Headlamp recommendations

Hey Guys,

I was looking up headlamps for climbing and spotted

LED Lenser 880002 H7 LED Headlamp, Black/Red

for about $30. Any idea on how good or bad this is? Any other alternate products that are equivalent or superior that I should look at? My budget is under $50. Under $40 would be ideal.

I'm eager to hear recommendations too. I'm in the market for one, went to REI recently for a separate purchase and was overwhelmed at the headlamp selection. No idea how to choose, really.

rei.com/category/4500596

I like the BD Spot. Lightweight, has high beam for distance and little LEDs for reading and close-up things. Also, the brightness of the lights are adjustable (dimmer capability), so you can dim them to conserve battery life.

rei.com/product/826319/blac…

My Petzel Tikka has lasted 5 trips overseas, so. It all depends on how bright you want it to be to fit your budget. You can't go wrong with any of them. Just choose one

+1 on the Black Diamond spot. I've had mine for a long time now (2+ years) and it's never let me down. Just keep an eye on the battery indicator or else you might end up having an epic when your battery dies a slow painful death during a rappel.
I also own the Black Diamond Storm which is a great upgrade from the Spot for a little more $$

blackdiamondequipment.com/o…

blackdiamondequipment.com/o…

The Tikka is great too and reliable, but the BD's have a little better beam.....IMO

+2 on the BD Spot. Mine's white so I can find it in low light.

Locker wrote:It's a headlamp. How hard could it possibly be to pick one? Why is it that so many these days seem to be incapable of such simple tasks? Mt Project appears to be made up more of totally brain dead than living. PS... I am ONLY "Ranting". ;-)

haha agreed. This is an item with 10,000 reviews on the interweb.

That being said I currently use the Tikka XP2, and I keep a Zipka 2 for my bag.

+1 for bd spot. Use rechargeable batts, and life is bright

I believe its called petzl neo. $300
...i know.

I dont own one but i envy my friend who has one. Its an amazing light.

Look for one that won't accidentally turn itself on in your pack. I bought a cheap Princeton Tec off STP, which was a nice light, but I often saw the brain of my climbing pack glowing after putting it on the ground, in the car, etc. I could just see the batteries being dead when I needed it. Replaced it with a BD Spot that has a lock feature. The PT gets used around the house.

+1 for BD Storm. That thing is super bright and crazy burly. I've dropped in a few times as well as gotten it wet and it's still going strong.

And yeah, having a lock function (which the Storm does) to prevent it from turning on in your pack is huge.

Also, I think having a red mode is critical for not destroying your and your partner's night vision. It's certainly worth a few bucks more.

Deserves mention:
I really like my Bosavi ( bosavi.com/ ) from a kickstarter project.
I reach for it before my nicer BD lights.

-has the red light fcn
-lockable
-programmable,
-charges using the same usb I use for my phone
-super light
-water proof
-and (best of all) it's made by an individual who's invested blood, sweat and tears.

-1 for the BD Spot. Battery life is super-short, beam too concentrated, and there is a tiny plastic piece that can break and render it useless.

I have been using the Princeton Tec Remix (now on sale at REI), which is awesome. Much longer battery life, red LED's good for night vision, but not as bright/concentrated as the BD Spot floodlight.

I have always had great luck with my petzl Tikka. Bought the storm cause I liked the beam options better. I mainly do mountaineering and it sucks for that button to small for gloves and it has had several problems of getting stuck on a certain mode and once the batteries exploded so not a fan

I have always had great luck with my petzl Tikka. Bought the storm cause I liked the beam options better. I mainly do mountaineering and it sucks for that button to small for gloves and it has had several problems of getting stuck on a certain mode and once the batteries exploded so not a fan

+1 on the BD Spot

The only thing I don't like is that (infrequently) the strap detaches b/c of how the light part is attached with an open slot. I have yet to break one after using them for 5+ years.

I've also had problems with some of the Princeton's turning on inside my pack.

I also own a BD Spot, and haven't had any trouble with it.

Thanks, everybody, for the recommendations. :)

Walmart Headlamp

I bought the Energizer one (for $12) almost seven years ago and it still works. I put a piece of tape over the power switch to keep it from turning on in my pack. I have used it a ton (once or twice every two weeks on trips)...

One thing I have never understood is why people pay so much for headlamps... although I am the same guy who bought a three dollar pool mattress for use on bivies (super comfortable).

Anthony Milano wrote: Walmart Headlamp I bought the Energizer one (for $12) almost seven years ago and it still works. (super comfortable).

i just bought one of these today for 7.95 at walgreens. It's super clunky, but it also doesn't cost $300.

I've had the BD Storm for many moons, no issues, wore through a few heavy rains - Listen here Kiddos - You get what you pay for! Sometimes