Best Headlamp Reviews

Whenever you are going out for camping, climbing, hiking, mountain biking, trail running or any other outdoor activities, it is always better to keep a headlamp with you. Almost everyone knows the utility of hands-free light but never sure which one is the best for their purpose. To help you find out, we will present here the best headlamp reviews.

Headlamps are loaded with lots of features. Some of them have brilliant LEDs that can give up to 1000 lumens that light up hundreds of feet. Others are extremely lightweight that also keep you 100% hands-free to do your work.

There are a variety of headlamps available in the market with these features and many more. We will discuss some of the important features of headlamps and would also provide you with 10 best headlamp reviews with buying options.

We hope that this will help you to choose the right one for you.

Top 10 Best Headlamp Reviews

1. Spark Headlamp

 

When it comes to headlamps with excellent performance and utmost versatility, the Spark Headlamp from Vont comes second to none in the market. Powered by proprietary LED lights of 200 lumens, this monster of a headlamp lights up, up to around 100 meters so you’d feel safe and confident doing what you’re doing. Whether you’re running, camping, snowboarding, biking, hiking, caving, or simply walking the dog at night.

The Vont Spark Headlamp is a reliable light partner for when you need to go out into the storm or fix the car on the road during a breakdown or find something during emergencies and power outages. You don’t have to worry about it breaking down or dimming up as it’s designed and built with military-grade materials, making it drop and water resistant, so it should be fully functional even under extreme pressure and weather conditions.

Specifications

 

2. Black Diamond Icon

 

Black Diamond Icon is the favorite choice of many users. It has numerous features. The whole light of the lamp, including the battery, is completely water and dustproof. Moreover, you can even adjust the brightness underwater. Besides, the availability of light in four colors makes it useful in almost every outdoor activity.

You can do readings, and in addition, it is very helpful in midnight rescue and hunting. Simply by pressing a single button, you can use the maximum power. However, it is heavier since it requires 4 AA batteries. It lasts for a day at its highest power.

Specifications

 

3. Black Diamond Spot-Lite 160

 

Black diamond Spot-Lite finds one of the top rankings in our best headlamp reviews. It is a small size headlamp with a maximum output of 160 lumens. Though it is not sufficient to brighten your entire camp yet these lamps are very useful for trail runners or minimalist backpackers.

The headlamp has easy push buttons. Moreover, it has a red light with a lamp, which is like a bonus at such a reasonable rate. It is firmly mounted on your head while you run. Besides, this headlamp has a handy locking feature preventing it from turning on by mistake. It is one of the Best Value headlamps.

Specifications

 

Best Rechargeable Headlamp

4. Ledlenser H14R.2

 

Ledlenser H14R.2 is a very powerful and maybe the best headlamp on the list. You can focus the beam by adjusting the lens of lamps. You can also change the intensity of light by a simple click on the button next to the lens.

Moreover, you can spin the dial on the battery pack for fine-tuning. It can be done even when you are wearing gloves. The battery pack can be fixed on the backside of the head strip, or you can even keep it in the backup by the use of an extension cord. While your lamp is off, a red light on the battery always blinks. It is one of the best headlamps for the mining and construction sites.

Specifications

 

Best Camping Headlamp

5. Biolite 330

 

Biolite 330 is the next in our best headlamp reviews. It is very lightweight and has 3D Slim-fit Technology.

It has no bounce and it fits flat on the forehead. Besides, it uses smart moisture-wicking fabric. You can choose the lumens as per your need because it has both the spot as well as floodlights.

It also has rechargeable batteries that can be charged with any of the USB sources. As it is just weightless, it is best for camping, running or any other outdoor activities.

It can transform into a lantern and works as double-time as a bright hanging light in your tent when paired with light-diffusing stuff sack.

This headlamp is suitable for small camping, running or doing some home projects as it lasts only for a few hours in its highest setting. However, when moving for Overnight massive camping or trekking, this headlamp is not so conducive.

Specifications

 

6. Petzl Swift RL – Best Headlamp 

 

Petzl Swift RL is an effective, lightweight, compact headlamp. It has a sensor that works on Reactive Lighting Technology. It monitors the intensity of light in the surrounding area and accordingly increases/decreases lumens of the headlamp.

Swift RL is designed in two-parts that make it very effective in maintaining stability as well as in many trekking activities. Besides, it has one common button to control all functions of the lamp. It has 5 LED dots to show the power level of the headlamp’s battery.

 

Best Headlamp For Running

7. Black Diamond Sprint 225

 

Black Diamond Sprint 225 is a sleek and compact headlamp. Although its headband does not look very strong, it firmly keeps the lamp from bouncing.

The brightness adjustment with this headlamp is very simple and easy. Instead of clicking or pressing the button to adjust the brightness, you can simply swipe up and down the sensor to change the intensity. This can also work even with sweaty hands or gloves in hands.

