Contributors to this thread:
I am in need of a newer headlamp. Getting older and don't see as good anymore. Whats good that runs on AA or AAA with a regular and red light?
I have tried the Princeton Tech and Coleman and some of the knock offs. I have had the best success with Black Diamond brand headlights.
Petzl. If you have lots of disposable income, aren't prone to losing things and have no kids to help relocate things in a fashion that they are defacto lost when you need them, maybe check out Zebra Lights.
Zebra is the best, but they're expensive ($60). I don't buy top-of-the-line much, but I bought one (Model H52W) and love it.
One thing to look for in any light is a warm white tint. The typical bluish LED tints don't allow your eyes to distinguish color well. A warm tint is more yellowish, similar to sunlight, and works much better, especially blood trailing.
Another feature I love is one that runs on a single AA instead of 3-AAA batteries. Much cheaper!
I have a couple Zebralights - they are good but don't have a red light option. They have 3 intensity settings so you can run it on a really low white light setting.
The H600 will take down commercial airlines if you point the light directly at them. They get rather warm on the highest setting, but I only use that when absolutely necessary.
Fenix HL 30
200 lumens, 2AA batteries, 6 settings
http://www.amazon.com/FENIX-HL30R5BZ-Fenix-Headlamp-200-Lumens/dp/B008HU8P52
Lots of light, and AA's are cheap
Can't go wrong with the Petzl Tikka Plus.
rayovac.com they have 1-4 aa, or aaa. they 1 aa light is very good, it has red, and blue and led and is very bright.
Fenix
you will never go to another headlamp and I LOVE my headlamsps
go Fenix - trust me
I like my Zebra as well. Petzl are hard to beat on a budget though.
--Jim
I have Petzl Tikka, a Princeton Tec, both good lamps and both use AAA's. The one which goes everywhere with me is the Fenix HL30. My buddy when I turn it on on high calls it the "train light"
Cabelas alaskan guide is my fave. Have about 8 kinds. Its bulky but good light n long life.
With a red light the Black Diamond Storm works well. If you wanted to change battery types I might recommend Zebra or Nitecore.
Is Fenix still in business?
I returned a flashlight to them under warranty and never heard back.
I wouldn't recommend Fenix to my enemy!
Black Diamond Spot has works great for me.
Check out fenix, had this Jim guy turn me on to them....
I have a 40 with both flood and spot. Only one I've owned that does both very well. Others are always compromised in some way.
Owned 5 or 6 different fenix lights over the last few years, never had a bit of trouble with any of them, (other than the ones I lost or drove over...) outperformed nearly everything else I've seen. Check out the flashlight forums (yeah, like bowsite...) and the reviews they get there.
I had 2 Fenix headlights that I bought new at the same time. The first died on the 4th set of batteries. So, I started using the second. Same thing happened. No more for me.
I now use cabelas headlights without probs.
I like easy on/off cheapos and buy a few at a time. Also Keep a Surefire in my pack for "trackin"!
The only drawback to the Petzl Tikkas is the stupid tab design they use for the batter compartment. Try changing the batteries when it's cold, tough to do and if you break the tab/latch you're screwed.
I went to a Black Diamond after breaking one and having another one bite the dust after wearing it in a rainstorm.
Petzl, for general use, fenix when you need crazy brightness
I'm with Charlie and like the cheap ones. The Energizer brand like in the picture have given me years of good service you just change the batteries when needed.
Black Diamond Icon. 320 lumens and it uses AA batteries.
I've only had a Petzel. But based on my experience last year, a really good headlamp can be an essential piece of equipment.
I killed a Mt Goat in BC last fall late one afternoon. It took us seven hours to pack him out, the last six of which were in the dark through really nasty stuff. The last two hours were in the rain, just for fun.
We made it back to the truck at 2:00 AM! Had our headlamps failed, we'd have been totally screwed.
As a result, I'm now going to carry my Petzel, with fresh batteries installed every year, plus a backup head lamp.
Princeton Tec Fuel is my favorite small light weight headlamp! It does a really good job lighting up the trail and you don't have to dip into the retirement funds either. It doesn't have red light but that hasn't been a problem elk hunting for me, I've been in pretty close proximity to elk and they didn't blow out and they could definitely see it but were upwind of me. Think they run less than thirty bucks full price and have bought them for around twenty bucks on sale. My wife uses one too and she can't see squat in the dark and it works great for her.
