Headlamp

[Michigan Mafia]

It never fails, I reach into my pocket to get my head lamp and it is on. Thinking about finding a little case to put it in. What does everyone use. Is there a lamp without a push button to be accidentally turned on?

[flagup!]

I know they make locking head lamps.  You have to flip a switch or pull a pin before you press the on button.  Mostly on the higher end head lights but you can find cheaper ones now.   I think its coleman cheapo that I have and has a safety feature.

[firegems]

I myself gave up on the head lamp for fishing and switched to a baseball cap that the LEDs are built into the brim of the hat...it gives off enough light for me to tie a knot in the hut at night.

[LimerickShaw]

Mine has a locking mechanism and I think I probably paid $30-40 for the unit. You have to hold it for 5 seconds to unlock and hold it for 5 seconds to lock. I haven't had an issue at all. In addition, I always keep an extra set of batteries in my tackle bag just in case.

[Huntindave]

It never fails, I reach into my pocket to get my head lamp and it is on. Thinking about finding a little case to put it in. What does everyone use. Is there a lamp without a push button to be accidentally turned on?

This one has a push button but has worked well for me;  https://princetontec.com/product/remix/

or the same thing except not as many lumens https://princetontec.com/product/remix/


I really like the dual red or white LEDs, good feature for hunting or not spooking fish over the spearing hole.

[RyanW]

This is what I use. A Coleman. The button on top is pretty stout. The only way it’s turning itself on is if it’s broken. I think it was about $15-$20 at Meijer or Walmart. Goes from red > dim spot > dim flood > spot > flood. It works pretty decent for what I paid for it. I believe it’s 250 lumens.

[YoopHunter]

It never fails, I reach into my pocket to get my head lamp and it is on. Thinking about finding a little case to put it in. What does everyone use. Is there a lamp without a push button to be accidentally turned on?

Greetings from Da UP

Check out Black Diamond Storm - you hold down the button for a few seconds and it's locked; do the same to unlock.   Won't accidently turn on in your pack or pocket.   Not inexpensive, but very bright, durable and reliable which to me is worth it when conditions are harsh out there.

Good Luck!

[Michigan Mafia]

I like the idea of holding the button down to lock on the Black Diamond Storm.

[hardwater diehard]

I have two Energizer ones ..less then 20 bucks from Walmart no issues in my ice fishing jacket or turkey vest.

[Noon]

I think my headlamp is a black diamond. Nothing fancy but in the 15-30$ range. It has the locking mechanism which is a must for me with always sticking it in my pocket or packs while hunting, fishing, hiking, etc. I also love the feature that has a dimmer switch to go from bright to dim and anywhere in between. So many times I use the flood light on the dimmest setting and it doesnt blind anyone else around and keeps my eyes from having to totally switch adjustments in the dark. Other times I want it bright on the spotlight to see distances or find that darn tiny jig I dropped again but somehow cant seem to find.

To shorten my response. I upvote getting a headlamp with the hold the button down for 5 seconds to lock/unlock. Super happy with mine.

[wyogator]

Greetings from Da UP

Check out Black Diamond Storm - you hold down the button for a few seconds and it's locked; do the same to unlock.   Won't accidently turn on in your pack or pocket.   Not inexpensive, but very bright, durable and reliable which to me is worth it when conditions are harsh out there.

Good Luck!

X2 I got a BD Storm for something like $36 on Amazon. It was totally worth it. I don't mind spending an extra $16 to keep my headlamp from turning on in my pocket. It has both distance and proximity lights, plus it has the red and green night vision lights and the blue light which really helps to pick up a blood trail at night.

[tdannhauser30]

Anyone who does a lot of camping or fishing at night should get this headlamp.

https://www.amazon.com/WARBOY-XM-L2-Lumens-5modes-Heahlight/dp/B01GM9SNJM

warboy headlamp, You can find it way cheaper than what amazon has it for, just the first link I found for it when I saw this thread. my brother bought me mine think it was like 60 or 70. Anyway this thing is nuts, the distance it can illuminate something is crazy. When I go into the Lower Niagara gorge super early for salmon I can literally light people up on the canadian side, and I fish a relatively wide spot lol. Has a rechargeable battery that you can buy more of for like 8 bucks at at all these Ecig vape shops. They use the same size and type of batteries 18650's or something like that. Basically a legitimate spotlight on your head on the highest setting (1000 Lumens) and then a 4 settings down a 1 lumen setting that I use a lot in my tent or even hiking long distances and not wanting to kill battery. Money well spent on this thing.

