As far as I am concerned, you can never have too many ways to light your way. Perhaps this comes from some forgotten childhood trauma that occurred in the dark, but whatever the reason, pitch blackness has never been an option in my household.
It is for that reason I am always anxious to test out the next great thing when it comes to lighting, be it a flashlight, solar powered light, lantern, chemical glow stick, or something else. This week it was my pleasure to test one of those “something else” items; namely, the .
To be perfectly honest, my expectations were modest. I have used headlamps from Harbor Freight, Costco, and Amazon with just a modicum of success. Yes, they delivered a spot of light but that is all they did, a spot of light. Imagine my surprise when I donned the SportsTek and in total darkness, I could see everything within a 600 square foot area. And I mean see – not just a bunch of shadows.
Given that I have a bias toward all things light-related, I decided that in order to objectively review the , I needed to turn things over to Shelly, aka the Survival Husband. What follows is his totally unbiased review; a review coming from someone without a flashlight fetish.
Using the SportsTek LED Headlamp
Before I begin, let me describe how the SportsTek Lightwear 4 in 1 LED Headlamp can be used. This is important because in addition to using it as a traditional headlamp (on your head), it can be used as follows:
Portable light source attached to your belt, pack, helmet, or other piece of gear
Headlight on you bicycle (using the included special mounting bracket)
Stationary Lamp
Before using the SportsTek Headlamp for the first time, I carefully read all of the instructions. They are very descriptive and show you how to configure the headlamp for its various functions. The nice thing is that there were photos; something I really appreciated because I hate to read manuals even though Gaye makes me do it. That said, I really did not need to read the instructions since using it was quite intuitive.
I felt that the only thing tricky was removing the battery pack and lens from the headlamp straps but once I did that for the first time, it was easy.
For my testing, I used 4 alkaline AA batteries but according to SportsTek rechargeables can also be used. The SportsTek Note headlamp is 220 lumens and Cree certified; if you are interested in other specs, you can read about them . Me? I just want to know that it works.
The SportsTek headlamp is very comfortable and does not slip around on your head like the el cheapo headlamps I have used in the past. Not only that, it was very easy to operate while I was wearing it. In other words, if I wanted to adjust the beam or make some other adjustment, I could do so while it was on my head. I did not have to take it off, make an adjustment, and put it back on again.
The lens itself has three functions:
There are three different adjustments for the angle
The lens slides in and out to make the beam narrow or wide
The lens turns so that you can adjust the brightness
In addition, the power button has 3 modes: full power, 50% power, and strobe mode (great for signaling!)
How Does It Work in Total Darkness?
One of the reasons Gaye asked me to do the testing is that she hates total darkness. Even in our bedroom, the blinds are semi-transparent to let some light in at night.
In order to test how well the headlamp worked in total darkness, I went down into our pitch black crawlspace and could see as clear as day from one end to the other, approximately 60 feet. We store old junk and used boxes in the crawlspace and I could definitely see everything. I saw so much that I made a mental note to myself to clean up the messy junk pile – a project for another day.
My guess is that my vision would have been just as clear for another 60 feet, especially if I took advantage of the adjustment capabilities I described above. The specs actually indicate a range of 688 feet but I did not test it myself.
The construction of the SportsTek Headlamp is top grade. It is well made and not cheap or flimsy. If I had four hands, I would give it 4 thumbs up. One other thing. Since I did the testing, I told Gaye that this was now MY headlamp.
The Giveaway – Enter to Win!
The nice folks at SportsTek have reserved a 4 in 1 LED Headlamp for one lucky Backdoor Survival reader. You know the drill.
To enter the giveaway, you need to utilize the Rafflecopter form below. Select one or more of the options after signing in using your email account or Facebook, the choice is yours. The best way to start is by clicking on “Free Entry for Everyone”. After that, each option you select represents an additional entry. There are a number of different options so pick and choose or select them all.
The deadline is 6:00 PM Pacific next Tuesday with the winner notified by email and announced on the Rafflecopter in the article. Please note that the winner must claim their prize within 48 hours or an alternate will be selected.
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The Final Word
When he finished babbling about how much he loved his new headlamp, I asked Shelly what he did not like about it. After all, there is always something that is less than perfect, right? As much as I tried to coax a response, he could not come up with a thing so I suppose I will just leave it at that.
I, too, have tried on the and found it to be comfortable. I walked outside at night and confirmed that it casts a long beam. I can see where this would be good to have when hiking or when walking down a busy road at night. Currently priced under $38, you get more than your money’s worth given its features and functionality.
Please do enter the giveaway. This is the Cadillac of headlamps and one item you will definitely want to add to your prepping bucket list.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
If you enjoyed this article, consider voting for Backdoor Survival daily at Websites! In addition, and receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book .
Bargain Bin: Below you will find links to the items related to today’s article.
: If you are in the market for a headlamp that is well-built, comfortable, and adaptable to a wide range of situations, this is the one you want to get. It has both a full beam and 50% setting plus a strobe. Visibility is fantastic. Highly recommended!
: These days, I try to use eneloops as much as possible. They hold a charge forever – or so it seems – and work Maximal Power battery charger (see below).
: This nicely built charger will charge charge AA, AAA, C, D, N, 9V, Ni-MH, Ni-CD, and Alkaline batteries. It has an LED display so that when you first put a battery in the charging bay, you know whether it is viable for charging or simply bad and ready to go back to the recycle box.
Yes it really works, even under solar power. Read about in this article: .
: This study solar power pack is lightweight and small enough to be used in an EDC kit. I especially like that it has 2 USB ports.
: This 4 Watt USB LED light is bright and ultra portable at just over 3.5 ounces. It is highly durable – shatter, shock, and vibration resistant. Will fully illuminate a tent at night. Power it from any standard USB source – compatible with all USB wall plugs, USB batteries, and laptops.
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by Gaye Levy first appeared on .
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