Hey guys, I bought a headlamp from Gander Mountain a couple months back and I have to say I am not satisfied with it at all. I was on a budget and didn't want to spend much over $20 and couldn't really afford an LED headlamp. I was a bit skeptical of them as well, and wasn't sure which would be better (LED or regular bulb).

The one I ended up buying is complete junk. The battery life is only one nights worth of fishing (average about 5 hours but only have light on maybe half that). I would have to change the 2 AA's every night, and just stopped using it completely.

Here is a picture of the one I own:


So I ask you guys, which headlamps have you liked best. I see everyone using LED lights at night while fishing, and they always seem so bright. My buddy has a flashlight with LED's and it's much brighter than my regular bulb flashlight and he never has to change batteries it seems. I'm definitely gunna go with LED's next time.

I picked up an LED head lamp at Thorne Bros that has 3 setting for brightness and is very light. it was only $12 bucks or something and it was the best on i have run across.

Go to Walmart. Energizer headlamp with white LEDs, red LED, and a regualr bulb. It's $10-$12. Best bang for your buck. Lots of cat guys use this same lamp.

This isn't exactly the one I have, but it's close. I'll bet they have discontinued the one I have--it's a few years old.

I got an awesome Black Diamond off of REI Outlet.com a few years back for a sweet deal. Search the internet and you'll get a great gear for awesome prices.

Oh and if you can find some of the hybrids with a normal bulb then LED's you'll really like them.

There was (I bought and still use) a $9.95 one with a three position switch. Off in the middle, red to the right and white to the left. I hate those ones you have to click 6-10 times to get the desired light you want. I always miss the one and have start over. White LED is bright, the unit is not bulky and never uses batteries.

Plus it has the single wrap around (headband) type elastic strap. Not the tri-strap. That always felt like I was putting a pair of woman’s panties on my head with the middle strap running back over my head.

I wouldn’t know anything about putting certain garments on my head, I guess some guys do


Anyways, I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.

Instead of buying one $30 or $40 headlamp, buy 3 or 4 of the $9.99 Energizers at Walmart. Not only are they a great deal, they even come with Energizer batteries. Do the math, the headlamp is darn near free. Not only that but they work great. I would much rather have a couple extras that might not be as bright than one bright one that I cannot find.
Like Shack, I would also suggest staying away from the 6 position lamp or any lamp that you have to cycle through a bunch of clicks to turn them off. Simple on/off works best.

My favorite.... purchased at Moore's bait and tackle.
Red LED, White LED, and one incandescent for distance spot.
Best and most used light. I've experimented with a few and this is hands down the best one.

What can I say, I had one heck of a wild bachelor party .

Dtro is right one about the batteries also. Good tip.

The other thing I have noticed with the higher dollar headlamps is after a couple hard drops or a miss install of the battery cover, the battery cover start to fall off all the time. My $9.95 one has never done this.

I am with Shack and Dtro on this. I have the same headlamp and it works great. Excellent battery life and plenty bright for most tasks. If you do drop it in the river, break it, lose it, whatever it is 10 bucks for a replacement.

I don't think they offer that slide to the right for white light and slide to left for red light model anymore. Last time I was looking at w-mart they just had the push button cycle through a bunch of settings model.

There's usually a trade off between batter life and light brightness. In general the units that uses three or four AA batteries will outperform the units that uses two or three AAA batteries.

For me it's a hit or miss with energizers. I've gotten two Walmart $10 head lamps go kaputz after one use. To me, that's a complete waste - time and money. My outdated Cyclops of 10 years with the krypton and three led combo still works better - but not so good on battery life - too bad lens is all scratched up. My energizer flashlights - the hardcase ones - almost indestructable. Been using the K2 luxeon 4D one and it's seen over 50 hrs of use.

Now if they only make a hardcase Energizer head lamp, but it's the separate battery compartment

The info and data for the other hard case flashlights doesn't appear impressive at all. I guess I'll stick with the Browning, Princeton, and Cyclops head lamps. They may cost more, but...that's the trade off.

I like this style a lot. I definitely want some red LED's for walking through the woods, and one dim light just so people don't stumble on us in the dark. I will have to hit up WalMart for this one I think. Thanks for the input guys.

I have three different headlights, one is "el cheapo" from wal fart, it has three settings, one white LED, nine white LEDs, and two red LEDs. Another is a browning I think that has two settings, two white LEDs and one red LED. The third and most reliable one I have is a Guide series from Gander, it has three settings as well, one white LED, three white LEDs, and one Xenon spot light. The last one from gander was the most expensive, but in my opinion the best one. It will however go through the batteries as well if you use the Xenon spotlight too much.

I came here thinking I would break new ground and recommend an Energizer headlamp, but I am just helping beat the horse to death. I have a couple of these things. My first one I used for an entire year...Ice fishing, catfish excursions, walking to deer stand, getting the duck blind set up, camping...never used up the battery.
I love those things.

The other cheapo I had good luck with was Brinkman brand. I may try and get another Brinkman as the one I had is traveling down the thalweg of the Minnesota River hellbent on the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico after springing from the excited lap of an FM staffer that saw his rodtip twitch during one enjoyable starlit summer night chasing kitties. It was the only bummer on an otherwise very fun night. It also belabors the point that it is better to go cheap on these things since the technology has come so far and you're one slip up away from losing them. Besides, aren't catmen supposed to be frugal? You know, drink cheap beer, catch their own bait, pour their own weights, etc.?

While we are on the subject of lighting, what do you guys recommend for a regular flashlight? I bought a $10 incandescent flashlight that is nice because it is rubberized and is water proof. The problem is it takes 2 "D" batteries and it's not bright enough to justify buying D batteries. The battery life is poor as well. My friend has a LED flashlight that lasts forever it seems, while I have to change my batteries almost every night. Plus, his is just as bright if not brighter.

So, as you can see I am now a believer in LED flashlights. I have always been skeptical and preferred them the way the always were, but LED's seem so much more efficient. I would like to spend no more than $20 on a flashlight, since I will be buying that Energizer headlamp tomorrow.

My girlfriend has a 2 million candlepower Black and Decker spot light which is really nice to have when landing a fish, but it is just too big and is hard to carry to our spots so we don't use it anymore but it is a great spotlight for those curious. Very well made with decent battery life.