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Why have affordable headlamps started beating expensive ones in every category? - We tested 3 Viral models to find out

By William T.

Last Updated 4 days ago

For the longest time, anyone who wanted a powerful headlamp had two choices.

You could either get one that delivers good lighting but strains your neck after an hour.

Or grab a cheaper one that's light enough to wear but dies halfway through every job and drains batteries like crazy.

Neither option was ideal.

That’s why more and more people started making the switch to rechargeable headlamps.

They promised you'd get better brightness and runtime, without having to change out batteries or wear a bulky battery pack.

But here's what happened:

The market was flooded with headlamps that looked good, but in reality, they were weak and even died faster than options with regular batteries.

That's why rechargeable headlamps usually have such a bad reputation...

So with all these options, how do you decide what’s actually worth your money?

Our test group tried three of the most talked-about rechargeable models right now.

Here's what we found.

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#1 Fjällbris 1000lm LED 230° Headlamp PRO 2.0

Check out Fjällbris Headlamp

#1 Fjällbris 1000lm LED
230° Headlamp PRO 2.0

When a headlamp sells out three times in one year, you start wondering what people know that you don't.

The Fjällbris was one of last year's best-sellers, so when we saw they came out with a new version, we had to test it.

This year, three new promises caught our attention:

1: 35 hours of runtime and 3000mAh battery. (Instead of the usual 4-8 hours most rechargeable headlamps deliver.)

2: 1000 lumens of actual brightness instead of only 300 lumens

3: And 10 light modes instead of 5. All while weighing the same.

So we tested it to see if any of that was actually true...

The brightness stood out during testing

One of the people in the test group was Marcus. A carpenter and a father of 3.

The first day he tested it around the house, he noticed the 230-degree wide-angle beam.

Unlike his old headlamp, which only lit up a narrow spot, this covered his entire area.

He didn't have to twist his neck into awkward positions or miss dark corners.

And even more surprising was when he turned on the 1000 lumen mode.

Headlamps he had tested with this weight before had only had 300-500 lumens.

But the real test came when he started bringing it to long work sessions.

He had been skeptical about the battery life

Along with many others, Marcus was skeptical about the rechargeable part.

The first day using it at work, he was worried it would die mid-project.

Especially after having only charged it for 90 minutes the same morning.

But on the strongest mode, Marcus got 8+ hours of continuous use.

For most projects, that was more than a full day's work. And on the lower modes, it lasted for days.

When it was time to recharge, he simply pulled out the included USB-C cable and left it for 1-2 hours until it was full.

Knowing this, he wasn't worried it would die on him during his projects.

But he still had one major concern.

Would it even be comfortable?

Marcus mentioned he had a big head, so most headlamps either squeeze too tightly or slip off.

But when he tested this, he said he could wear it for hours without even noticing it was there.

The headband stayed comfortable after hours of wear and felt secure when he was crawling at work.

When we asked him what his favorite feature was, he said it was the wink function.

With a simple hand gesture, he could turn it on and off, without touching it.

Perfect for when he had greasy hands.

After testing it for two weeks, we asked the test group to give their final ratings.

And it surprised us.

FINAL RATING: They didn't believe the price

Many of them didn't know the price when they got them, so we made them guess.

A few said $150, whereas a few even went as high as $300.

They based it on the price range of other headlamps with the same features.

So when we told them the price, they were all shocked.

Fjällbris managed to live up to their promises made, while still being an affordable option.

Check out Fjällbris Headlamp

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#2 Amazon 230 degree 300 lumens

This model is one of the most common on Amazon.

It looks similar to the Fjällbris headlamp, and it’s marketed with the same wide-beam design and rechargeable battery.

But once we started testing it, the differences became obvious.

It started to break after a few usages

While it had a similar headband and weight, the build felt looser, and the strap didn’t stay in place.

After just a few uses, several bands stretched out, and one snapped completely.

One tester with a larger head mentioned that the strap had become unusable after a week.

The headlamp also got noticeably warm during longer sessions and charging.

This made many people afraid of leaving it while charging.

Brightness was okay on first use, but quickly faded.

It claimed 300 lumens, but left dark spots around the edges of the beam that became obvious in tight work areas.

Battery life was the biggest complaint

While it was technically rechargeable, the battery didn't hold a charge for long.

In some cases, it needed to be recharged after just a couple of hours on high mode.

Several users noted it died halfway through a task more than once, which defeated the purpose of using a headlamp in the first place.

Which one was the better choice?

One reviewer mentioned he preferred this as a cheaper option.

But he actually ended up ordering the Fjällbris a week later because the battery kept dying when he needed it most.

As a backup or occasional-use lamp, it might do the job.

But for daily use, testers said they found themselves going back to other tools after a short time.

It simply wasn’t built to last.

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#3 High-End Professional Model

This third model was noticeably more expensive than the others and marketed as a professional solution.

On paper, it offered strong battery life and powerful brightness, and in those areas, it delivered.

But the trade-offs were harder to ignore.

The weight was not worth it

The lamp relied on a large battery that sat at the back of the head.

While this helped extend runtime, it also made the whole setup feel heavy and unbalanced.

Testers said the unit shifted during movement and became uncomfortable after an hour or two of use.

For shorter tasks, it was manageable, but for anything longer, it was tiring.

It lit up bright but not wide

The beam was focused and bright, but it lacked the wide flood effect that newer models offer.

That meant more head movement to light up full areas, especially indoors.

There were no red light modes or motion sensors, which several testers missed once they’d tried them on other models.

The build quality felt durable, but for everyday users, especially those who wear a headlamp on walks or in their garage at home, the extra weight and lack of comfort made it less appealing.

Most testers said they wouldn’t choose it over a lighter, simpler option unless they had a specific need for something that rugged.

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FINAL VERDICT - Which one is right for you?

After testing all three, it came down to this:

The high-end model had serious power and runtime, but felt bulky and uncomfortable.

(And cost nearly double.)

The cheapest and most viral one looked good and was lightweight, but lacked battery life.

Fjällbris found the balance between comfort, power, and usability.

Making it our top recommendation for most people.

We’ve reached out to all three brands to request discount codes for our readers.

At the time of writing, only Fjällbris responded.

And they’re currently offering a limited-time deal for our readers, along with a 30-day test period.

This means you can try it out and return it if it’s not for you.

If you’re in the market for a better headlamp, this is the one that made the biggest difference in our testing.

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