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Aug 01, 2023

The 5 Best Headlamps of 2023

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Our rechargeable pick, the Petzl Actik Core, has been redesigned; the new version has 600 lumens. We’re testing it, the rechargeable version of the Spot 400, and other options.

Whether you’re headed into the backcountry or just taking your dog on a nighttime walk, with a good headlamp, you’ll never be caught in the dark. We’ve been testing headlamps since 2012, and after subjecting them to years of late-night hikes, evening runs, and stargazing sessions, we still think the Black Diamond Spot—the latest version being the Spot 400—is the best headlamp. It's easy to use, with a long-lasting battery and a bright beam to keep your paths well lit, year after year.

The Spot 400 is an easy-to-use, bright-enough headlamp that provides long-lasting battery life and reliable performance, year after year.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.

When you’re car camping or even just digging through a closet, the Black Diamond Spot 400, provides exactly what you need: a bright beam, easy-to-navigate buttons, and long-lasting battery life. The Spot has been at the top of our list since 2012 because it's reliable and bright enough to light the way in most situations, whether indoors or outdoors. The 400 model includes the same features we’ve always liked. And it has 50 more lumens than the previous Spot (so 400 in all), for a noticeable bump in brightness (although we still think the previous version was plenty bright enough). The Spot's top buttons are more intuitive to use than the single button on versions that are older than the 350. You’ll still have to experiment and click through the various modes, but we think the learning curve is fairly quick. The Spot has a Brightness Memory mode, so it can revert to a previous setting whenever you turn on the headlamp. This model also has a red-light option (good for when you’re switching the lamp on and off at night), a "proximity" flood-light option (which gives you a wider beam and more peripheral lighting, so it's great for camping), and strobe options (perfect for throwing an emergency signal in the dark). The 3-ounce Spot 400 locks and is weather-resistant. And its PowerTap technology lets you transition the headlamp from full power to dimmed with one touch. Although there are headlamps out there with brighter, higher-quality beams, none offered the same combination of decent brightness, simplicity, and reliability at such a low price. If you want to save a little money, we think the discontinued Spot 350 is still a great, bright headlamp, if you can find it.

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Though not quite as bright as our top pick, this headlamp is nonetheless a comfortable, simple-to-navigate option for around-the-house use, at a fraction of the price of competitors.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $15.

The Vitchelo V800 remains a good, low-cost choice. Toggling between the red- and white-light settings (there are two separate buttons) is easy, and we liked the comfortable head strap. That said, we wish the light were brighter (it's still only 168 lumens). This headlamp also has fewer features, and it lacks the memory and locking modes we liked in our top pick. Even so, this headlamp performed as well as competitors that were many times the price. If you need a low-cost headlamp for completing around-the-house chores, taking your dog on evening walks, or stepping out into the yard at night, this is a good option.

The Actik Core has the brightest light with the highest beam quality, and it stays charged for days—whether you charge it via USB or AAA batteries. It's perfect for backpacking trips.

The Petzl Actik Core is the best choice for backpackers, outdoor adventurers, and anyone who needs a headlamp with charging options (both USB and batteries). We tested two rechargeable headlamps in 2019 (and we’ve evaluated nine others for previous iterations of this guide), and we think this light is the best for outdoor adventures. It's durable, easy to use, and weighs under 3 ounces (just slightly less than the Black Diamond Spot 400). The Actik Core's 450-lumen light was also the brightest of the bunch, and it had the best optical quality. This model recharges quickly and easily, which is great if you want to juice up the light on your way to the trail. If you travel with a battery pack, rechargeable devices can be more convenient (you accumulate somewhat less battery waste over time, and the charge lasts for more than 16 hours). The Actik Core is also versatile—if you don't have a USB source handy, you can run the headlamp on three AAA batteries. Some things we liked less: There's no floodlight feature (which is good for camping), and the Actik Core has a lower-than-expected weatherproof rating. Compared with the Spot 400, which can withstand being submerged underwater, this model can only handle splashes.

The Sprinter 500 is a head-and-taillight-laden model that's lightweight, comfortable, and secure. The front light is brighter than those in previous Sprinter versions and even stronger than our top pick (which is also plenty bright enough).

