# Brightest LED Headlamp w/ good battery time?



## videoexpert (May 3, 2012)

I just joined Search & Rescue and I need to buy a headlamp. I don't know much about headlamps and I thought i'd ask you pro's.

What's a good LED head lamp that is bright and gets at least 4+ hours of battery time and does not cost more then $100.00?

Thanks in advance for helping a newbie!!! Your valuable input could help save lives, thanks!


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## iron potato (May 3, 2012)

Not an expert, but I have got headlamp from,

Zebralight H600 US$89

Spark ST6-460NW ard US$99

But for your requirement of 4+ hrs, u may need spare batteries I believe.

For H600 :-Light Output 

 High: H1 *420*Lm with *750*Lm turbo in the first 3 min (2.3 hrs) or H2 *170*Lm (7 hrs) / *270*Lm (4 hrs) / *420*Lm (2.4 hrs) / 4Hz Strobe
Medium: M1 *65*Lm (18 hrs) or M2 *21*Lm (50 hrs)
Low: L1 *2.8*Lm (280 hrs) or L2 *0.1*Lm (80 days)
 Runtimes are tested using Panasonic NCR18650 (2900mAH) batteries. Light output are out the front (OTF) values. All levels are current regulated.

H600 have spot & H600F froasted lens model to choose from.

For Spark ST6-500CW :-

Super: 500lm/1.4hours
Max: 320lm/2.5hours
Med1: 150lm/8hours
Med2: 50lm/28hours
Low: 8lm/8days

ST6 came with changeable clear & diffused lens.

ST6 able to accept reverse battery polarity, meaning it doesn't matter u slide in the battery top or end first, it will just work, especially changing battery in a rush & dark area.
Hope this help, or wait for some expert to chime in :welcome:


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## YoSeKi (May 3, 2012)

The ZebraLight and Spark are nice headlamps, but they use 18650 Li-ion batteries. These require special chargers and special handling. 

If you just want to use regular AA batteries, I would look at the Princeton Tec Apex.


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## MichaelW (May 3, 2012)

Does it have to be a headlight?
The Fenix headband + your choice of light is still a good system.


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## vaska (May 4, 2012)

Well known in Europe Scandinavian brand Silva: http://silva.se/all-gear


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## florinache (May 8, 2012)

Fenix hp11


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## Lighthouse one (May 8, 2012)

I recently got the spark st6-500cw. I ran a test at work 

With the light on high (220 lumen) I got 4 hrs and 5 minutes on a 2600ma ultrafire battery. This was on a battery fresh out of the charger. 18650 batteries. 

It is easy to carry extra batteries along. 1 extra battery will get you all night...or a couple of batteries will let you run turbo for a long time too. The light runs on turbo with out overheating continuously...a great feature. 

Be aware the light seems more like 400 lumens....but this is partly because the light has a strong spill and a decent bright center area. You will still want a powerful flashlight along with a headlamp. We are talking bright light to 100 feet...and longer distance if it's real dark.

This is a very good quality light. Just be aware the some of the longer high capacity batteries can be too tight a fit. The end cap has a strong spring in each end- and the longer batteries can put a bit of a strain on the battery end.

Light 1


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## Bicycleflyer (May 10, 2012)

Personally, I would look at something from either Black Diamond, Princeton Tec, or Silva. These are the lights used by experienced mountaineering people. The Apex is a good choice, I have the extreme model with the external battery pack. It is my preferred outdoors light, but it's a bit too much for everyday around the house use. For that I just ordered a BD Spot. 

I should ask...Do you want... No battery pack, battery pack on back of head, external battery pack?
Do you need a flashing mode?
Do you think you would want Red LEDs?
Do you want to use AA, AAA, Lithiums, NiMh (rechargeable)

Answering these questions should help us narrow the field.


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## jlissaint (Jan 25, 2015)

What is the best value for money waterproof headlamp with red light under $40 USD?


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## D6859 (Jan 25, 2015)

I agree with Lighthouse_one (but I disagree with the use of ultrafires). I have no experience in Search and Rescue, but I've come to understand that in the business of S&R you need a light with lots of throw. I might save some money for a good flashlight. Also, you might want both your headlamp and flashlight to use same battery type. Do you already have a flashlight?


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## CodyCash (Jan 25, 2015)

Look into the Armytek Wizard and Tiara


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## Fresh Light (Jan 25, 2015)

I've got the fenix hl55. It sells for less than 60.00, runs on an 18650 or 2 primaries, puts out 900 lumens on turbo. Very well built light and gets lots of use when snowblowing after dusk. The best part is it has a neutral white light. The turbo runs 30 sec then drops into last mode selected. In high mode it still is 450 lumens and runs 3.75 hrs. The other modes run 10hr, 30hr, and 150hr. Compared to what other HL are selling for this is a steal for a high quality light.


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## D6859 (Jan 26, 2015)

CodyCash said:


> Look into the Armytek Wizard and Tiara



I would have recommended these lights too based on my experience in daily use, but I'm not sure what the OP is looking for. These headlamps are not throwers, so a throwier flashlight might be needed for S&R.


