I'm looking for a rugged head lamp to use for hiking and Backpacking this season. I need something with awesome run times too because I also plan on using it as a camping night light for my kids. Most importantly it has to be tough and have a pretty solid warrenty because my lights tend to break, or rather I break my lights. I'm thinking maybe the Fenix HL50 because it takes AAs and CR123s. But it seems a bit bulky. I think I might prefer the way Zebralight attaches to the head band. What do you guys think?
Love my zebralight. 18650 Battery lasts forever on low/medium mode, and I still have the ability to really reach out there if need be.
Just got an HL50 a few weeks ago. I'm really impressed. I can't imagine needing something more rugged unless you're looking to hook it to spelunking helmet and bash it against rocks. Even then it might be a fair choice.
I ended up grabbing a HL50 off Amazon. I have a prime account and that was the only option to get I before the weekend. So far I'm very impressed. Simple UI and plenty of power. I'm curious to see how the actual runtimes hold up to the claims
Have to admit recently being converted to Zebralights too. Bought a HL302w because I wanted/needed a flood head torch and tend to use CR123s. Absolutely fantastic little headlight. I think they also do flood lights in most of their other battery sizes too. I find the broad flood light really really useful for general, reasonably close in (within say 2 to 20') working. Just ordered an SC32w to add to the headband when I need a more penetrating beam for walking.
I have a HL50 attached to my biking helmet. I have 3 "expensive" (over 60 bucks) lights and this is the only one that was totally worth it.
Zebra light. I have the armytek Tiara Pro warm which is similar if you were to compare a Canadian company to Zebra. I'm happy with my Tiara but I would not hesitate to get a zebra light. Plus the zebra light mount is way way better than the armytek one.
I've been pretty happy with my Streamlight Argo. It's pretty sturdy, comfortable to wear and reasonably bright. Mine is the one set up for CR123A cells. Really not I'm not a big headlamp guy generally preferring handheld lights but they're very handy while camping and of course for the car. For $15 the Streamlight Enduro is actually pretty good, too. It takes a pair of AAA batteries and is very light. I keep one of them in a lumbar pack for hiking.
I've used Petzl and Black Diamond headlamps for 15 years. Super durable and reliable. That's hard use too. In winter, banging against rocks for extended times.
I have a first gen Petzl Nao that I bought when they were first released and I have to say I love it. I don't generally see much talk about them in the forums but it's gotta be my favourite headlamp ever. Mine is beat to hell and has been used in all sorts of conditions, rain, below freezing temps, extreme heat, dust, you name it and it's never so much as skipped a beat. I thought the auto brightness adjustment was a bit of a gimmick, but having used it I'd never go back to anything else, once you get used to how it operates it makes such a difference to be able to always have both hands free. Of course it excels when doing things like skiing, climbing, running etc. but even just for chores around camp after dark it's super useful. Run times are great, the only downside being that it takes a few hours to charge a battery because the connector is USB and I think it really only charges at a trickle.