After years of testing, we still haven't found a running headlamp (with a head strap or harness, plus a taillight, that won't bounce off when you run) that's lightweight, secure, and bright. But the Black Diamond Sprinter 500 continues to sit in our best-in-class spot. The Sprinter has a 500-lumen front light, and it provided decent trail illumination during our long nighttime runs. You’ll need to charge the headlamp every few days (according to the manual), but we used it for 13-plus hours without any problem (you can use AAA batteries if you prefer). The Sprinter notched a few wins over the other running models we tested. Its comfortable, easily adjustable strap keeps the lamp secured to your head while you run, and it weighs a little over 4 ounces (more than the Spot 400, but not enough to feel heavy). Also, its rear blinker provides an important safety component. In an upgrade from the Sprinter 275, the 500 features a lockout setting, which prevents the light from accidentally turning on in your bag or pocket.

Rainbow lights make this kids headlamp fun to play with during camping trips or backyard adventures.

The fancy light feature—which shines in all the colors of the rainbow—was what really sold us on the Black Diamond Wiz. This model also turns off at the two-hour mark, in case your kid forgets to do this. The control mechanism on the Wiz is a bit complicated, but we don't think kids will mind clicking through the rainbow colors as they figure out which setting to choose. We think compared with the other kids models we tested (all of which offered only red and white lights), this headlamp is both the right price and more fun to use. Although the Wiz has only 30 lumens, that should be good enough for most kids (plus, they won't be able to blind each other—or you—with the light).

The Spot 400 is an easy-to-use, bright-enough headlamp that provides long-lasting battery life and reliable performance, year after year.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.

Though not quite as bright as our top pick, this headlamp is nonetheless a comfortable, simple-to-navigate option for around-the-house use, at a fraction of the price of competitors.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $15.

The Actik Core has the brightest light with the highest beam quality, and it stays charged for days—whether you charge it via USB or AAA batteries. It's perfect for backpacking trips.

The Sprinter 500 is a head-and-taillight-laden model that's lightweight, comfortable, and secure. The front light is brighter than those in previous Sprinter versions and even stronger than our top pick (which is also plenty bright enough).

Rainbow lights make this kids headlamp fun to play with during camping trips or backyard adventures.

Senior staff writer Eve O’Neill worked on the first iterations of this guide (from 2013 to 2018) while living in a cabin in the woods. She used a headlamp for nearly everything, since her laundry, gear shed, and most of her storage were all outside.

As for me, I’ve been a science journalist for nearly a decade, and for the past four years I’ve been writing outdoor-focused gear guides, covering everything from yoga pants to backpacking tents to gaiters. I’ve been writing about headlamps for several years, and I often use them for around-the-house tasks (like walking my dog or fixing a broken sink), as well as on camping trips and night hikes in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve even used headlamps while traveling, reading in a dark cabin in the Pocono Mountains and searching for an Airbnb lockbox in Iceland.

This guide is for people who want a hands-free alternative to a good flashlight. A headlamp can be useful for car camping, completing a DIY home-improvement project, taking your dog on late-night walks, and digging in the back of a dark closet, among other things. And if you need a headlamp for outdoor adventuring or running—or you want a headlamp for your kids—we have options for those scenarios, too.

The headlamps in this guide are not recommended for mountain biking (you need something brighter when moving that quickly) or hunting. They are not appropriate for tactical use or search-and-rescue efforts (which require something with colored LED lights, and maybe color temperature, too). And they’re not intended for caving, diving, or underwater photography (those require a seriously waterproof model, which the headlamps in this guide are not).

First, we researched headlamp reviews and recommendations from reputable online sources. We also combed through Amazon's top-rated options, and then we vetted the reviews of those models by analyzing them on Fakespot. Over the years, we’ve kept a running list of the headlamps we’ve seen at trade shows and in press releases.

After compiling a massive list of testing options again this year, we chatted with experts to define the most important features of a good headlamp. They told us that a good headlamp is mostly just a flashlight that you strap to your head, with long-lasting battery life and a reliable, bright light that can be controlled with easy-to-use buttons. We used the following criteria to determine which headlamps to test:

Once we narrowed down our list, we called in our old favorites and ordered some newer options, for a total of 17 headlamps. We ran these headlamps through a series of king-of-the-hill tests to see whether the new beat out the old. In some cases, they did. In most cases, though, our previous picks reigned supreme. We ran the following tests with each headlamp:

The light and battery specs on headlamp boxes are highly misleading, so we wanted to test the lights ourselves to see how they behaved during their marketed run times. We turned on all 17 headlamps to their highest setting and checked them every hour for 12 hours. We took notes on which headlamps burned out, which ones dimmed, which ones automatically turned themselves off (only the kids options did), and which ones looked just as steady after 12 hours as they did in the first hour.

