Buying guide for best headlamps
Wearing a flashlight on your head frees up your hands for other tasks. You can wear a headlamp when you’re jogging at night, walking the dog in the evening, or when you’re cleaning the dark corners of your basement. They’re invaluable for mechanics and construction workers who need to work in poorly lit areas, and they have sport uses too, like rock climbing and spelunking. Or, they can be used to add a focused light for close-up hobbies, like needlework or knitting.
Uses for headlamps
If you’re wondering whether you really need a headlamp, consider the versatility these devices offer.
A headlamp can come in handy in situations like the following:
When camping
When cleaning dark areas
When cycling, running, or walking the dog at night
During vehicle repair
When conducting home repairs
In the event of a nighttime emergency
“Headlamps are good for everything,” says Amy. “It’ll end up being one of the most useful tools around your house. It’s basically a hands-free flashlight, and who doesn’t want that? The uses are truly endless.”
Even during daylight hours, Amy says that a headlamp is a valuable safety device.
“I always keep my headlamp on me, even on day hikes, because I don’t know what might happen,” she says.
“It’s best to be prepared. You don’t ever want to be caught in the middle of nowhere in the dark.”
We test some of the best headlamps for light output at varying stages of battery drain to ensure they’ll be bright enough when you need them most.
To make sure we recommend something for everyone, we research everything from ultralight trail running headlamps to full-featured commercial-grade lights.
We take careful notes on how easy each headlamp is to turn on and switch between lighting modes when deciding which ones to recommend.
Our search for the best headlamps includes vetting the most high-end options with advanced features such as multiple beams and external battery packs.
We pay close attention to how easy a headlamp’s strap is to adjust, how securely it stays put, and how comfortable it is.
Variable brightness and adjustable beamwidth are two common features that we look for when selecting the best headlamps.
We give extra points to headlamps with switchable color filters that let you use them effectively at night while preserving your eyes’ natural low-light vision.
A headlamp’s weight and shape play a big role in how comfortable and secure it is, so we make sure to only recommend options that are well-balanced and reasonably light.
We look into which headlamps come in rechargeable versions, to provide the utmost convenience and performance without having to recycle or throw away batteries.
When researching the best headlamps, we place a lot of importance on build quality, including general durability as well as dust and water resistance.
Determining brightness requirements
Headlamp manufacturers denote the brightness of their lights in lumens. The term is commonly used to indicate the brightness of all kinds of lighting, including light bulbs and flashlights. The more lumens a light has, the brighter it will be.
The following list contains some of the ranges of lumens required for common tasks.
Up to 100 lumens
A brightness of 100 lumens works well as a camping night light. This level of illumination is also ideal for performing home repair tasks or while walking in the moonlight.
Did you know?
Some headlamps offer the ability to work underwater for brief periods of time.
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100 to 250 lumens
If you’re working or hiking outdoors on a night without moonlight, a mid-range setting of 100 to 250 lumens works well. If you’re performing particularly precise tasks in a dark area of your home, this brighter option could serve you well.
More than 250 lumens
Any task that involves moving fast at night requires an extremely bright headlamp — especially if you need to keep your eyes on the terrain below. Biking or running at night works best with a high lumens setting. And drivers will also see you better at night if you’re walking or running with a bright headlamp on.
"For nighttime activities where you must move fast, such as cycling or running, a higher lumens setting is best."
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Some headlamps offer more than one brightness setting. A lower setting conserves battery power, so if a dimmer light does the job adequately, use that setting to save your battery.
“The higher the lumens, the more energy consumed,” Amy says.
She adds that a higher lumens count does not necessarily equal a better headlamp. “It’s more important to look at how the lamp focuses and directs the light to best utilize the lumens.”
Headlamp battery types
Headlamps are portable; you’re not tethered to an electrical outlet by a cord. Instead, headlamps run on a few different types of battery power.
Alkaline batteries
Small-diameter AAA batteries are the most common type you’ll find in headlamps. Manufacturers prefer them, as they don’t weigh down the lamp very much. However, some headlamps run on AA battery power. Most devices require three or four AA or AAA alkaline batteries at a time.
