cheap halloween headlamp at Target

They have halloween headlamps on sale at Target (closeout)
for $1.99 I don't have a rayovac kids headlamp or the nightblaster version but I am sure this is a clone of it.
It takes 2AA batteries (2 cheapo HD cells included) and has an on/off push button switch built into the battery cover. It is focusable and has a small wheat bi pin bulb + mine had a spare bulb inside the light. I plan on later modding one to LED and/or high output krypton use.

The only drawback is it has white pumpkins stenciled on the light but some fine grit sandpaper got rid of them on mine.
The body is black and the head/bezel is bright orange, although the standard beam pattern is somewhat dissappointing, it is useful.There looks to be a slight magnifying optic in the center also. I saw awhile back someone did a luxeon mod of the adventure headlamp, there is a lot of room in this light especially if you are not using the reflector.

I picked up 3 of them for later projects/gifts.

Sometimes cheap lights turn out to be a good deal. I recently bought a rayovac 4aa headlamp at a Big Lots store in my area. It only cost $3.99, and in brightness it competes with a princeton tec 40, the package said water resistent so turned it on and put it in an aquarium for
about 20 minites it didn't appear to leak. Using a light bulb from an Impact XL makes for a versitile headlamp.

These lights are I think identical to the ones costing 6-8.00 at walmart but have orange bezels and white pumpkins. I wonder if there is a high output bipin xenon bulb I could buy for these I measured current draw with the new heavy duty batteries and it was about 380ma. For 2 bucks, you could buy a dorcy AAA, yank the stepup circuit out and make you a multi 5mm LED light on the cheap, perhaps 10 bucks total. this light looks nearly waterproof to me, I haven't tested it though but the battery lid has a seal and the bezel has an O ring on it so it is at least water resistant. I would have gotten another 5 of them but my budget wont allow it.

I believe I know the type your talking about, because I've seen them at walmart or target and a few other stores. The body looks the same but sometimes packages are different. I cant recall what type of bulb they took. I never bought one because I figured it would only be about as bright as a 2aa maglight. On the one I mentioned above is 4aa and the body of the light is the same as the Elektro-Star headlamp reviewed at flashlight reviews. It takes a PR based bulb and it sells for $7.99 at a local walmart. I've never done a mod besides changing bulbs etc. But there seems to be a lot of space under the bezel.

The bulb in these are about the brightness of a 2AA mag, it isn't bad and the hands off is useful but I didn't buy them to use like they are I figure I will slap in 6-12 5mm LEDs, and maybe a xenon lamp or so. If I could get a brighter xenon wheat bulb I would keep the incan and drill holes in the reflector for LEDS and put a switch to chooose between them. I figure $2 a light I can get a very useful headlamp working for under $10-12.00, something I can definately use.
Perhaps I will save one back for a Luxeon mod when I can get funds for one and a decent driver.

I was recently looking at buying another headlamp, something brighter. I was thinking the best compromise for utility in a headlamp would be a luxeon with variable adjustments for brightness, With the brightest being at least equal to the princetontech yukon HL. My reasoning is that this on high would compete or outdo a xenon and on low it will be brighter than a few leds and you would still end up with a decent runtime. Since you know how to mod, would something like this be practicable for you with about the same cost.

If the Yukon HL was 10-12.00 I would just buy one but they are a lot more costly perhaps around 50-60.00, a bit too steep for my budget and for what I want a headlamp for I think the flood of a bunch of 5mm LEDs would be better for my first mod, something I can use to work on stuff within arms distance. I have 4 of these headlamps perhaps one of them will end up with a luxeon 3 with a dimming circuit in it and a reflector. I could probably buy it and a boost circuit and a reflector cheaper than 55.00.