Headlamp to change car tire at night?

Thinkin about getting a headlamp to use if I happen to need to change a tire at night. Currently I have my eye on the Black Diamond Supernova. It looks like a great headlamp, but it's quite expensive. Is there something cheaper that would do the job? I think something more than LEDs is necessary, but it'd like one with LEDs for low-level light output. I like the adjustability of the lamp and LEDs of the BD Supernova tho...

Garrity makes a little 3 LED headlamp (I can't find it on there site, anyoing), it does throw a decent short range for that close a work, has a high/low/flash setting, cost me about $9.00

Millions of tires have been changed at night without a headlamp, sometimes even without a flashlight. A headlamp is handy but I wouldn't buy one specifically to change tires with. It's just too infrequent a requirement. Tires don't go flat very often any more, and most roads are lit. Just have a good flashlight in the car, and if necessary, improvise something to prop it up on the ground with while you change the tire.

the Princeton Tec, Yukon HL. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

sorry. i just really want one. so i do things like. reccomend it for everything.

While I wouldn't buy a headlamp just to change tires, the same criteria would suit 99% of the uses I might put a headlamp to. I like light weight on my head, but I prefer to use some of my collection of AA NiMH batteries. I want 3 batteries to insure good voltage for use with a luxeon. I also want a low setting, say .2 amp, maybe a middle setting at 500-600ma, so a ome watt lux would require a switch and at least one resistor......Perhaps I would mount batteries seperately. Antway, I'm interested in what people might propose for this. Oh, OT, I avoid changing tires by buying Michelin. I used to get about 4 flats per tire in 80-100,000 miles. Now I've had no flats in 3 sets of tires & I'm working on 300,000 miles. -RussH

I fixed a few bicycle puncture's and done some other roadside repairs with the help of a Petzl Tikka; tough, reasonably priced, light, very waterresistent, nice wide beam. Methinks a Petzl Tikka or Zipka (Plus or regular) is as much a must-have as an Arc AAA. Murphy Law's dictates that when you do finally get a puncture (or suffer some other breakdown) it will be in the midle of an unlit road, at night, in the rain.

Hello Eric,

I carry a Streamlight Trident to fiddle with my truck at night. Never had to change a flat tire, but it should work well for that too.

Tom

There be a Streamlight Clipmate 3AA 3LED Headlight in my truck for tire or underhood needs.

There is a Niteblaster clone of the Clipmate at Walmart for some 10 bucks give or take.

It's a good idea to carry a headlight in the car, freeing both hands can be a real convenience, not just changing tires, but making other repairs or having to hike away from a stalled car.

I keep a Zipka headlight in my car: fairly bright and tiny, about the size of a jumbo egg. Since I have a Surefire P6 in the glove compartment and usually an ARC LS or 4+ on my belt, I also have a Nite Ize headband to mount the light on the side of my head.

I think the Energizer 3AAA pivoting headlamp (the one with two white LEDs and one red) would be a good one to buy and stash in the glove box (or maybe in the spare tire well) for your "just in case" light. It's quite nice and quite cheap . . . about ten bucks at Wal-Mart.

Here's a review from Craig's site.

Cheers,

Dave

Headlamps are handy for working on anything at night in the dark. I happen to have the PT Aurora that takes 3 AAA cells. This thing is very small and lightweight.

Another option is to get the Nite Ize headband. It will hold most AA single-barreled flashlights. Most 123 lithium flashlights too.

http://eppescorner.safeshopper.com/8/133.htm?159

I figure if you are working at night with a flashlight in one hand, then you are hardly working at all. Of course if you have the flashlight in your teeth, that's another matter.

Black Diamond Ion is a nice little one, totally lightweight and unobtrusive while providing enough light to work by.

I have a SuperNova, It's a very good light for any task for when you need both hands. Or if you just want one, even if it is a little expensive. I have a Youkon HL just because I wanted one. So to the earlier poster who just wanted one, you won't be disapointed. It's also a great light and I beleive completely regulated unlike the Supernova in which only the incandesant is regulated. I would recommend both, I've used both this winter camping and they're very usefull.

yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh babyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

ditto

EOS with lithium AAAs. Very nice IMO.

[ QUOTE ]
PlayboyJoeShmoe said:
There be a Streamlight Clipmate 3AA 3LED Headlight in my truck for tire or underhood needs.

There is a Niteblaster clone of the Clipmate at Walmart for some 10 bucks give or take.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have one of the walmart clone lights. I took a stiff piece of wire and shorted past all the resistors in it since I run exclusively nimh cells. I also picked up some 3 LED cheap headlamps at target after christmas on closeout that are a nice buy for $2.50 each. I should have got 5 more but I bought 3 and gave one to my dad. I think if you had a nice multiple 5mm LED headlamp you should consider changing the LEDs for the 26,000mcd ones.

A headlamp in your vehicle is an excellent idea and I'm surprised to hear someone here trying to talk you out of it. Being prepared for the unexpected and unlikely is a hallmark of flashoholics.

Replacing a flat in the dark is only one of the uses of a headlamp with a vehicle.

I wired up a lady's muffler and tailpipe on a rainy night a few months ago. A $20.00 Princeton-Tec Aurora was terrific. Both hands free to wire that sucker tight.

I actually have two in my jeep now. One is the P-T EOS in the toolbox and the other is a P-T Corona in the emergency box.

Britt

A Dorcy 1AAA 1LED with a lithium cell would serve as a long life, temperature tolerant general use light for the car. It's so light, it's easily held in the lips or teeth while changing a tire or working under the hood. The rubber body grip is easy on the teeth. Being so small, you can direct it in your hand at odd angles under the hood to illuminate hard-to-see areas.

For such a purpose, I go with a lantern. Right now, I've got a Mallory (out-of-production) with a swivel head and an amber blinker on the back, uses the 6V rectangular screw-top batteries (I've made up my own battery using a 6V 10AH SLA in a housing that clips onto a bracket/charger so the lamp trickle-charges whenever the engine's running).

I've also got a few cylindrical (about 4" diameter by a foot long) "4-way" lights (hotwire beam out the end, flourescent out the side, and either single or alternating blinkers opposite the flourescent) that take 6D batteries (2 stacks of 3). These are available in both "silent" and "noisy" (when in single-blinker mode, they also run a beeper) versions (all of mine are the "silent" variety), and have a built-in charger for NiCd batteries (although on 7.2 volts, the flourescent won't light properly). On the other hand, with a couple of 12AA to 3D adapters wired for series-parallel (3 stacks of 4 cells) or (got a good deal on them at the local surplus emporium) stacks of 16 4/5AA NiCd in a 4x4 series-parallel, they should provide a good, constant-charge lighting setup.