Well after a near fall night before last and a face plant last night due to some chunked up sidewalk it’s time for me to get a headlamp. Especially with daylight savings coming up.
What is everyone using for a running headlamp?
In the past the problem i always had was heavier headlamps bouncing up and down as i ran being uncomfortable so i’m thinking something lightweight would be best. I’m not concerned with features and I don’t care whether its battery powered or rechargeable. I just want something comfortable to run in. I don’t mind investing in something if its warranted but if the 13$ lamp works good for some of you I would be inclined to save some money.
Just put fresh batteries in my Princeton Tec Remix for tonight’s run. It might not be the brightest available, but it certainly gets the job done and it’s light enough that it stays put without having to really crank the tension on the headband to a headache-inducing level.
I use a Black Diamond Ion and love it. really light (55g vs 90g of the Foxelli) but a bit less light output (100 lumens). It’s bright enough for night running where there is a little bit of ambient light ( city multi-use paths) but haven’t tried on any real trails. It uses 2xAAA batteries which i prefer since i have rechargeable AAA batteries at home. Price is great too, $29 CAD so closer to $20 USD. I used it all last year with no issues.
I have an older model of the Petzl shown in the link as recommended by Runner’s World. It is heavy but very bright. I will be using it for an ultra this weekend with a 6 am gun time. It is probably overkill for anything but very dark conditions.
I consider 200 lumens the MINIMUM for comfortable (nonsquinting) night running. It’s a good brightness though if you are running on trails with other runners running toward you - any brighter than that, and you will be blinding them.
But, if you are running in the wee hours where there’s nobody else out but you, 350-500 lumens is the best. It’s so bright that you can run 5 minute miles if you want with no problem, and your field of view is really, really good - removes all the spookiness of night running. It’s too bright though if you are encountering other runners (turn it down in that case.)
I’ve tried 750+ lumen bike lights, and they’re actually too bright - the street signs become blindingly reflective as you near them!
I wouldn’t pay $80 for a paltry 200 lumen light though.
The cheaper Amazon ones work fine for 200 lumen range, should cost <$40.
For 350-500 lumens, the Fenix headlamps are very high quality, and have very good (2hr+) runtime, but do require the 18650 battery and charger which adds a little to the cost. This may be overkill if you’re a triathlete running <10miles at a time in the dark, but if you do get serious about dark mileage (I trained for a marathon in the dark with it) Fenix headlamps are outstanding.
I use the Black Diamond Sprinter. 200 lumen, rechargeable, blinking red light on the back for extra visibility. It is reasonably light and I haven’t had issues with it moving around or bouncing (the battery on the back balances it well).
Get knuckle lights.
Pros vs headlights:
do not bounce around your head at allaim them where you want them they are pretty broad beam, so your swinging arms doesn’t matter easier to wave about and shine towards cars sneaking up into the crosswalk when you stand around chatting with people, you won’t blind themthere are two, so if one goes dead or your buddy forgot their light, you’ll be fine (one is sufficient for trail running…sidewalks, no problem)you look like ironmanparallax - on a headlamp, the shadow from a rock in front of you will hide behind the rock itself (since the headlamp is higher than your eyes) so you cannot actually see the contrasty black shadow. with hand lamps, since the light is far below your eyes, the shadow is super long, so you’ll actually see itif you fall, they may break your fall instead of your knuckles knuckle-dusters
The super bright headlights (usually the ones with external battery packs behind your head) are definitely brighter, but unnecessarily so. I confidently run chunky trails with a single knuckle light. The second one is a bonus but really not needed. Just make sure you get the modern style (rechargeable, not AAA) since they are better in about every way - power, battery style, ergonomics.
I had the Black Diamond Revolt, 300 lumens until I lost it. I then bought a Black Diamond Storm, 350 lumens. They both weigh about 100g.
I have done a lot of trail running with both of them. I find that they are comfortable to run. I use mine a lot so need to replace the elastic headband every year.
The battery being at the back and lamp at the front does balance it better so it doesn’t tend to rotate forwards on your head and the (removable) strap over the top means it doesn’t tend to slip down even with very little strap tension. Having said that, I gave mine got a knock early in it’s life and broke the retainer for the strap over the top - it works absolutely fine without it too.
the red LED on the back is a bonus. You can switch it off if you like but it’s a huge improvement to visibility if you’ll be running near traffic in the dark. The main lamp is very bright and illuminates widely and evenly. No hotspots or tunnel vision. I usually dim it in urban areas but use the full beam off road. It’s a simple case of holding down the power button for a couple of seconds and releasing when the light level is where you want it. Easily done mid run while wearing gloves if you feel the need!
