Tell Us What Do You Use Your HeadLamp For?

RedLED

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I am new to head lamps, and just bought my first one. I love it, and wish I had bought one along time ago. My wife and mother in law went crazy for it, and I had to get a second one to send to my mother in law.


Now, please tell us what activities, jobs, sports, recreations, specific reasons, and other purposes you use a headlamp for?

There has to be many uses for these, and it will be fun to find out what they are.

Thanks,

NR
 

weez82

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I use my Fenix headband whenever I need two hands free or Im just being lazy and dont want to hold a light, lol. I've used the headband when camping, helped a lot when chopping wood and getting the fire going and well, it helps with everything when camping. Also used it when working on my car. Haven't needed for anything else yet. Very handy to have :)
 

zespectre

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CAMPING! There is simply nothing better than a good headlamp for camping, especially if you have to set up or cook after night falls. You may feel dorky, but having both hands free means you can do stuff and having the light move with your head means you have light where you are looking which tends to reduce after-dark trip-and-fall incidents. You do have to quickly learn "headlamp etiquette" (how to aim it and also to NEVER turn your head straight at your friends) otherwise the people on the receiving end of the light will TEACH it to you <grin>

Electrical work; I re-wired my house. That means at several points ALL of the power was off in a room or floor. Same deal as camping, I needed both hands for the work and I needed the light right where I was working.

Emergency light for Automobile; Same deal with needing both hands. Try changing a tire in the dark with a flashlight (and no helper) then do it again with a headlamp. You'll never fail to have a headlamp in the car again!

Fine Scale Model Building: Another task were I need both hands AND the light right there. Most of the time a gooseneck lamp is fine but sometimes out comes the headlamp.

I have owned many headlamps in my time and I'll share the following advice which you can take or leave.
  • Make sure it can be aimed up and down! This is good for use, and also so that your trip-mates don't lynch you for repeatedly blinding them.
  • Make sure you can easily get into the battery compartment (some are a real pain)
  • Make sure the area that rests on your forehead is totally smooth (no nubs or ridges) as even the smallest projection will start KILLING you after about 10 minutes
  • Any decent headlamp should be sealed against sweat and ideally should actually be rated waterproof (I learned to just not bother with non-waterproof headlamps)
  • Make sure the headband is big enough for your head, and for your head with a winter hat on.

And my personal "Biggie"

  • Personally I avoid ALL headlamps that use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) for the dimmer modes. This thread covers further detail on PWM. PWM nearly always creates some kind of flicker and sometimes the regulators will whine like a mosquito. The flicker is usually -barely- perceptible except under certain conditions and neither of these seem to be any kind of issue for me in a hand-held flashlight. However, when the light is mounted on my head I can ALWAYS detect the flicker (especially if I'm reading something) that quickly begins to make me feel dizzy and sometimes nauseated and if there is a whine it will start driving me out of my mind. I've had to dump a few fairly well known/respected headlamps in the past due to this issue but I will admit that my eyes seem especially sensitive. Your mileage may vary.

(Side note, I JUST got my Fenix HL10 so a "Real World Review" is pending.)
 
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Changchung

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Where the night is too short...
For everything, I always use mine H60 in home, I am in bed right now with my light on...

For electronic, work, etc...


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it... :D
 

whiteoakjoe

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I use mine in the tool box a lot, not just for night time work, but getting light back in tight spaces anytime. I use them to walk in and out of the woods while hunting, and field dressing game. In the boat or shore at night while fishing, or cleaning fish. One of the advantages is that the lights don't get dirty because you don't have to touch them until you clean your hands up. Flashlights have to be touched and get messy.
 

weez82

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Random things. This weekend I used mine hanging a ceiling fan. They work great for reading in bed too. :)

I totally forgot about that use. I did that last winter when the power went out. I was right in the middle of reading and boom, transformer exploded (or something else did, was a loud boom :) ). But no big deal, I busted out my Fenix headband and my trusty WW MiNi123 and finished that book :)
 

beamon

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This is a great thread to have! Thank you for starting it. It can serve as a reality check on what people expect from their headlamps. Sometimes I get the sense that everyone on this forum needs headlamps just to climb cliffs at midnight, crawl through unexplored caves, or careen down steep, rocky trails on mountain bikes hoping to smack an unsuspecting bear's *** on the way down. They don't just need a sturdy, bright headlamp; they need full body armour and a well-cushioned jousting helmet.

But some of us have much more mundane needs.

I use mine for working in low-light places, for reading in bed at night, and for taking evening walks in a not-so-well-lit rainy city that has a lot of lumpy sidewalks that could easily trip me up without a light. The hands-free capability of headlamps is just wonderful. I also like knowing I have it on hand in emergencies, if the power goes out.
 