I started years ago with the cheap energizers. Were ok, but then I tried a Princeton tec Fuel and loved it. Much brighter and smaller than the energizers. In my opinion there is no other that comes close to the brightness at a (VERY) small size. But like oldgoat says no red light. Couple years later saw a different model(Princeton tec) that had a red lens(forget the name). THen a year later saw the Remix which in my opinion is the best. Has a red lens with 2 power settings and a white spotlight with 2 power settings. Is so bright I rarely use the high spot setting. And again, it is super small. Oh, and no special batteries. all use AAA batteries.
Remix comes in two models, one uses AAA and one takes those CR9 or whatever that strange battery size is. Make sure you pick the right one!
Energizer. Has 3 models under $20. All use AAA and a run time of 12 hours and up. I always have 2 packed away in my pack, one to use and one to hand to the guys who spend $70 when there's quit on the hike back out. They also have the red light.
Oldgoat- you are right. I got the one that has the red light and takes AAA's. Actually I should have said red light, not lens. It is 2 separate bulbs. The red is smaller and the spot is white. both has 2 power settings though.
200 lumen? 320 lumen?
Zebra H600 specs:
High: H1 1090 Lm (2 hrs) - Ouch!
M1 70 Lm (30 hrs)
L1 3.7 Lm (16 days)
Battery - 1 18650
--------
Zebra H52 specs:
High: 280 Lm (0.9 hrs)
Medium: 50 Lm (7.5 hrs)
Low: 2.7 Lm (4 days)
Battery - 1 AA or 1 14500
Petzl is great. Extremely reliable in all kinds of weather. Have used one for 12 years through all kinds of hunting and fishing trips.
Energizer is good. Not as reliable or lightweight as Petzl.
Fenix is crazy bright but switches are unreliable. When you NEED a headlamp or flashlight in the backcountry you need something more reliable than Fenix. Can't trust them and they don't honor their warranty.
Using the Princeton Tec Vizz now with a Energizer back up. The Vizz has 2 red LED's, 2 white LED's that adjust for brightness and a large white spot. Also has a lock feature for no accidental turn on's while in the pack and dead batteries.
I like the dual beam headlamps that have a spread beam plus a more intense spot beam. 90% of the time the spread is all you need.
We were backpacking in to a bear hunting spot a couple years ago and I had an older EOS- or something like that- with a strong spot beam and I swear it was making me seasick on the rough trail. That was the only time I had used that HL as it was my unused backup for years. More intense light isn't necessarily better, IMO.
I've had good luck with those little Princeton tec's with dual beams
I agree on the dual beam. That's why I have the Remix and the Fuel- and take them both wherever I go. Always have what I need, and a backup. And both of them together are smaller than a lot of other headlamps being used.
OK- just checked the Princeton Tec site and there is a new one out. The Sync. It has a dual beam, spotlight, hi flood, low flood and red. Made Backpacker magazines 2015 editor's choice. Great- now I have to get one! ;-)
Also, Princeton Tec makes tactical headlamps and lights for the military. So if they are good enough for our armed forces in battle conditions, that says a lot!
Go to brightguy website and use the left side of the page to enter search parameters. Trust me, this website is worth a visit.
Just out of curiousity, why is red such a big deal?
http://www.rei.com/product/866384/black-diamond-storm-headlamp
One of my favorites and on sale. I like to know they will work when needed. These have never failed me yet. Good luck and good hunting.
JLS, shine a white light on a critter at night and they will often bust out...shine a red light and they do not flinch.
Anybody know a good red light that uses AA batteries? I have a Zebra light, and I carry a backup that has a red LED...but it's pretty crappy.
Best of Luck, Jeff
Your experiences differ from mine then. I dial the intensity of my light down, as I normally don't need to see 200 feet while I'm hiking. I've never had critters move very far from light alone.
OK, well I guess it's just me then ;)
But, here's a little excerpt from an experienced predator hunter that has used different varieties of lights:
Red vs Green vs white I am constantly receiving the question " Which color light is best". There is a very simple answer to this question " Light color is a personal preference". All colors of light can be used for night hunting, but through my personal experiences I have a preference and I will give you the information from my experiences to help you decide on a color to choose. Please realize that these are my personal experiences and if they do not match your experiences exactly please do not send me hate mail or anything to that effect.
