No matter what outdoor activity you’re into, the best headlamps are hard to come by. I’ve gone through dozens of headlamps through the years and most of them were junk. So I felt a good list of the best headlamps would be helpful for those shopping around and looking for honest reviews. For me personally, I use my headlamps for hunting, fishing, and camping mostly. Whether I’m setting up decoys in the morning to pitching jigs at night…I’m wearing my headlamp.
So with that being said, here’s some of the most popular and recent models on the market today.
ELMCHEE LED Rechargeable Outdoor Headlamp
I recently purchased one of these for myself. The price was right, so I figured I’d give it a try. Let me say, for the price, this is one sweet headlamp! Normally, for what you spend on this model, you don’t get much. That’s the beauty of the Internet, there are so many options to choose from it pushes the price down.
There are 6 LED lights on this headlamp. And all of them are rechargeable through the standard charge. They initially advertised this as 1200 lumens, but I think that’s pushing it. While it’s super bright, it’s not at that caliber of lighting. But to be fair, it will be bright enough for any hunting or fishing trip you need it for. And it’ll work on high for around 5 hours on a single charge…nice. There are 8 modes to choose from, and it comes with everything you need to start using it.
I’m giving this headlamp the EDITOR’S CHOiCE for what it offers and for the price. Really, you can’t go wrong with an inexpensive lighting system that just flat out works.
PROS: It’s cheap for a headlamp of it’s quality. It’s rechargeable, waterproof, and comes with the accessories you need to use it immediately.
CONS: Not a well known brand, and it was initially advertising at 1200 lumens which I feel is inaccurate.
Boruit LED Rechargeable Waterproof Headlamp
In doing my research, I came across this bad boy and I had to have it included, even though I’m not too familiar with the brand. The company is called Boruit, and they have a wide variety of headlamp models. The features included make it a must for the outdoors. First off, it’s rechargeable. That’s nice as I burn through batteries often throughout the seasons. It’s also waterproof to the core, so you can wear it in any weather. It’s very bright, with LED lights putting off 20 watts. It also comes with everything you need including extra batteries and a car charger…nice. And I’m a big fan of the over and around the head styles of headlamps. To me, they’re more comfortable and stay on your head better. I use my headlamps for setting up decoys waterfowling and fishing at night, both that require a lot of bending over and such and I do not want it to fall off. Overall, you’ll pay a tad more for this one but if you want a hunting or fishing headlamp that has it all, this should fit the bill.
PROS: Rechargeable and waterproof – both are very nice for using outdoors. Comes with all accessories, and is very bright.
CONS: Off brand that I’m not familiar with, and is a little more expensive but you usually get what you pay for in a headlamp.
LE LED Battery Powered Headlamp
If you’re looking for a headlamp that won’t break the bank, this one isn’t too bad. It’s battery powered, and runs on 3 AAA batteries. It’s in the middle end for brightness, so it’s not going to wow you with it’s brightness. It does have the over and around the head design which is nice for comfort and keeping it still on your head. It has 4 power modes, which some do like, but for me I just normally use the high powered version.
PROS: The price is right on this one, usually around or under $10. It comes with batteries, which is always a plus. It’s very lightweight as well.
CONS: It’s not the brightest and you’ll want to carry extra batteries when using on high for long periods of time.
Petzl STRIX IR Tactical Headlamp
I don’t think you can do headlamp reviews without throwing in a couple Petzl models, so here’s one I’ve been eyeing. The STRIX has multiple color modes, including infrared which isn’t normally seen on headlamps. This has a multitude of uses in the outdoors, especially for hunting…and the camo color is handy as well. Like all Petzl headlamps, they are on the upscale side pricewise; but you’re getting a solid headlamp from a trusted company. The only thing I don’t like is it takes 1 battery. I’d like to see it in a rechargeable.
PROS: Strong brand, can change directions easily as well as colors. Slick camo.
CONS: Not rechargeable
Nite Lite Nite Sport II LED Outdoor Hat Light
If you’re looking for something different then your traditional headlamp, then you may want to give the Nite Sport II Light by Nite Lite a look. First off, as you can see, it’s not a headlamp per say. It’s actually a hat light, and not just any light, but a BIG light. It’s extremely bright with big LED lights. It also is rechargeable so you can use again and again. It runs for 20-60 hours on a single charge, and starts to strobe when the battery gets low (which is nice). Naturally, the stronger the beam the shorter amount of light time you will have.
PROS: Rechargeable and very bight – a change from the normal headlamp.
CONS: Heavy and a bit bulky
Fenix HL60R Rechargeable LED Headlamp
This is another LED headlamp that’s worth noting. It features 900 lumens, pretty strong for the size. It’s also rechargeable and comes with all the batteries and accessories you need. It’s very light, which is a plus if you’re going to be wearing the LED headlamp for a long time. And it has various power settings depending on how much light you need. And since we’re talking hunting, may as well chalk up the camo version. It’s really a nice looking unit.
PROS: Lightweight LED headlamp – rechargeable, and bright and has a lot of good reviews
CONS: A bit pricey for a mid to upper range light.
So there you have it. A nice selection of lower to upper range units and the best LED headlamps you can find right now. There really are so many out there that it’s hard to narrow it down, but when you compare must have features and brands; it can be tough. But in the end, you gotta go with your gut and don’t be afraid to pull out your wallet for a quality LED headlamp. You will be happy you did.
