To ensure comfort, experts recommend that you try on a headlamp before buying it – with the batteries inserted so you'll feel the full weight and balance. If you buy online, be sure the retailer offers a good return policy. Most headlamps let you tilt the lamp to direct the beam – an essential feature – and expert reviews suggest considering the following features, too:

  • Brighter isn't always better. Too bright a light can create glare on a page you're trying to read, bother other people or ruin your night vision. Reviews warn that the brightest lights are usually spot lights – good for distance vision but not for task lighting.
  • Look for adjustable light levels. The lowest brightness setting provides the longest battery life, and reviews say you're apt to need brighter light only for a few tasks.
  • Choose a flood beam LED array for task lighting, a spot LED for distance. Some heavier headlamps combine both.
  • For comparing output, lux is better than lumens. Lumens gives a very rough approximation of the maximum light output, but different manufacturers calculate it in different ways. Lux measurements at a specified distance provide a more reliable comparison among headlamps, though this information isn't available for all models.
  • Consider the cost of batteries. For daily jobsite use near an AC outlet, consider a headlamp that can use rechargeable NiMH batteries, even though they usually lower performance a bit. A few headlamps use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries – even better. And of course a solar headlamp has no battery cost at all.
  • A voltage regulator keeps light consistent for a certain number of hours. Without this feature, headlamps start to dim right away and gradually get dimmer as batteries fade. Headlamps with voltage regulators delay this, and usually have a battery meter so you have plenty of time to change batteries.
  • Most headlamps include a flash or strobe mode for alerting rescuers. This isn't important for most household or jobsite uses, but can be life-saving for outdoor pursuits. It's also a valuable feature for a headlamp you keep in your vehicle.
  • To preserve night vision, a red LED is better than a red filter. Both preserve night vision, but a filter diminishes the light more.
  • Colored filters that pull down are more convenient than detached filters. Filters that pack separately are little things that tend to get lost, and are harder to use when wearing gloves.
  • Decide if you need a waterproof case. "Waterproof to one meter" means the headlamp can perform well after up to 30 minutes of immersion in water up to one meter deep. "Water-resistant" means the headlamp should survive rain. Divers and cavers need even more waterproof headlamps; see our Alternative Considerations section below.
  • For travel, consider a solar headlamp or one that uses batteries that are easy to find. Long runtime between battery changes is also a plus. A solar headlamp needs no batteries at all. For trips, try to get equipment that uses the same battery type.
  • Lithium-ion batteries are lighter, better for cold weather and hold charge longest. Since lithium-ion batteries store for up to ten years, reviews recommend buying them in bulk for the best price. If you plan to do a lot of worldwide travel, however, you might want to stick with alkaline batteries since they're easier to find and less expensive.

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