Recommendations for a headlamp for jungle hike under $100?

hardrock

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Hello,
I am planning a trip to the rainforest. Most of the hiking will be done in the pitch black night looking up at trees. I will have a little LED flashlight and also a headlamp.

In the past I used very cheap $20 headlamps that never seemed very bright at all. After some research, I saw Black Diamond headlamps.

It looks like they have a 320 lumen model on sale for $49 and a 500 lumen model for $99.

My questions are: 1) Will there be any real discernible difference in what I see looking up at the trees with these two headlamps, and if so, is the brighter light worth the $50 more?

2) In my budget, are there any other bright headlamps I should be looking at?

Thanks in advance.
 

archimedes

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In general, with all other factors equal, it may take a lumen increase of anywhere from 4x - 10x for a light to subjectively be perceived as "twice as bright" ....

The ~ 50% lumen increase you describe will be "noticeable" , especially compared directly side-by-side, but a relatively limited difference.

Power consumption and runtime, however, will be quite different of course.
 
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Lex Icon

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In addition to brighter, you better have a more comfortable headband, one that also runs over the top of your head or hat to keep your light in place when the sweat runs.
Floody beams are best if it is dense forest and you need to see where you are going.
Armytek and Zebralight have excellent options, and you better get the most rugged headlamp you can afford if there will be no back-up.
 

hardrock

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In addition to brighter, you better have a more comfortable headband, one that also runs over the top of your head or hat to keep your light in place when the sweat runs.
Floody beams are best if it is dense forest and you need to see where you are going.
Armytek and Zebralight have excellent options, and you better get the most rugged headlamp you can afford if there will be no back-up.

I will definitely check out those brands. I feel like my headlight will be more of a backup as the guides use 3200 lumen Lupine headlamps...when I went out with them last year, their headlamp was so bright, it looked like a car turned its brights on...but that model is way out of my budget for a random vacation here or there.
 

iamlucky13

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Your previous headlamps, were any of them of a known brand or output rating? What batteries did they use?

How long did you typically use them for between battery replacements? Did you notice a major change in brightness after changing batteries?

I'm trying to get a rough idea what your actual needs are, based on what you've used in the past. Because most cheap headlamps and even some of the better models (including Black Diamonds) dim significantly over the course of a set of batteries, having an idea how you used them, and not just what they were rated for, will be helpful.
 

hardrock

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Your previous headlamps, were any of them of a known brand or output rating? What batteries did they use?

How long did you typically use them for between battery replacements? Did you notice a major change in brightness after changing batteries?

I'm trying to get a rough idea what your actual needs are, based on what you've used in the past. Because most cheap headlamps and even some of the better models (including Black Diamonds) dim significantly over the course of a set of batteries, having an idea how you used them, and not just what they were rated for, will be helpful.

I can only find one of the old headlamps I used looking through old amazon orders. It was a Foxelli 165 lumen headlamp that was around $13. In sure my other one was in the same price range. It ran on 3 AAA batteries and depending on the brightness it would last a few hours. We were running them from about 7pm to 3am every night with our flashlights. After using them for 2 days you deff noticed a change with new batteries.

i am conflicted now if it will be better for me to get a more powerful flashlight and less bright headlamp for a total budget of $200. But I really know nothing about flashlights or headlamps.
 

hardrock

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I see a bunch of options now like the Zebralight and Coast HL7 all under $100. Since battery life doesn't seem to be great, maybe it's better getting a sub $100 headlamp and maybe $100-$125 on a flashlight if that will be brighter and last longer.
 

aginthelaw

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If you're comfortable with using 18650 batteries, I would recommend the Fenix hl60r. If you have a solar panel charger, you can recharge it during the day if light is available. I love my thrunite th10 and my armytek wizard pro, in which the new version is rechargeable. I use these headlights over my helmet sponge when it's really sweaty out. It's like a half a sweatband for the head.

The armytek has a sale on their xm-l2 version for under $45
 

NPL

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Lupine lights seem nice, but they use 6000k cool white LED's which I don't recommend. Warmer or neutral colored LEDs will be much more natural and comfortable to the eyes. If you have the option to recharge, I would highly consider the Fenix hl60r or newer rechargeable Armytek wizards. They will be a fraction of the price of the Lupine, equally or marginally less bright, and significantly lighter with better color temp. The Zebralight h600w is my favourite, but you will have to buy the batteries and charger separately. Carry a spare battery or two in your bag, and you'll have a similar runtime to your guides.
 

hardrock

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I will be able to recharge however it looks like the 600w is out of stock everywhere unless I'm not looking in the right places.
 

