Looking for a nice light headlamp for running, suggestions?

I am looking to purchase a headlamp for running, can you make any suggestions? No criteria other than light and reliable.

And probably a minimum of bouncing, right? So check out the smaller (1AA, 3AAA) flood lamps, first link in my sig line. Higher prices generally mean more reliable. No other criteria leaves it wide open, might want to choose a preferred battery format. Actually, check the second link in my sig line too.

I've been using my old modified Princeton Tec EOS about 100 lumens (with flaky switch), while my waiting to do repairs on my unreliable Magicshine (about 550 lumens) and looking to purchase a new light.

The Lupine Piko 3 (750 lumens) with the HD headbelt has been mentioned as a good high end choice. The Swenor Lightning seems to be a hot light for night orienteering now: http://lightning.swenor.com/spesifikasjon.php

I'm thinking about getting a Gemini Xera (800 lumens) as a cheaper setup than the Piko, but it's a new light and reliability is not known. The headstrap is not be as nice as the Lupine HD or the one on the Swenor either.

Running road or trails?


If running road the Black Diamond Sprinter will get it done just fine IMO. 68 lumens, very lightweight, rechargeable and with a blinking red LED on the back for visibility (which you can turn off if you want). Works for me. I also have the BD Storm but haven't run with it yet.

I JUST bought a Spark SD6500-CW for night trail running, hiking, XC skiing etc. Haven't had a decent run yet but the beam looks good and jogging around outside I don't think bouncing will be an issue. Didn't bother me at all up there.


I night mtn. bike ride and have the new Gemini Lights XERA light. 800 lumens. It's just awesome, tiny, and lightweight. The lamp head is lighter than the Piko and the beam is beautiful and smooth with no hot spot. The XERA just tested at a higher lux than the 750 Piko in the MTBR light test, costs half as much and also comes with a head band besides the usual helmet mount. Also an extension cord and a light 2 cell battery good for 2+ hours on high (4 cell optional). I've only used it for mtn. biking so far but a run test is in the cards soon. I love the Piko but the XERA is worth a look for sure.

http://gemini-lights.com/products/xera

I'd say that if you're in built-up areas, a not-very-bright 3AAA on the front sort of light will do. If you need more brightness (trails, whatever), look seriously at the lamp-in-front-batteries-in-the-back design. Along with the type of running you're doing, please tell us if you have a preference for a battery type.

Thank you all for your feedback thus far, much appreciated.

Right now, I am running on a mix of road and paved trails. As far as battery type, AA or AAA would work just fine since I have quite a few sets of Eneloops.

AA or AAA? Your options are so wide open that it would be hard to choose. If you were a little pickier you could start eliminating some options.

Well, I'll give you my opinionated opinion, then. Petzl MYO RXP. Regulated, 3-AA for good burn time, programmable levels (hard to program - easy to use afterwards), flip up diffuser for spot to flood, 140 lumens on high, not too heavy (180 grams with batteries) and balanced front-to-back. On the downside: pricey, and earlier versions didn't have a strain relief on the power cord, so that failed at times (since fixed).

First post here, so be gentle!
I'm currently running at night (10 km) on a mixture of paved road, bicycle paths and trails (not too technichal) using an old Petzl Tikka Plus. It works well for my purposes, and furthermore, it's very light, runs on 3 AAA, and doesn't bounce. Newer versions are much brighter. If you don't mind the extra battery pack and additional weight, I'd also consider the Petzl Myo Rx (or Rxp) or the Led Lenser H7 family.
Regards
Javi

Bolster said:

AA or AAA? Your options are so wide open that it would be hard to choose. If you were a little pickier you could start eliminating some options.

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I think a 1xAA would be nice, I am not needing mega hours of runtime.

borrower said:

Well, I'll give you my opinionated opinion, then. Petzl MYO RXP. Regulated, 3-AA for good burn time, programmable levels (hard to program - easy to use afterwards), flip up diffuser for spot to flood, 140 lumens on high, not too heavy (180 grams with batteries) and balanced front-to-back. On the downside: pricey, and earlier versions didn't have a strain relief on the power cord, so that failed at times (since fixed).

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That looks like a pretty nice light.

