Best kids headlamp
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Dad, can I use your 5,000-lumen headlamp?
Spending your nights behind the TV can be boring. Instead, why don’t you go outdoors with the kids? Go camping in the woods, or go fishing at the lake? But yeah.. that darkness… Well, surprise, surprise, headlamps are arguably the most important piece of equipment you need outdoors, at night. No need to worry about tripping or hurting yourself anymore.
Lending your 5,000-lumen headlamp to your 7-year old son might not be the safest option. Fortunately enough, there are many (still affordable) solutions, which are safe, and still great to use, even by adults. Those won’t be the brightest headlamps, but that’s not very important.
We can give you more insight than most of the other websites you found on Google when searching for the best headlamp for kids. We will just share a few headlamps, that we reviewed personally, so we know what we talk about.
Don’t trust me? Just check one of our hundreds of reviews.
Our recommended headlamps for kids
Headlamps are great for kids…. and adults. But before we dive into some of our recommendations, let’s stop and spend a moment thinking about some of the benefits.
- Having both hands free. It doesn’t matter whether you are setting up a tent, walking in the woods, or reading a book at night. You can use both hands while still shining the light wherever you want.
- Increase safety: using a headlamp instead of a flashlight reduces the risk of slipping while walking stairs, climbing rocks etc.
- It also reduces the risk of dropping the light into the water, mud, or down some stairs.
- And to top this off, you won’t get sore muscles carrying a heavy camping lantern or heavy flashlight around.
Manker E03H II
| PROS: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Works on rechargeable, Alkaline, and lithium batteries | Exaggerated specifications(we tested this) |
| Very nice low mode | No internal charging |
| Includes a nice neutral white emitter (easier on the eyes) | |
| Lightweight | |
| Colored filters included (red, green, and white) |
Many people overlook the benefits of using 3 types of batteries. From these 3, I’d recommend using rechargeable Eneloop AA batteries for children, and Alkaline batteries for backup. For adults, I can recommend a 14500 lithium-ion battery, so you can have a higher output.
During our test, we noticed that claimed output of 360 lumens wasn’t achievable, but that shouldn’t be a huge problem. The actual output was 224 lumens at turn on and dropped down to 82 lumens within 10 minutes. That’s still plenty bright for kids to walk around a campsite.
The total weight is only 2.18 ounces (62 grams) with an AA battery loaded inside.
And something else that is interesting is the use of colored filters. Just in case you like using red or green light, the package includes 1 filter for each. It also includes a frosted white lens, which doesn’t make too much sense for outdoors, but can be useful using in a tent. The frosted lens makes the beam spread very wide and even.
Nitecore UT27
| PROS: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Works with AAA batteries and included lithium-ion (rechargeable) | The hinges of the battery door are relatively weak |
| 1 Spot and 1 flood beam | |
| Includes a nice neutral white emitter (easier on the eyes) | |
| Includes a red light as well |
This is another light that’s great for kids and adults alike. It can be used with the included lithium-ion battery, but also with 3AAA batteries. Just like we always recommend, don’t use Alkaline batteries, unless you use them for backup. Get some rechargeable batteries, like the Panasonic Eneloop AAA for more power, and higher output.
In our test, we noticed that using 3AAA Eneloops produced a higher output at turn-on than the lithium-ion, but they also weigh more. For safety reasons, we recommend using normal, rechargeable AAA batteries for younger children, instead of lithium-ion.
One more great feature is the glow-in-the-dark where the batteries are housed. So even if it’s very dark, you can still see the directions on how to insert the batteries.
The UT27 is made especially for runners, using 2 different LEDs, with 1 switch for each. It’s also great for children, because of its useful features. It’s extremely lightweight and has a LED for seeing far away (throw), and the other for close by (flood), which is great for walking on trails or hiking in general. There’s 1 switch for each LED, so it’s easy to switch between them.
The total weight with 3AAA batteries is 2.94 ounces (83 grams), which makes it great for many kinds of activities.
Want to know more details? Read our review of the Nitecore UT27. Or buy it from 1 of the following stores:
Only recommended for older kids or teenagers.
