Best Headlamp
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Looking to buy a new headlamp. Which one should I buy? GO! |
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Get a Princeton Tec or Petzl. I've had so many BD headlamps that shorted out and/or failed when needed most. BD covers the headlamps for 3 yrs with the receipt (crappy Customer Service). I put all the old crappy BD headlamps in a box and shipped them back to BD in Salt Lake City with a note to keep the junk and enclosed the receipt for my new Princeton Tec. Still going strong. |
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Interesting response as I have had every Princeton Tec light I have owned crap out after less then a year of being used. Several Head lamps and at least 3 flash lights. People keep raving about how great they are -Im not buying another one... |
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I think it's important to have a good headlamp. |
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I've had several Princetec headlamps fail on me, but they were replaced without any questions by the company. Takes a couple of weeks though. |
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whatever fits your head the best... |
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Surefire was the best one I've ever owned. Aluminum body, 1 battery, super bright with infinite angle and brightness adjust, small and pretty light. But expensive. Now I have a petzl and its awesome but a bit bulkier. Also have a BD I use as a back up that has lasted years and never let me down. I think if you get a nice one and treat it with care any of them should last for quite a while. |
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This was discussed here recently as well |
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Petzl Nao Reactive Lighting. |
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Interesting posts. I somewhat disagree with Gary N - I'd say a headlamp is not all that important. Not saying don't bring one, and if you do need one, you want it to work, but you just should almost never need it. It should gather dust. |
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Have never had issues with BD or Petzl, but I'm pretty careful not to pack them too tight. My Petzls were mostly pre-L.E.D models in the 90s. We use Princetons for surgeries at work, but can't speak on their durability. I would recommend SIerra Trading Post with a 30% coupon code and get a BD or Petzl with a good compromise of Lumens and battery life. |
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Vote for the BD revolt. spot + USB rechargeable |
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have an older BD Icon which is as bright as the sun and a lighter princeton tech vizio i think. Different purposes and both work well. Unless you really really need to do some distant route finding in the dark any of the smaller lighter headlamps will suit fine. |
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BD Storm. Awesome product. Knowing how rechargeable batteries degrade over time, I'm hesitant to buy anything with a built-in battery. With my storm, I can use regular AA rechargables most of the time, but throw in disposables in a pinch. |
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I had my Princeton Tec lamp fail on a WI4 route in the dark with a complex decent. If I hadn't had a back up things would have gone badly. Sometimes your headlamp is just for convenience and sometimes it is critical equipment for your survival. |
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+1 for Bosavi. ( bosavi.com) |
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For true headlamp nerdery, checkout the candlepower forums. Those guys are light geeks to the extreme. What's interesting is that climbing brand headlamps are a few generations behind what's cutting edge in headlamps. Not that that's BAD per se, but it's interesting to note that 200 lumens is WEAK in the headlamp world. eg the new Zebralight H600w MkII is 1020lm on HIGH. |
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I've been really happy with my Mammut TX1. Great battery life with the 2 small LED bulbs. 100+ meter with the big bulb. The head rotates all the way over so it can be stored with the glass protected from scratches etc. when not in use. |
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It would be a lot easier to offer help if we knew the application that this headlamp was to be used under. Some lamps are better than others depending on what you are using them for i.e. a light to be carried while climbing for emergency use, general camp lighting, will it be used for caving (spelunking; to those who prefer this terminology}, long term use for hiking or search and rescue. As an example I like my Petzl Zipka for climbing as it is compact and easy to carry and a Petzl Duobelt where long term use or cold or wet conditions exist. |
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Some of the BD headlamps (Spot, Revolt) have a nasty habit of turning itself on in the pack. I'm surprised people have had so much issues with Princeton Tec, the EOS is kind of THE climbing headlamp for quite a while (works w/ lithium w/o overheating, has well recessed button on the side & was more waterproof than its competitors). Of course, Petzl & BD now have regulator circuitry, etc. |