Another vote for the Black Diamond Sprinter. I’ve been using it regularly the last two years with no issues, and given some bits of my runs are on roads the decent rear red light is essential. As previously mentioned, the rear battery pack balances it well and I’ve never had any issues with it moving around or bouncing. I even use it for early morning track intervals.
https://kogalla.com/ has lots of options and isn’t on your head so weight isn’t that much of an issue. For the head, I like the Petzl Actik. It can go SUPER bright for trail or just normal for the neighborhood. It feels light and I’ve wore it throughout an entire evening without feeling it really.
I totally agree about Fenix making good stuff. I have gone through a handful of headlamps the last couple years and you certainly get what you pay for. My current one is a Fenix HL26 which is a little lighter than most of their headlights and rechargeable. It goes on a lot of runs and nearly every car or indoor project. It’s not the ‘best’ at anything, but it doesn’t have any real weaknesses or letdowns. Its 130 lumens (spotlight setting) does everything I need and that temporary 400 lumen “burst” setting is pretty nice for the two times I have to run alongside a busy road on our route. I have a cheap ‘200 lumen’ headlamp and even with fresh batteries it’s clearly a worse performer than the Fenix at 130. The other thing I found here on the IL/WI border is that my cheaper headlights were getting crushed in cold weather. One from a recommended brand here would turn off about 10 minutes into a run if the air temp was below ~10 degrees Farenheit. That and another were depleting their charges so fast in the winter, I had to run with spare batteries. I’m a pretty casual runner in the winter since I’m really just doing it to hit my daily run goal and get two labs exercised, so it’s not like I’m asking headlights to do anything crazy.
To me, once I started getting much over 200 lumens I “feel” my eyes were adjusting. I’m not running 5 minute miles in the dark though. Rarely even <7, so that could be a consideration to wanting more brightness.
I don’t think the new version of the Sprinter was out when I bought the Fenix a year ago. Since I’m usually clipping a taillight on somewhere, I think I would like to try the Sprinter out. I just can’t find what their other settings are other than high. The other one that sticks out to me is the Corebeam Reactor 2. I’m already wearing a running pack most of the time for a phone, dog bags, mace and a light or two clipped to it. I just wish they had the option to go brighter.
If you’re just running on the road/sidewalk, then you don’t need anything powerful at all. I’d go with something like this over the off brand Amazon headlamp. There is a $20 model as well but it’s not as small/lightweight.
If you’re running on trials, then you’ll want something more powerful. I have the Petzl Reactik+ and it’s worked well for me on long trail runs but is overkill on the roads even at the lowest setting.
Get knuckle lights.
Pros vs headlights:
do not bounce around your head at allaim them where you want them they are pretty broad beam, so your swinging arms doesn’t matter easier to wave about and shine towards cars sneaking up into the crosswalk when you stand around chatting with people, you won’t blind themthere are two, so if one goes dead or your buddy forgot their light, you’ll be fine (one is sufficient for trail running…sidewalks, no problem)you look like ironmanparallax - on a headlamp, the shadow from a rock in front of you will hide behind the rock itself (since the headlamp is higher than your eyes) so you cannot actually see the contrasty black shadow. with hand lamps, since the light is far below your eyes, the shadow is super long, so you’ll actually see itif you fall, they may break your fall instead of your knuckles knuckle-dusters
The super bright headlights (usually the ones with external battery packs behind your head) are definitely brighter, but unnecessarily so. I confidently run chunky trails with a single knuckle light. The second one is a bonus but really not needed. Just make sure you get the modern style (rechargeable, not AAA) since they are better in about every way - power, battery style, ergonomics.
All this x10. Knuckle Lights are awesome. The light seems so much more natural than a headlamp and they illuminate a nice big circle around you. I’ve used them on roads, trails, in rain, snow, etc. and I prefer them to a headlamp in every situation.
This is the best I’ve found. Use Lithium batteries and it’s super light. Have had the 150 lumen model for 2 years and it’s great-plenty bright! Just purchased the new 300 lumen to try it out…
1 for the Black Diamond Sprinter. Owner for two years - zero issues - amazing eaze, great battery life, and comfortable. In addition to features mentioned, also like that I can control brightness.