The Best Headlamps of 2023

The Spot 400-R ($65) has been around for years and has gone through good and bad iterations. But with the most recent refresh, Black Diamond gave us a small, powerful, and effective headlamp that makes it the best all-around headlamp.

At 400 lumens max output, the spotlight clearly lights objects out to 100 m. While there are much more powerful headlamps on the market (and a few listed here), this is plenty of power for the vast majority of uses.

And for most users, the medium and low settings, which provide phenomenal runtimes of up to 225 hours on low (4 hours on high), give plenty of light for hiking or doing camp chores.

The user interface of this light is wonderfully simple and intuitive. It has two buttons. One turns it on and off. The other scrolls through settings of spot, proximity, red, and strobe. Hold the button to dim or brighten. It’s a simple, easy-to-learn method that works even with thin gloves.

The light is wonderfully small, weighing just 2.6 ounces. This makes it a great choice if you stow it in a backpack. Finally, it recharges through a common micro-USB charging port. So there’s no need to pack a special cord to recharge this lamp in the field or in your vehicle.

While all these specs are great, real-world testing proved the Spot 400-R is up to a lot of jobs. I used it on a Nebraska turkey hunt during which I camped for a week, and the light shined bright for the entire time. And it was the best-performing small headlamp of more than 20 tested in our longevity test!

Initially turned on high, it ran for more than 24 hours before going into a dim but useable “limp mode.” In doing so, it competed with much larger, more expensive headlamps and left its weight-class competitors in the dust.

The Petzl Tikkina headlamp ($25) is just that — a headlamp. It’s not intensely bright, nor does it have a red light. But for $25, you get a decent headlamp that runs on batteries.

You can also purchase 1,250 mAh CORE rechargeable batteries for this lamp if you’re looking to be more eco-conscious.

The Tikkina is fairly lightweight, and it has a high runtime in low-light mode. It offers a low, medium, and bright type of light that easily adjusts via one button.

This headlamp easily fits into our KISS model of efficiency while managing to be at (or under) $20. The only downside is it doesn’t come with a rechargeable battery.

As with most budget lights, you’ll wind up spending more money over time as you buy more and more batteries. But for those looking to avoid a big hit to the wallet, it’ll get the job done on a $20 bill.

If one of our editors had their pick for the best headlamp, it would be the Coast FL85R ($63). What do they love about this big, burly beast of a lamp?

First, it’s got giant buttons for bigger hands that have trouble with smaller buttons. And this makes it much easier to operate while wearing gloves.

You can use these to easily flip from white to red light as well as change the power of your light. Second, you can either use the rechargeable battery pack or switch batteries out for alkaline.

This is a nice feature, especially if you forget to recharge things on the regular. It’s also easy to move from floodlight to spotlight with a simple turn of the dial on the lamp.

But what really blew us away in testing is the long throw of this somewhat modest headlamp. Thanks to the zooming lens of the spotlight, it easily outshined all the headlamps in our test, especially at long distances. Sure, the light quality was not as nice as the Fenix (more on this later), but to clearly see faraway objects, the Coast was a winner.

There are several cons to this headlamp. First, the runtime, even on the low-light setting, is extremely short at under 9 hours. So, you’ll prob want to pack those extra alkaline batteries.

Second, it’s a bit bulkier than some of the lights on this list. Some users noted it bounces a little and can drag down on your forehead.

But as far as simple, robust, and bright go, the Coast FL85R is a winner.

This is a hotly contested choice, as each member of the GearJunkie crew has their personal favorite headlamp. But some of us have put the BioLite 330 to the test for years now, and it’s as great of a headlamp today as it was when we first got it.

The kicker for us with the BioLite 330 ($60) is you don’t wear the battery pack on the front of your head. Instead, the light is built into the headband of the lamp, and it connects to the battery pack that now sits behind your head.

As hunters, we’re often doing weird stuff in the dark, like breaking down an animal, trekking back to the rig, or trying to get to an early-morning hunting spot.

This is simply the most comfortable and effective headlamp we’ve worn. The lack of weight on the forehead keeps the headlamp and light from bouncing or getting off-kilter. The sweat-wicking material is awesome, and you can easily tilt the light down for hiking or running.