In 2022, Black Diamond announced new versions to replace our picks: The Spot 400 replaced the Spot 350 (our top pick at the time), and the Sprinter 500 succeeded the Sprinter 275 (our pick for runners at the time). We tested these new headlamps’ runtimes against our picks by using the same method as our previous update: loading each headlamp with the same alkaline AAA batteries, turning them on to the highest setting, and checking them every hour for 12 hours.

Black Diamond also introduced the Spot 400-R, which is a rechargeable version of the Spot 400. We haven't tested it against our current rechargeable pick, but we plan to do so in the future.

We took all of the headlamps into a dark closet and compared their beams against one another on a white wall to check out hot spots, light quality, and beam size.

This is one of the biggest frustrations we have with many headlamps: To arrive at a desired setting, a not-so-great headlamp requires complicated clicking configurations; this can be maddening when you’re walking in the dark and just need to see the ground in front of you. We think an easy-to-use and intuitive headlamp will always win out over something more complicated—and it should also be simple to operate right out of the box. So one of our biggest testing efforts focused on usability.

Over several weeks, we used every light for DIY tasks around the house. We wore them when searching for items in the back of a dark closet and when reorganizing a small space under the sink. We also took each headlamp on a nighttime dog walk. Have you ever tried picking up dog poop in thick grass in the dark? It's a task made much easier by a good light with a narrow, directed, bright beam.

For the kids headlamps, we sent them off to two very discerning kids (who’ve been living with gear testers for years), and we asked them to use the headlamps for all manner of adventures. We also took the running headlamps on early morning and evening runs during the winter months, when daylight was limited. If a headlamp was rechargeable, we analyzed how easy it was to figure out the charging system and how quickly it charged up.

We received some complaints about the durability of our picks, so in 2020, we even popped our top picks into a dryer for 15 minutes and then dropped them into a bowl of water for 30 minutes, to see how they’d handle a week of very hard treatment in the backcountry.

Finally, we considered comfort. Does the head strap feel comfortable on your head? Does it cinch down easily? Is the headlamp bulky and does it fall off easily, or does it feel secure even after a long walk? Whether you’re using the headlamp to read in bed or to take a nighttime walk with the dog, comfort is key.

Throughout all of this, we ventured to use the headlamps without reading the instructions, determining whether the lamps were intuitive and easy to use straight out of the box.

The Spot 400 is an easy-to-use, bright-enough headlamp that provides long-lasting battery life and reliable performance, year after year.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.

The Black Diamond Spot has been our pick for a decade because it provides a reasonably high-quality light in a variety of beam shapes. This Spot is not fancy, but it's comfortable, and it has a half-day battery life. Also, the learning-to-use-it curve is quick and easy. The newest iteration, the 400 (named for the number of lumens), still has the high-quality construction we’ve come to expect, and it offers some small improvements over the previous model. You can certainly find stronger lights with better optics, but this one occupies the part of the Venn diagram where price, reliability, performance, and ease of use overlap.

The Spot 400 improves on the 350 (the 400's predecessor) with an added 50 lumens. Lumen count is more of a directional standard than a strict benchmark, but this is still an upgrade numbers-wise. Still, the real-world difference isn't eye-popping, and in most cases you won't notice a huge difference in brightness between the 350 and 400. For that reason, if you can still find the discontinued Spot 350, we still think it's a great buy.

There are also a few small design tweaks to the Spot 400 from its predecessor, the Spot 350. The lamp hinge has been adjusted so that changing the light's angle is smoother. Its main button sits slightly higher than the top of the 400's main compartment (the 350's button sat flush); it's a small but surprisingly helpful detail when you need to find the button quickly with your finger, and it makes it easier to distinguish from the secondary button. The battery compartment is also slightly different: It can hold either three AAA batteries or Black Diamond's BD 1500 rechargeable lithium ion battery (sold separately from the headlamp). We plan to test the BD 1500's performance against AAA batteries in the near future.

The shape of the front of the Spot 400 is also somewhat different from the 350, making the 400's main button slightly smaller than the 350's, but we didn't find it affect the overall usability in our testing. Lastly, the headstrap of the Spot 400 is about two-thirds of the height of the Spot 350's. This might not seem like a huge difference, but we generally noticed 400's elastic pressure a bit more around our head, whereas with the Spot 350, the headband feels like a softer hug.

In our tests, this headlamp ran at high brightness for three hours—longer than the 2.5 hours Black Diamond lists in the Spot 400 manual. Even after three hours, it continued to run, but lost a significant amount of brightness, which might leave you squinting if you’re looking for small items in your tent or trying to navigate a dark trail. Keep in mind, brightness and battery life can vary based on the type of battery, power level, and how long it is used. Your mileage may vary. Make sure to pack a few extra sets of batteries (this lamp requires three AAAs).

