When you need a big, bright, and wide light, the Fenix HP25R is the right tool for the job. It absolutely dominates the other lights in brightness. It shines a beautiful beam 182 meters distance. Like all lights, that beam degrades as the battery drains, but not much. It drops from 182 meters to about 150 meters in the first 30 minutes, then steps down to a regulated 113-meter beam for 2 hours, and then steps down to 69 meters for a final 20 mins. That gives you 2.8 hours of an amazingly wide and bright beam to enjoy. No light except the similarly priced Zebralight H600w offered a comparable combination of sustained and powerful beam performance. With alkalines, the ReVolt is claimed to provide 70 hours of light at full power on the main beam, and 300 hours at minimum.

Not all headlamps have a flood light option, but it’s a great function to have for proximity lighting. Best for around camp or in a tent, flood lights cast a wide beam and maximize the view right in front of you. Some headlamps will have two LEDs, one for spot lighting and one for flood lighting, while others (like the Coast FL75R) allow you to shape one single LED into a distance beam or an up-close flood. In their specs, most manufacturers will call out a lamp’s beam distance—for example, the BioLite HeadLamp 325 has an 10-meter flood and a 70-meter spot. The Petzl Actik Core features both a flood and spot beam Weight: the Storm is a little heavier than the Revolt (although we are talking under half an ounce) In fact, all functions are carried out via the main button, making operation simple, as long as you can remember the different methods of selection. In addition to that, most Petzl headlamps often come with rechargeable batteries and also the option to switch to AAAs when you need to.Another incredibly important benefit of this headlamp is that it is fully waterproof. It can be submerged up to 1 meter into water, and you can then use it for about 30 minutes. This makes it a great choice for diving, and basically anything where you need a waterproof headlamp. But this headlamp is also twice as bright as the Tikka, so the steeper price is not really a surprise. Overall, it is a better and stronger lamp, and more suitable for some really strenuous activities in the dark. And the two light modes(wide and mixed) will really allow you to customize the direction and width of the light beam. After 10 hours using the two single-power LEDs, there is very little difference in range between full and minimum power, being 3m and 2.4m respectively.

The torch will also provide light from two red LEDs to preserve night vision, and this can be turned on direct, rather than cycling through the white modes. The Revolt 350 could be described as a solid all-round headlamp. The strap is excellent, with strong elasticity and a hard-wearing weave. I find many lightweight hiking focused headlamps tend to have rather puny straps. The lighting buttons (particularly the mode selector) are a little on the small side, especially if you’re wearing gloves. But there is a nice “powertap” function which allows you to switch between the main and dimmer bulb simply by tapping the side of the lamp. In terms of the bean length, the low setting is perfect for any activities where you are focused on your immediate surroundings. The medium settings will be great if you are moving around a lot, and the high setting will allow you to see almost 200 feet in front of you.Granted, all of the headlamps last longer when they are in the low light setting. That is why it’s ironic that this headlamp will last you some 70 hours even when it’s emitting all 500 lumens! The ReVolt also has a battery meter, which is different from the battery power indicator. Its function is to signal different error modes, such as improperly seated batteries or batteries that have been discharged too much and need to be reconditioned in a wall charger (not included). Holding down the button takes the headtorch into red mode, with the two red LEDs giving a dim, but night-vision-preserving light. I found the red light pretty much unusable for route finding on the hill, though it is bright enough to read a map, though of course much of the detail, and the orangey-brown contour lines in particular, disappearing in the red light. THERMAREST & MSR: Sale! 30% Off all MSR Tents and Thermarest Sleeping Bags including the award-winning Parsec 0!

The headlamp also has an integrated brightness sensor. This allows it to work in two different modes, reactive lighting, and constant lighting. If you set it to reactive lighting, the lamp will autonomously adjust the brightness level and put out the optimal amount of light for your surroundings.The Revoltis very similar to the Spot (which I compared in this review) except a little heavier and has the rechargeable option. Of course, you can use normal Alkalines with it too and get the full 300 Lumens and longer battery life.

Overall both of these brands make good, high-quality headlamps. They might not be the brightest headlamps available, but they are certainly the ones that you will use for years to come. One feature we don't love is the auto-shutoff after 2 hours to prevent accidental battery drain. This prevents its effective use as a nite light, which would otherwise be a great option (we typically set headlamps to a very low dim level, and leave them on all night). The Wiz is not a great general purpose light for grown-ups (or even older kids), due to the limited beam distance, but it is perfectly adequate for walking the dog at night, reading or use around camp. The Wiz is affordable and we consider it the best light for young kids, great for travel, sleepovers, and camping, assuring you a happier family adventure. The Storm is your go-to lamp if you want a brighter headlamp (but it’s heavier). The Revolt can be recharged on the go via the headlamp itself. In fact, I would advise carrying three alkalines anyway as spares. The last thing you want is to find yourself in the dark with exhausted power supply.So, what makes this lamp iconic? Well, for one thing, it’s the battery life. Although it uses alkalines, the Icon headlamp can last you up to 175 hours, on the low lightsetting. This is a drastic improvement over Petzl’s Nao+. Yes, the Nao+ had 250 more lumens, but the battery life difference is still more than 150 hours! You can switch between lighting modes with PowerTap technology, and choose between full power and dimmed power. The former setting will drain your batteries faster, which is something to keep in mind.