Best Head Lamp For Home – From the trail and camp to the crag, a bright headlamp is an incredibly useful piece of gear that you should never leave home without.
If you’ve ever been camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing, mountain biking, trail running, or doing anything outdoors, you’ve probably used a headlamp. While this handy piece of technology needs little introduction (everyone knows the benefits of hands-free lighting), the impressive leaps in headlight technology in recent years deserve some credit. The industry is in the middle of a horsepower war, and this is one of the best improvements in terms of peak light output (rated in lumens) and battery capacity, and we, the users, are the lucky winners. Here are our team’s favorite headlamps for 2024. For more information, check out our detailed comparison table and optional buying advice.
Best Head Lamp For Home
Petzl’s Actik Core has long been one of our favorite headlamps, and the latest version is a flashlight with a superior combination of value, performance and versatility. At altitude, 600 lumens illuminate distant stretches of terrain, while the standard 100 lumen mode handles slower navigation and minimizes battery life with a 7-hour burn time. But our main selling point is battery versatility: you can choose between Petzl’s rechargeable Li-ion battery and three AAAs, the best of both worlds for front and rear use. And the Core battery consistently provided the most reliable burn times in our tests, once through a six-day backpacking trip with the Actik when our BioLite required multiple charges.
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However, Actic Core has some drawbacks that are worth mentioning. Most noticeable is the massive, old-looking design of the headlights, which are a little too front-facing for driving (most headlights of this brilliance put the battery behind). Second, the plastic adjuster fell off our harness, rendering it virtually useless; luckily, Petzl sells a replacement headband. And finally, many users find it difficult to access and open the battery compartment, even though it comes loose after use. All its annoyances aside, we still think the Actic Core is the most reliable and versatile headlamp for all-around use; But if you don’t need top-notch battery life or brilliance, there are enough drawbacks to steer your search elsewhere.
If you’re looking for the downsides of the Petzl Actik, the Black Diamond Spot is worth considering. The latest Spot is available in a 400-R rechargeable version and the 400, like the previous Actic Core, uses BD Dual Fuel technology to run on either a AAA or rechargeable battery (sold separately). The headlamp has an aerodynamic profile (much thinner than Petzel’s) for minimal bounce and weighs only 2.7 ounces with battery. It’s also IPX8 waterproof rated for extra reliability in wet conditions, compared to Petzl’s IPX4. Finally, the Spot 400 is easy to use with a large central button that turns the headlight on and off and a second button to cycle through modes, giving you a full selection of lighting options , from long-range to soft LEDs. Proximity LED and red light for camping.
The Spot 400 costs $30 less than the Actik Core if you want to run it on AAA batteries, but you’ll pay an extra $30 for the rechargeable technology (1500 battery and charger). At $80, the full BD costs about the same as the Petzl and can’t match the performance for backcountry use. First, there’s no need for a charger, it’s just another item to carry around and potentially lose (Petzel eliminates the need for a charger with a micro USB port on the battery). Also, the Spot isn’t as bright as the Actic, with 400 lumens compared to 600. And also, the battery life isn’t quite as long: on a recent trip, our partner Petzl provided light all night, while our fully charged BD was reduced to almost nothing. We don’t blame you if you’re happy with the Spot’s better user interface, slimmer profile, and premium waterproofing, but Petzl still has a more reliable and rugged design.
If you’re looking for a simple headlamp that can be used both at camp and around the house, the Black Diamond Astro 300 delivers. For just $20, the Astro offers a very handy 300 lumens, with dimming and strobe modes, and lasts four hours at the brightest setting (140 hours on low). Plus, at 2.6 ounces and compact, it’s light enough to be virtually unnoticeable on your head or backpack, making it a great backup for emergencies. You can spend a lot of money on a brighter or more durable headlamp, but the Astro is a great value and more than enough for most campers, hikers and backpackers.
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The Astro features Black Diamond’s Dual Fuel technology, allowing it to run on AAA or Li-ion rechargeable batteries (sold separately for $30). It’s a big improvement over the outgoing version in terms of versatility, and $50 is a competitively low price for a rechargeable headlamp (on the other hand, the rechargeable Astro 300-R is only $40, though not has AAA compatibility). Note that there are inherent flaws in the features and durability of such a budget device: the Astro’s IPX4 rating means it won’t survive being submerged in water, and you won’t get distance and proximity lighting or red light like us see BD’s high-end in the light But the simplicity is great for many uses, and the Astro’s price-performance combination is hard to beat.
When it comes to choosing the right headlight for the job, running presents some unique challenges. For such a self-explanatory activity, you need a lamp that is close to your head and does not move during movement. A model with a rear light (especially if you run on the road) or at least reflective material on the headband is worth considering. In this category, the Black Diamond Sprinter is our favorite design. Its 500-lumen lamp is compact and bounce-free, and you get a (removable) top strap, reflective logo and rear flashing light. Finally, the Black Diamond dual-fuel battery system is ideal for long-term operation, with the USB rechargeable battery giving you the ability to switch to AAA when it runs out.
The Sprinter’s bright oval beam provides a great balance between distance and close-up illumination, but without a dedicated flood mode or red light option, it’s not an ideal light for camping. Also, the battery on the back is pretty heavy and you want to make sure you compress it well to reduce bounce. The BioLite 425 is worth mentioning as an option – it’s more compact, an ounce lighter, and $20 less, but we’re really disappointed with its battery life, especially in the cold (and you can’t use AAA in a pinch) and our top pick for serious late-night runners. Must visit Petzl Nao RL. Finally, Black Diamond makes the 2-ounce Sprint 225, which ditches the top strap and rear battery for a less powerful but more streamlined and affordable setup ($50).
For minimalists and true ounce counters, our favorite 2024 ultralight headlamp is the Nitecore NU25 400 UL. At just 1.6 ounces, the Nitecore mounts with an advanced elastic band, is incredibly bright with a maximum output of 400 lumens, and can be recharged via micro USB. We also found it incredibly easy to use (a problem with headlights is the frequent switching between modes), with one button for the white beam and one for the red beam, and the battery seems to last forever. Overall, the NU25 UL is a brilliant and relatively inexpensive solution for a powerful emergency light or for those trying to keep their load as low as possible.
Biolite Headlamp 425
Note that the Nitecore NU25 UL has four brightness settings: 400, 200, 60, and 6 lumens (red mode is a constant 10 lumens). There’s no blurring, which is annoying, but definitely something we can get used to. And while the elastic strap keeps the weight down, it’s definitely not something you want to keep on your head all night. But for those looking to buy an ultralight headlamp, this is our pick of the year. You can save 0.4 oz on the Petzl Bindi below, but the Nitecore offers twice the light for $8 less.
The aforementioned headlights provide enough brightness for most activities, but you don’t want to get bogged down if you’re speeding or trail-finding in the dark. Perhaps no sport proves this more than ultrarunning, where it’s common for runners to compete all night. And among ultrarunners, the Petzl Nao RL is the ultimate headlamp, offering a powerful 1,500 lumens.
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