Best Headlamp ~700 Lumens

What is the best Headlamp you have used (continue to use) around the 500-700 lumen range for climbing/ski touring?  I'm looking for one that strikes an overall balance in battery life and durability.

For example, has anyone had experience with the Petzl Swift?

Eager to hear suggestions.

Thanks!

Jplotz wrote: What is the best Headlamp you have used (continue to use) around the 500-700 lumen range for climbing/ski touring?  I'm looking for one that strikes an overall balance in battery life and durability.

For example, has anyone had experience with the Petzl Swift?

Eager to hear suggestions.

Thanks!

Petzl in general are my favorite for combination of battery life, durability, lumens, lightweight and compactness.  Other brands have some of these features, but then stop working prematurely.  Or meet certain other aspects, but are too bulky/heavy.

Alex Holmann wrote: mountainproject.com/forum/t…

Awesome thanks for this link!  I love the posts that talk about some of the headlamp brands I've never heard of like the Zebra brand and Fenix

Jplotz wrote:

Awesome thanks for this link!  I love the posts that talk about some of the headlamp brands I've never heard of like the Zebra brand and Fenix

Yeah I got a Fenix HM50R because of that thread and like it much more than the BD headlamps I've had in the past

Alex Holmann wrote:

Yeah I got a Fenix HM50R because of that thread and like it much more than the BD headlamps I've had in the past

I think I'll be giving the Fenix hl60r a go.

Alex Holmann wrote:

Yeah I got a Fenix HM50R because of that thread and like it much more than the BD headlamps I've had in the past

I commented in the other thread a while back, but I have really enjoyed my HM50R as well. I even used it as a make shift mountain bike headlamp in a pinch and it worked well for about an hour on turbo mode. 

I'm lovin my Zebra. It rivaled the Klieg lights at EPC a few Sundays ago.

Alex Holmann wrote:

Yeah I got a Fenix HM50R because of that thread and like it much more than the BD headlamps I've had in the past

Same.  It's an excellent unit.

Andy Wiesner wrote: I'm lovin my Zebra. It rivaled the Klieg lights at EPC a few Sundays ago.

+1 for Zebras.  They're reliable, waterproof, batteries go a long way as long as you're not running it on high (1000-1100 lumens), and they're decently priced.  Unless you want to go hardcore custom with some crazy light, zebras are the best option, imo.

Recently got the petzl Swift. Use it mostly for running, but have used it for rappelling a couple times. It's pretty awesome so far. The reactive lighting is great, dimming and flooding when you turn towards the rock and look at your feet, and cranking up into a spot when you look off into the darkness. I've run it on high for close to two hours, and still had battery left. It's way brighter than I could ever imagine actually needing to trail run, which is really nice. Haven't used it over a longer period at a lower setting yet. Overall I'm really happy with it. Only complaint is that even on the medium setting, it's bright enough to be inconvenient for people around you.

Comparing battery capacity vs. weight (assuming approx the same efficiency),

Swift: 2350 mah for 100g
https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/PERFORMANCE-headlamps/SWIFT-RL

Zebralight H600: 3400 mah for 127g
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/headlamp/zebralight-h600w-mk-iv

I like how low-profile the zebralights are and I'd expect the metal bodies to be much more durable (my older reactive lights have cracks). The Zebralight headband is quite heavy by itself (39g) and one could optimize things a bit with a direct helmet mount or a lighter band.

For most climbing uses I prefer the lighter (and weaker) AA-battery zebralights.

If you want a headlamp for ski touring then one of your criteria should be cold weather performance. This depends mainly on batteries. In general, lithium disposables have excellent cold weather performance, but NiMH and most li-ion rechargeables don't. I've learnt this the hard way skinning uphill at A-Basin and Eldora in the chilly pre-dawn hours. My choice is a headlamp that uses 18650 rechargeables, since one can get 18650s that are designed for low temperatures (Fenix, Nitecore and Klarus all make them, or at least re-brand them). AFAIK the proprietary Petzl Core li-ion battery pack doesn't come in a cold weather version.

The alternative would be a headlamp with a detachable battery pack that you can put in a jacket pocket. If money is no object you could get one of these: moonlightmountaingear.com/p….