As somebody who perpetually looks like I may use a 3rd hand, I have been on the hunt for the final headlamp for ages. The idea is straightforward: safe a light-weight to your head or cap, and voilà — it places the sunshine precisely the place your gaze lands, illuminating your goal space.

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However, shockingly, discovering the proper headlamp isn’t any simple feat. They’re typically too cumbersome or heavy, geared up with absurdly intricate controls, use some specialised proprietary charger that I will lose inside a month, or boast a beam so shiny it may compete with the solar. And do not get me began on the tactical, high-intensity strobe function designed to disorient ninjas.

I do not want any of this. Properly, OK, possibly the ninja distraction function would possibly someday turn out to be useful, however 95% of the time, all I want is to mild up one thing inside arm’s attain, and for the remaining 5%, I need to see the bottom by my ft when shifting about at evening.

Then, I got here throughout the Klarus HC3. That is as near perfection as a light-weight might be, and it is also hands-free!

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Klarus HC3

A chargeable, movement sensor mild that may latch onto just about any headwear.

Tech specs

• Max/min energy: 100 lumens (white)/6 lumens (white)/4 lumens (purple)
• Modes: Medium/excessive/low/purple strobe
• Runtime: 4 hours (excessive), 5 hours (medium), 27 hours (low), 18 hours (purple), 36 hours (purple strobe)
• Affect resistance: 2-meter drop
• Weatherproofing: IPX5 (dust-resistant, and resists sustained, low-pressure water jet spray and rain)
• Movement activation: Sure
• Battery: 500mAh
• Weight: 1.31oz/37g

The sunshine itself is straightforward to make use of. There are simply two buttons to get used to, one for on/off, and the opposite for controlling the movement activation (extra on that later). 

There’s additionally an adjustable clip for attaching the sunshine to a headscarf, pocket, webbing straps, cap, or something that you just’d like.

Charging is dealt with by a micro USB port, which isn’t ultimate, however it’s lined by a rubber plug when not in use to maintain out grime and moisture. I’d have quite a USB-C port as a result of that will imply one much less cable kind to fret about, however not less than it is not some foolish proprietary charger — I vowed a very long time in the past that I did not want these in my life anymore.

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It additionally helps that there are additionally some LED indicators to indicate the charging battery standing.

Urgent the primary button cycles via a white mild at three power ranges (medium, low, and excessive), then a purple mild, and eventually a strobing purple mild. I have never had to make use of the strobing impact but, however it could actually actually be helpful while you need your presence identified on the highway or in a low-lit surroundings.

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It is useful that in the event you go away the lamp on a light-weight mode for just a few seconds, the subsequent press turns the sunshine off as an alternative of switching to the subsequent shade setting.

That is an superior contact! I would favor if it began on the low output setting — the one I take advantage of essentially the most — however medium is an efficient center floor between being too shiny and too dim.

Earlier, I discussed a movement sensor. This lets you flip the sunshine on and off with a wave of a hand in entrance of the unit.

Listed below are the sensors: an infrared emitter and a receiver.

And this is it in motion. That is significantly better than fumbling for buttons. And if you don’t need the function, don’t fret, you possibly can manually flip it on and off.

For below $20, the Klarus HC3 is a implausible headlight, one that’s sensibly balanced, light-weight, snug, simple to function, and rugged sufficient to place up with drops and falls. As somebody who has tried numerous head-mounted lights, this one is as near excellent as they get.