The Spot 400 is intuitive to use straight out of the box, and its battery housing (the same as on the 350) is simple to open. In the past, we’d complained about the Spot's single big button. But when Black Diamond upgraded to the 325 model, it fixed the problem by including separate buttons, which are far easier to use. When you hold down the larger button, you can toggle through light settings (ranging from 400 lumens on high to 6 lumens on low). Double-clicking the button gives you the Strobe setting, and it also turns the lamp off and on. The red-light setting allows you to see the trail (or the road) at night, without causing vision spots for your walking companions. The new, smaller button also turns the lamp off and on, and it controls the Brightness Memory mode (which lets you turn the light back on at the same setting you left it). And a PowerTap button on the side takes the Spot from full power to dimmed with one touch. The Spot and our running headlamp pick, the Sprinter, are the only headlamps we tested that have a lock mode (which prevents the light from accidentally turning on in your bag).

The Spot 400's directed beam throws light far down the path in front of you, which is useful when you are hiking or walking your dog at night. We found that we could see trees (and other neighborhood dogs) from a distance of about 100 feet. This was a slight improvement over the performance of older models but still not as far as what the company boasts on its website (86 meters, or 282 feet, on high). The floodlight (again, the Spot was the only pick to offer this) is great for rummaging around a tent or closet, illuminating everything you need to see with a wide-reaching pattern.

The Spot 400 has an IPX water-resistance rating of 8, which means it will work submerged in up to 1.1 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. We dropped the light into a shallow bucket of water for 30 minutes, after which it seemed to work just fine. But do keep in mind that this degree of water protection is intended mostly for accidental exposure, not intentional underwater adventures. When we removed the Spot from the water, the battery casing was filled with moisture (something Black Diamond mentions in the headlamp's description, and an issue that several of this guide's commenters noticed, too). But once we dried everything out, the headlamp worked as well as it had before the water test. Finally, the Spot weighs 3 ounces, which is light enough that you’ll likely forget you have a light on your head. And the band is comfortable against your skin even when you sweat.

For the price, this headlamp offers everything you need. We think it's a solid option for most people who want a reliable headlamp that lets them clearly see everything during home-improvement projects and keeps the world lit up outdoors at night.

The Spot 400 works well for most standard tasks. But its light quality leaves a little to be desired compared with that of other models we tested, like the Coast FL85 and the Petzl Actik Core. As with past models, the 400 has a bit of a hot spot in the middle of the beam, where the light appears more concentrated. This isn't a huge problem, and it's less extreme in the 400 than in past versions. But you’re likely to notice that the Spot doesn't feel highly technical when you need a light that casts far into the distance (such as on trail runs or midnight trips to the bathroom while camping; for this, we recommend the Petzl model). We also wish there weren't quite so many options to flip through with the buttons. Sure, they work better than the single button on older Spot models, but it takes a lot of patience and trial and error to tap through each setting and find the option you want.

For years now, many Wirecutter staffers have bought and used their own Spot headlamps, comparing the Spot's quality and usability against that of a wide variety of headlamps. They still find the Spot to be superior to anything in the same price range. I’ve owned a Spot since 2015, and it has never faltered, even during rainy, windy days and on long hikes. (The previous writer of this guide, Eve O’Neill, has had her Spot headlamp since 2011, and she hasn't encountered any problems, either.) The Spot has held up—even after spending time in a dryer and being banged around in a backpack on numerous trips. Of course, the 400 is a relatively new model; we’ll continue testing it to make sure it stands up over time. All of Black Diamond's headlamps are backed by the company's three-year warranty, just in case.

Though not quite as bright as our top pick, this headlamp is nonetheless a comfortable, simple-to-navigate option for around-the-house use, at a fraction of the price of competitors.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $15.

The Vitchelo V800 is a solid choice for a few reasons. It's well priced, costing a fraction of the price of models with similar features, and the V800 offers decent water resistance. This headlamp also has an easy-to-use navigation system and red- and white-light settings. We did wish the light beam reached farther, however, and the V800's battery life was also quite lacking, dimming after 4½ hours on high (far sooner than any of our other picks). But if you need a light for doing chores around the house, reading in the evenings, or walking the dog at night, the V800 will be more than enough.

