasts 75lm for 2.5 hours. The Zebralight H30 uses a CR123A and has about the same numbers. The Zebralight uses a Q5, and the Coleman only specifies XR-E, so the Coleman has the same or worse LED. Does anybody have the Coleman? Are they exaggerating?

Now, back to the point of this post - I am looking for a very small headlamp. I'd like a high running 2+ hours and as bright as possible for the runtime, and a second long-running low mode. Preferably running even longer than the Coleman mini, but the mini is still acceptable. What's out there? So far I've only seen the Coleman mini and the Zebralight H30.

Thanks in advance :grin2:
 

I came to the light...

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Are you looking for throw or flood? This will make a huge difference in which headlamp is for you.

Regards,
Eric

Well, both. I don't want something like the H50 with absolutely no throw, but I also want most of my field of vision lit up, even if it is only dimly.
 

Citivolus

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I'd suggest having a look at the Princeton Tec and Petzl lines, as they have some nice lights in a 3xAAA format with decent throw and with run times around what you are looking for. I personally use a Princeton Tec Eos. It isn't the most advanced light out there, but for around $35 in the USA won't break the bank.

If you are specifically looking for a Lithium powered headlamp, your choices will be significantly much more limited. I don't think many manufacturers are comfortable with mounting those cells on people's heads yet.

Regards,
Eric
 
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