Always feeling like I need a third hand, I’m looking for the ultimate headlamp. My need is simple: to be able to fix a lamp on the head or a cap and have the light illuminate exactly the area where I am looking.
But, surprisingly, finding the ideal headlamp is not easy. They’re often too bulky or too heavy, equipped with absurdly complex controls, use a specialized proprietary charger that I’ll lose after a month, or sometimes they put out a beam so bright it could rival the sun. And don’t tell me about the high-intensity tactical strobe feature designed to disorient ninjas.
I don’t need any of that. Well, okay, the ninja distraction feature might come in handy one day, but 95% of the time all I need is to light up something within reach, and for the other 5%, I want to see the ground clearly under my feet when I move at night.
That’s when I discovered the Klarus brand flashlight. It’s as close to perfect as a lamp can get, plus it keeps my hands free!
Technical specifications
- Maximum/minimum power : 100 lumens
-
Fashions : Mid/high/low/red strobe -
Operating time : 4 hours (high), 5 hours (medium), 27 hours (low), 18 hours (red), 36 hours (red strobe) -
Impact resistance : 2 meter drop -
Splash resistance : IPX5 (resistant to dust, sustained low pressure water jets and rain) -
Motion detection : Yes -
Battery : 500mAh -
Weight : 37g
The lamp itself is simple to use. Just get used to two buttons, one for on and off, the other to control motion detection (more on that later).
There is also an adjustable clip to attach the light to a headband, pocket, strap, cap or whatever you want.
I prefer attaching the Klarus HC3 to my cap rather than using the headband. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Charging is provided by a micro USB port, which isn’t ideal these days, but it’s covered with a rubber plug to prevent dirt from getting in when not in use and humidity. I would have preferred a USB-C port because that would mean one less type of cable to worry about. But at least it’s not some stupid proprietary charger!
The fact that there are also LED indicators to show the status of the battery being charged is a good thing.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Pressing the main button cycles through a white light with three levels of intensity (medium, low, and high), then a red light, and finally a strobe red light. I haven’t had to use the strobe effect yet, but it can definitely come in handy when you want to stand out on the road or in a low-light environment.
Be aware that when you leave the light on for a few seconds, the next press turns the light off instead of switching to the next light mode.
It’s a great touch! I would prefer it to start on the low power setting – the one I use the most – but the medium setting is a good middle ground between too bright light and too dim light.
Red light is best for night vision. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Earlier I mentioned a motion sensor. It allows the light to be turned on and off with a simple wave of the hand when it passes in front of the device.
Here are the sensors: an infrared transmitter and a receiver.
Infrared transmitter and receiver control motion detection. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
And here it is in action. It’s much better than looking for pimples. And if you don’t want this feature, don’t worry, you can turn it on or off manually.
The magic of motion detection! Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
In a word, for 20 euros, this headlamp is fantastic. It’s balanced, lightweight, comfortable, easy to use, and tough enough to withstand drops. I’ve tried countless headlamps and this one comes closest to perfection.
Source: “ZDNet.com”
