Best Headlamps

But what makes one headlamp better than another? There are a handful of things to watch for when on the hunt for your next headlamp!

Beam type and distance

One of the most important aspects of a headlamp is the type of beam it gives off. Most offer at least a high and low mode, and others may offer even more. The activity you’re using it for will tell you what kind of beam you’ll want.

• Low and high are the standard modes that work for most tasks. Low is good for activities such as walking your dog at night; High is good for situations where you need more light, like trail running at night.
• Mid is an “in between” option on some models to give people more choices.
• Strobe mode acts as an emergency blinker, sometimes with choices of slow and fast flash rates.
• Boost mode, also called zoom mode, provides a high-intensity beam for 10-20 seconds.

Along with the type of beam, it’s good to have options on the distance it’ll reach.

• Spot beams are a much more focused beam and will light the path far ahead of you, which is great for activities like biking at night or just needing to see farther ahead of you on your path.
• Wide beams will produce a dimmer, more dispersed light in a wide angle for illuminating objects in close proximity (most cheap headlamps will only offer wide beams).
• Variable beams have the ability to switch between a spot beam and a wide angle.

Lumens

“Lumens” measure the amount of light being put out by a light source. They’re sometimes confused with “watts”, but watts measure the energy required to power the light source. Headlamps come with a wide range of lumens, from under 100 to over 1000.

It’s common for headlamps with lower lumens to be dimmer while headlamps with higher lumens are brighter, but it’s not always the case — the brightness really depends on how the bulb is made and how focused the beam of light is.

It’s important to mention that the higher the lumens, the faster your headlamp will consume energy. As the battery dies, the lumen output does, too, leading to a dimmer light. You can help extend the battery life if your headlamp model comes with a dimmer or the ability to switch between light modes (i.e. high to low).

Battery life

When it comes to battery or “runtime,” every headlamp model has a number of hours it’s able to produce usable light. It can range from 2 hours to 10 hours, some run on batteries and some are rechargeable, it all depends on the model and the power output. It’s vital to know the battery life of your headlamp before leaving for an adventure — the last thing you want is your headlamp to go out and leave you in the dark!

Size and weight

Headlamps are usually around a consistent size of 7 ounces or less (with batteries included), but you can find them bigger and heavier once you start looking at higher-powered models. These typically have additional battery packs, top straps, and/or a higher quantity of LEDs and are meant for specific adventures (i.e. climbing, spelunking, etc) rather than routine activities. You can also find a few basic models, meant more for emergencies than regular use.

Water resistance

In the headlamp world, the waterproofing standards come in “IPX ratings”. IP stands for “Ingress Protection” and X tells you that the model doesn’t have a dust rating. The lowest IPX rating is IPX-0, which means the headlamp isn’t water-resistant at all and any contact with water will damage it.

Many headlamps on the market today offer at least IPX-4 protection, with the highest being IPX-7. IPX-4 means that the model has some water resistance and can be splashed, while IPX-7 means it can be submerged into three feet of water for a max of thirty minutes. Fully waterproof models are typically much more expensive than those with just some water resistance. Always make sure to check the rating so you don’t accidentally ruin a non-waterproof model on your next adventure.