 And to OP's original poing. Recessed rubber button that will never get clicked on by accident.. Now leaving it on myself thats another story

[CO_Dinky]

Nitecore HC50 might just be the perfect hunting/fishing headlamp. Adjustable white light from barely anything (1 Lumen), to lighting up stuff 300 yards away with 760 Lumens (in the current model). Plus, it has red light too, for when you don't want to mess up your night vision or spook the Walleye. A water resistant, recessed rubber cover over the switch on the side, that also tells you the battery level. Can unscrew the battery cap 1/2 to 1 full turn to completely "lock out" the light to prevent accidental operation.

Can be run either with a single rechargeable 18650 Lithium ion battery (recommended), or with 2 x 123 primary lithium (non-rechargeable) batteries.  123 primary Lithium batteries work very well even in extreme cold, where the rechargeable Lithium ion can fall short.

I've had one of these headlamps for ~4 or 5 years (mine's not quite as bright as the current model), and highly recommend it! I haven't come across one that works better for hunting or nighttime fishing, in any price range.

Edit: The new Nitecore HC65 looks like it could also be a pretty good choice.  Comes with a low-temperature Lithium ion rechargeable battery too.

Anyone who does a lot of camping or fishing at night should get this headlamp.

https://www.amazon.com/WARBOY-XM-L2-Lumens-5modes-Heahlight/dp/B01GM9SNJM

warboy headlamp, You can find it way cheaper than what amazon has it for, just the first link I found for it when I saw this thread. my brother bought me mine think it was like 60 or 70. Anyway this thing is nuts, the distance it can illuminate something is crazy. When I go into the Lower Niagara gorge super early for salmon I can literally light people up on the canadian side, and I fish a relatively wide spot lol. Has a rechargeable battery that you can buy more of for like 8 bucks at at all these Ecig vape shops. They use the same size and type of batteries 18650's or something like that. Basically a legitimate spotlight on your head on the highest setting (1000 Lumens) and then a 4 settings down a 1 lumen setting that I use a lot in my tent or even hiking long distances and not wanting to kill battery. Money well spent on this thing.

 And to OP's original poing. Recessed rubber button that will never get clicked on by accident.. Now leaving it on myself thats another story

FYI, that headlamp is not putting 1,000 Lumens out the front.  That's the rating of the bare LED under perfect conditions, and does not account for any system losses.  Realistically, it's only putting 700-800 Lumens out the front (similar to the HC50 I recommended above).

[3300]

my favorite headlamp is the thru nite th20. it's small enough to keep on my person when not needed and the strap wraps around the body to keep the body and switch all protected from accidental starts. i like how small and lightweight it is and single strap. uses 14500 or aaa batteries. the switch is great as it is a non stepping switch and has a steady brightness adjustment. it blinks to let you know when it's at max brightness and does the same for minimum brightness. uses a cree xp-l v6 led, it is offered in cool white and is what i like or natural white color temps. it has sos.
https://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-TH20-Lumen-CREE-Headlamp/dp/B01FCUTTCW

my strongest headlamp/flashlight is a 2300 lumen led emitter and i wear this as a edc on my pants, but i don't wear it as a headlamp as much as the thrunite although it comes with the head strap. comes with a 3000mah protected battery that uses a magnetic charger from a usb port. it will burn you if you let the light touch you. it does have lock out and sos.
https://www.amazon.com/OLIGHT-Rechargeable-headlamp-Flashlight-Customized/dp/B07121R3CX

i have a lot of others, but these are worth mentioning.

[tdannhauser30]

FYI, that headlamp is not putting 1,000 Lumens out the front.  That's the rating of the bare LED under perfect conditions, and does not account for any system losses.  Realistically, it's only putting 700-800 Lumens out the front (similar to the HC50 I recommended above).
[/quote]

Not for nothing but what source are you getting this information? I store my light in a cloth bag and keep the lens scratch free. Are you saying that the lens reduces brightness of the LED by roughly 20 to 30 percent? I would be awfully surprised that ultra clear tempered glass like in my reef tank would have the opaqueness to reduce light in that amount. Not tryna cause an argument just honestly curious where you read that I find it hard to believe.

