Looking for a good headlight with a bright red light option

I have a Gearlight S500 but the red option isn't sufficiently bright.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I find my o.e.m. headlights pretty much perfect. On my "04" Buick Le Saber.

Pretty sure he's meaning the kind you strap to your head, not the ones in your car.

I've used Black Diamond headlamps for years. Always with a red light option to retain night vision.

I have two Black Diamond but both are older. Not sure what is in the current lineup but if I needed a new one I would look at their lineup first.

Petzl

I use a Fenix #HL60R. Two bright led lamps for red. Has worked great on the sailboat, I can read the chart with it on.
It is heavy, but robust. I also use it for wrenching on vehicles (white light mode).
Takes a rechargeable 18650.

A few years ago I bought a Nightstick brand, powered by 3 AAAs. I don't know the model number, but it looks like the current NSP4610B on Amazon. It has three white light modes, a red and a green. Seems bright to me, and has been trouble free, but IMHO eats AAA batteries. Wish it used 3 AAs like some of the newer headlights.

I use a Streamlight sidewinder in the field and even sometimes on the car. Superbright white with Red/Blue/IR options:

Take a look at the Knog products: https://www.knog.com/category/products/headlamps/

Black Diamond Storm - Awesome white spot/flood (infinitely variable output) - 1 tap to max brightness.

Red or blue LEDs - flood only, but quite bright at max. Again infinitely variable and one tap to max output.

Even better - it uses AAA batteries so I can simply swap out batteries if they go dead out on the water or out in the woods.

Anything by Surefire. They come with a clip-over red lens.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
Anything by Surefire. They come with a clip-over red lens.

For the money they want, they should come with someone to clip the red lens on.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I find my o.e.m. headlights pretty much perfect. On my "04" Buick Le Saber.

I thought they were Le Sabre's

quote:

Originally posted by Pyker:
For the money they want, they should come with someone to clip the red lens on.

I'm never without my assistant.



Pricy, yes. Especially now. Mine were bought in 2012 and 2013. They do last forever and are deductible for some.

I started using Princton Tec in the military based on several recommendations. They're a great light with a good warranty and CS. I like the Remix family. The most recent versions are 300 lumens on bright white, with a very good usable red light (first on) brightness. The PRO version uses a 123 battery. The non-PRO version uses AAAs.

Have been using Princeton Tec for a lot of years now. Current ones I am using are the Vizz. First click is red, second click is high output white, hold the button and it dims. Run on AAA and is "waterproof", the battery compartment is secured with a thumb screw and gasket. Very pleased so far!

Black Diamond or Petzl have been good for me and I use the red light almost 75% of the time I'd estimate.

For walking the dogs I like my Black Diamond Cosmo
tap for spot is very nice.

For working around the house I like the Princeton Tec Apex

Black Diamond Storm.

It's gasket sealed for better water resistance, and runs on 4 AAA so they can get it a little brighter than the 3 cell versions.

Resist the urge to buy last year's model on closeout. Some people were having overheating issues with last year's model. Seems the issue is now resolved and the light has a higher lumen count this year as well.

I appreciate having both flood and spot LEDs on a headlamp. Some of the single cell lithium headlamps like the Olight H1 or Fenix HL60 only have a single LED, which makes it less versatile. In camp or working up close inside a car engine bay, in prefer flood lighting but when hiking or walking in the dark, spot is preferred.

Petzl Tikka and its many, MANY varieties have been the gold standard for headlamps for nearly 2-decades now. They partnered with US SOF units to develop the military version which is widely used now, and have since spun-off many varieties of its iconic design.

Black Diamond Spot has been a very close second and a nice alternative for shops and consumers looking for some variation.

Take a look at what professional mountaineers and climbers use - Petzl, Black Diamond and Tikka.