Headlamp - What is the Best?

[Teeton]

Well since no one else has said it - I am on my 3rd Princeton Tec and I have liked them all. Still have the first (Quad) but decided to upgrade to the Remix this spring because its smaller, lighter and brighter and it seems to be even better so far. Just picked up the Fuel for the wife and it seems to be a steal for the $20 I gave for it.

I also use the remix white on white the last 3 seasons.. little, lite ( 6-8 oz with batteries ), no bulbs to change, and great battery life. For backpack hunting that I do it serves me well.. But it dose not put out 200 lumen that DYI asked about.. I'm thinking you need a bigger, heaver light to get that 200.

 

[gobbler1662]

Buy a zebra headlamp. It's the best headlamp on the market. Do some research zebra light comes out on top. Nothing like them on the market.

 

[bbrown]

I also use the remix white on white the last 3 seasons.. little, lite ( 6-8 oz with batteries ), no bulbs to change, and great battery life. For backpack hunting that I do it serves me well.. But it dose not put out 200 lumen that DYI asked about.. I'm thinking you need a bigger, heaver light to get that 200.

Huh... missed that one. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[gelton]

Never heard of the zebra lamps but the specs look awesome.

 

[luke moffat]

Would really like to get a zebra light for sure. Right now I've been using a Mammut X-zoom or some such model. Not super light nor is it super bright around 100 lumens I believe, but the battery life is out of this world. It gets used a lot especially from mid-Sept thru Nov when our daylight hours are much less than the lower 48. I put in a new set of batteries each August and they are still going strong by April after a lot of hours of use. I like the adjustable beam for wide angle around camp or hanging up in the tent as a flood light. Then the focused beam for hiking or looking for eyes in the alders when things go "bump" in the night. The Zebra light looks great for sure and if/when the Mammut finally dies I might give them a whirl.

 

[colonel00]

The Zebra lights look pretty slick and I like that you can use them as a flashlight as well. Looking at their site, I am not sure I can see major differences between the H51 and the H502 lines. Can anyone comment on which might be better and why?


Edit: Nevermind. Found their comparison sheet at the link below which makes it a bit easier to compare.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...authkey=CNqP6KIC&hl=en&authkey=CNqP6KIC#gid=0

 

[DIY]

Can the zebra lights run on a regular AA lithium battery, or do u need a special battery?

 

[Moose Drool]

Just use an energizer lithium AA in mine, same one I use in my GPS.

 

[DIY]

is the zebra that awesome?

 

[colonel00]

is the zebra that awesome?

I have to say that I am intrigued. First, they are multi-purpose since you can take them off the headband and functionally use them as a flashlight. Second, they run on AA batteries which is a convenience since I will have extra AA Eneloops for cameras and GPS. Third, their output and functions seem to be very good (based on Youtube videos and the like).

The only thing I miss is the option for a different color. I really like having a red or green LED for use around camp so you don't blind people or kill your night vision with a bright, white light.

 

[rodney482]

Buy a zebra headlamp. It's the best headlamp on the market. Do some research zebra light comes out on top. Nothing like them on the market.

Which one you using?

 

[dotman]

is the zebra that awesome?

Yup it is, half the weight of my BD Icon and thre times the light output. Max output is around 700ish lumens in the 600 series. Battery life has been really good for me but I don't run it on high, just nice to have when needed.

Thinking about oredering up the new 502 as well.

 

[Ironman]

Why are people hung up on lumen output for head lamps, unless you're spot lighting of course?

 

[colonel00]

I bit on the H51. The H502 looked interesting but they were only flood beams and I like wanted more of a spot. The H600 looks cool too but take the 18650 battery which again adds something extra to carry instead of the "universal" AA battery that I can carry extras for all electronic equipment.

 

[Brandon Pattison]

I have owned a few headlamps but I do not care for the single LED lamp models as LEDs do fail and yes I have had them fail. Princeton Tec replaced them but I mostly carry Petzl now but I want a multi-LED fed via AA batteries. It looks like ya'll prefer the Zebras but I know nothing about them. Can anyone school me?

 

[dotman]

Why are people hung up on lumen output for head lamps, unless you're spot lighting of course?

The more light the better when tracking in the dark.

 

[Ironman]

The more light the better when tracking in the dark.

Pretty sure "blood lights" aren't bright white.

 

[gobbler1662]

I have the H51 Zebra Light. And yes they are that awesome. I have quite the headlamp collection like most of you I have Two Princeton-tecs, One Black Diamond and a couple Petzyl headlamps. The zebra is a frikin blow torch out in the woods. Like stated before I normally run mine on medium setting.But let me tell you when you need those lumens to find your way back on trail its sure nice lighting up and entire area if needed. You can even program these things for personal any personal level you desire. For me the best thing is after years and years of backpack hunting i finally have one battery to run all my electronic gear. I use Sanyo Enloops AA in My Zebra Light, My Garmin Rino, and My Camera. This makes it so nice with my Goal Zero Now i can keep everything charged. Whats really amazing about the Zebra Light is it only runs on 1 AA battery. And is wate proof, not water resistant like Petzly and the rest.

 

[luke moffat]

Why are people hung up on lumen output for head lamps, unless you're spot lighting of course?

For me its a sight distance thing when hiking off trail in the mountains in the dark. The further you can see ahead of you to plan your route in the dark the better off, safer, and less backtracking I have to do. That said lumens isn't everything when it comes to this, being able to adjust your beam from wide to narrow helps a lot as well. A narrow focused beam with 100 lumens will be better for hiking in the dark than a non-focused 200 lumen beam in my experience atleast.

 

[Daniel_M]

I'm a fan of the Princeton Tec lamp. Sure, little bulkier, heavier, needs more juice. But it's output and beam distance are awesome.