The medium intensity in Sprint 225 is sufficiently bright for both: trail and road running. However, on high power intensity, it starts getting dim within 5 minutes.

Specifications

 

8. Light & Motion Vis Pro Adventure 600

 

Light & Motion Vis Pro Adventure 600 is another headlamp finding a place in our best headlamp reviews. With 600-lumen headlight, it is a very powerful headlamp. It is paired with essential safety lighting. Besides, this headlamp is completely waterproof. It has a firm gripped head strap that is perfect for outdoor activities like mountaineering, climbing, kayaking, camping, and mountain biking.

The tagline of this product is “Beyond Bright”. The lamp dims after almost two hours on high power. However, if it is used in a lower light setting, then it lasts throughout the night.

It can also be mounted on the helmet with the help of Front and Rear Helmet Mounts. The rechargeable battery pack is placed on the backside of a headband.

Specifications

 

9. Coast HL8R

 

Coast HL8R has longer battery life. It also can switch from the rechargeable battery to an alkaline battery pack very easily. You can adjust the size of the beam by twisting the lens. You can even adjust the brightness level by a large dial available on the side of the headlamp.

It is shockproof and it easily fits around the hard hat. Moreover, if you want to minimize the weight, you can take the battery off from the strap and keep it in the backpack. A Lumintrail USB Wall Adapter is also included with this.

Specifications

 

10. Princeton Tec Snap

 

Snap is a powerful headlamp with a special feature that it can easily convert from a headlamp to the bike light. It is widely used as it is a multipurpose lamp at the campsite.

This lamp has a magnetic attachment to separate the LED light into various mounts. It includes a handlebar, head strap, and a carabiner clip.

A single button is used for all functions like ON, OFF, Dim, and Flash. You can do it even while wearing lightweight gloves. Moreover, snap does not act only as a spotlight; it can illuminate the path brightly as well.

Specifications

 

11. Coast FL85R

 

Last but not least, Coast FL85R with some very powerful features also finds its place in our best headlamp reviews. Its most powerful feature is that you can charge its battery pack inside or outside of the headlamp by a micro USB. Besides, the Dual power system of this headlamp also allows it to run on rechargeable lithium as well as standard alkaline batteries.

The first button provides you the facility to give an ultra-wide flood beam as well as long reaching spot beam. The second button has an option to switch into a red LED light for Night Vision quickly.

The Coast FL85R is a shockproof, all weatherproof headlamp and has an unbreakable LED. Moreover, the lifetime warranty is available against any defective materials and workmanship.

Specifications

 

Headlamp Specifications at a Glance

Features of a Headlamp

Beam Color – Red, Blue, and Green colors are the base color. Bulbs of Headlamps are also available in these three colors. These colors help you to see the object clearly without giving pressure on your eyes in the night.

Red – Use this color to read at night without disturbing your friends’ sleep, but it does not pick up on details.

Blue – It is very useful, especially for hunters in revealing bloodstains of animals in the dark.

Green – This light is very effective when you want to see the details such as reading contour lines on a map, etc.

Batteries (Rechargeable or Single-use)

Some headlamps’ light can be used with both chargeable and single-use batteries. But the downside of the rechargeable battery is that if the battery is dead while you are outside, then it could be a miserable situation for you. So, it is better to choose a lamp that can use both types of batteries.

Types of Lights

There are some lamps available with a single light with a consistent beam. On the other hand, some lamps have both spotlights and floodlights. You can use these lights separately or combine them to get maximum light.

Testing of Headlamps

The team of test editors evaluates each headlamp. Market research, surveys, user reviews, production manager feedback, designers’ views are taken into account minutely for the headlamps.

Practical verification is done on the dark road for power testing. The team tests them on their highest setting until the bulbs start to dim and then off.

One more testing is done to verify that they are waterproof. They are submerged into a bucket of water and all the buttons are clicked.
For testing of shockproof or impact resistance, they are dropped from approximately 7 feet height on to a concrete slab.

Finally, the firmness of headlamps is tested by running and hiking while wearing these. That’s how the headlamps are tested and verified before coming to the market.

Best Headlamp Reviews Final Verdict

On the demand of hikers, runners, mountaineers, climbers, etc. headlamp manufacturers develop techno-friendly headlamps that provide better control on the intensity of beam with a handy size that is best suited to your needs.

Many headlamps are available in the market that can satisfy your requirements. Some headlamps like Petzl have a built-in sensor that can automatically adjust the brightness of the lamp as per ambient light. Another headlamp, like Black Diamond that puts the lamp into the most recently used brightness mode because of its memory feature.

On the other hand, Coast and Ledlenser allow you to change even the beam pattern from the spotlight to floodlight by twisting or pulling the case around the lens.

We have given you the 10 best headlamp reviews given by the team of experts. We hope that these reviews will help you to get the perfect headlamp of your choice.