I was recently contacted to do a review of the Energizer Trailfinder Headlamp. Being a person who loves night running I jumped at the chance! They sent me the 6 LED version (other versions include 1 Watt, 3 LED, and 3 LED cap clip-on)
One problem with testing this light was that it doesn't get dark now in Portland until 9PM and you don't really need a light until at least 9:15PM. So I slipped out last week for a short run at about 9:30PM when it was sufficiently dark. I covered some roads, trails and a dark footpath at park near my house.
The headlamp runs on 3AA batteries (Energizer of course. It comes with their "Max" batteries). I tested out the angle adjustment of this headlamp before I went out for my run. It has a great range and can basically go to about 90 degrees if you so desire to see the area directly below you illuminated. I also tested out the lighting modes which include spotlight, flood, flood+spotlight, and red LED for low light/night vision.
When I took the headlamp out for a run I quickly learned that either flood or spotlight provided plenty of light. The headlamps runs for about 50 hours on these settings and 20 on flood+spot which I think would be rarely needed (and is really more of a "boost" mode). The lamp was comfortable and provided a bright & clear white light. The light stayed in place great and despite being twice as heavy as my Tikka XP it really didn't seem like it. At less than $20 this light is a sure winner!
Pros:
Inexpensive: $15-$18
Very adjustable
4 different light modes
Comfortable & No Slip
Possible Cons:
Weight (if you notice this kind of thing - didn't bother me)
Run time (Tikka XP will run for 100 hours but is more than twice the money and I don't think it provides as great of light)
Nice review and the price is right. Thanks.
Posted by: Juls | 26 May 2009 at 08:44 AM