When turned on, the brightness of the rechargeable battery and AAA batteries is the same. Related: Gear List for an Urban Hike of NYC In contrast, our overall winner, the BioLite 330, can be charged by plugging a micro USB cord directly into the battery compartment, meaning it can charge and run simultaneously. This means you can’t have the headlamp on while it’s charging. Unfortunately, you have to open the Actick Core battery compartment to charge the CORE battery. It takes three hours to charge the CORE battery fully. The CORE battery pack is charged via a micro USB cable that plugs directly into the battery (no adapter required). Plus, the Actik Core has a lock to prevent accidentally turning it on. If headlamp battery life is a concern for you, like our other hiking headlamp winners, the Petzl Actik Core has a battery life indicator. However, if you want to have hybrid battery capability, this is among the better battery lives available. We were disappointed that for both battery modes, the life is still shorter than on our longest lasting headlamp winner, the Black Diamond Spot 400. The replaceable CORE battery pack has the following battery life: 1.3 hours at max power, 10 hours at standard power, and 120 hours at low power. The battery life estimate is for the 3 AAA batteries. The Petzl Actik Core has 2 hours of battery life at max power (450 lumens), 8 hours at standard power (100 lumens), and 130 hours at low power (6 lumens). Finally, it has a red strobe light visible at 700 meters for up to 400 hours. In addition, there is a red light mode to help prevent loss of night vision and inconveniencing others. Both beams have several brightness modes. Unlike the other headlamps we considered, it has a mixed beam (flood+spot) for distance vision and a flood beam for better proximity vision. At medium power, it has 100 lumens, and low power is 6 lumens. It also has among the farthest beam distance, at 90 meters. The Petzl Actik Core has 450 lumens of light output - among the brightest headlamp we considered. It’s the convenience of AAA batteries without the weight or waste. You can charge one battery at night while using this Petzl headlamp with the other battery inside. This means if you carry an extra battery, you don’t have to worry about pass-through charging. The CORE battery can be removed and replaced. The rechargeable CORE battery that comes with the Actik Core is a USB-rechargeable lithium battery that fits in the battery compartment. Then, when the trail became easy to navigate, we'd return to the less energy-intensive white mode.Īs with the Biolite 330, we wish that the Nitecore NU 35 charged via USB-C instead of micro USB so we could have a faster charge. For example, when night hiking on the PCT, we'd turn the Turbo mode at confusing intersections or rocky and steep areas. While 0.5 hours at high output Turbo mode isn't as long as we'd like, it's enough to turn on for short sections when you encounter more technical terrain. Still, it’s lower but in the general ballpark of AAA battery headlamps like the Spot 400. However, in low light mode, it runs for 160 hours, which is better than some other rechargeable headlamps, like the Biolite 330. When using the max light output of 360 lumens, it only lasts 0.5 hour–which is the lowest time of the headlamps we tested. Still, our one issue with the Nitecore NU 35 is battery life. That’s why it’s a winner in an article on Our Favorite Gear for the PCT.Īs an ultralight headlamp, we didn't expect the battery life to be on the same level as headlamps with batteries that are three times the weight. The BioLite 330’s comfort, ease of use, fit, and brightness all make it a stellar hiking headlamp and an excellent way to convert from AAA batteries to a more eco-friendly gear option. Related: Appalachian Trail Gear List and Strategy If you’re night hiking on the Appalachian Trail, you may want to consider the Black Diamond Spot 400 instead. However, keep in mind that we’ve tested the BioLite extensively in the West. We also didn’t take any precautions to protect it from the rain (like put it in a Ziplock bag for extra protection). We night hiked in the rain several times without any issue. Nonetheless, the BioLite 330 survived the rigors of a 4-month, 2,650-mile hike in a variety of adverse conditions. However, we would have preferred a higher water resistance rating like our longest running headlamp winner, the Black Diamond Spot 400, which is waterproof. This means that it is protected from water splashes in any direction. The BioLite 330 has an IPX4 water resistance rating.
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