As with the Black Diamond Spot 400, we liked that the V800 offered red- and white-strobe options for night use and safety, respectively. The headlamp has two buttons: The one on the right clicks through four settings of white light (High, Medium, Low, and Strobe) and then off, while the one on the left clicks through two settings of red light (Solid and Strobe) and then off. They worked well even while we were wearing gloves, in the rain, in the dark—anywhere, really—and it's about as easy to learn as the Spot, no manual required. We think this simple-to-use setup should be required for all headlamps.

The V800 lost out on our top spot because the light isn't as bright or as high in quality as that of the Black Diamond Spot 400. (The V800 is only 168 lumens, less than half of the Spot's 400.) It promises to cast a 110-meter (360-foot) beam, but as with the Spot, we could see only about 100 feet into the distance with the Vitchelo. The V800 also has a hot spot in the middle, though it's not really noticeable if you’re just using the light around the house or during an evening walk around the neighborhood. A few more drawbacks to the V800 over the Spot: There's no floodlight, just a spot option that illuminates a small surface in front of you; it also lacks lockout and memory modes.

The V800 has decent battery life for the price, but it's not the best we’ve seen, and we think the Black Diamond Spot is better if you need a reliable light for more than four hours. The V800's specs promise 120 hours of power on the lowest light setting, but we weren't able to get anywhere near those run times during our tests. We also noticed that the headlamp dimmed slightly after 4½ hours on the brightest mode. (It still gave off medium-bright light for the remaining 7½ hours of our battery test, but the light was much dimmer at that point compared with the other headlamps we tested.) The V800 runs on three AAA batteries, so bring replacements if you’re out hiking.

We did like the head strap, which was easily adjustable, soft, and comfortable; we also liked that the headlamp weighs 4 ounces, only an ounce more than the Spot.

The Actik Core has the brightest light with the highest beam quality, and it stays charged for days—whether you charge it via USB or AAA batteries. It's perfect for backpacking trips.

The Petzl Actik Core is easy to charge and weighs less than any of our other adult headlamp picks, so it's ideal for outdoor adventures. This headlamp was one of two rechargeable models we tested in 2019 (we’ve also looked at nine others, for previous versions of this guide). The Actik Core beat out our old pick due to its 450-lumen light, long battery life (it charges quickly via USB and also takes regular AAA batteries), and intuitive controls. But unless you really need a model to be rechargeable, this may be too much headlamp for you.

Right out of the box, the Petzl Actik Core was easy to use. It has just one button and three brightness options: low (6 lumens), medium (100 lumens), and high (450 lumens). When you hold down the button for several seconds, the color turns to red; when you double-click, you access the Strobe setting. Compared with some other rechargeable headlamps (which required complicated clicking configurations to access the desired setting), the Actik Core was simpler, though we did lament its lack of a flood beam. (We also liked the double-button setup of the Black Diamond Spot and Vitchelo V800 a bit better than the Actik Core's single button.)

The Actik Core charges quickly via USB. Although Petzl says you should expect a three-hour charge time, we found that this model charged from empty to full within two hours—faster than its competitors. Even on its highest setting, the Actik Core stayed bright for the entirety of our 12-hour battery test—longer than its advertised run time—and we had to charge it only once over a few weeks of using it. Another plus: If you prefer to leave your charger or battery pack at home, you can bring three AAA batteries as a backup and swap them into the headlamp in place of the rechargeable battery; the light will work just as well as it would have if charged via USB.

The Actik Core's 450-lumen light casts farther (about 120 feet) than the light of the Black Diamond Spot, and the higher light quality was noticeable (especially in a dark closet, where we didn't notice any significant hot spots or inconsistencies). If you plan to use the Actik Core in another setting, the included mounting accessories allow you to attach it to a helmet or bicycle. The headlamp is IPX4-rated, which means it's mostly dust-proof and resistant to water splashes; it cannot be submerged in water for long periods of time. The rating is kind of a disappointment compared with that of the Spot; though you’re unlikely to need full-on weatherproofing (especially for dust and water) in a headlamp, it's nice to have if you’re headed outdoors.

The Sprinter 500 is a head-and-taillight-laden model that's lightweight, comfortable, and secure. The front light is brighter than those in previous Sprinter versions and even stronger than our top pick (which is also plenty bright enough).

We’re still waiting for the perfect running headlamp—one that's comfortable and lightweight with a bright-enough beam. Among the field of existing options, the Black Diamond Sprinter 500 remains at the front of the pack, as it has for four years. The Sprinter stayed secure on our heads during bouncy runs, and at a little over 4 ounces, it was light enough to wear for longer runs, too. We also liked that the Sprinter had a white light in front and a red taillight for safety. Since there's just one button to click, this headlamp is intuitive to use while you’re in motion. Its 500-lumen light—almost double the 275 lumens in the previous version we tested—is strong enough to illuminate 15 feet on your path, and the battery life is admirable.