Many of our testers don’t find any big cons with this lamp, but a couple of GearJunkies have weighed in that they have trouble with the small buttons and adjusting the headband due to the cord in the back. But when you don’t share headlamps or use a helmet off and on, that’s not much of an issue.

We’ll note it’s a tad more expensive than your average headlamp, but trust us — it’s worth it if you’re bumbling around in the woods like we are.

Check out our full review of the BioLite330 HeadLamp.

This well-loved and super-light headlamp is a solid option for those sick of bulky headbands and heavy lights. At 1.2 ounces, the Petzl Bindi ($44) is crazy minimal. And it still boasts fair runtime and decent lumens in comparison to everything else on this list.

The adjustable drawstring band is minimalistic, and it can easily go over your head, hat, or hood. It boasts a 4.7-star rating on Amazon, and the fast adjustment is a huge bonus. Folks love this for search and rescue, running, camping, and anything where a minimal approach is needed. The tilt is highly adjustable, and the cord itself is reflective for safety.

Really, this is a well-loved headlamp at a decent price with a use-case scenario that covers most outdoors people.

Read our full review of the Petzl Bindi Headlamp.

When you want a headlamp that just works simply with plenty of power for the vast majority of outdoor uses, the Petzl Actik Core ($69) is hard to beat. And while it performs as well as most of the lights on this list, it wonderfully can use multiple battery types — AAA batteries or the included Petzl Core rechargeable battery.

Let’s start out with the thing you’ll notice — the user interface. It has a single button on top. Press it once to turn it on. Push it again to increase to full brightness. Press and hold for a red light. It couldn’t be much simpler.

We tested the power and light quality of the Actik Core while camping in the Colorado Rocky Mountains this spring. It offers a nice, even light at close range. Its long-range power is middle-of-the-pack (several other models have better range). And other lights (particularly the fenix models) have much better color rendering, meaning you see color better under their light.

But what we love is the Actik Core uses both the included rechargeable Core battery and AAA batteries. It requires no adapter, so you can switch between them in the field or even carry AAAs as a backup on longer trips.

Of course, it has a red beam. We will barely consider using a headlamp without one, as it’s critical in maintaining night vision, not blinding friends around camp, and conserving battery life.

At about $70, the Actik Core is great. The headband is comfortable, and it’s easy to use. Unless you need a lot of power or longer range, this headlamp is an excellent choice.

Why? It has both a front light and rear flashing red light as well as a reflective headband to ensure that motorists see you from all directions.

While this is safety-first, the NEO5R proved to be no slouch in terms of performance in testing. It has an incredibly good runtime and came in just behind our premium selection (also a Ledlenser light) in terms of the overall runtime.

The headlamp shined a full 24 hours straight while still putting out useable light. It also has a powerful beam of 600 lumens that reaches 100 m into the night.

While not the best color-rendering headlamp on the list, the light is optimized for running. It gives you decent depth perception for a single light source, although a second source definitely improves depth perception while running on trails. This light has a red light also, so it can do double duty around camp or on the hiking trail.

Our only downside is it requires you to use Ledlenser’s magnetic USB-C charging cable. While an effective system, it’s not compatible with anything else. So, you will have to pack and store a cable specific to this headlamp, which we count as a negative on any lighting product.

The HM 50R V2 ($60) is a crazy powerful headlamp for its size. It weighs just 2.75 ounces yet punches out a whopping 700 lumens on turbo mode (400 on high). And it can run a long time even with its tiny battery (3 hours on high, or 48 on low).

The user experience is wonderfully simple. There is a single button on the side. It’s easy to find. Push it once to turn it on. Push again to increase power. Repeat for more. Push and hold for red. Push and long hold to lock. Easy peasy.

Thanks to the diminutive nature, our testers barely noticed this headlamp while testing. It fits great and is extremely comfortable.

The only negative, compared with the Black Diamond Spot 400-R, is that the Fenix died early during our runtime test, turning off after about 7 hours after being started on “high” mode. But in fairness, it shined bright during the test until it shut down. We’ve experienced great longevity in real-world applications so far.