[CO_Dinky]

Not for nothing but what source are you getting this information? I store my light in a cloth bag and keep the lens scratch free. Are you saying that the lens reduces brightness of the LED by roughly 20 to 30 percent? I would be awfully surprised that ultra clear tempered glass like in my reef tank would have the opaqueness to reduce light in that amount. Not tryna cause an argument just honestly curious where you read that I find it hard to believe.

No worries, it's a good question.  I know that info because I'm a nerd/geek, and a recovering "flashaholic" that often falls off the wagon.  I'm the guy that brings along a single LED, 3,000-Lumen flashlight running off of two 18650 batteries, just so I can light up the dam over a mile away at the lake just because it makes me smile to have something so bright in such a tiny package!   

Unless the lens is anti-reflective coated on both surfaces, it can cause upwards of 15% loss alone. However, many of the better lenses these days are coated on at least one surface.  The better ones have upwards of 98.5% transmittance in order to reduce loss.  I used to buy special tempered Borosilicate glass lenses for my homemade LED flashlights which indeed had this AR coating on both sides, just to eek out a tiny bit more light from the front end (they were called "UCL" lenses, and if I recall correctly, that meant "ultra-clear").

However, the lens isn't the only place where losses occur.  A flashlight reflector is FAR from a "perfect reflector", and they generally suffer about a ~10% loss alone. Some good TIR (total internal reflective) plastic optics can see slightly less loss, but not by too much.  Finally, the LEDs themselves are generally rated as a bare emitter, before they added a plastic/silicone "lens" to it, which can cause another ~5% loss (few flashlights use a bare emmiter, though some floody-beamed headlamps do).

You can go research all of this to your heart's content over at Candlepower forums if you care to, but you'll find basically the information I have presented here to be a generally pretty close estimate.  Some of the better lights might only have 10-15% loss, but that's the exception rather than the norm.  HTH. 

PS - Another good option is the Fenix HL30. I have an older HL30, and I think of it as a lightweight, less bright version of the Nitecore HC50.  It uses 2xAA batteries instead, also has a red LED, and is mostly plastic, so it weighs quite a bit less. It is generally plenty for hunting/fishing in the dark, especially short trips. I use LSD (low self-discharge) rechargeable AA's in mine, as the work WAY better than alkaline batteries. I like the Eneloop brand. A person could also use AA Lithium primary cells for longer runtime, especially when it gets really cold.

[Michigan Mafia]

Great info. I definitely have some good lamps to pick from.

I noticed that a few of them have a strap that goes over the top, not sure I like the top strap especially wearing different types of hats during the winter.  It also seems like it would get tangled and twisted like everything else does while ice fishing.

[UFCreel]

I have a couple cheap Rayovac head lamps from Menards. $11.00 been using them for years. Bought two of them just in case i lost one. That has not happened yet.

[CO_Dinky]

Great info. I definitely have some good lamps to pick from.

I noticed that a few of them have a strap that goes over the top, not sure I like the top strap especially wearing different types of hats during the winter.  It also seems like it would get tangled and twisted like everything else does while ice fishing.

Generally if they have a top strap, it's because they're heavier, and need one to help prevent them from slipping down your head, lol. I usually wear a baseball hat over a beanie or balaclava, and put the headlamp over my baseball cap.   Seems more comfortable that way to me. YMMV.

[BeenPerchin315]

I bought a rechargeable coast head lamp from the snap on guy. Hands down the best head lamp I have ever bought. And in an emergency I can still use aaa batteries in it. Stout button. Water proof. Adjustable beam and power strength adjustment. I prolly paid 15 20 to much from snap on but I'm lazy and convenience is worth it to me 90$.

[flagup!]

That Coleman piece of junk pictured above is the one I have.  You have to actually pull the lens out away from the rest of the housing for it to turn on.  No possible way this can be turned on accidentally in your pocket or duffle bag. 

[Mr.Seaguar]

I have a Fenix60 or something. It was $80. I would have bought $10 cheapos at Walmart but my buddy picked 2 up for us.  If you want a car headlight on your head, this thing is for you. The button is pretty stiff, I can't imagine it turning on by accident. It has a bunch of brightness settings and a USB recharge cable.

[Michigan Mafia]

Is there an advantage using rechargeable batteries as opposed to alkaline batteries? My thought is to have the batteries charging in the truck on the way to the lake that way I know they are fresh.

Is there certain batteries that out perform others?

[winterbuddy]

Is there certain batteries that out perform others?