The Sprinter 500 was noticeably brighter than the 275 in the area of the beam that lit our peripheral vision. It added a good deal of visibility (and peace of mind) on trails or especially dark areas. While the Sprinter is a solid option, it's not the most comfortable; we ended up with forehead impressions after most runs, no matter how well we adjusted it.

That tight fit does have an upside, though: The Sprinter 500 was the only running headlamp we tested that stayed secure on our head during runs, thanks to a head strap that can be adjusted to fit over a hat or your hair. And there's not a lot to deal with while you’re running. For the front light there's just one button to toggle between settings: Normal (one click), Dim (hold the button down), and Strobe (three clicks). This was also the only running headlamp we tested that had a red light on the back, which also flashes with the click of a button. We liked that we could adjust the headlamp to light up the sidewalk in front of us at our preferred angle (this wasn't the case with some of the other running headlamps we tested).

Previously, we complained about this headlamp's brightness level. But the new update adds 75 lumens, and this change really does make a difference. The Sprinter casts a decent, bright beam about 15 feet in front of you, and it illuminates trees and houses far into the distance. This light still isn't the brightest of the bunch—especially if you’re running in the city. But wearing a headlamp is a practical safety decision, and it helps other runners and vehicles see you.

The Sprinter is rechargeable, and during testing it lasted for 12 hours without dimming, beating all of its running-headlamp competitors by many hours. The light looked just as bright at hour 12 as it had at hour one, and it lasted for several runs after that, too (this was longer than Black Diamond's advertised specs of a four-hour run time on high). And you can swap out the rechargeable battery for AAAs, if you’re worried about not having a place to recharge.

The Sprinter's IPX4 rating means that, like the Actik Core, it's mostly dust-proof and resistant to water splashes, but it can't be submerged in water for long periods of time. This headlamp is also missing a flood setting, but in an upgrade from its predecessor, the Sprinter 500 features a lockout setting, which prevents the light from accidentally turning on.

The Sprinter 500's battery compartment is also slightly different from its predecessor: It can hold either three AAA batteries or Black Diamond's BD 1800 rechargeable Li-ion battery (sold separately from the headlamp). We plan to test the BD 1800's performance against regular AAA batteries in the near future.

Rainbow lights make this kids headlamp fun to play with during camping trips or backyard adventures.

Sure, headlamps are a practical purchase, but they can also be a fun gadget for kids to play with at the campsite or during backyard adventures. The kids we know use them mostly while pretending to be red-eyed monsters or rainbow unicorns, and who are we to judge? The Black Diamond Wiz kids headlamp is lightweight and easy to adjust. And it offers a feature that prompted our testers to place it above all of its competitors: rainbow lights.

The Wiz has just 30 lumens, but with two AAA batteries, those 30 lumens last a long time. And the light automatically turns off every two hours, just in case the kiddos forget. We turned the light back on each time for the duration of our 12-hour battery test, and things were still going strong; this is longer than Black Diamond's advertised run time of five hours on high.

The Black Diamond Wiz boasts a variety of rainbow colors, which don't cast very far into the distance (definitely not the advertised 26 feet on high). But they are fun to look at and likely safer for children, who might not know they should avoid staring directly into the light. Upon first using the Wiz, it's a bit tough to get the batteries into the housing (which is hard to pry open, so you’ll have to use the peg on the strap). Once they’re in, however, the light turns on and immediately enters Rainbow mode. The other two settings feature a white light and a red light. Clicking through the options is also tricky (you never really know which one you’re going to get), but the kid testers seemed excited by this, rather than frustrated. One click takes you to regular Light mode, two clicks to Rainbow mode, and three clicks to Strobe mode.

Since the Wiz weighs just under 2 ounces and has an easily adjustable head strap, it's designed nicely for kids. And this headlamp is made to be beaten up: It comes with an IXP4 rating (the same rating our picks for rechargeable and running headlamps have). We also think that for the price, the Wiz is a bit more fun for kids than some of the other options we tested.

A lumen is not the obvious indicator of performance it may seem to be. Its very definition is confounding: Merriam-Webster defines a lumen as being "a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a unit solid angle by a uniform point source of one candle intensity." Huh? How bright is that, exactly?