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## kirkstick (Jan 26, 2015)

I think that Search and Rescue task needs to be broken down into a Search light and a Rescue light. A headlamp light will probably be used mostly for making preps to do the search and the actual rescue so hands are free. It can also be used for going to and from the search area. The Search part is probably going to be done with a much, much, brighter handheld light with a lot of throw vs the close quarters work that the rescue portion of the task probably requires. 

I use the Armytek Wizard Pro daily. Its beam is great for doing searches at a closer range, such as inside of a structure, a cave, or even in a place with dense foliage where distance isn't a factor. It has been very reliable and the brightness settings from dimmest to brightest have been very usable for different situations.


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## SoundWorx (Mar 11, 2015)

CodyCash said:


> Look into the Armytek Wizard and Tiara



I just got the armytek wizard pro v2 warm and with 1000 lumens otf it'll really light up a lot. I can light up my backyard the neighbor's yard and the back of their house. I don't care for the silicone holder for the headlamp so I ordered a fenix to put it in. Can have flood (wizard) and throw with a light on the other side. Don't think my p25 will fit though.


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## veppe (Mar 11, 2015)

I'm trying to figure out some information about iFlow headlamp which I'm considering to purchase. The problem is I cannot find too much info, nor e.g. Youtube review about this headlamp. They claim it's "used by mountain rescue services and alpine clubs (ski lift companies) in their night-time activities.", they claim it has 1000 lumens, and 500 meters (over 1/4 mile) of beam distance, and up to 5 hours of high-mode run time. This headlamp is expensive one (about $150) so I really want to dig out more info about it before purchasing it. Unfortunately google search didn't really provide lots of help with this so reaching out to you guys in this forum.

So, does anyone in this forum happen to have any experience about this headlamp?
This is the website of their store, it's in German, but google translate can help:
http://www.iflow.biz/products/hardgoods/high-power-performance-led-stirnlampe-1000-lumen

Another option for me would be the Led Lenser H14.2. Reason why only these two options is because I want to spend my Lufthansa air miles (which I'm not gonna use for any future flights) and these two lamps are the only options in Lufthansa's store. I've got plenty of information about Led Lenser H14.2, but any further advice about this one vs. others would be appreciated as well. Price-wise, Led Lenser is about half the price of the iFlow. Thanks!


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## D6859 (Mar 12, 2015)

veppe said:


> I'm trying to figure out some information about iFlow headlamp which I'm considering to purchase. The problem is I cannot find too much info, nor e.g. Youtube review about this headlamp. They claim it's "used by mountain rescue services and alpine clubs (ski lift companies) in their night-time activities.", they claim it has 1000 lumens, and 500 meters (over 1/4 mile) of beam distance, and up to 5 hours of high-mode run time. This headlamp is expensive one (about $150) so I really want to dig out more info about it before purchasing it. Unfortunately google search didn't really provide lots of help with this so reaching out to you guys in this forum.
> 
> So, does anyone in this forum happen to have any experience about this headlamp?
> This is the website of their store, it's in German, but google translate can help:
> ...



That iFlow looks like the cheap Chinese headlamp that my little brother bought for 30 euros or so. It has horrible PWM on lower levels. And why on earth should a headlamp have a strobe function? So I'd say take the Led Lenser.


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## veppe (Mar 12, 2015)

D6859 said:


> That iFlow looks like the cheap Chinese headlamp that my little brother bought for 30 euros or so. It has horrible PWM on lower levels. And why on earth should a headlamp have a strobe function? So I'd say take the Led Lenser.


Thanks for your quick response. That's what I was also suspecting but wanted to give it a try. It was just hard to find any information about this iFlow company but after quite hard google search I was able to find out that it's probably a legitimate company (how else would Lufthansa accept them in their online store), and even found some gross revenue figures for last year (about 1M€ so anyway not that big company). + they have stores in Austria, Switzerland, France and even in Australia. But it's anyway mostly a clothing / skiing apparel brand so maybe this headlamp is just a nice addition in their product catalog but in reality just some cheap Chinese stuff. So in the end, I guess I'll go for Led Lenser


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## Scott43 (Sep 7, 2015)

I have tried many headlamps during my life and i can say that so far the best one I had was Foxelli MX500L
Believe me, you will not find a professional and also rechargeable headlamp for less then 40$ (not sure what it costs now though)
This bad boy holds up to 48h without charging and is bright as hell.

Only other option I could think of would be Petzl Nao, witch is around 140$...


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## Crimsonnj (Sep 11, 2015)

What about a headlamp tactical in nature with a special strobe quick function 

(new to forum)


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## insanefred (Sep 11, 2015)

Crimsonnj said:


> What about a headlamp tactical in nature with a special strobe quick function
> 
> (new to forum)




Can you define the word _"tactical"_, that word has lost all meaning here. What do you mean by "special strobe".


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