Best lightweight headlamp for runners

The Petzl Tikka Plus is fine, the way a VW Beetle is fine. Good bottom-of-the line transportation. I bought one on a recommendation from a thread I started here. It just didn't do the job I needed doing.

I run out and back on a gravel trail into the woods here in Oxford, MS--the so-called Whirlpool woods that lead out to Thacker Mountain. The trail is about 10 feet wide, and clean, but it's dark with overhanging branches, even in the winter, and there are deer in the woods with glowing eyes. There are also stories, by people who should know, about bobcat, packs of coyotes, and the occasional pack of feral dogs.

The Petzl Tikka gave me minimal confidence under those conditions. It would have been OK for running on badly-lit roads, or in a safe park, but NOT in the woods. In fact, I ran precisely one run--a mile out, a mile back--and knew I needed more.

I bought the Petzl E87 P MYO RXP Headlamp. (I've cut and pasted the numbers off the Amazon page, for easy reference.) Call it the Myo RXP. It has a heck of a lot more firepower, whether you use it on headlamp mode or diffused mode. But the truth is, even with all THAT light, it feels like the minimal acceptable light level for those circumstances.

I'm not an ultra guy, but if I were running the Western States--all that wilderness at night--I wouldn't think of wearing anything less than the Myo. It was $100 extremely well spent. The battery pack contains three AA batteries, but it rides surprisingly light on my head. The headlight itself is quite lightweight and angles easily, moving (and staying) exactly where you want it to go.

If you're looking for the minimum acceptable lightweight headlamp for low- to moderate-light conditions, such as darkened (but not pitch black) streets, the Tikka is OK. But if you're running into the forest, or in a seriously darkened park, the Myo is what to buy. Period. I've bought and own both.

I use the Princeton Tec Scout and clip it to the waist band of my shorts or my reflective belt.

Revived thread - revised advice. The best bang for the buck by far, and biased for BANG, is the Magicshine with headstrap. This light is pretty much took over all the discussions on the mtbr.com and other bike light forums as a bike headlight since last summer, and quickly also became the budget choice for orienteers for night-O (racing really fast with map/compass/blazing lights through the woods at night), and cross country skiers for night skiing. In the US, the best place to order is from geomangear.com for $85 plus $12 for the headstrap. (The same light with a different name is lightly cheaper from Deal Extreme in Hong Kong, but it's slow shipping). The Magicshine is basically a copy of the $400 to $500 Lupine Tesla. On high, it puts out a constant (regulated) output of about 600 lumens for over 3 hours. (Ignore the 900 lumen claim... its still bright, bright, bright!)

By comparison, the MYO RXP puts out 140 lumens on high. The Black Dimond Sprinter puts out about 80 lumens on high. Check out beamshot comparisons here (best light comparison ever, by the way):

http://fonarevka.lux-rc.com/

In the comparison above, click on the "Road Dry" in the lower left box (selects different scenes or shows a view of the light) and select different lights in the upper box for comparison. The lower middle box is the light brightness setting, the lower right box is camera exposure in seconds (keep this constant between comparisons). Try several of the Zebralight mentioned earlier in this thread, and the Petzl XP with P4 modification (should be about the same as the RXP in brightness), and the Princeton Tec Apex (130 lumens, a popular headlamp in the USA that is in the same class as the RXP). Then click on Magicshine HA-III. You might go, "Holy cow!" You might not think you need something this bright, but once you have used it, or something similarly bright, there's no going back. You can run as fast as you want on a very dark trail, scan for trail intersections that you might otherwise miss, scan to see otherwise invisible terrain in dark valleys or faint trails on hillsides, and see eyeshine from animals at a safe distance (saw two coyote last week on one run last week, two fox on another run, uncountable number of deer in CA. Three moose tonight in AK).

The Magicshine uses a remote battery pack (4x18650 Li-ion), so you'll need to thread the battery down (usually inside a jacket for me) to a pocket or small waistpack/backpack, but's its easily worth it. A separate battery pack is what's used for all the top orienteering/running/skiing lights like the Silvas and Milas anyway. The part on your head weights about 5 oz, and the mounting plate is pretty big, so it's comfortable on your head and doesn't bounce. The beam has both good spill and good throw - you need both for running fast on unfamiliar trails at night.

dramamine wrote:

Huge tip: Wear any headlamp around your WAIST (just below hip bone for stability) instead of head for much improved depth perception, avoiding those toe-grabbing rocks/roots that send you sprawling.

That's only a problem for the low power lights. Night orienteers run through the woods off trail with their lights on their head without the depth perception problem. They don't complain about depth perception. Two main differences: 1) The headlamps used for orienteering are much brighter (from 350 lumens on the low end from the outdated 20W halogen Silva, to about 400-1,000 lumens typical modern high power LED, and even 3,000 lumen homemade lights on a Euro night-O webpage). Most of the lights mentioned in this thread are dim. The Princeton Tec Scout mentioned above is only 16 lumens. 2) Most of these headlamps sit right on your forehead. Most of the O-headlamps sit maybe 2-3" higher, and that brings it far enough away from your eyes to make a substantial difference.

kudzurunner wrote:

Call it the Myo RXP. It has a heck of a lot more firepower, whether you use it on headlamp mode or diffused mode. But the truth is, even with all THAT light, it feels like the minimal acceptable light level for those circumstances.

