What's The Best & Brightest Headlamp Under $20 USD ?

202BIGMIKE

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Hello, :anyone: I'm looking for a headlamp that meets the following requirements and I need some help and suggestions.
1-Uses 18650 and if possible the same headlamp can also use size 21700 batteries
2-Color: Cool White (CW) 6500nm--1200 Lumens---(NO Green/Yellow tints please.)
3-Has Zoom if available
4-I need some beam throw.
5-Where to buy and has Cheap Price under $20

Your replies will be much appreciated :thumbsup:
 
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Lynx_Arc

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Two I know of are the Sofirn SP40 and Wowtac A2 both around $20 or a little over that. I have the Wowtac A2S which is twice as bright and I recommend it as a budget headlamp but it costs about $10 more. The Wowtac has CW and NW tints while the Sofirn lists a 5500 tint and lower tints. I also saw a cheaper headlamp on the Sofirn site that has 2 LEDs on it but cannot blindly recommend it as I have no experience with it. I do have a Sofirn SP32 flashlight and I like it although it leans towards yellow some (not green) as it is a neutral tint but it does come in CW tints. I wouldn't want a zooming headlamp at all as I've used zooming flashlights and after using smooth powerful reflectored headlamps the zoomies are just not that great in use.
 

202BIGMIKE

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Two I know of are the Sofirn SP40 and Wowtac A2 both around $20 or a little over that. I have the Wowtac A2S which is twice as bright and I recommend it as a budget headlamp but it costs about $10 more. The Wowtac has CW and NW tints while the Sofirn lists a 5500 tint and lower tints. I also saw a cheaper headlamp on the Sofirn site that has 2 LEDs on it but cannot blindly recommend it as I have no experience with it. I do have a Sofirn SP32 flashlight and I like it although it leans towards yellow some (not green) as it is a neutral tint but it does come in CW tints. I wouldn't want a zooming headlamp at all as I've used zooming flashlights and after using smooth powerful reflectored headlamps the zoomies are just not that great in use.

Hello Lynx_Arc , Is the cheaper x2 LED headlamp you saw on the Sofirn site the D25S with SST40 ? If yes , do you have knowledge

of the color/brightness of the SST40 ? Also , what's the difference in color & brightness between the SST40 & SST20 LEDs if you know.

Thanks for your reply and headlamp suggestions.

Mike
 

Lynx_Arc

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Hello Lynx_Arc , Is the cheaper x2 LED headlamp you saw on the Sofirn site the D25S with SST40 ? If yes , do you have knowledge

of the color/brightness of the SST40 ? Also , what's the difference in color & brightness between the SST40 & SST20 LEDs if you know.

Thanks for your reply and headlamp suggestions.

Mike
I'm sorry but I just don't know any of these answers. I'm not familiar with the brand nor have I had an SST40 LED light or SST20. I've heard positive things about the LEDs here I "think" the SST40 may have a large die size which means more floody less throwy other than that I'm pretty much in the dark. I didn't recommend the headlamp because of the brand itself and also because I have two 18650 headlamps and the added bulk/weight of that extra LED in it to me would be too much as I don't use the top headstrap on my headlamps. '
I'm not saying it is a bad headlamp, to be honest I don't know.
 

202BIGMIKE

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I'm sorry but I just don't know any of these answers. I'm not familiar with the brand nor have I had an SST40 LED light or SST20. I've heard positive things about the LEDs here I "think" the SST40 may have a large die size which means more floody less throwy other than that I'm pretty much in the dark. I didn't recommend the headlamp because of the brand itself and also because I have two 18650 headlamps and the added bulk/weight of that extra LED in it to me would be too much as I don't use the top headstrap on my headlamps. '
I'm not saying it is a bad headlamp, to be honest I don't know.
No problem , you didn't overreach , you gave the help that you had knowledge of. I know more now then I did before your replies :takeit:

Thank you for that.
 
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Lynx_Arc

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No problem , you didn't overreach , you gave the help that you had knowledge of. I know more now then I did before your replies :takeit:

Thank you for that.

That is what we are here for, to both learn and help others learn. Personally I think unless you realize most lights aren't designed to run continuously on turbo so don't expect that 1000+ lumen light to run that high for more than a few minutes without stepping down.
My experience is 400-600 is enough for 90% of what you need in bright light and it is nice to have a range of modes lower than that to conserve power so when you need that extra punch of light you have more than enough power left for it. When I use my headlamp I typically use the low and medium modes most often and high for 15 minutes now and then and Turbo to see things at a distance so I don't have to carry a separate flashlight to throw. I find the eco and very low modes 5 lumens or less to not be useful for a headlamp if I need those low modes likely I don't need to use them on a headlamp but this is my own opinion.
 

Lynx_Arc

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You are welcome to spend $80 for a li-ion torch on your head and have it perform the same as a $30 cheap headlamp that comes with a protected USB rechargeable battery. The $20 headlamp comes with a smaller capacity protected USB battery and has half the output on high.
I can vouch for the safety of the $30 headlamp as I've been using one for several years doing construction and have had it fall 16 feet from a lift onto concrete and still work fine with a small dent in it.
 
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202BIGMIKE

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I'm not sure I'd want to wear a cheap li-ion torch right above my face...

What's YOUR price/cost amount for the meaning of cheap ? Are you leery of the cheap Li-ion torch itself OR the batteries/cells that operate it ?
 
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aginthelaw

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I got the Xtar H3w warboy for $20 and it's one of my favorite headlamps due to the tint. I think it's out of production but every once in a while I see stock of it pop up on eBay and Amazon
 

202BIGMIKE

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I got the Xtar H3w warboy for $20 and it's one of my favorite headlamps due to the tint. I think it's out of production but every once in a while I see stock of it pop up on eBay and Amazon


Do you have any other suggestions for cheap headlamps under $20 , that are in production and have the 6500 Cool White color ?
 
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