Hands Free: 5 Inexpensive Headlamps

Lanterns with the Bailong logo can be found on almost all continents of our planet. In the low-cost portfolio of the brand’s headlamps, the Police BL-2188B model seems like an interesting solution. And that's why.

The lighting part of the flashlight is assembled in an anodized aluminum housing that is resistant to impact, dust and moisture. The light source was an LED with a Cree XM-L T6 reflector. In maximum brightness mode, it produces a luminous flux of up to 1000 lm with a beam propagation range of about 800 m. At the same time, the flashlight supports operation at half heat and has a fast flashing mode (strobe).

Bailong Police BL-2188B supports focus adjustment by rotating the frame clockwise and counterclockwise. The lighting width can be adjusted depending on specific needs. The downside to the high brightness of the flashlight is its short battery life. However, if you have spare 18650 batteries, the problem is eliminated. Moreover, two chargers are supplied with the flashlight - one for the mains and one for the car cigarette lighter socket.

In the context of its peers in the headlamp chamber, the model is a “heavyweight” - its weight is approximately 175 g. Carrying a flashlight on your head for a long time can result in unpleasant sensations. However, taking into account the truly outstanding brightness of the luminous flux and the affordable cost of the model, this drawback fades into the background. In terms of totality of characteristics, there are practically no flashlights equal to them in the low-cost segment.

The Stark L-3-03 Li 5W Osram LED headlamp will come in handy during power outages, in the garage, on evening jogs and during forays into nature. The model frees the user's hands and has two operating modes.

The flashlight is attached to the head using an elastic strap, which does not create discomfort when worn for a long time. The headlamp is turned on both with a button and with gestures - with the motion sensor active, it is enough to hold your palm at a distance of about 10 cm from the flashlight for its bulbs to shine. Low and high beam are available to the user.

The lighting elements of the model are represented by a group of 5W Osram LED + COB LEDs. Together they form a luminous flux of up to 230 + 120 lm. In both operating modes, the flashlight provides a fairly wide beam with good light dispersion at close range. The “head” of the flashlight is mounted on a hinge mechanism with the ability to adjust the direction of the light flux.

The Stark L-3-03 Li 5W Osram LED is powered by a 900 mAh battery. At peak brightness, the battery charge lasts for approximately 2 hours of battery life of the flashlight. The battery is charged via a microUSB connector from a suitable USB port. The headband is made in a housing made of impact-resistant ABS plastic with protection from moisture and other adverse environmental conditions. The flashlight pays for itself in full.

A worthwhile find for fishermen, hunters and tourists is the EMOS P3536 headlamp. It is suitable for illuminating near and far distances, both with bright white light and red or green bulbs.

The model cleverly combines two lighting sources - a single LED and a COB plate, which provides additional red or green color modes. “Color” functions do not disrupt a person’s “night vision” mode when the eyes are already accustomed to the dark. In turn, the white LED reaches a distance of up to 100 m with a luminous flux power of up to 220 lm. In total, EMOS P3536 has 7 lighting modes (including flickering).

The flashlight body is fixed on an elastic bandage with adjustable coverage of the user's head. It is made of plastic and has basic moisture protection parameters. The flashlight is powered by a trio of “pinky” form factor batteries ( AAA type). Please note that batteries are not included. You can also use similar AAA batteries with the model. The autonomy of the flashlight varies depending on the mode and battery capacity from 45 to 160 hours.

Thanks to its compact folded size (length about 6.5 cm) , the forehead protector easily fits into a spacious outerwear pocket. At the same time, the flashlight is lightweight(65 g without batteries). On the market of travel accessories, the model has one of the most attractive price/quality ratios.

Videx VLF A-055H is a practical flashlight with universal purpose. It can be worn on the head, attached to a surface using a clip or a built-in magnet.

As a headlamp, the body of the flashlight is attached to an elastic strap made of soft, wear-resistant material. The bandage fits tightly on the user's head, eliminating discomfort when worn for long periods of time. It also provides for mounting the flashlight on various surfaces using a mounting clip and a magnet (for placement on metal objects). Auxiliary fastening devices come to the rescue in an unlit kitchen or dark garage when performing maintenance work on the “iron horse”.

The main character in the flashlight design is a high-quality Luminus SST-20 diode, which supports two brightness levels with a maximum luminous flux of 600 lm and a beam range of up to 115 m. In the HIGH maximum brightness mode, the flashlight can stay afloat for about 1 hour 40 min. Extending the battery life by about another 1 hour is expected by switching to LOW mode, during which the luminous flux is 150 lm and the lighting distance is about 50 m. The model also has two additional lighting modes - strobe and SOS.

The Videx VLF A-055H's shock-resistant case with protection against dust and water according to the IP68 standard houses a 16340 rechargeable battery with a capacity of 800 mAh. It has a charge indication and is charged through the contact group of the on-board USB C connector. If you wish, you can purchase a larger battery for the model - with it the flashlight will work even longer.

It's no secret that the Chinese company Xiaomi has a whole armada of subsidiary sub-brands in its wake. From one of these, a practical model of the headlamp NexTool Multifunctional headlights NE20002 is presented on store shelves.

The flashlight is addressed to tourists, mountain climbers, cyclists and ordinary people. The headlamp placement method frees up the user's hands, while providing high-quality illumination of the immediate environment. The module with the COB diode plate is fixed on a movable mount, which allows you to direct the light at the desired angle up or down.

The diode plate of the flashlight generates a luminous flux of up to 105 lm. But the model does not provide for adjusting brightness levels. The headlamp is powered by a built-in rechargeable battery with a capacity of 500 mAh with an autonomy of up to 17 hours of non-stop operation of the flashlight. The battery is charged from any USB port, be it a Powerbank, a laptop, or a wall charger.

The headlamp weighs only 27 g - you can barely feel it on your head. Plus, the model’s positive qualities include the small size of the case(a little more than 6 cm, excluding the strap). The flashlight is declared to have basic moisture protection, and the Xiaomi NexTool Multifunctional headlights NE20002 also has an indicator of the remaining battery charge level. In the extended configuration, the flashlight comes with bicycle mounts.