Zebralight H50-P4 Headlamp

The Zebralight is one of the first headlamps in the market using the ultra bright and efficient Cree LED. The H50-P4 model features an XR-E P4 bin cree LED powered by a single AA battery.

The headlamp construction is not common, in fact it seems to be an AA flashlight with the LED mounted in a side that was then converted to a headlamp passing the headband thru a piece of GITD plastic that holds the light.

The Zebra has three brightness levels activated by a twisty switch, you go from off to minimum then off then medium, off again and then maximum. Brightness is 2, 10 and 50 lumen and runtime is 2 hours 20 minutes in max, 19 hours in med and 3.5 days in low mode.

The beam is all flood with little or no throw at all, making the light excellent as a tasklight and indoors headlamp but not good for trails or outdoor activities. For reading in bed, a tent or to work the beam is just perfect. The twisty switch is definitively not practical for a headlamp and while it can be activated with one hand it will not be something that you enjoy in the long run. While it seems the beam will be offcentered due to the position of the LED in the light the extreme floody beam makes this go unnoticed.

The total weight is 58 grams and it can use alkaline, NiMh or a lithium battery, it is confortable and almost unnoticeable, the glow in the dark bracket is a good detail to find the light in the dark or provide a glow if it has been charged during the day.

If you are looking for a simple all-flood headlamp definitively check the Zebralight out, if you need a headlamp for hiking or trails skip, you need something else.

You can order from Zebralight for $39.

Rayovac Sportsman Xtreme 1 Watt Headlamp

This is a light weight and small headlamp made by Rayovac using a single AA cell. The light has two 5mm red leds, one 5mm blue led and one 1 watt luxeon led as its principal light source.

The headlamp has 3 modes that can be rotated using the single button switch, the first press turns on the two red leds, a second press turns on the blue led and a third press turns on the white led.

The three modes are quite bright for a single cell lamp, reds are useful to preserve night vision and blue is good for contrasting when you need to find something, it can also be used for blood tracking and other activities where blue light is recommended.

The white beam produces a good hotspot that can be used to take a night walk without any problems. Runtime is 2 hours for the white beam, we haven't tested the red /blue leds but we think runtime might be longer for them.

As a distinctive feature the light has a difusser that can be used over the red/blue leds or the white led, since it rotates from one position to the other. The difusser makes the light produce a floody beam that is very useful for a task light, for reading and other activities where you need smooth beam without a tight hotspot.

Balance is good and the up/down rotation is adjusted with a plastic ratchet. The ratchet is very solid and the assembly does not move when running. This model is probably not intended for outdoor activities but is certainly very good as a tasklight for indoors use or camping.

Using just a single AA cell the light is very light and confortable to use. A very good option for a light tasklight or a backup headlamp.

This model is available for about $20 at WallMart and similar stores, discounts might apply so you may find it at an even lower price. You can read more at Rayovac's website.

Princeton Tec EOS Headlamp

The EOS is a LED headlamp using a 1 watt luxeon LED powered by 3 AAA batteries.

It has 4 modes of operation, maximum brightness, medium, low and blinking mode. The modes are selected using a single switch at the top of the lamp head, press once to turn on in maximum mode, press again for medium, press again for low mode, again for blinking mode and again to turn off. If you let the light on for about 2 seconds a press will just turn it off, it won't switch modes.

The EOS can load either alkaline, rechargeable NiMh or lithium batteries, the runtime is 6 hours in maximum brightness, 12 hours in medium and 60 hours in the low mode. The blinking mode is useful for signaling or attracting attention and can be used for 50 hours.

One of the nice things about the EOS is that the output is regulated, regardless of the battery status the brightness will be constant at each selected level. A heat control mechanism prevents the LED from overheating if that happens the EOS automatically goes down to a lower brightness level.

The beam is strongly focused for throw, so even with a 1 watt LED the EOS will perform very well outdoors being able to illuminate your path and reach distant objects, for indoors activities or camping you will probably be better with a lower brightness setting since a strong hotspot will not be needed. According to the manufacturer the EOS is weather resistant and can be used up to 1 meter below water.

The headlamp is very easy to use and confortable weighting only 105gr you put it on and forget it is there, can run for a long time and is bright enough to compete with bigger and bulkier lamps in outdoor hiking and other activities. Definitively a very good option if you need a headlamp.

You can read more and order for about $35 from Princetontec's website.

Petzl Myo XP

The Myo XP is a headlamp featuring a 3Watt Luxeon led powered by 3 AA batteries in a rear battery compartment. The battery compartment is connected to the head by a bulky cord with a coil for expansion.

The lamp can be moved vertically within a holding bezel, it comes with a flip-up diffuser lens that converts the spot beam into a very floody beam for close work, reading and indoors operation. The lamp has a battery indicator that indicates level of charge of 30% or higher, 10% and less than 10%. There are 4 output types for the LED: high, med, low and blink all activated using the switch. Next to the regular switch you can find a boost button that will give you momentary 50% additional output to the maximum beam, the boost mode will operate for 20 seconds only.

The run time goes from 70 hours in high mode to 170 hours in low mode. The LED is not regulated so as the runtime increases the light will seem dimmer and the total runtime for usable light is probably a lot less than the advertised total runtime.

The light is water resistant and quite solid the headband does not have an extra strap to go above the head so it may be a little unconfortable if you are used to other headlamps with more support. It is a very bright headlamp with useful lower levels for long runtime and a difuser filter for close work and reading.

