Dawn Patrol Headlamp

Interesting, a lot of votes for the icon. I don't think I'm going to go with BD this time - not too enamored with the BD lamp I already have, and I can't proform BD in winter. That's a big reason for the attraction to princeton tec, along with the waterproof rating and battery compatibility.

It seems like the market features a number of LED only lamps, and a few with other varieties of bulbs. I was planning on keeping it an LED only lamp, mostly due to the convenience- harder to break, and a more-or-less unlimited lifetime. I know bulbs have been brighter in the past, but it seems like the LED technology has caught up- is this still the case? Any other arguments for LED vs. Bulb?

Thanks for the feedback on a fairly nitpicky question. But that's why I'm here. I like details.

A current sucking incandescent bulb? Are you kidding?

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Originally Posted by Big Steve

A current sucking incandescent bulb? Are you kidding?

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hence, the skepticism over the BD Icon Rec's.

AFAICT, functionally, the brightest high output LED's are as bright as or brighter than the brightest incandescent headlamp bulbs, so I see no advantage, and plenty of disadvantage, re incandescents. I used a Petzl Myo 5 (5 small LED's + a bright xenon-halogen incandescent bulb) for awhile and the X-H was bright as I ever needed. It worked fine but, wow, the X-H bulb sucked batteries (4 hour battery life in X-H, 40 lumens per Petzl specs). I've still got it -- it's for sale for cheap. I switched to the Petzl Myo XP (which is the best headlamp I've ever used) and it's brighter on high beam (85 lumens per Petzl spec, 150 lumens on "boost" mode) than the Myo 5 in X-H mode, but with many times greater battery life (80 hours on high beam per Petzl spec), no worries about bulbs burning out and nice pure white light. If someone claims that an incandescent headlamp had any advantage over the new high output LED headlamps (e.g., Myo XP, Myo RXP), I'd be interested to hear their reasoning.

BD Spot.

I had a princeton tec that was shit. Not bright at all. Had a Petzl Tikka plus I didn't like that much either.

I like the BD spot because you can use the one brighter beam for distance and the three smaller LEDs for close, less bright applications. Plus 3 brightness setting for each light, though to be honest I almost never use this feature.

Anyone use the Fenix HP10 225 Lumen Headlamp. It says it only runs 2.5 hours at 225 lumens, anyone verify this from personal use? Just trying to get some info before I pro deal one. Thanks

The new Spot that BD just released appears to be a significant improvement over the old. My old (right after it first came out) Spot was given to my dad because the dimmer function stopped working a long time ago.

I used to recommend the Tikka XP2 over the Spot for a non-overhead-strap lamp, but I may be back to recommending the Spot.

These days I have an Icon, with an e-lite for backup/ultralight.

BD headlamps suck ass. Yes, I have owned them and they are cheap chinese POS's. Petzl and PT make better products and although they all have their malfunctions, they are more reliable than BD. If you want to stay in the mass produced range, look at Brunton or Mammut. For dawn patrols get something with a spot capacity and at least 80 lumens. Use lithium batteries.

For a little more coin and versatility, check out Ay-Up or Lupine's ultra light setups. If you got some tech savvy get a Magicshine light head and make your own battery pack....as big as you want/need. They cost $45 and run at 600 lumens (900 claimed). That's 1.5X brighter and 90% less expensive than Petzl's flagship. :eek:

Bumping because I need a headlamp and most of the comments are now outdated. Looking for less than 4 oz, bright (50 lumens+), and lasts a long time, like its a headlamp.

Big Steve - You still recommending the Petzl Myo XP? I thought 6.35oz was a little heavy. Then again, it is 3 oz we're talking about.

Myo XP is awesome. You can cut the weight-on-head by getting the version with the external battery pack. (Batteries stay warmer and last longer inside your backpack, too.)

BD Icon..... Love having the option of the big LED in the middle when I want to see far, and running the 4 outer LED's for regular lighting

People are overthinking this. These days there are numerous LED headlamps which will work fine. I prefer Petzl lamps (having had bad experiences with BD and Princeton) but that's merely my personal experience.

neufox47, the Myo XP has been bomber and 100% reliable for me with hundreds of uses, including stratovolcano climbs, nighttime ski descents, trail runs, etc. But, as I state above, there are other lamps that would work fine. FWIW, I use NiMH Eneloop rechargeable cells.

I really like my Mammut Lucido TX1

The high intensity spot is really bright. Throws a beam that is useful out to about 70 meters or so. Good battery life, and well designed. I've used mine for several years, and have had no problems with it.

I just got a BD Ikon (I think, can't remember for sure, big LED in middle, smaller around the outside and a red mode) recently to add to my Petzl that I had for years. No complaints on the BD product, and I like the versatility a lot. The red did a great job preserving night vision on recent camping trip.

I've been using the BD storm. Its brighter than the spot and waterproof. Feels much higher quality as well.

I do not understand why BD headlamps get a bad rep. I have used both the spot and icon. The spot is light and pretty bright. The icon is super bright but a bit heavy. The icon performed flawlessly on Mt Shasta, Rainier, Hood and Baker for me this summer climbing season. No problems whatsoever. Having the power of the Icon is very nice for glacier situations but the weight might be excessive for skinning. My 2 cents.

Hmmmmm. Seems that BD have a good rep on this board. I've seen two BD lamps fail. One had a current leak and other other an open circuit. I also had a Princeton with a current leak. But I'm talking about my personal experience, not general reputation. It's possible that BD and Princeton fixed the problems.