A rational person might walk into a store, see a headlamp that's rated at 200 lumens, and come to the logical conclusion that it is brighter (and thus better) than the 150-lumen light sitting next to it. However, no box is eager to inform you that lumens do not stay constant for the light's entire run time. For instance, what if the 200-lumen light started outputting just 100 lumens after being on for only five minutes, yet the 150-lumen light remained constant for 10 or 20 minutes? Which one is the brighter light? Which one is the better light? The higher the lumen count, the more battery a light requires—and the faster it will burn out.

And that sky-high lumen count you’re paying for may only be temporary. Some headlamp companies use a "burst mode," which provides a bright flash of light. (None of our picks have this mode, but a few of the headlamps we tested did.) Those burst modes often provide the highest lumen count, but for only a few seconds; this drains the battery and renders the headlamp unusable more quickly than expected.

Lumen output and run time are also totally different depending on whether you use alkaline, lithium, lithium-ion, or nickel-hydride batteries. Add the physical components, such as the lens and the LEDs (which vary in shape, output, size, and arrangement, and influence how and where the light shines), and you’ll start to realize that lumens aren't really the be-all and end-all when it comes to defining how a light looks and behaves while you’re actually using it.

The light's color makes a difference in how you see it. The lumens emitted from a red LED, for example, appear different to the naked eye than the lumens from LEDs of other colors. This is why red light can be better to use at night, since it's less of an affront to your eyes. So the lumens advertised for bike taillights, which are red, are comparable to one another but not to the lumens of the white LEDs you see on headlamps.

Until recently, to assess headlamp brightness and run time, major brands like Petzl and Black Diamond relied on the "moonlight protocol" (which means that once the light is dimmer than the light of a full moon, the run time "stops"). But by that point, the light is likely to be a lot dimmer than it was when you originally turned it on. And, as you’ll see in this guide, the advertised run times seem to differ greatly from the run times we observed during testing.

In 2016, a new standard called ANSI/PLATO FL1 was implemented with the hope of normalizing lumen count a bit (or at least providing a sense of how much light you can expect and for how long). The FL1 standard measures more than just lumens; it assesses light output, beam distance, run time, peak beam intensity, impact resistance, water resistance, and waterproofing. Many of the major brands we tested for this guide—including Princeton Tec, Petzl, and Black Diamond—have adopted the standard, although it's still optional. (All of our picks except the Vitchelo V800 use the new standard.)

Some headlamps fade their brightness, instead of shutting off all at once as they lose power. Essentially, the new standard sets rules and procedures for measurement, including setting the clock-stopping point for run time at the moment the light reaches 10% of its original brightness. For example, per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 standard, if a headlamp is 200 lumens, it will hit its max run time when its light emits only 20 lumens. That's the run time you see on the box and on the company website.

But even this standard isn't perfect. For one thing, if a headlamp has a higher lumen count, it will be considered "burned out" at a higher number than a light with a lower lumen count would be. A 400-lumen light, for example, is considered "burned out" when it hits 40 lumens—but that's still more light than a 200-lumen light emits when it's considered to be burned out. To correct for this, the new standard also includes information about "reserve time," or the time when the light is still usable but has passed the ANSI/PLATO FL1 threshold.

It's a start, but this measurement still doesn't tell you much about whether one light is better than another, or how the light actually looks when it's being used.

Ultimately, we’re glad the industry is starting to change the way we talk about light quality. And in this guide and everyday life, we’ll continue to use the word lumen to talk about lighting; it saves our brains from going into meltdown mode. But a lumen count isn't the obvious indicator of performance it may appear to be at first, so we still think it's worth looking beyond the numbers and testing the lights with your naked eye, as we have. We’ll also continue to check run times and to observe how much a light dims over time when we’re using it. Even now, a headlamp's packaging isn't likely to give you those details (sigh).

Black Diamond released the Spot 400-R, a rechargeable version of the Spot 400 that's powered by an internal lithium ion battery and charges via a micro-USB port. It has most of the features and advantages of the Spot 400, but we haven't yet tested it against our rechargeable pick. We plan to do so soon.

BioLite HeadLamp 200: We previously tested BioLite's standard headlamp option, the 330, and found it to be very lightweight but not intuitive to set up. We also had qualms about the battery life (it lasted for only 10 hours) and its non-adjustable beam. This new model, the 200, is less bright, less expensive, and lighter. Its 2-ounce weight is definitely a selling point for runners because it's barely noticeable on your head. The company also improved its setup strategy (press and hold the power button for 8 seconds to unlock). And the adjustability is better; now, you can position the light to hit the ground about 8 to 10 feet in front of you, which is useful for night runs and hikes. But the battery life was still an issue (it lasted for only 6 hours this time before needing to be recharged, compared with competitors's 12-plus-hour run time). And because it lacks an overhead strap, we needed to pull it down constantly during a run. If you’re looking for a very lightweight, very low-profile headlamp, this could be a good option. But be wary: Though some customers rave about these headlamps, the quality seems inconsistent. Some customers have received models that stop working after one use; the company does offer a one-year warranty. We’ll keep using ours over the course of the year to see how it handles during outdoor adventures.