You can read more in Petzl's website or order from REI for $70.

Princeton Tec Pilot Light

The pilot is a small backup light for headlamps. It comes with a small base that can be attached to the bands of a headlamp, it can also be attached to straps in a backpack. The light is a simple 5mm led powered by two 2016 coin cell batteries, it is very small and produces a decent amount of light.

The pilot has two modes of operation constant-on and flashing, the runtime is 14 hours in constant-on and about 36 hours in flashing mode. The pilot can be useful to change batteries in your headlamp or as an emergency light if your headlamp runs out of batteries or has some failure, it is good to search for things in a backpack or a pocket without removing your headlamp.

The pilot is available in red, green and white and costs $9, you can read more in Princeton Tec website or order it from Lighthound.

Petzl E-Lite

The e-lite is a very small headlamp from petzl, it weights only 30 grams including the batteries, the light comes with a headband and a protective case in red color.

This small headlamp has 3 white leds and one red led powered by two C2032 coin cell lithium batteries. The light has 5 modes of operation selected moving the red lever in order they are: white minium, white maximum, white strobe, red strobe and constant red. The runtime is 35 hours in maximum mode and 45 hours in white minimum, a lot longer in red mode.

The lamp can be used with the supplied headband or removed and clipped to a belt, backpack, a hat or other objects, it can be used as a marker or a beacon. As a headlamp it is fine for indoors use, use inside a tent or close works but certainly not suitable for exploring. The light Waterproof down to -1 m.

You can read more in Petzl's website. Or oder for $28.99 from TAD Gear.

Princeton Tec Apex Headlamp

The Apex (and the upcoming Apex pro) are the top of the line headlamps from Priceton Tech. The headlamp has a Luxeon III LED as the main illumination source and four 5mm LEDs surrounding the luxeon, two on each side.

Both the luxeon and the 4mm leds have 2 levels of brightness, high and low, the 4mm leds have a third mode for blinking. The idea is to use the 4mm leds for close works and long runtime and the luxeon led for distance. The leds are regulated offering flat light output regardless of the battery status.

The batteries are 4AA batteries located in a carrier at the back of the straps. It can use akaline, rechargeable or lithium batteries indistinctly. Using alkaline batteries the Apex can run for 24 hours (1 hour of regulation) in its brightest mode and up to 108 hours (5o of regulation) using the 4mm leds in low mode. There is a battery life indicator to know the status of the batteries.

To activate the leds there are two independant switches in the headlamp, turning one set of leds on will turn the other off, so it is not possible to use the luxeon and the 4mm leds at the same time, you have to choose depending on what you need. The luxeon throws really nicely and can reach long distances, the 4mm leds are fine for operation indoors or for close inspections.

The light is waterproof and impact resistant, it is a little heavy and bulky for every day carry but can be packed in a bag or backpack for outdoor activities. If you need a dependable headlamp powerful enough to rival incandescent headlamps with the versatility and durability of leds the Apex is a great option.

Available in black, olive green and orange. More information in the product page. You can get it for $64 from Lighthound.

Petzl Tactikka XP Adapt Headlamp

This is a new version of Petzl's tactikka headlamp adding several improvements including the very versatile "Adapt" connection system that allows the headlamp to be used in several different ways.

The headlamp is driven by one 1 watt led powered by 3 AAA batteries, there are 3 brightness levels and 1 blinking mode selected pressing the on/off button, you go from off to max, mid, low, blink and again to off. There's also a boost mode selected with a second button that can be used for extra brightness for short periods of time.

The lamp has a sliding filter that can be used for a difusser filter, or a color filter, red, green and blue are supplied. The "adapt" system allows the user to use the lamp in different modes, attached to the headbands you have a traditional headlamp. You can also attach the light to a belt clip and use it on your belt or a backpack. Finally there is an adhesive attachment point that can be used to attach the lamp to a helmet, a bike or others. The headband includes a small plastic pouch to carry an extra filter so you can use a red filter and have a diffusor filter available if you want. The difussor is very good for reading and close tasks.

In maximum mode the headlamp reaches about 35 meteres and has autonomy for 60 hours and it can go to 120 hours in low brightness mode. The boost function allows a maximum throw of about 50 meters in case of need.

This is a very nice headlamp with different brightness levels, boost mode, sliding filter and excellent runtime, the adapt system makes it even better adding a lot of interesting uses besides being a great headlamp; a very interesting product.

You can read more about this headlamp in Petzl's webpage or you can order it for about $58 from TAD Gear.

Petzl Zipka Plus

Among many headlamps the Zipka+ is probably one of the few that can be carried with your edc kit. The simple explanation for this is that the zipka is the only headlamp without bands it has a retractable kevlar cord instead so when the cable is retracted the headlamp takes almost no space from your kit.

The Zipka+ has 4 leds powered by 3 AAA batteries, it has 3 brightness modes and one blinking mode, you switch modes pressing the only button it has, starting in the brightest setting. Runtime goes from 100 hours in maximum brightness to 150 hours in the lowest setting.

The retractable kevlar cable is useful to attach the Zipka not only to your head but to other objects such as backpacks, poles, tents etc. Just make sure your hair is not in the middle when the cable retracts ;-). This little useful headlamp costs about $35 and you can read more information in Petzl's website.