NPL

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The h600w mkii is out of stock but the newer mkiii appears to be in stock on their website.
 

blah9

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Looks like the 600w is in stock on Amazon if you're in the US. But I'm not sure where you're from. This is another vote for Armytek or Zebralight. I love me Armytek Wizard Pro Warm. However I have heard of some people buying Armytek headlamps that end up not working properly. So if you get unlucky then that might not be fun to deal with.
 

PiperBob

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If you decide to go with a less bright headlamp I recently ordered a Fenix HL10 for camping because it looks like it will be really durable. It's 1xAA with 70 lumens. It's about $30, so that would leave plenty of room in your budget for something else.
 

iamlucky13

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I can only find one of the old headlamps I used looking through old amazon orders. It was a Foxelli 165 lumen headlamp that was around $13. In sure my other one was in the same price range. It ran on 3 AAA batteries and depending on the brightness it would last a few hours. We were running them from about 7pm to 3am every night with our flashlights. After using them for 2 days you deff noticed a change with new batteries.

i am conflicted now if it will be better for me to get a more powerful flashlight and less bright headlamp for a total budget of $200. But I really know nothing about flashlights or headlamps.

Perfect. I figured you were using a typical 3xAAA budget light. These non-regulated lights get really long run times, but they dim significantly over that time. You're talking about using your light for up to 16 hours before changing the batteries. Is part of that time spent with the lights in lower modes, or do you just let them run on high until they're too dim? 3xAAA batteries actually only have enough energy in them to average around 30 lumens over that long of a time. In all seriousnes, I would not be surprised if your light was below 20 lumens by the time you changed batteries.

While the Black Diamonds are able to achieve higher peak brightness, they are still limited by the energy in their batteries. The $50 storm, with 4xAAA's, should last a little longer. The $100 Icon, with 4xAA's, should last quite a bit longer at equivalent brightness levels.

The Zebralights and many other regulated lights are able to maintain nearly their rated maximum output for the stated times, but that does mean they consumer their batteries faster. In their lower modes, they're often impeccably consistent right up until the battery is almost dead. For example, a Zebralight H52 gives you the option of 300 lumens for about 50 minutes, or 50 lumens for 7.5 hours (a level I like for walking around outside), or 13 lumens for 27 hours (ample for basic tasks around the campsite, in my opinion). It might dim a moderate amount in the 300 lumen mode, but in those lower modes, it will be extremely consistent.

And that's just with a single AA battery (but be aware they run more consistently with rechargeable batteries than with cheap alkalines).

If you jump up to one of Zebralight's larger headlamps, powered by lithium ion 18650 batteries like the H600W, performance takes a big leap - around 1100 lumens - so much power the light will automatically lower output to about 500 lumens after a couple minutes to stay cool, but keep that lower level up for over 2 hours. Or it will do ~60 lumens for over a full day.

Also, I think the idea of both a quality headlamp and flashlight is arguably your best option. A headlamp with a wide beam for finding your way around, and flashlight with a narrower, more intense beam for illuminating specific objects of interest at a distance are a hard to beat combo, and it sounds like both are potentially in your budget. $200 gets an excellent pair of lights. $100 still can get you a pair of very good performers, although not Zebralights.

I could say more about specific models (all of Zebralights models have different nuances), as well as other respected brands, and a few other factors that might be helpful, but I don't want to hit you with too much info at once. If what I said raises questions, just ask. If you're itching to get a light sooner rather than later, the recommendation someone else made of a Zebralight H600W is pretty safe, although keep in mind you'll need an 18650 battery and charger for it, too.
 

hardrock

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Perfect. I figured you were using a typical 3xAAA budget light. These non-regulated lights get really long run times, but they dim significantly over that time. You're talking about using your light for up to 16 hours before changing the batteries. Is part of that time spent with the lights in lower modes, or do you just let them run on high until they're too dim? 3xAAA batteries actually only have enough energy in them to average around 30 lumens over that long of a time. In all seriousnes, I would not be surprised if your light was below 20 lumens by the time you changed batteries.

While the Black Diamonds are able to achieve higher peak brightness, they are still limited by the energy in their batteries. The $50 storm, with 4xAAA's, should last a little longer. The $100 Icon, with 4xAA's, should last quite a bit longer at equivalent brightness levels.

