headlamp sugguestions or reviews anywhere?

I need a good strong headlamp to wear while working around
outside at night. Leds probably wont do it & I need something with external or battery pack on the back of the
headstrap. There are alot of flashight reviews out there but
are there any for headlamps?

Quickbeams site has a headlamp section
http://flashlightreviews.home.att.net/reviews/reviews_index_headlamps.htm

Hi. I use headlamps for search and rescue and for hiking at night. The BD gemini now comes with two LEDs and an incandescent bulb that is fairly bright. It's a very lightweight unit. Check REI or EMS online. The advantage of purchasing from these stores is that they have a very liberal return policy that means if you really are unhappy with the light you buy you can return it no questions asked.

I have found a lot of the Petzl headlamps to be not as convenient and reliable as the black diamond lights, though until a few years ago they were standard for SAR and cave rescue, etc. Maybe I've just had bad luck with them.

For night hiking i use a Princeton Tech Matrix 2 or Yukon HL (the regular Yukon, with an incandescent and 3 leds is also a good light.) Both PT lights are LED lights that use a 1 W under-driven luxeon LED and are plenty bright enough for hiking at night. For backup or to really light up an environment for search or for that extra feeling of security when you are moving fast over dangerous terrain I used to use NiteRider products but they weren't as reliable as I found out in the middle of a search that took place in very opaque conditions in the New Hampshire mountains. So I purchased a Lupine Edison with the smaller battery option to save on $ and though the whole setup is very expensive, and probably more than you need, it is the best headlamp there is IMO. What kind of work are you doing? Wy do you need an external battery pack? The Matrix 2 is an LED with no battery pack but it is so much brighter than older LED lights and the luminosity/weight ratio is so high and it is so easy to usethat it is quickly becoming my EDC as a park ranger. I use the Edison for more serious situations. I've used and gone through maybe 20 headlamps over the last 10 years so if there are some you are considering let me know and i may be able to tell you what I think about it. Hope that helps.

Jerimoth,

Have you tried any of the Luxeon headlamps?

It seems that there may not be enough energy in 3 AAA cells to run a Luxeon for too long.

Thoughts?

Richard

Yes, both PT models I believe have a Luxeon- the Matrix 2 with 2 AA cells and the Yukon HL with 3. The Yukon is somewhat brighter than the Matrix but the Matrix is such a simple, straightforward light that I end up using it all the time- hiking, reading at night, etc. The Yukon has the standard battery-in-the-back style (3 AAs in a lightweight case) and for everyday purposes this actually is an impediment because you have to think a few more seconds to adjust it correctly on your head, hat, helmet, etc., and also because if you are lying down reading in your sleeping bag the battery pack pokes you right in the back of your head. That's why I asked kg4ote if the battery pack in the back is so important- it's a relief on some nights to come down with a lightweight Matrix 2 on and not have to worry about balancing the battery pack in the back with the lamp in the front...but then again not that many people are running down a mountain in the winter with a headlamp on.

Given the plastic construction I believe they're way underdriven so not as bright as the metal Luxeon lights like the Surefires. I have yet to get my hands on a fully powered 1,3 or 5 W luxeon headlamp, but when one comes out I think there will be a lot of people in the rescue, SAR, hiking, climbing, and caving communities who will snap it up. BD also makes the Zenix, which is a nice light with two LEDs and one Luxeon in the middle- but oddly enough there wasn't that great a difference between the two modes (2 vs. the brighter one) which makes it kind of an odd light.

I am curious about the BD Soliras (not sure if the spelling is correct) which BD touts as the brightest headlight of its type- i have yet to see it at local climbing stores or REI- that may be what kg4ote is looking for, although the price is 4 x that of the Matrix, I believe in the $150 price range, kind of steep unless it is so much brighter than the Gemini, which is in the $25-$30 price range.

When someone puts a Luxeon 1, 3 or 5 W on a headlamp i think a lot of people who are outdoors people for a hobby or by profession.

Hope that helps.

Thanks,

Right now, I'm a fan of the Streamlight Septor because of three power levels (#1 is generally adequate for reading in bed) and the fact that it doesn't have an annoying "tick tick" like the PT Aurora.

But both of these are around 70-80cd at full output. A Luxeon should be 250 or more at full output, although it may be cut back.

The SF L4 at about 650cd and very, very wide (a 5W Luxeon) is a great deal. If that head were mounted--with a volume control--and a 2-123 headpack in front, that would be very interesting.

Thanks!

Richard

I wonder whether a 5W Luxeon led would be uncomfortably warm in a headlamp.

I don't know about any site which really gives a good review of headlamps.

For yard work, you do NOT need a high end, light weight, high performing or even high reliabilty headlamp. Go down to your local Wal-Mart or other favorite store which sells inexpensive sporting goods and buy a headlamp.

My recomdations would be one wich runs on 4 aa batteries or perhaps 2 C or D cells. With 6 the volts frim 4 aa's, you can get a brighter bulb. Get a bright bulb.

A large reflector will be what you want. There is no reason to have a small one. Large reflectors simply work better.