Wuben H5
| PRO: | CON: |
|---|---|
| Easy to use User Interface | Not reaching specified output |
| Battery level indicator | – |
| Includes a rechargeable 14500 battery with USB-C port | – |
| Multifunctional: can be used without headstrap | – |
Wuben was established in 1981 and has been producing flashlights for decades. While the “H5” naming seems to classify the light as a headlamp, it’s evident that Wuben sees it as so much more than that. In fact, the product’s title on their website doesn’t even mention the word “headlamp”. Rather, it calls the H5 a “multifunctional clip flashlight”
The multifunctional clip was not initially affixed to the strap, but that’s very quick and easy to do with a single springy locking clip. When you’ve got the H5 loaded into the clip, it can be rotated 360° along two axes – allowing you to point it virtually anywhere. This clip not only allows you to attach the light to the headstrap, but you can also easily clip it onto a pocket. And to top it off, the Wuben H5 has a magnetic tailcap.
It also comes with a USB-C rechargeable 14500 lithium-ion battery, with a capacity of 920mAh. I’d still recommend use a rechargeable AA battery instead, because of safety. This will reduce the output a bit, by about 30% on the highest mode, but basically none on the lower modes.
As a final word: Just calling it a headlamp would be an insult. The H5 can be used with the headband, in the clip on your shirt pocket, with the clip’s magnet attached to a surface, or with the tailcap magnet attached to something. There are just so many ways to position the Wuben H5 exactly where you need light.
Definitely check out our Wuben H5 review for more details, or check it out at the following stores:
Only recommended for older kids or teenagers.
Olight Perun Mini 2
| PRO: | CON: |
|---|---|
| Pretty bright for such a small headlamp | Red light is only available from the off-position |
| Great runtimes, up to 10 days | Uses a 16340 battery, which is low capacity |
| Ready to go: Includes a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, charging cable, headband, and pocket clip | Battery level indicator is invisible while carrying as a headlamp |
| Can also be used without the headband | 1.29oz / 37 grams without battery |
| Available with either a cool white LED or neutral white LED |
The Olight Perun 2 Mini is only 2.53 inches long (64mm), and weighs a measly 1.29 oz (37 grams) without the battery.
Like with all other Olight flashlights, it comes with all the necessary accessories to use and charge the light. The package includes a reachargeable 16340 battery and a magnetic charging pad. If you already have 16340 type batteries, great, because they also work in this light, but aren’t able to recharge due to the proprietary charging system.
Olight also gives you the choice between a cool white LED and neutral white LED. A cool white LED produces a colder beam (towards blue), and the neutral white LED produces a more neutral beam. If you don’t know which to choose, get the Neutral White for a bit nicer beam temperature.
During our test, we noticed that the battery life in low mode was almost 25 hours. This wasn’t even the lowest moon mode, which we haven’t tested, but it supposed to run for 10 days at 2 lumens.
However, we tested 4 of the 5 normal modes, and the red light, and they were all very close to advertised runtimes.
Interested? Get the Olight Perun 2 Mini at a nice discount.
Use the following code to get 10% off your first purchase at Olight store: 1Lumen
Wrapping Up: The Best Headlamps for children
At the end of the day, you’re looking at the best headlamps, that are safe, trustworthy, and easy to use. Some of the ones we mentioned use lithium-ion batteries, which can be dangerous when abused. Therefore, we don’t recommend using them in headlamps for toddlers or young children. But the headlamps that accept lithium-ion batteries are great for adults as well, because they produce more lumens and higher sustained output.
When it comes to batteries, your best bet is getting reliable rechargeable batteries like Panasonic Eneloops. Why?
Because NiMH batteries (like Eneloop) can be recharged many, many times. This saves you money and reduces waste. They can provide more energy/power than Alkaline batteries. So you reach higher outputs, and higher sustained outputs at the same time.
There are a few benefits of Alkaline batteries. They are easy to get and don’t cost a lot unless you buy Duracell, which are actually horrible batteries as well. Alkaline batteries can also run flashlights for really really long, because they are good for low-power applications like clocks etc. Therefore, they can be a good option for backups, in case your headlamp can run very long on low Voltage.