Rechargeable batteries
Some headlamps contain rechargeable batteries similar to those found in a smartphone or digital camera. You simply plug the headlamp into a USB cable when not in use to charge the battery. These rechargeable batteries should continue to work through dozens of charges, but you may need to purchase replacements at some point.
Watch batteries
A small handful of today’s headlamps run on the power of flat, round watch batteries that look like coins. However, you’re more likely to find headlamps that run on alkaline or rechargeable battery power.
"Headlamps that use alkaline batteries typically need three or four AA or AAA batteries at once. For long-term savings, consider a headlamp that takes rechargeable batteries. In most cases, rechargeable batteries render a longer headlamp lifespan than alkaline batteries."
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Some headlamp manufacturers list the maximum battery life based on full-power lumens. Others base battery life measurements on the lowest lumens setting.
Unfortunately, you cannot always rely on a manufacturer’s estimated battery life to predict the life of your headlamp batteries. It varies from model to model, and no market standard exists.
As a general rule, however, you can expect several hours of battery life at full-power lumens. And if you often use a lower brightness setting, you could easily receive triple that battery life — or more.
Headlamp prices
Under $35
The smallest headlamps fit this price point. Such headlamps usually carry a maximum brightness rating of less than 250 lumens.
Most inexpensive headlamps require AAA or watch batteries rather than rechargeable batteries.
$35 to $75
The mid-range headlamps on the market offer lumens ratings in the 200 to 400 range. Some use rechargeable batteries with above-average battery life results, but most take AAA or AA alkaline batteries. And most mid-range headlamps allow for two or three different brightness settings.
$75 and higher
The priciest headlamps deliver the highest brightness ratings, running anywhere from 400 to 1,000 lumens or even more. Such headlamps also offer multiple brightness settings. This allows you to use a lower lumens setting when appropriate to conserve battery power.
Did you know?
More than half the headlamps costing $75 and up use rechargeable batteries, offering above-average battery life. These also tend to offer great versatility like wide beams, narrow beams, and red LED light.
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“Obviously, as with all gear, you should look for something made well that will be long-lasting and dependable,” Amy says.
“In my opinion, you should buy something that offers wide and narrow beams as well as a red-light mode. A headlamp with a single-beam option may be slightly cheaper, but you’ll wish you had all three for versatility while using it. You’ll probably end up ditching it and buying the three-beam version instead.”
The factors listed below can affect price.
A headlamp with a higher number of lumens costs more than a headlamp with a lower number of lumens. Expect to pay the most for a headlamp with a lumen measurement of 500+.
The longer the battery life, the higher the price. Additionally, headlamps that use rechargeable batteries cost more upfront than those that use alkaline batteries.
Headlamps that produce longer light beams generally wear a higher price tag.
Headlamps FAQ
Q. What types of lighting does my headlamp offer?
A. A modern headlamp features an LED bulb. Within the LED, the headlamp produces some different types of light.
Most headlamps offer a narrow beam of light that works over a long distance.
Some also offer a floodlight setting in which the headlamp spreads the light over a wider area.
Some headlamps include a red LED. This is great for times when you want a type of light easier on your eyes.
Q. How important is a headlamp’s weight?
A. Even the slightest weight difference can alter a headlamp’s comfort factor. A heavier headlamp definitely becomes more noticeable the longer you wear it.
Headlamps that weigh three to five ounces are common, but some weigh as little as one ounce, and some weigh nine ounces or more.
A heavier headlamp is more likely to bounce up and down on your head during running or hiking.
Q. What are some of the best brand names in headlamps?
A. By sticking with well-known brands, you’re more likely to end up with a quality product. What’s more, it’s easier to find replacement parts for a product from a popular brand. The best manufacturers of headlamps include Black Diamond, Fenix, GRDE, InnoGear, Northbound Train, Petzl, Princeton Tec, and Wsky.