I'm not an ultra guy, but if I were running the Western States--all that wilderness at night--I wouldn't think of wearing anything less than the Myo. But if you're running into the forest, or in a seriously darkened park, the Myo is what to buy. Period.

My girlfriend bought an RXP recently and complained that it wasn't sufficient for the kind of trail conditions you describe (she uses the light for running, skijoring, and skiing). The Magicshine is about the same price as the RXP... The Magicshine on low is brighter than the RXP and will probably run all night (or close to it) at that setting.

Meant to say the Magicshine on low is brighter than the RXP on high...

o.O wrote:

?!?!?!?!!! wrote:

You guys bust balls when someone cops to running a measly 2:30 marathon or 15 minute 5k, but when someone asks about wearinga friggin' headlight on the middle of their forehead suddenly it's time for legitimate, well thought out and helpful answers. A headlight - on his forhead.

Nice. No wonder people make fun of runners.

Why would you bust balls, can you see in the dark?

yeah, of all the dumb a$$ stuff that's marketed to runners I have to say I dont have an issue with this. Having to run on dark paths, during the winter, this helps me see and allows others to see me. a win win.

I'm a recent convert from headlamps to the go motion vest. It is like a chest mounted head lamp. Benefits are brightness and angle. I could never go back.

Do runners need a floodlight beam (AKA - Spill? Proximity?) or a spotlight?

...'zzzz' seems to be talking about a headlamp for cyclists. I don't want to run with batteries in my pocket (with the risk of battery acid burns to my willy) or strapped to my waste, with the cable dangling around, irritating me, waiting for it to catch a branch and pull the lamp from my head.

According to the internet - The Zebralight H60 is the most powerful and energy efficient headlamp for runners (with no additional external battery packs) due to being one of the few lights using the best LEDs (from Cree). Coleman also use Cree LEDs, but they're not as good as the H60 on paper.

Sadly, the H60 probably wobbles too much for runners and this may also cause the H60's beam to rotate up or down from its original direction:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=215426

Just bought my first headlamp and about to test it out. $30 Energizer Headlight with 60 lumens from Target. There was a 100 lumen one too for ~$39. It's bright as shit, and if you hold the button you can dim it. It operates with a single AA battery (wired to back of head)-- was difficult to figure out at first how to strap it on, but it's fine now. Feels comfortable and secure.

The best lightweight runner's headlamp is currently (check the post date - if it says 2052, I'm actually dead) the Zebralight H600 with a Senybor 2800mAh (18650 size) battery:

http://www.zebralight.com/H600-Cree-XM-L-750Lm-Headlamp-18650_p_72.html

...The "750 lumen" only lasts 3 minutes, but the 420 lumen mode does last the claimed 2.4hrs, and strangely, in practice isn't much duller (I suggest you set it to come on at 420, rather than the default 750 when you switch it on, and it'll remember it). It's all you'll ever need and is bright enough for trail runs, unless you're very fast. They're very reliable, I still have my previous H60 version, which was only bright enough for >8 minute miles - although I am talking woodland/trail running, not pavements. The headband is too floppy for running though, so you'll need a rigid NiteIze type one for it:

http://www.niteize.com/products/headband

You'll also need the Senybor 2800mAh (protected) 18650 battery, or the Panasonic 3100 or 2900(protected) ones if you can find them (not as cheap though) - DO NOT BUY CHEAP ONES which claim 3000mAh, they're lies! See:

http://www.torchythebatteryboy.com/p/batteries_21.html

or

http://lygte-info.dk/info/Batteries18650-2011%20UK.html

The best charger is the Pila, but that's £50 and hard to find. I use a cheap Cytac one, which is okay, but will lesson the battery's life if you forget it and keep it on charge after it's fully charged.

This charger round up might mean something to someone:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?229923-Consumer-Li-Ion-quot-cradle-quot-charger-roundup

...There you go, weeks of research done for you! In 2052 I'd be glad of that time back. XP

are you on trail or road?

I frequently road run at night with no light. I just turn on a small handheld flashlight when a car passes.

If you're on a road or easy during the night, the newer lightweight version of the petzl is still good: the zipka plus. It's the same light, but the strap is much simpler/lighter:

http://www.amazon.com/Petzl-Zipka-Plus-4-LED-Headlamp/dp/B000XU9IXC

$15 right now. I might have to stock up, as I'm a chronic headlamp misplacer.

if you're on a trail you may want something a little beefier. I'd check out the headlamps made for rock climbing or mountain biking rather than the ones made for hiking.

But really consider the handheld route. The closer your light source is to the ground, the better you'll see the relief of the trail.

God some of you are fvcking retarded ... "When a car comes by I light a candle and it costs less than $2"

Just buy a $30 headlamp ...

nice, light, cheap, does the job...

http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/headlamps/universal/tikkina