Ultimate Headlamp Review Comparison!

Maybe Lumintop will send me one… I asked before, but they did not want.

In any case I am planning to add next: 3 the cheapest Decathlon headlamps, or 3 the cheapest Aliexpress headlamps (reasonable cheap, like $4+)

Very nice. Throw some Zebralights in there and the Sportac PH10LC2 (good quality, nichia 219c with 90+ cri but chinsy headband) if you get a chance! Maybe some budget options like the thrunite TH20 or Acebeam H40 would be nice.

Budget options are affordable, but Zebralight is too expensive, so only if they will support this project. It would be great to add it here, maybe they will send one. Eventually… Maybe…
There is seriously so much great headlamps to test, like Magicshine - it would be great if this comparison became so big it would include most of the well known headlamps.

Ultimate? No Zebra, Olight, Nitecore, Fenix, D10-20-25, YLP?

Interesting review. You seem to have a gif for it. (In fact, many gifs) :laughing:

I second that. It’s a nice comparison but to be worth the name it shall include significantly more.

Excellent reviews Mocarny! Thanks for posting.

Not many manufacturers want to support “Yes I will make a big comparison, it will be great” project, so I got only 10 headlamps. And buying that many headlamps is…expensive. Now I might be able to get Nitecore, Sofirn and other well known headlamps. Just give me some time and I will make it fat and juicy :stuck_out_tongue:

I understand the constraints. And I really appreciate the effort. But so far the thread simply does not live up to the title, actually it’s far from that.
I suggest adding at very least:

  • D10 (the king of budget headlamps)
  • Nitecore NU25 (by far the most recommended among ultralight people)
  • Lumintop HL3A (I do feel that it deserves mention by being a twist on the most popular flashlight recently)
  • Some YLP Panda (lots of good reviews)
  • Some Zebra (many users swear by them)

Maybe some members could help by lending you their headlamps?

Thank you :slight_smile: I will try to add those.
Yes, members help would be much appreciated!

FireFlies PL47G2 is a pretty good headlamp combined with the Armytek headband. Insane turbo levels and good combination of throw and flood for camping trips.

Mocarny, it’s not an Ultimate Headlamp Guide! cos most of those lamps sucks as a headlamps. They are front heavy and used headbands do not allow a stable mount on the head in any activity faster than walk.
Currently it can be only “ultimate angle light guide” ;).

I admit, currently it is…“pretending-to-be-ultimate-but-not-yet headlamp guide”

:frowning:
Guys…I hope it is helpful even a bit for now, I will be adding more headlamps, but you know, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.

Well done Mocarny, you almost smoked my laptop :smiley:

Headlamps are made for work and close up taks. Some people use them for mountaineering, caving or exploring abandoned buildings so they need to be reliable. Lumintop’s HL3A is merely a toy by having no stabilisation, an unreliable driver with a UI made for toying around and not suited for tasks I mentioned before.

Zebralight MkII and MkIII headlamps were great, their overall quality and reliability was higher then Armyteks but they are not produced anymore, and the newer Mk IV generation is till now on plagued with issues and UI bugs.

Olight has no interesting headlamps and the H2R has a lot of hidden issues and is to some degree dangerous to use.

YLP is interesting, maybe it could replace Skilhunt? But is has no moonlight mode.

Skilhunt used to have the best bang for the buck headlamp but in the last year their prices skyrocketed making them no so budget anymore.

The Convoy headlamp is obsolete.

Sofirn SP40 is nice for the money but the by fat better H03 used to cost almost as much.

The Armytek Wizard Pro WW is IMO the best general purpose headlamp currently available now.

BUT

Armytek is juggling with their prices which means they are screwing their customers.

Wizard Pro WW was for more than two months available in Poland for 55$, now it costs almost twice as much at a whopping 95$.

I wouldn’t give 95$ for a flashlight knowing that it’s worth 55$.

For 10$ more I bought my virence.com custom Nichia E21A Wizard.

Great suggestions!

This is a great beginning to a much appreciated comparison. Thank you for putting the time and effort into it.

Hi everyone, I’ve just updated my review!
Thanks to BLF user Agro we have Boruit D20 and Eagle Eye X1R… Agro, do you even remember you lent me those headlamps? :stuck_out_tongue: Yes I know it’s been a long time.

List of added headlamps in the #2 post.

:+1: keep going !

Yeah, I didn’t forget. I know it took a while but I didn’t need them in the meantime so I just waited. Thanks for the review, you have a nice collection of models already. :slight_smile:

This is fantastic job Mocarny, I read everything, days of effort, if not weeks and also putting it in such a summary. Superb job!

I would love to see the review of:

  1. NU25, similarly to Argo. This is the headlamp I observe for quite some time.
  2. FireFlies PL47G2, similarly to Nismo.
  3. Panda 2M CRI.

Personally, I use headlamps a lot in different mountain activities. From my experience I can echo most of Ryzbor’s comments:

H03 – I use it currently. It is a great lightweight headlamp. The disadvantages I see is 1) not a perfect interface (sometimes it is hard to change to preferred mode - through double click in gloves etc), 2) would prefer it to be a bit smaller and closer to the head, 3) no longer possible to buy in $22-$25 price range, approximately $10 more expensive than 2 years back.

HL3A – a bit heavier than H03. Thought of buying it as a second headlamp, but after reviewing the issues with the button, driver, lack of stabilization etc. I dropped the idea. I need a reliable light.

SP40 – a bit heavier than H03. Nice headlamp in a good money, but again 1) no stabilization, 2) brightness levels not for my needs.

H30 – a little heavier than H03, good headlamp, but personally prefer H03 because of a nicer tint and wider spill. H33 a bit too pricey.

H1 – too heavy for me and not up to the current market offering.

HL01 - way too heavy.

X1R - a bit too heavy, a bit too weak, but generally a decent light at its price range. Unnecessary power consumption in the illuminated button. Prefer H03 tint.

Zebras were great, but always a bit pricey.

H1R & H2R – dangerous and a bit pricey if compared to the overall experience.

Elf – a bit better performance than H03 from a user perspective (not lumens comparison), but heavier, bigger and at least twice as expensive as H03.

Wizard Pro – nice headlamp, but a bit too big, too heavy and way too expensive.