A HEAD torch is a great bit of safety kit for increasing your visibility in the dark and helping you see better.
We’ve braved the darkness and tested a whole range of options to find the best head torch on the market right now. Read on to see what we thought.
*If you click on a link in this piece, we may earn affiliate revenue.
Forclaz rechargeable head torch
- Forclaz rechargeable head torch (100 lumens), £14.99 from Decathlon - buy here
The Forclaz rechargeable and splash-proof head torch is the smallest and lightest of the options we tested, at just 45g, and we think it’s great value for money, too.
The lightweight device has three different light modes: red (to preserve your night vision), eco (20 lumens), and power (100 lumens), and we found that it offered pretty decent brightness in an urban environment.
We especially liked that the light is uniformly diffused across a wide area so you can see clearly regardless of where you’re looking.
The tilt of the light can also be adjusted up to 90 degrees — the widest of the ones we tested — which gives you more control over how far you want to direct the light.
Once fully charged, it can be used for up to 11 hours on eco mode and up to 4 hours on power mode, although we did experience battery drain when it wasn’t used.
The other downside is that the strap doesn’t extend as much as some of the other models we tested so it might not be suitable for bigger heads or if you’re wearing a hat.
READ MORE:
Evadict OnTrail trail running head lamp
- Evadict OnTrail trail running head lamp (900 lumens), £49.99 from Decathlon - buy here
The Evadict OnTrail is a pretty powerful lamp with three different light settings, all selected using the easily accessible dial on the side.
The rechargeable battery lasts for up to 9 hours on low (100 lumen), 4.5 hours on medium (300 lumens) and 3.5 hours on high (900 lumens).
The great thing about this design is that the battery tells you how much charge is left and it’s removable so you can replace it with a backup battery for longer distances.
There were a few other features that we liked too, including the tilt of the lamp — the angle of adjustment is close to 90 degrees so you can easily point the light at the right distance for your needs.
The lightweight device is also waterproof (IPX4), delivering a focused beam of light.
And thanks to the huge spectrum of brightness, it's a great option whether you’re walking on weekdays, running at the weekend or want to embark on outdoor adventures.
Evadict OnNight 250 headlamp
- Evadict OnNight 250 headlamp (160 lumens), £19.99 from Decathlon - buy here
The Evadict OnNight 250 headlamp is another budget-friendly option and this one is rechargeable and completely waterproof (IXP4).
The lightweight device has three power settings: low (55 lumens), high (160 lumens) and flash.
It will last for up to 22 hours on eco mode and up to 6 hours on high.
The light is diffused on this model so it spreads out to a wider area, rather than just focusing on your immediate surroundings, which helps you to see further. However, the light is diffused on a gradient, so places further away aren’t as well lit.
You can also tilt the light, although the angle of adjustment is not as wide as some of the other models we tried.
We found the light level great for urban areas that might be dimly lit, but are not completely dark.
Where it’s pitch black, you might struggle to get the lighting level you need, depending on how fast you’re going.
We liked that there’s an extra strap along the top to improve fit, but it’s removable if you’re not a fan.
LED360 Antares headlamp
- LED360 Antares headlamp (500 lumens), £39.99 from Proviz Sports - buy here
The LED360 Antares headlamp is very similar to the Alpkit Muon (below) - it’s also powered by three AAA batteries, and they’re equally fiddly to replace.
Once in though, they last much longer.
You can toggle between five different light settings using the button on the top: low (42 lumens), medium (130 lumens), high (500 lumens), flash and red.
The battery lasts for up to 73 hours on low, 34 hours on medium, 20 hours on high, 64 hours on flash and 51 hours on red, which is pretty decent.
This head torch also benefits from being waterproof (IPX4) and the beam can be tilted by up to 60 degrees.
In terms of lighting, it has a concentrated beam with a little bit of diffusion so you can see what you’re looking at clearly while also benefiting from peripheral vision.
Unlike the other models we tested, there’s also no pouch for storage with this one.
NiteRider Lumina 1800 dual beam front light
- NiteRider Lumina 1800 front light (1800 lumens), £150 from ProBikeKit - buy here
The NiteRider Lumina is the most expensive of the options we’ve tested and with good reason - the brightest setting is equivalent to the high beam on car headlights.
There are seven different settings to choose from: walk (100 lumens), low (350 lumens), medium (700 lumens), high (1500 lumens), boost (1800 lumens), pulse and “fast” (lower light).
On a full charge, you’ll be able to use the light for 20 hours on walk, 6 hours on low, 3 hours on medium, 1.5 hours on high, 45 minutes on boost, 10 hours on pulse and 16.30 on fast.
Even though it has a walk mode, the NiteRider Lumina is designed with cyclists in mind - the light comes ready to be mounted on handlebars, and you have to buy a separate mount to use it with a helmet.