BioLite Headlamp 330: When we tested this much-anticipated rechargeable headlamp—which weighs just 2½ ounces and offers 330 lumens of light—in 2019, we really wanted to love it. But we were disappointed to find that we needed the manual to learn the complicated configuration of clicks that unlocked the headlamp. We also struggled to charge the headlamp without having to reread the directions several times (on our first attempt, the headlamp didn't charge at all). During the battery test, this headlamp lasted for only 10 hours (compared with 12-plus-hour run times for competitors), and then it needed to be charged again via USB. And during a test run, we found the beam to be relatively useless because we couldn't tilt it down far enough to point at the ground in front of us. This headlamp's low profile and lighter weight (meaning it doesn't bounce) are some of the BioLite's biggest selling points. But that low profile also means you can't adjust the light to point where you need it to go, something that is paramount during a run.

BioLite HeadLamp 750: This newer BioLite headlamp has many more lumens—750—than the line's other models (and more than a lot of its competitors, too). The light is, indeed, really bright, and the articulated, adjustable front piece is much easier to use than the ones on past iterations of BioLites we’ve tested. As with the BioLite 200, with the 750 you have to press and hold the power button for 8 seconds to turn on the headlamp. This model also offers "Constant" and "Run Forever" modes, purportedly meaning that the headlamp doesn't automatically dim and you can charge it on the go. But we found that the headlamp did dim: Although the light stayed on for 12 hours, the brightness was visibly reduced after the first six. The main downside to this headlamp is the large battery pack on the back. The headlamp weighs 5 ounces (which takes it out of the running for lightweight options), and some reviewers have reported that the battery pack gets hot after just a few hours of use.

Black Diamond Storm 400: The Black Diamond Storm 400 is a "burly" option, according to the company, because of its IPX7 rating. It has the same PowerTap button as the Spot 400, as well as a similar beam distance and caliber of light. It was also upgraded from last year's version to include 25 extra lumens, resulting in a slightly brighter light. But we also think the Storm is slightly overbuilt for the average user. And despite the Storm 400's higher price, it doesn't offer much beyond what the Spot already offers. (Black Diamond has replaced the Storm 400 with the brighter Storm 450 and the USB-rechargeable Storm 500-R, which both now have an IP67 rating—meaning they’re dustproof—but we still prefer the Spot for most people.)

Coast FL85: This is a high-quality light, but it's more than most people need. It was also heavy enough that it slipped down our forehead during walks. The buttons were hard to find in the dark, too, especially when we were wearing gloves.

Fenix HL60R: This headlamp's 4.3-ounce weight made it too heavy to wear while running or moving quickly. And the price is high for its light quality, which we found to be comparable to that of the Petzl Actik Core. Note: Though the light is advertised as being 950 lumens (whoa!), that's only while in "turbo" mode.

Foxelli MX20: This model would have been our runner-up budget option had it offered two buttons, as the Vitchelo V800 does. The MX20 is less expensive, but we think the separate buttons on the V800 are worth a few extra bucks.

Led Lenser NEO, SEO 5, MH6: These three models are now mostly out of stock; when we tested them in 2019 and previous years, we found that they were expensive, fairly counterintuitive to use, and heavy.

Petzl Tikkid: A popular kids headlamp, this 20-lumen light is another good option for early explorers, but it offers only red and white lights. We liked the reflector strip (for safety) and the easily adjustable headband. Like its competitors, the Tikkid turned off automatically after a few hours to protect its battery life. If not for the Black Diamond Wiz's rainbow lights, we’d have called this headlamp a winner.

Princeton Tec Remix: The latest version of this model now has 450 lumens and red LED; we’ll compare it soon to our top pick.

Princeton Tec Sync 200: We really liked the idea of this model's manually rotating on/off controls. But the Sync's dial turned on inside a carry-on several times, despite being in lockout mode. (Princeton Tec has since replaced the Sync 200 with a 300-lumen version; we’ll take a look to see if the design has changed.)

Princeton Tec Snap: The 300-lumen Snap caught our attention for its multipurpose housing, but it was tough to operate out of the box without having to use the manual.

Yalumi Spark Dual: This light broke out of its housing during the tumble-dry test.

This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.

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