Best Water Proof Headlamps?

Looking for a water proof headlamp that I can swim in (I don't scuba dive, but I would like to go down a few meters). Want to use it for climbing, hiking, etc. as well, but something that won't break the bank. Thoughts? Your help is very much appreciated. 

Something from Petzl...

I think their little eLite is waterproof down to a meter.

I have a couple of their Pixa headlamps in some version that are waterproof and not too huge.  Anything waterproof with any throw to it will be spendy.

http://www.batteryjunction.com/petzl-e78chb-2ul.html?gclid=CMn44JCRw9MCFdGPswod98gEFg

The best I've found is the Armytek Wizard. The only thing that might throw you off is that they use 18650 batteries. While they are more difficult to find in a store they are easily obtained online.  Buy high quality cells, Panasonic or AW. I use li-ion rechargeables that I can recharge with my solar setup. The light itself is submersible to 30ft which is good enough for a free dive bug grab. They also have a ten year warranty so if anything happens to them you can get it replaced. 

Mine is a few years old but it puts out over 1000 lumens for 2 hours on high. For normal tasks I usually use the 350 or 150 lumen modes and get 8-16 hours on a charge. 

If you want what people consider the best than get the 18650 Zebra headlamp. Not sure about its waterproofness though. 

Anonymous wrote:

Waterproof to IPX7 (2 meters, 30 minutes)

That's w/ static water pressure (i.e. not moving around); it'll leak if you try to snorkel w/ it. 

My Fenix HL60R has handled underwater use just fine. It also throws 1000 lumens, and has fallen several hundred feet without issue. Definitely worth looking into. 

Hey trevor, thanks for the input. Can you be a bit more specific? The website says its good for 2 meters for 30 min.

Thanks

Check out the Apex from Princeton Tec, or anything on their site that shows Level 2 (or 3) waterproof rating (IPx7 equivalent I believe)

Edit: for less bulky, check out the EOS or Quad, the Apex is more of a caver-style lamp.

Avoid Princeton Tec, they don't honor warranties, and their stuff is not good enough where you won't need it. Petzal and BD always have your back!

Tom Merkt wrote:

Avoid Princeton Tec, they don't honor warranties, and their stuff is not good enough where you won't need it. Petzal and BD always have your back!

Thanks for the heads up! I've been looking at getting one after borrowing from a friend, but good to know there are better options. That Fenix lamp looks pretty decently priced too, are they supposed to be good?

sorry OP, but i just wanna +1 zebra headlamps. and -1 on princeton tec

Zebra lamps are AMAZING. princeton tec on the other hand, sucks.

Let us know what you end up getting and how it goes!

Tom Merkt wrote:

Avoid Princeton Tec, they don't honor warranties, and their stuff is not good enough where you won't need it. Petzal and BD always have your back!

That's not my experience with Princeton Tec. I've had 5 different Princeton Tec headlamps since the 1990s. My oldest is the Princeton Tec Vortec, which I bought for diving at night. It broke due to user error (I left the batteries in it for weeks after a dive, and the batteries leaked). I wrote to Princeton Tec, and they sent me a new one after I mailed in my broken one. That was the reason I ended up with four more of their headlamps. Just a year ago, the plastic clip on one of my newer PT headlamps (the Apex) broke, this time not due to user error. I wrote to PT again, and after I sent in my Apex, they again sent me a new one.

They are not on the cutting edge of the technology, their headlamps may not be as light or as bright as some of the newer competitions. But they stand by their product.

I've been down to 130 feet with Princeton Tectonics lights. They perform well over and over again, can't speak to the warranty as I've never had a problem with them. For general use, I echo some of the above comments- anything from Petzl will be good.