Information to Look For When Reading Headlamp Reviews

Our Headlamp Reviews will walk you through what you should be on the look out for when purchasing a new headlamp. There are a few things that are very important to know before you go out and drop a lot of money. Here are the top 10 things that you should look for when reading headlamp reviews.

Some Things To Consider:

1. Best Use

It is a good idea to locate the recommended best use of the headlamp. Some heavier headlamps will not be recommended for backpacking. Some headlamps will not be water resistant and there for not recommended for spelunking. Depending on the activity you may want a longer batter life, or higher intensity beam. Look for a headlamp that is suited for the activity in which you plan on using it the most.

2. Bulb Detail

This is important as part of other functions. The beam distance, battery life, brightness and number of modes will vary depending on the bulb details. Of course in today's market the vast majority of headlamps are made with LEDs. Check to see if the bulb is a high-output LED and if it has a red LED as well. Be aware of terms like "super bright" LED's. This is not a technical term and you can tell how bright a headlamp is by the lumens that it has.

3. Beam Type

Look to see if the headlamp offers a single beam width or if it is adjustable. A Flood is good for up close reading or general camp tasks while a Spot is better for long-distance viewing.

4. Maximum Light Output

Light output in measured in lumens and it measures the total quantity of light emitted in all directions. In general the higher the lumens the brighter the light. But make sure to take all things into consideration for this.

5. Maximum Beam Distance

Beam distance in measured in meters and determined when the batteries are new. This is measured by a standard of the light of a full moon. Check to see if the headlamp has multiple settings. There may be a high, medium and low setting for the distance that the light will travel.

6. Strobes

This may not seem like a very important thing but to us it is. When a headlamp has a strobe it can be used to signal in emergency situations. It is just one more thing to have that can save your life. The Colorado Outdoor Network highly recommends getting a headlamp with a strobe. Make sure to read the headlamp review closely to locate this information.

7. Average run time

Average run time is reported in hours (ex 50h,40h,ect) and is determined from when the batters are new to when they only have a 10% charge left. The reason for this is that in an emergency situation there would be a lot of battery life left in a low mode. Some headlamps will show different numbers if they have multiple light output levels.

8. Rechargeable

Check to see if the headlamp is rechargeable. This can save a lot of money on batteries.

9. Batteries

Batteries such as 6 volts can be a lot heavier and more expensive than 3 - AAAs. Although a 6 volt will last longer you need to keep in mind what you are going to be doing. If you are backpacking you want to shed as much weight as possible. If you have to pack a headlamp, batteries, and spare batteries this weight will add up.

Which brings us to our last point........

10. Weight with Batteries

Depending on what your activity is this could be a major factor. If you are backpacking you may want to consider less light output for a lighter headlamp.


Check back as we will be adding information on different headlamps that are on the market and giving our headlamp reviews of them.



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