I am looking for a headlamp both rechargable with usb and traditional alkaline AA batteries for my backpacking trips.
Most review websites recommend Petzl or Black Diamond Revolt. Have anyone tested these 2 brands, if there is anything special about them? Petzl has many different products from 20 to 80$, I’m bit confused about the model I need.
However, the price is not so important here. The biggest feature I’m looking for is battery life. I also don’t some specific features like red light or super ultra bright mode for pitch dark.
The super-bright modes are not for pitch dark but for dusk where ambient light is not enough to make you see well but it disturbs your night vision.
I consider buying one light that seems to meet your needs, Klarus HR1. The good thing about it is that it can be powered directly off a powerbank. You may add it to the list of options.
I have had no luck finding an AA Headlamp that is USB rechargeable. There are options for 18650 and 18350 though. Both headlamps I have are USB chargeable. I have the Imalent HR20 and Armytek Tiara C1.
Imalent HR20 - 18650 battery, dial allows me to choose exactly the level of light that I need. Lowest setting (1 Lumen) advertises 15 days of light.
Armytek - 18350 battery. Lowest setting (.4 Lumens) advertises 60 days of light. Currently, I am running a test on this light. I have it running in my bedroom to see how accurate the 60 day runtime estimate is.
Just so that we are clear, are you looking for a single headlamp that is BOTH rechargeable AND can use AA batteries, or are you looking for two separate headlamps?
If you are willing to do 18650 battery format, Skilhunt H03 is lightweight and easily modded to install a WW LED (a must for me for camping/outdoors lights). This is my go-to headlamp for around the house/yard and car camping.
If you want ultralight (fast-and-light backpacking style), Nitecore Nu20 or Nu25 are the answer. They are USB rechargeable. Replace the stock headstrap with shockcord and the whole setup comes in at only 27 or 28 grams.
Not a specific light recommendation, but I would get a usb rechargeable headlamp that takes 18650 cells; you get better capacity per gram than AA cells, I just weighed the following, capacity is ballpark figure, harder you run the light, the worse the Alkaline cells will perform:
4 Alkaline AA cells with plastic case: 101g, 10Wh
4 NiMh AA with plastic case: 130.3g, 9.6Wh.
1 30Q 18650 with plastic case: 54.3g, 11.1Wh.
If you’re in a situation where you need to charge and use the light simultaneously, then get a lightweight single 18650 charger.
I’d recommend the nitecore nu17 as a great light and small rechargeable headlamp. Contrary to the common mantra you don’t really need lumens in the backcountry, you need reliable light weight and compact utility. At night you want only enough light to do the task or see the ground in front of you if moving. After all, you’ll want to get back your night vision as a fast as possible. This one also has red which comes in handy for group cooking and set up/tear down as not blinding others in the process. Even white firefly briefly in the eyes will annoy.
Or….
You could go with the Thrunite TH01 which does not have red but it has more lumens, more throw and more battery while remaining compact.
If it was me in the backcountry for a few days I’d bring the nitecore nu17.
Stay away from the 18650 head lights for the backcountry. Remember “ounces are pounds” and you’ll never need that much power.
I cconsidered to buy any Nitecore 17/20 or 25 NU headlamp, but they are ONLY usb recheargable. Would be a great choice if I had no extra space in my backpack for batteries.
I have used both a Petzl and Black Diamond, my Petlz did fail me after I rolled over on it in my sleep. The plastic housing could not bear my mass.
The Black diamond I don’t recall which model has a complicated (to me) UI. It also ran on 3 AAA cells. My last time using that headlamp, It had a short run time and changing the cells in the dim candle / fire light was real difficult.
One a three night trip I had to change the cells on two of the nights both times in the dim light. A real bad experience for me.
My take away from that experience is, you don’t know you when you need to change cells until the light goes out and you are in the dark.
I now use AA headlamps. Currently I have the Skilhunt H15 (discontinued AA, 14500), Fenix HL50 (AA, CR123), Acebeam H40 (AA, 14500).
The Skilhunt I find too heavy and uncomfortable.
The Fenix and Acebeam are light and comfortable, I find the Acebeam more comfortable, and the headband is superior to the others.
With Both the Fenix and Acebeam swapping cells is a breeze, I can and have done it with my eyes closed.
My hikes with the headlamp were short duration not more than 1 ½ miles to camp, then tending camp set up and activities around camp.
I like AA’s because they are the “universal” battery you kind find / purchase these anywhere on the planet.
That Slonik is just a rebranded D25 which is actually quite popular here because of its very low price, ok build and it’s mod friendly.
gchart’s thread:
IMO, headlamps should be as small and light as possible, so they’re comfortable and don’t move around. That eliminates on-board charging, which just adds size and weight. Also, I’m not sure why you’d want alkaline support, if you also want charging. But, perhaps alkalines are a backup, which is a good idea.
My personal favorite brand is Zebralight. I’d suggest one of their H53 headlamps. They take a single AA, either rechargeable (such as Eneloops), or alkaline. Though, you’ll want to limit usage on high modes if you use alkalines, since those batteries don’t perform well under high load. The Zebralights have excellent efficiency, regulated (constant) output, and they’re small and light and comfortable.
Personally, I prefer the slightly larger 18650-based Zebralights, such as the H600Fc. It does add slightly more size and weight, but you get 4x the run-time or output. You could probably just use a single 18650 cell for an entire multi-day hike. You’ll get about 30 hours at 60 lumen output, which is a nice amount of light for walking.
I really like the SP40 a mini edc size. The beam is perfect mix of throw and spill for my needs. Color is nice and accurate, (greens and earth tones are truer than a lot of my cooler temp lights). Construction is nice as always (I have always liked Sofirn’s attention in that regard).
For hiking, you will want two of anything for redundancy. Extra batteries, charger. I would also have a AA light as AA batteries are still the most available. Astrolux and Convoy both make nice headlamps that are under $30.
Since I’m guessing OP made his flashlight decision 9 or so months ago, I’ll comment on the hiking/camping bits…
I speak from experience when I say that Boy Scouts and the military goes a bit overboard on the “be prepared” or “2 is 1, 1 is none” bit. That’s totally appropriate for life-and-death or mission-critical gear - but not for everything, and that’s the unfortunate message that people take away. For a flashlight, there’s a 95% chance your life doesn’t hang in the balance if it dies. So put in fresh cells before the trip, and then if it fails either use your phone that you’re almost certainly carrying as backup, or just go to sleep earlier. That “be prepared” mindset was how I wound up toting a massive backpack that hurt my knees on a 10-mile day. Re-thinking what I once thought was “necessary” to have in my pack (and replacing it primarily with knowledge and skills, not new gear) is how I now do a week-long trip of 20 mile days with only a 10 pound pack, an my knees are SOOOO happy, lol.
I agree. If there’s other people on trail it’s much easier to plug into someone’s powerbank for a bit, than to source a spare AA battery.