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florinache

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At home (CT Lumex, and a warm xp-g 18650 DIY lamp):
- electronics
- sewing
- working in dark places :)

Biking (Fenix HP11 @ Petzl E-lite)

Mountaineering (Fenix HP11 or Primus Primelite Race, Petzl E-lite and a torch for backup)

Bushcrafting (a homemade xm-l headlamp, of course. Wooden body :) )
 

NSG-K9

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Walking multiple dogs, it's good to have your hands free for other tasks.
Maintenance around the house or on vehicles.
Have a light on handlebars of MTB & helmet mounted but it's always good to have a spare in the pack!
Hill walking, camping etc...convenience.

To be honest, I prefer to use a headlamp as it makes performing tasks easier for me - but that's just IMHO :D
 

markr6

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+1 for camping. Won't see a decent camper/backpacker without one. Just too many important uses to leave it at home.

- Night running and hiking
- Home repair, plumbing, etc. Acutally a necessity since some electrical work requires you to kill the power.

That's what I use mine for most often.
 

RedLED

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This is a great thread to have! Thank you for starting it. It can serve as a reality check on what people expect from their headlamps. Sometimes I get the sense that everyone on this forum needs headlamps just to climb cliffs at midnight, crawl through unexplored caves, or careen down steep, rocky trails on mountain bikes hoping to smack an unsuspecting bear's *** on the way down. They don't just need a sturdy, bright headlamp; they need full body armour and a well-cushioned jousting helmet.

But some of us have much more mundane needs.

I use mine for working in low-light places, for reading in bed at night, and for taking evening walks in a not-so-well-lit rainy city that has a lot of lumpy sidewalks that could easily trip me up without a light. The hands-free capability of headlamps is just wonderful. I also like knowing I have it on hand in emergencies, if the power goes out.

Thanks, I was thinking the same thing, there must be many use sees for these lights.
 
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hurricane

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I have several Petzls [I've been buying Petzls since 1993] and a Surefire Minimus. I use headlamps for a ton of different tasks because they're handsfree. I spend a lot of time camping, hiking, climbing, photographing, skiing etc and they're invaluable for those pursuits. If I use a flashlight, it's in conjunction with a headlamp. For instance, the other night, I was hiking-down a rugged, bear infested trail at night and was using the minims on my head, but I was also carrying a Surefire M3 for a little extra light here and there. Around the house I use them for extra light when fixing things like the car, sewing, and even taking-out the garbage. I pretty-much use a headlamp every day.
 
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Targaryen

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Although I use my headtorch mainly for running it came very handy last weekend while watching an outdoor symphony orchestra concert. It illuminated the picnic blanket while slicing the King Island camembert. Also used the strobe during the finale.
 

Jiffy

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Backpacking and mountaineering for me. I do trips of up to a week in winter and have to be completely self reliant. Accommodation ranges from bivvy bag to tent and cave to snow cave so I have to carry everything for survival. Battery life is a key concern for headlamps as I have to carry enough batteries to last the length of my trip and a lot of walking is done in the dark.

For over 6 years, my main illumination has been a modded Petzl Myo XP with a Orb Raw as a backup but I've just bought a ZL H600w Mk II with 4 Panasonic NCR18650Bs which should see me through a week easily. Depending on the trip, I'll take my Alpkit Manta or Orb Raw as backup.
 

granty86

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I currently make use of a fairly basic but very capable LED Lenser H7.

I use it for professionally fired firework displays. The sort you pay to watch rather than let off yourself. Im one of the poor powder monkeys responsible for setting up, firing and packing away. Obviously the displays are in fields, gardens and areas where light is generally absent after the display. Both hands are required however for clearing away. The headtorch is one of those things we cannot live without.
 

Samy

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I have a trusty old Zebralight H51 neutral which i use everynight on it's absolute lowest output to read in bed so as to not disturb my better half. I use it for about 20 mins to 1hr per night and seem to get about 2-3 months per single AA eneloop, though i re-charge it before it shows signs of getting low.

I only wish Zebralights would have a lower low as sometimes 0.16 lumens is too bright to read by. Seriously!

cheers
 

subwoofer

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Apart from other obvious uses, for me the headlamp excels as a close range task lamp for crafts, electronics, DIY. I don't work on these things in the dark, but the headlamp gives perfectly directed task light for precision work.
 

cyclesport

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Samy: FWIW the new H52Fw & H52w are currently up for pre-order w/delivery approx. late Oct. w/user selectable lows of 0.34 Lm (3 weeks) / 0.06 Lm (2 months) / 0.01 Lm (3 months). I just ordered one from Ill. Supply for the same reason...a wide selection of low moonlight settings, and Li-ion support.
 
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