The Zebralights and many other regulated lights are able to maintain nearly their rated maximum output for the stated times, but that does mean they consumer their batteries faster. In their lower modes, they're often impeccably consistent right up until the battery is almost dead. For example, a Zebralight H52 gives you the option of 300 lumens for about 50 minutes, or 50 lumens for 7.5 hours (a level I like for walking around outside), or 13 lumens for 27 hours (ample for basic tasks around the campsite, in my opinion). It might dim a moderate amount in the 300 lumen mode, but in those lower modes, it will be extremely consistent.

And that's just with a single AA battery (but be aware they run more consistently with rechargeable batteries than with cheap alkalines).

If you jump up to one of Zebralight's larger headlamps, powered by lithium ion 18650 batteries like the H600W, performance takes a big leap - around 1100 lumens - so much power the light will automatically lower output to about 500 lumens after a couple minutes to stay cool, but keep that lower level up for over 2 hours. Or it will do ~60 lumens for over a full day.

Also, I think the idea of both a quality headlamp and flashlight is arguably your best option. A headlamp with a wide beam for finding your way around, and flashlight with a narrower, more intense beam for illuminating specific objects of interest at a distance are a hard to beat combo, and it sounds like both are potentially in your budget. $200 gets an excellent pair of lights. $100 still can get you a pair of very good performers, although not Zebralights.

I could say more about specific models (all of Zebralights models have different nuances), as well as other respected brands, and a few other factors that might be helpful, but I don't want to hit you with too much info at once. If what I said raises questions, just ask. If you're itching to get a light sooner rather than later, the recommendation someone else made of a Zebralight H600W is pretty safe, although keep in mind you'll need an 18650 battery and charger for it, too.

Great info, thanks for the writeup. I think I will go with the Zebralight. I actually have a 18650 battery already with a charger from some cheap LED flashlight I got on Amazon last year. I like that they will all be able to run on the same battery.

I was looking at the H600w but it seems there are many different sub-models all with different lights. I really dont know what the difference is between any of the cool whites/neutral whites, etc especially when they are all the same price.
 

iamlucky13

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I was looking at the H600w but it seems there are many different sub-models all with different lights. I really dont know what the difference is between any of the cool whites/neutral whites, etc especially when they are all the same price.

That was the next part of the discussion I was holding back on for the moment. The choices between the sub-models come down to your personal preference.

Zebralight offers 3 different beam patterns. Example from their model numbers:

* H600 - Conventional beam. A noticeable central hot spot for decent long distance throw, plus fainter spill for some up-close vision.
* H600F - Floody beam. A fairly broad beam with no noticeable hotspot, but a gradual fade outside the center of your vision. Very popular for general use headlamps.
* H603 - Full flood. Short range due to the wide spread, but illuminates almost your full field of vision

They also offer several different beam tints. Examples again, using the floody suffix for consistency:

* H600F - Cool white. Slight brightness advantage, and usually perceived as more brilliant than warmer tones.
* H600Fw - Neutral white. Most people consider this easier on the eyes, and neutral white usually renders yellows and reds slightly better than cool white.
* F600Fd - High color rendering index (CRI). The LED is chosen specifically to minimize the washed out appearance many colors take on under a typical LED flashlight. d suffix indicates a color tone very similar to daylight.
* H600Fc - Also high CRI. c suffix indicates a neutral or slightly warm white tone.

High CRI lights usually have modestly lower output and efficiency as their tradeoff compared to the regular models.
 

blah9

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Just want to add that you might want to let us know what the 18650 and charger are that you have. There are some really dodgy batteries out there that aren't all that safe to use and a good one can be bought for $10 or less these days I think.
 

hardrock

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Just want to add that you might want to let us know what the 18650 and charger are that you have. There are some really dodgy batteries out there that aren't all that safe to use and a good one can be bought for $10 or less these days I think.

Im sure its a piece of garbage. It came with this light:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XF37FTZ/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Thats not the exact light, but the accessories look exactly the same as what came with mine, charger and all.
 

blah9

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Ah yeah, it might be a good idea to get a nicer 18650 then and a charger. Doesn't have to be fancy but there are plenty of recommendations on this site that would work well. Could get an 18650 from Mtn Electronics and a Nitecore F1 charger for example for about $20.
 
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