Fenix gives us one exceptional headlamp in the HM 50R V2. For many people, especially those who want good color rendering, it should be high on the list.

If money is no object, the best headlamp we tested this year was the Ledlenser MH11 ($160). Why doesn’t it win overall? Well, it costs $180 and is simply overkill for many users.

It’s also a little complicated, with the ability to link to your smartphone via an app. While that isn’t a negative, it’s a bit unnecessary for most people.

So with those caveats out of the way, wow — the Ledlenser MH11 is amazing. It far outpowers the rest of the best headlamps with 1,000 lumens reaching an incredible 320 m into the darkness. And it does this with a simple, single-button user interface we loved in testing. But it does a whole lot more.

First, this headlamp uses reactive technology. That means it turns itself way down if you’re near objects and don’t need the full blast of the 1,000-lumen canon. You can watch it work as you move around, providing the just-right amount of light for the situation.

Next, it offers a wide range of colors — white, red, green, and blue. Read more about why all these colors have their functions below.

Finally, like our runner-up selection from Coast, it has a super easy-to-use zooming bezel. Just twist it a quarter-turn to go from wide to spotlight. It’s a great solution and one of the best we’ve used.

Beyond the price, there are only two cons to this headlamp. At 6.3 ounces, it’s among the heaviest in our testing. But given a whopping runtime of a claimed 100 hours (it won our runtime test handily), it may be worth the heft and cost for many users.

Second, it uses Ledlenser’s proprietary magnetic charging cord. Your other cords won’t work, so don’t forget to pack the headlamp-specific cord for your trip.

The Foxelli MX20 is a $15 headlamp with something like 10,200 reviews on Amazon. It offers a lot of what the more expensive headlamps on this list offer at a mere fraction of the price.

It has different light settings from 40 to 165 lumens, it runs for an impressive amount of time on batteries, and it has a red light function. So, for at least half the price of every other headlamp on this list, you get a lot of functionality. And it’s pretty darned lightweight.

Reviewers do say there’s a bit of spillover of light in your eyes, but that happens. It’s also a $15 headlamp, so if you’re expecting something perfect, you’re probably expecting too much.

But for the majority of headlamp needs — or for a battery-operated backup — this is a freakin’ great buy for most folks.

A top-rated headlamp, the Ledlenser MH5 ($50) has more than 400 5-star reviews and nearly 200 4-star reviews via REI Co-op. Overall, folks found this beefy headlamp easy and intuitive for living off-grid, and the brightness — in the highest and lowest settings — hit the mark.

Albeit not the lightest design, the interface offers various light modes (but no strobe option). And users love the rechargeable option but are docked points for the dedicated charging cord (versus a micro-USB).

The light is also detachable from the headband and can clip onto a hat or pocket for flexible use. (That said, the clip felt flimsy for some users, so be careful.)

By far the most stylish headlamp on the list, the Third Eye Headlamp ($50) is a little more off the map than most of the better-known names on this list.

The brand offers some really fun headbands with a plethora of options from “serape blanket” to “cacti” to bandana patterns and more. And the headbands are interchangeable in case you want to up the fun factor.

In testing, our editors loved the two-button user interface for red and white light, and each has varying levels of light. This headlamp also sports one of the higher hours of utility on a battery charge.

Reviewers state that it’s highly adjustable and a great headlamp for kids as well as adults.

For those of you not intimidated by a more technical tool, we can’t leave out the Black Diamond Storm 500 ($75). This lamp features not only white and red lights that can adjust up and down in intensity but also blue and green light options. Plus, there are five strobe options and a blinking SOS signal.

Red light is great for nighttime when our eyes are more sensitive to white light, while blue light is useful for reading maps in the dark, night fishing, and for hunters who need to spot an animal’s blood. Green lights are also helpful tools for hunting at night, as they won’t startle animals.

The headlamp is also certified to function up to 1 m beneath the water for up to 30 minutes. Score for snorkelers!

Bonus for eco-friendly shoppers: The elastic headband is recycled, thanks to Repreve fiber.