Most Headlamps Overpriced Cheeseball Junk!!!
LOOK FOR GOOD CONSTRUCTION BECAUSE BETTER THAN 50% OF THE HEADLAMPS ARE OVERPRICED CHEESEBALL JUNK!!!
Last year I was in market for a 2nd headlamp and had occasion to buy something that began with P (Petzal I think). The sales person at EMS proclaimed this little lite was just marvelous. They personnally carried this very light in their pack. Sounded good to me. I took it home and installed the batteries and noticed some for me very bad design flaws. The housing was indeed small and light, but very flimsy with many little tiny plastic tabs that would easily break or snap off making the sexy little light useless out in the field. Changing batteries in darkness or just carrying in pack makes breaking the little tabs more probable than not. This could easily end up as just a minor nuisance or a major emergency. I returned the light and bought the Zenix.
Headlamps cost way too much! Flimsy construction is not neccesarily function of price. You might find a well built inexpensive light or chintzy expensive light. I seem to recall Petzall being most guilty of this. Of course the heavy duty plastic packaging most lights come in make it impossible to really inspect the light to see how it's constructed. Catalog or online shopping for lights is very risky unless you know what you want in advance. My advise is to look very carefully at the lights. Be willing to open package in store and open casing looking for the tiny plastic tabs frequently used to open/close the case.
I have a Blackdiamond Zenix and older model Princeton Tec. I prefer the older Princton Tec headlamp because it just works. I had opportunity to test both side by side when we got caught hiking in dark two nights in row. The battery on the Zenix with it's higher IQ didn't last as long as the Princton Tec. I think it should have lasted longer. Maybe I don't understand how the Zenix works. I don't want to have to know how a light works. I just want to turn it on or off, That's all! The older Princton Tec is my main light.
There are some other bargain lights I've picked up at Home Depot and Target. Many of these have buttons that are easily depressed in the pack turning the light on in the pack and unknown to you killing the battery. Another not very helpful light.
In response to previous comments I bought the Target Energizer head lamp at Target and found the housing on this light unacceptably flimsy for carrying in pack for backpacking or winter use.
So big criteria is what do you want your light for? Casual hikes in warm weather low probabilty of being caught out in the dark. Go cheap. Get caught in dark regularly? do a lot of camping on trail or by car? Look for a better quality light. Winter and shoulder season outings. Go heavy, durable, reliable, pay more.
One very sweet little light I found for sale for $11 at Cardigan Lodge is Princeton Tec Blast. It's a tiny version of the Princeton Tec Sports Flare that dangles from a string like battery powered candle lantern. The Blast is tiny, runs on two AAA battaries, features gasket seal so it's waterproof, robust, simple twist to turn on, and features a tab on the side you can slide on the bill of a baseball hat brim and use as headlamp. I now carry this little gem as my spare light. Cardigan's the only place Ive seen it for sale so far.
That's my 2 cents!!!
