Best headlamp (waterproof with replaceable batteries)

meddlecho

FNG
Joined
Jun 12, 2022
Messages
26
+1 on Zebralight. 18650 is truly the way to go. Skilhunt h04 is another great option. I’ve been using sofirn hs20 recently.
 
Joined
May 30, 2022
Messages
319
Hmm I have a petzl swift, can those use AAA's? mines rechargable and a great light. that thing will light up the night when it goes full blast. I use if for work mostly, really like the tac-tikka rgb too. 3 AAA's, multiple beam intensities, and blue, green and red too
Had to double-check that; it turns out that they dropped the AAA option on the high-output Swift RL, which is unlike almost all their other lights. I’ll update the post.
 

chocolab

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 21, 2022
Messages
162
Location
New England
Had to double-check that; it turns out that they dropped the AAA option on the high-output Swift RL, which is unlike almost all their other lights. I’ll update the post.
ok thanks for looking at that, wasn't contradicting, I honestly wasn't sure (never read the manual lol). the swift is a great light if you need daylight at night!
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2019
Messages
930
That is correct and i have personally compared it to my buddies PEAK headlamp. The peak is slightly brighter but the body and style is identical.
When i contacted peax and asked them about their headlamp and the others on the market that look identical with a major price difference this was what they told me :

While the body of the headlamps are very similar, the internal workings and performance is much different. We spent almost 18 months working with an electrical engineer to custom program the circuit board to get the extended run times that we get compared to the Sofirn light. In addition, the upgraded 3600 mAh battery alone is 4x the cost of the generic 18650 batteries supplied with the Sofirn. You already mentioned the upgrade to the LED components and we also customized some of the power button programming as well. Finally, we offer a lifetime warranty on defects where the Sofirn only has a 1 year warranty.
We stand behind the final product we’ve produced as well as the pricing based on our costs and believe our light meets the specific needs of our customers.
Thanks again for your feedback and we hope that you’ll continue to support PEAX!
 

NDGuy

WKR
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Messages
3,907
Location
ND
ZebraLight or Fenix

The durability and quality is worth it
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
Messages
5,733
Location
Lenexa, KS
Anyone had issues with Black Diamonds close feature not working consistently? I have two that pop open all the time. OP, I like my Black Diamonds, but I won't buy another unless it has a different latching mechanism.

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Joined
Jan 15, 2022
Messages
1,563
Anyone had issues with Black Diamonds close feature not working consistently? I have two that pop open all the time. OP, I like my Black Diamonds, but I won't buy another unless it has a different latching mechanism.

ea0b68cbeaa00efac8070525b28297f451b74160__35356.1640021030.386.513.png



Nope, I don't have any problems with the four Black Diamond headlamps I own. None whatsoever.
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2017
Messages
898
Location
Montana
Anyone had issues with Black Diamonds close feature not working consistently? I have two that pop open all the time. OP, I like my Black Diamonds, but I won't buy another unless it has a different latching mechanism.

ea0b68cbeaa00efac8070525b28297f451b74160__35356.1640021030.386.513.png
I have two Black Diamonds that do not stay latched. PC622 tape has been the fix for a few years,
 

rkcdvm

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
228
Location
texas
I've had some Coast headlamps for a long time. 3 AAA batteries. Costco used to sell 3 packs before they went to the "Duracell" brand.

Usually only need 1 or 2 sets of batteries for an entire year of on/off again use (will change out batteries night before hunting season starts) - only time I use the high beam is when blood trailing. Usually use low or medium beam.

You guys have me interested in the HM65R - not that I'd ever really need a 1400 lumen headlamp, just seems like a good idea for when we run the marsh at night.
These are what I get too. They come in a 3 pack . I have yet to replace a single one yet
 

Mark.c

FNG
Joined
Aug 1, 2022
Messages
43
Me and the wife have been using Petzl Actiks and Actik cores for years now and they have been flawless. The core version is brighter and you can still use standard batteries when you want.
+1 on the Petzl Core.
 

tuk

FNG
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Messages
66
Light bar headlight is the best headlamp that I have used. Love it. Has a aaa option or rechargable. There is also an option to use it as a waste light. does wide and u can switch it to spotlight.
 

Gapmaster

WKR
Joined
Dec 22, 2019
Messages
381
Location
MERICA!!
I’ll say this, we buy our employees Energizer headlamps 3-AAAs 400 lumens. They’re inexpensive, less than $20. Those things take a beating and keep on working. I use lighter ones when backpacking but for the money they are hard to beat. You could buy 2-3 for the price of one of the high end lights and I’m not sure you wouldn’t get same results. IMO
 

Crow

FNG
Joined
Aug 27, 2022
Messages
11
I came here to see if there's an advantage to the Peax over the Sofirn that looks the same, and it appears there is... so maybe I'll shell out the cash for both and compare them, then keep the loser as a backup. I will say that I've been using the Princeton Tec Sync for about a year and I like it ok,- the selector dial is good for when you have gloves on, and it's pretty durable compared to some other cheapo lamps I've destroyed over the years. However, it eats through batteries (AAA). I keep it fed with freshly charged rechargables and it works pretty well as long as you don't need to light up the whole meadow... but I want to, which is why I'm looking at the Peax.
 

UpTop

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
254
I came here to see if there's an advantage to the Peax over the Sofirn that looks the same, and it appears there is... so maybe I'll shell out the cash for both and compare them, then keep the loser as a backup. I will say that I've been using the Princeton Tec Sync for about a year and I like it ok,- the selector dial is good for when you have gloves on, and it's pretty durable compared to some other cheapo lamps I've destroyed over the years. However, it eats through batteries (AAA). I keep it fed with freshly charged rechargables and it works pretty well as long as you don't need to light up the whole meadow... but I want to, which is why I'm looking at the Peax.
For the price I can’t see the peax competing with the fenix or nitecore options. One major thing I noticed is the peax only has an ipx6 rating while the other two are ip68 which speaks volumes to me considering peax is charging the same price but didn’t bother to get theirs the extra rating. With that said I don’t think you can go wrong with the Sofirn. Even if the peax edges it out I’d not pay top dollar given the other options seem to beat the peax in that price range.
 

Venom One

WKR
Joined
Sep 25, 2019
Messages
369
Location
PNW
Anyone had issues with Black Diamonds close feature not working consistently? I have two that pop open all the time. OP, I like my Black Diamonds, but I won't buy another unless it has a different latching mechanism.

ea0b68cbeaa00efac8070525b28297f451b74160__35356.1640021030.386.513.png

I haven't had latching issues, but mode selection has been an exercise in frustration for me. The main light hasn't worked in a long time on mine.
 

Crow

FNG
Joined
Aug 27, 2022
Messages
11
For the price I can’t see the peax competing with the fenix or nitecore options. One major thing I noticed is the peax only has an ipx6 rating while the other two are ip68 which speaks volumes to me considering peax is charging the same price but didn’t bother to get theirs the extra rating. With that said I don’t think you can go wrong with the Sofirn. Even if the peax edges it out I’d not pay top dollar given the other options seem to beat the peax in that price range.
That seems fair enough. I wonder what kind of warranty the PEAX has
 
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