F250XLT said:

That looks like a pretty nice light.

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Do some research if you like this light. The MYO XP is the better way to go over the RXP from what I remember looking for headlamps.

Shows out of stock but this was a great price if they can still do it. http://www.lighthound.com/Petzl-MYO-XP-High-Power-Multi-LED-Headlamp_p_3000.html

I'll mention it again since you're only doing roads and paved paths. The Black Diamond Sprinter is a great little light and really all you need. Check reviews.

You want overkill...I just did my first trail run with the new Spark SD6 500-CW. Amazing flood light with 500 lumens on high. Because it's so floody I needed to use the high setting for trail use but easy on the eyes. Comfy and no bouncing either. You might look into the AA version SD52. Can't wait for Spark to have a little mini screw on optic/reflector for these lights to improve it's versatility.

skidad said:

Do some research if you like this light. The MYO XP is the better way to go over the RXP from what I remember looking for headlamps.

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The non-regulated XP is a bit cheaper, but dims gradually as the batteries die. Also, the boost mode output is similar to the RXP, but the normal high setting is 85 lumens, compared to 140 on the RXP. For about 10 bucks more, I went for the RXP. (ps, all those lumen numbers are straight from the manufacturer... I've never seen independent tests, and I don't have enough lights to compare. If nothing else, they're useful as a comparison.)

borrower said:

The non-regulated XP is a bit cheaper, but dims gradually as the batteries die. Also, the boost mode output is similar to the RXP, but the normal high setting is 85 lumens, compared to 140 on the RXP. For about 10 bucks more, I went for the RXP. (ps, all those lumen numbers are straight from the manufacturer... I've never seen independent tests, and I don't have enough lights to compare. If nothing else, they're useful as a comparison.)

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The high setting on the RXP from 10-140 lumens is non regulated but a good review here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?216601-Petzl-Myo-RXP-hot-review-! Ultimately there was something that deterred me from both the RXP and the XP for my personal use.

I also considered the BD ICON. Here it is compared to the MYO RXP with some interesting thoughts http://www.runningandrambling.com/2009/12/comparison-review-petzl-myo-rxp-and.html

Still my use is for trail running which is very different from the OP and requires far more power to be safe. For road use I have the BD Sprinter and a BD Storm (which I have yet to try) http://www.feedthehabit.com/outdoors/black-diamond-sprinter-headlamp-review/ and a related review http://www.runningandrambling.com/2010/01/comparison-review-black-diamond.html

Lots of good choices available if just running on the road. Trail use becomes a bit more tricky.

I run technical trails, and for this purpose I've found that the MYO RXP is just about perfect (the BD Icon would also do well here). However, I do find that having a secondary light source helps tremendously to give better depth perception (i.e. a handheld flashlight) or a second headlamp attached at the waist / chest.

For groomed trails and roads you have so many options. The aforementioned BD Sprinter, BD Spot, or BD Storm are all good options.

skidad said:

The high setting on the RXP from 10-140 lumens is non regulated but a good review here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?216601-Petzl-Myo-RXP-hot-review-! Ultimately there was something that deterred me from both the RXP and the XP for my personal use.

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I learn something new every day here. From the Petzl manual, http://petzl.com/files/all/technical-notice/headlamps/E87P_MYORXP_E875000A.pdf , power levels 9, 10, and boost (85, 140, 160 lumens respectively) are indeed non-regulated.

+1 on the petzel. ZebraLight will bounce around too much.

I wake up at 3:30 a.m. most mornings & go running on the road and on trails. Have been doing this for a few years. I used to just carry a handheld until I started testing headlamps. Running at night with a headlamp is definitely the way to go, and is much more comfortable than always carrying a light in my hand (although I still carry one in my pocket as a backup light or as a throwy light.)

Some have mentioned 3xAAA headlamps with battery packs on the back of your head like the LED Lenser H7 (have one) and I really do not like this set up for running. Just too much to wear around your head. The H7 is a decent light, but there are much better lights & much better quality. The 3xAAA Petzls are nice to, but again too much to wear around your head.

