Head lamp guide

A headlamp , also headlampcalled, is a light source, which is fastened by means of a headband on the head. There are also headlamps integrated in a helmet. The carrier of a headlamp can move freely, as the lamp as well as a flashlightindependent from the mains. With a headlamp your own field of view is evenly lit and your hands are free. There are professional headlamps, for example for miners or speleologists. Headlamps are also becoming increasingly popular in active leisure activities, such as climbing, hiking or cycling. For headlamps there are different bulbs, although the LED technology is becoming increasingly important. In speleology, one still resorts to carbide lamps, which illuminate not only the field of view, but all around. Meanwhile, however, can also afford LEDs. Even the halogen lamps that have been in use for a long time are now almost completely superseded by LEDs.

In the beginning was the miner’s lamp

In mining every miner needed his own personal lamp. In days gone by, mining was a tedious and dangerous business. At headlamps there was not to think. In the Stone Age and Bronze Age, Kien shavings were the only source of light. In ancient times, there were already clay oil lamps, which were called Froschlampen due to their frog-like shape. The open flames in mining always presented a great danger, as it was not rare for mine gases to explosions. The first safer miner’s lamps – known in the mining industry as jagged – existed in the 19th century. Electric miners did not reach the mines until the early 20th century. And so soon the first headlamps were added to the manual. At the first headlights, the miner had the battery pack on one beltendorse. He had a weight of two to three kilos and was able to donate a good ten hours of light. Astonishingly, the headlamps took a long time to assert themselves in mining. Only with the use of plastic, the weight of battery case and lamp could be significantly reduced and the headlamp became more attractive.

Easy and cheap in consumption

LED technology has also revolutionized headlamps. LEDs are extremely economical in power consumption. Headlamps are powered by micro or mignon cells. Some headlamps with particularly high luminosity also Li-ion batteries are used. Headlights are quite light today thanks to this modern technology and they last a long time. A special form of the headlamp are those with an external battery case. They are used in the cold. The weight on the head is thus reduced even more. With these headlamps, the battery is carried on the body as before and is connected with a cable to the headlamp. The Outdoor Magazine has tested ten different headlamps, which have great differences in price but also in weight. Comparing winner with a good price-performance ratio is the Petzl Myo RXP2 with a weight of 170 grams. This is followed by the Black Diamond Storm with an even lower weight of only 115 grams. With 235 grams significantly heavier is the third comparison winner, the Silva X-Trail Plus. This is followed by the Light & Motion Solite 150 with 150 grams and the Silva Ninox with just 80 grams. Places five to ten occupy the models LED-Lenser H3 (110 grams), Mammut X-Shot (185 grams), Litexpress Liberty 120 sensor (110 grams), LED-Lenser H14R (335 grams) and Petzl Ultra (360 grams). Honorable mention was also the Princetontec Sync with only 87 grams in weight and a novel rotary switch.