Lightbar Type Headlamps

[Jon Lannom]

I’m starting to see these lightbar-type headlamps show up at scouting events.  Has anyone had any experience with them, or has perhaps a review of all the different brands and models been completed?  At first glance, they seem pretty good and they put out quite a bit of light.  I’ve included a link to the one that I spent time looking over, although I’m not sure which particular model it was.  In checking on Amazon there seem to be quite a few knock-offs available.  Thanks for your feedback and help on this, and here is the link – https://www.lightbarheadlamp.com/

[David Gardner]

Inquiring minds want to know!

[Marcus]

Just some points to consider –

Battery life to Lumen ratio is not particularly good.

Lumen to weight ratio is not very good (compared to UL lamps).

Everyone around you will hate this head lamp – omnidirectional  LED blinding! Headlamp blinding is a party fowl in my book.

I can see it would be useful for a task that required a large field of view, such as night rock climbing as shown on their website. But the gold standard Nitecore NU25 provides about the same performance for <2oz and half the price, assuming a wide field of view is not advantageous to your use case.

For scouting/car camping/short trips/specialized use case – probably a fine headlamp. For extended hiking, there are likely better (i.e. cheaper, lighter) options.

[NoCO-Jim]

+1 “Everyone around you will hate this head lamp “

[JCH]

3 words: Ah Hell Nah!

All joking aside, Marcus and NoCO-Jim said it all. Might rock if you were strictly a solo hiker.

[Jon Lannom]

One of the ones that I saw had an option to only have the front lights turned on and make it a “spotlight” instead of a “flood light”.  You could also turn the lights to a lower setting and not blind everyone.

[Russ W]

Looks like 4-6 ounces for the rechargeable ones and more for the AAA. Pretty heavy.

[Jon Lannom]

Russ – I’ve been using a Princeton Tec Axis for years now and it weighs right at 3 ounces with batteries.  One more ounce for one of these lights might not be a bad trade-off IF the light was a good one.  Trust me, I fully subscribe to the adage, “ounces turn to pounds and pounds turn to pain” but still, it might be an option for some folks.  I’m betting that if these headlamps have potential then they will go up in quality and down in weight.  They are already fairly inexpensive when compared to existing backpacking headlamps.  I’m just not sure if they are ready for prime time yet.

[W I S N E R !]

At first glance I’m sure they’re fine for camp chores.

But if you’re on the move, my hunch is that the lighting will be so washed out you’ll kill shadows and depth perception. Nothing worse than a washed out flood on your head especially when moving fast; in my experience you either need a beam or a light source low to the ground (or both, with one handheld or on waist) to cast some shadow.

[YoPrawn]

Yeah, those look terrible in so many ways. The NU25 is all the headlamp anyone could ever need for regular camp stuff and it comes with a high CRI diffused light mode that covers a wide FOV. With head band mod it weighs 1.1 ounces, and a single backup unit without the headband or plastic frame weighs just 0.8 ounces.

 

[Dunstan Orchard]

I have one of those that I use around the yard at night, and for DIY tasks where I have to poke my head into dark places. It’s fine for that kind of thing, but I wouldn’t take it camping if I had the option of a more regular light. I got mine for $15 from here https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GT49F9C/

As others say, it’s not a very nice light for those around you, but at the same time it’s not as bright as any of the ads show. It’s not lighting up the world. And the battery compartment doesn’t seem very weatherproof. It’s the kind of thing I might keep in the car for emergencies now I own one.

For home use I’ve replaced it with a https://www.ledlenserusa.com/products/h15r-core which really does light up the world around you and which lets me work in the woods at night with the wide beam, while the zoom lets me spot animals at a distance.

[David Thomas]

Seems great for DIY projects around the house – under the sink with the plumbing or in the crawlspace where you want to see what’s to your sides.  As such, maybe inside your tent while organizing your stuff or doing camp chores (IF no one else is around, as Marcus points out).

For hiking on a trail, I want all lumens projected further down the trail and not distracting me with every branch and bush to my sides.  I need to see to the side, I’ll look to the side with my spot headlamp.  There’s no way to convert this omni-directional light to a spot.

Could be a cool part of a Halloween costume, though.

For use on

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