For a couple of months I used a fenix headband, and tried running with a light on the side of my head. The fenix headband is nice, but too bulky. I then, with a lot of success, used a Nitecore head band with a regular flashlight worn on top of my head (there is a strap that goes around your head and one on top of your head with loops available for a light either on the side of your head or on top.) I mostly used a Quark AA or a Quark 123 or even a zebralight SC60 running a Li-ion battery for lots of output options and when needed lots of lumens (200+ in the quarks and 270 in the ZL.) This worked very well, and the lights riding on top of my head did not bounce around. Heavier lights, like a two-celled light, would bounce though, and were impractical to wear on my head anyway.

Earlier this year I bought a Zebralight H51w (neutral tint) and then a H51 (cool white.) The H51w was a huge improvement over what I had tried in the past, but I felt the neutral tint just did not give me the contrast I needed (seemed too dark,) so I bought a H51 cool white. The Zebralight H51 cool white is as close to a perfect running light that I have come across to date. The output levels are excellent, the UI is my favorite, runs on a single AA (eneloop is best,) with great runtimes, and is very lightweight. You cannot use the headband provided though as it is too bouncy when running. I use a NiteIze head band that I got at batteryjunction.com --- Click Hear This headband is only $4, and is made of nylon. It is stiff and is very comfortable with no bouncing around at all. The picture on the website shows the guy wearing a light on the side of his head, but with a ZL headlamp you can wear it on your forehead since the light is angled. The zebralight headband is stretchy which is why their lights bounce around with their headband. The NiteIze head band is stiff nylon, and fits on your head with the comfort of a hat rather than a constriction band (constriction bands give me headaches....no thanks.)

Also, get the regular Zebralight not the floody ones for running. Some have mentioned running with a flood light as a headlamp, and that is just not a very good setup IMO. If you are running with a really floody light then you will be forced to run the light at the higher levels at all times because the light just will not reach out very well for you to see (especially on trails.) Running a flood light on max still just doesn't allow me to see far enough ahead. The ZL H51 has pretty good throw, and is perfect IMO for running. I can comfortably run it on medium when on streets and on the second high (H2 - 100 lumens) when on paved trails. And, when I'm on unpaved trails I then prefer the max setting to see well.

I have been using the H51 now for lots of things including camping, and just love it. My wife & kids love using them too. I am now really looking forward to the new Zebralight H600 which runs on a single 18650, and will run 170 lumens for 7 hours with a max output of 750/420 lumens! I am hoping that this will be lightweight enough to run with, and believe it will fit in the NiteIze headband....we will soon see. But, for an awesome headlamp that runs on a single AA, the ZL H51 is outstanding.

I pretty much agree with outdoorsman on most counts... I have the H51w though and find it plenty of light. I typically use it in the Nite-Ize headband, although I find the ZL headband pretty comfy, it does tend to bounce a little more. A lot of the bouncing is due to form however, I have recently tried to re learn running by doing it barefoot, and find myself running MUCH more lightly, and have hardly any bounce even with the ZL headband. But I still use the Nite-Ize since I can leave the clip on the light, and I dont feel like I'm accidentaly going to rip the thing every time I put the light in or out. I've only run trails twice with the headlamp so far, and found it to be great. On the trails I ran on high, although I question my crappy Nimh actually getting the full H1 (that was before I got my eneloops), and on the road I generally only need M2, but since running barefoot I need a bit more light to see even tiny obsticles I use M1 or if I'm by the house and not worried about batteries I'll run with one of the highs. For barefoot running I tend to look a ground closer to my feet and the hotspot is a bit small but acceptable. I've been toying with adding some diffusion material to it although I have not bothered to try any of these while running.

I much contemplated getting the BD Sprinter, but I feel for the same price I got a much more usefull light with the ZL. I am sure the BD would be great though. Especially if you want it for a headlamp only, and like having a built in rechargable (I dont). The only thing the ZL didnt have better IMO is the BD did have the rear blinky red... which I purchased a blinking bike tailight (that includes both bike mounts and a clothing clip) and put it on the back of my headband when I am on the road.

I like the petzel better for this application. It is more secure, does not bounce around, more battery life and is durable. Btw it is also a cheaper option and the tikka plus has a red light on it as well. The product is made for rock climbing and camping. It is light and durable.