As far as 18650 cells go, genuine Panasonic cells are typically considered to be the standard for a high quality cell.

[Huntindave]

Is there an advantage using rechargeable batteries as opposed to alkaline batteries? My thought is to have the batteries charging in the truck on the way to the lake that way I know they are fresh.

Is there certain batteries that out perform others?

I use both battery types.  I have a couple Fenix lights which use either the 18650 rechargeable or a pair of the CR123 alkaline.   The rechargeable are cheaper in the long run, however, they do not hold as much "juice" per charge as a fresh alkaline.

I use the rechargeable for everyday usage when I will have a means to recharge them.  If I am out in the sticks for a week, I will use the alkaline batteries. 

[bearnoob]

I have two Energizer ones ..less then 20 bucks from Walmart no issues in my ice fishing jacket or turkey vest.

I also have two of these w/ no issues. I have a Cabela's 4 LED lamp as well that is brighter. Both have push buttons, but I have never had an issue with either one.

[3300]

Is there an advantage using rechargeable batteries as opposed to alkaline batteries? My thought is to have the batteries charging in the truck on the way to the lake that way I know they are fresh.

Is there certain batteries that out perform others?

be sure to use protected cells.

[markinohio]

Thanks for all the information in this thread!

I was on an unfamiliar lake last week on foot. Dragging a flip-over off the lake at 11pm cold and tired, I could not find the take-out with my little Petzl headlamp. Ultimately, I had to use the map on my sonar to find my truck. I will be getting one of those Nitecore HC65’s before my next night fishing trip.

[3300]

i take this for when i want a lot of light. 2500 lumen.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-GEN5X-18-Volt-Dual-Power-Light-Cannon-R8694220B/207041035

[CO_Dinky]

Is there an advantage using rechargeable batteries as opposed to alkaline batteries? My thought is to have the batteries charging in the truck on the way to the lake that way I know they are fresh.

Is there certain batteries that out perform others?

Check out my above posts. I detail some information that should answer your question. I would only use alkaline batteries as a last resort. I generally prefer LSD (low self-discharge) rechargeable NiMh cells, and Eneloop is my preferred brand (made by Sanyo in Japan). These are nice because you don't have to do exactly what you mention. If you charge them up the night before (or even the weeek before), so long as you haven't used them, and there isn't any parasitic drain in you light/headlamp (something slowly sucking the juice out of the batteries), they will still be ~97-98% full when it comes time to use them.

As far as 18650 cells go, genuine Panasonic cells are typically considered to be the standard for a high quality cell.

Panasonic are good, but I think Samsung cells are more often considered to be the gold standard.

I use both battery types.  I have a couple Fenix lights which use either the 18650 rechargeable or a pair of the CR123 alkaline.   The rechargeable are cheaper in the long run, however, they do not hold as much "juice" per charge as a fresh alkaline.

I use the rechargeable for everyday usage when I will have a means to recharge them.  If I am out in the sticks for a week, I will use the alkaline batteries. 

FYI, CR123 cells are NOT alkaline!!! They are primary (non-rechargeable) Lithium cells, and run 3 volts (nominal) each. Totally different chemistry and voltage vs. alkaline.

Also, you are incorrect to say that an 18650 rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery has less usable wattage vs. a primary CR123 cell, or even a pair of CR123 cells for that matter.  A CR123 cell generally runs 1,300mAh - 1,500mAh. That's 3.9 - 4.5 Watt-Hours of energy at 3 volts per battery. In reality, the battery will not hold 3 volts throughout it's usable life. Close, but not quite.

Even the lower-quality 18650 cells are 2,500mAh - 2,600mAh, and the better ones are upwards of 3,200mAh. Nominal voltage of a Li-Ion battery is 3.7 volts, but in reality, they start out at 4.2 volts.  Worst case, even at 2,500mAh and 3.7 volts, that's still 9.25 Watt-Hours of useable energy.  So as you can see, even worst case, 9.25 W-h is more than 9 W-h (2x4.5 W-h).

In most cases, a single 18650 actually has between 11-13 W-h of usable energy. That's FAR more than a pair of CR123's could ever dream to have!  In other words, bottom line, stick to the rechargeable 18650's whenever possible, unless you don't have a means to recharge them, or you're using them in extreme cold.

be sure to use protected cells.

Yes, unless you really know what you're doing (or know 100% for sure that your device has built-in over-discharge protection).