Best LED Headlamps

Best LED Headlamps – the best and the brightest compact headlamps

In the early days of headlamps they were monstrous things that were so heavy and awkward that they were only used by miners, cavers, mushers, and others who had no choice.

Today however, the headlamp market couldn’t be any further away from its pioneering roots. The headlamps we see today are made out of high power LED lights, are compact, and many are extremely comfortable. But compared to the headlamps of days gone by, any small improvement was major.

One huge improvement in the headlamp industry was the introduction of LED technology. If you are unfamiliar with what LED lights are, let me try to briefly explain what they are and how they benefit headlamps.

LED stands for light emitting diode.  LED lights were a huge step forward for headlamps for a number of reasons. One of the first being that they are several times smaller than the traditional bulb used in older headlamps.

Another plus when it comes to LEDs in headlamps is their power consumption or shall I say lack of consumption. LEDs use significantly less power than traditional bulbs. As a result of their small size and low power consumption, many headlamps have a number of LEDs to offer a variety of lighting options.

Here are some of our favorite headlamps from lowest to highest price:

Black Diamond Ion LED Headlamp – extremely compact light at an extremely low price

Black Diamond Spot LED Headlamp – super bright and water-resistant headlamp

Petzl Tactikka Plus LED Headlamp – great all around headlamp with red light option

Petzl Tikka XP LED Headlamp – versatile and powerful featured filled light

Mammut Lucido TX1 Headlamp – award winning light with far reaching beam

Petzl MyoBelt XP – built for cold weather expeditions

The other major improvement in headlamps that came with the introduction of LED lights was the overall reduction in size of the headlamp. While older headlamps required heavy battery packs and multi-strap carrying contraptions, today’s headlamps can be roughly the size of a golf ball if you choose. Of course, you can get larger more powerful headlamps, but it all depends on what you want and what you will be using the headlamp for.

[Photo courtesy of joelogon]