But given it weighs 258g - the heaviest of the head torches we tested - you wouldn’t want to wear it for too long anyway.
We also found it quite hard to toggle between the different settings - it’s easy to choose the low, medium and high settings but switching to pulse, walk or boost took some practice.
For serious cyclists, especially mountain bikers, it might be a worthwhile investment as it’s made from durable fibreglass reinforced nylon and is water and dust resistant, too.
Alpkit Manta outdoor head torch
- Alpkit Manta outdoor head torch (300 lumens), £39.99 from Alpkit - buy here
The Alpkit Manta outdoor head torch offers the most versatility out of the options we tested.
It has a main torch on the front with low (30 lumens), medium (150 lumens), high (300 lumens), and flash settings to help you see and improve visibility.
Once fully charged, it will last 90 hours on low, 26 hours on medium, 11 hours on high and 14 hours on flash.
The extra battery power does mean it’s a bit heavier, so that’s worth bearing in mind.
On the battery pack at the back, there’s also a red light for visibility, and you can choose between on or flash for this.
There are straps on the side and over the top of the head for improved fit as well.
During testing, we found the angle of the light to be quite restricted: it only tilts to around 45 degrees, and projects the light quite far, which means it’s really awkward if you want to see what’s near your feet.
Because of this, we think it’s best for runners rather than walkers — it is designed for mountain marathons, after all.
Alpkit Muon compact head torch
- Alpkit Muon compact head torch (450 lumens), £14.99 from Alpkit - buy here
The Alpkit Muon compact head torch uses three AAA batteries, which helps it to stay light.
You have four power settings for white light: low (20 lumens), medium (100 lumens), high (450 lumens), and flash — plus two for red light (on and flash).
With fresh batteries, it will stay on for up to 2 hours on high, 10 hours on medium, 40 hours on low and 25 hours on flash.
Given that you’ll likely need the medium setting for most activities, you’ll have to replace the batteries fairly frequently — and we found this to be quite fiddly — although you can use rechargeable batteries to reduce waste.
We liked that there were separate buttons for red and white light, and flash settings for both, so you can easily choose what suits you.
The buttons are also decent sizes, so you can easily use them with gloves on.
We also liked the uniform wide beam, which made seeing further ahead and close by equally easy, and you can adjust the angle, too.
And like other models, this one has straps on the side and over the top of the head for improved fit.
What is the best head torch?
Of the options we tested, we think the Evadict OnTrail head lamp is the best head torch.
It offers the widest spectrum of brightness and isn’t too expensive.
But if you just need something simple and affordable, it’s hard to beat the Forclaz rechargeable head torch.
How many lumens do I need for a head torch?
The brightness of head torches are measured in lumens and the higher the lumen count, the brighter the bulb will be.
The best head torch for you doesn’t have to be the one with the highest lumens though - it all depends on what you’re using it for.
For activities like walking, anything between 50 to 150 lumens should be sufficient, depending on how bright your surroundings are and how much navigation you need to do.
Obviously you’ll need a brighter bulb in the countryside compared to an urban environment with street lighting.
If you’re trail running, 200 to 400 lumens would work — although it again depends on how much light is around and what the ground conditions are.
Cyclists will need a higher lumen count as they’re going faster and need to see further. You’ll need around 400 lumens for urban environments with road lighting, 600 lumens for unlit roads and higher if you’re going off-road.
But it’s not just the lumen count you need to consider — you also need to think about how the light is projected. Some head torches have a focused beam, which is best if you’re going slow as it doesn’t cover a wide area.
A head torch with a wide beam will help you see further, which makes it better if you’re going faster, but the light might not feel as bright as a result.
What is the most powerful head torch?
Out of the options we tested, the NiteRider Lumina 1800 dual beam front light is definitely the most powerful.
Given most cars have 700 lumens on low beam and 1,200 lumens on high beam, the NiteRider is more than sufficient.
If you don’t want to splash out on something so expensive, then the Evadict OnTrail head lamp could be a good alternative as it goes all the way up to 900 lumens.
What is the best rechargeable head torch?
In terms of the best rechargeable head torch, we would have to recommend the Alpkit Manta outdoor head torch.
It’s pretty powerful for both walking and running but crucially, on a full charge, it lasts much longer than the other options we tested at the same light level.
Plus, we like that it has so many different brightness options.
MORE FROM SUN SELECTS OUTDOORS
Now that you’ve read our round up of the best head torches, why not check out our guide to everything you need for a camping trip?
We’ve also rounded up the best hiking books for women.
And for all those rainy days, we’ve picked out some of the best compact umbrellas.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKynZpOke7a3jqysp2Wjmrmmr9OsZmpvZGiCen6RaJmeq6Ritaatw2arqKqTnbK0ew%3D%3D