First I will discuss "Red" Light as this is my personal favorite and only color of light systems that I will use to predator hunt at night. I have tried and tested just about every color of light you could ever imagine to predator hunt with and I always go back to "Red". This is for many different reasons which I will discuss here. First, "Red" light will effect your personal eye sight night vision the LEAST of all colors that I have tried. Eye fatigue will be less which will let you stay on calling stands longer (very helpful when calling coyote and bobcat). Second, "Red" light has proven to be the most calming color having the LEAST effect on the way animals respond to the call. Animals responding to the call under most circumstances respond as if they do not even know that they are in a light. Third, ¨Red¨ light reflects more visibly from the critters eyes making it easier to spot quicker when scanning.
Now lets move on to "Green" light. The human eye can pick up contrast of "Green" light very well. This contrast helps to see darker animals(such as wild hogs) better than "Red" light and hogs do not seem to be bothered by the "Green" light. From my personal experiences though "Green" light makes predatory animals very uneasy and they either start moving, pacing or runaway when I hit them with "Green" light.
Lastly I will discuss "White" light as this would personally be my last choice of color to use for night hunting. With "White" light The human eye can see the best, but it also effects and temporarily ruins your peripheral night vision while the light is on. You will be able to identify predators at much further of a distance with "White" light. This extra distance is a good thing though, because from my experience you will need it as with "White" light predators will either hang up at a great distance or be running away when hit with "White" light. I personally have never had a predator act calm and keep coming to the call when hit with "White" light.
This information is a reflection of my personal views and opinions based on many hours in the field. I hope this information will help answer your questions about which light color to use.
Jeremiah Weber
I really like Princeton Tec Remix. Light weight, bright, AAA batteries.
I've had the same experience as Jeff. That's why I usually use the red light when concerned about spooking critters.
Also why I like Princeton tec. 2 of the 3 models I have- have red light with 2 intensity setting. Even on the higher setting is much less noticeable(from others perspective) than the white light.
This became very clear on an Elk hunt. We would leave camp well before first light and head up a ridge to a high point where there was an open scree slope. We would wait there til daylight to traverse the slope. While waiting there one morning, just before daylight we saw headlamps from WAY down below us working their way along the trail thru the timber right by our camp. It was amazing how clearly you could see them when the beam would turn in our direction. I'm sure with a red lens we would not have been able to see them.
I've used the Black Diamond Storm for the last few years. I have used the Petzl products in the past and they work very well also. One feature I really like is a lock function that prevents the headlamp from being inadvertently turned on. I wouldn't buy another without it. I use only the lithium ion batteries in mine and always have spares. I use the red led function when I head out early in the morning.
I rarely, if ever, use a red light anymore.....maybe that is why I see so few predators with my headlamp on. Bonus!
I have had a quite a few deer/elk that freeze and eventually amble off with a white light. Guess that's where the saying "froze like a deer caught in the headlights" comes from.
I have a Ray-O-Vac and a Black Diamond, and am pleased with both.
Black Diamond storm here as well. Love the lock feature
My petzl tikka is over 5yrs young... still going strong. I don't see the need for anything different.
Led lenser off of ebay - straight from China - broke one - loved it and next ones even better!
Been using a B.D. Storm the last few years. I just grabbed a Black Diamond icon at REI @ 25% off. 320 lumens and 75 hours run time.
I have a ton of them and the PT Fuel is the lightest for the money but I kept having it turn on in my pack so today I bought the BD Storm with the lock feature and battery life. Good weekend to go to REI as they are 25% off. If you need some super feet insoles they are 20% off too. Or if you are a member online will work too I think. Bob.
This is one of the few items that may actually save your life.
I've had great experiences with Black Diamond and Petzl products.
I don't care what you buy, but always carry two and always carry a couple glow sticks.
Don.
Led Lenser here as well. The beam rotates from spot to general. Very bright, has lasted very well and not expensive. Why spend more!
Princeton tec Byte 20.00 hard to beat for a walking around and camp light and black diamond for blood trailing is what I carry. Widow
