COSOOS Mini LED Headlamp Flashlight with Carrying Case, 1.6oz Lightweight Small Head Lamp Waterproof Running Headlamp, Bright Headlight for Adults, Kids, Camping, Reading (NO AA Battery)

Nice lightweight headlamp. Head band adjusts and can fit my large noggin. Three brightness levels. One click is medium brightness, second click is maximum brightness. If you hold the orange button continuously then the side lights come on instead of the center bulb. That setting is best for reading a book, a more diffuse light. I just received this headlamp and incorrectly believed that the light was dim. It wasn't the light but I had a defective rechargeable battery, came back and changed my review. Light output is great for indoors during a blackout. I have no idea how well it would work camping or jogging. There are no instructions in the box. You will not know how to safely open the battery compartment. Here is how you do it. Click the headlamps head down and you can now see the back of the headlamp. You will be able to now see a gap under the latch. I used a Swiss Army screwdriver and popped it open. You can probably use a coin or any small object. Longer fingernails might bend under the pressure of prying open the latch. Get this headlamp that only needs a single AA and get another headlamp that uses AAA. That way when a hurricane/blackout/etc occurs you will have options to scavenge for batteries around your house, if need be. I bought this AAA headlamp too and I'm ready for bad weather and blackouts. Once you use a headlamp you can't go back to using handheld flashlights. https://www.amazon.com/Headlamp-Lighting-Lightweight-Headlight-Batteries/dp/B005FEGYJC?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_3033804011 (EDIT) Dec 2019 COSOOS headlamp has been working perfectly since I bought it and I even bought a second backup COSOOS headlamp. No problems whatsoever with either of my headlamps, I'm very pleased. I was wondering how long the COSOOS headlamp would last with the "two side lights" (reading lights) powered on before draining the battery. I decided to test how long the "two side lights" would last. I don't use alkaline batteries. I use rechargeable batteries for my devices. I didn't want to test using my Eneloops because that is a really good battery. So I decided to use my AA Nuon 2500 mAh 1.2V battery. CAVEAT - A fully charged 1.5V alkaline battery would last longer than my 1.2V battery. I charged my rechargeable Nuon AA 1.2V battery and made sure it was 100% fully charged. I put the headlamp in the bathroom with the "two side lights" on, aimed headlamp at the ceiling, left it alone. Grabbed my phone and used a stopwatch app, checking on the headlamp about every hour or so. After 6 hours and 10 minutes the headlamp was still burning but I could tell it was quite a bit dimmer. I put on the headlamp and could easily read the print on various items in the bathroom. I came back to check on it at 6 hours and 35 minutes. Uh oh, the bathroom was totally dark. I'm not sure the precise time the light went off. The 1.2V battery lasted somewhere between 6:10 and 6:35. I'm going to assume that it lasted 6:11. Pretend it lasted 6 hours. That means that you could get 24 hours of reading and usable light around the house with four 1.2V batteries. I do wonder how well alkaline batteries would last compared to rechargeable batteries. I've heard that using a flashlight in the freezing cold will increase the battery drain. The temperature in the bathroom was about 68 (68 Fahrenheit, 20 Celsius). If you are out in the freezing cold your battery life could be compromised. But many people say that only applies to alkaline batteries. But some people say that it also effects rechargeable batteries. Food for thought. For hurricanes, blizzards, blackouts, dog walking, jogging, etc. I would be very happy with my headlamp because I have access to plenty of spare batteries. But if I was camping or someplace that I couldn't get my hands on a new battery, I would avoid this headlamp and pay more to get a headlamp with better battery life. I don't own a Petzl headlamp or even used one before. But the Petzl brand seems to have a very long battery life. If I was hiking in the woods at night or exploring caves or an abandoned building or Dracula's castle, then I'd want a headlamp that could go for hours and hours and hours. lol (You could just carry spare batteries in your pocket) The COSOOS is a five star headlamp that cost 8 bucks. The Tikka Petzl cost 29 bucks. Two things that that I wish the COSOOS had would be a low lumen reading light setting and a red light. As long as you have multiple batteries the COSOOS is a fantastic headlamp. I can remove the drained battery and switch in a fresh battery in my COSOOS with my eyes closed in the dark. I have another type of headlamp that uses three AAA batteries it's easy to switch out the AAA batteries, that is if you have the lights on. The only nitpick I really have with my COSOOS is it doesn't have a 5-8 lumen reading setting. I've turned of all the lights and made sandwiches, washed dishes and walked around the house with no problems. COSOOS is a very lightweight headlamp and you forget you are wearing it. If the electricity suddenly goes out then you are going to want a headlamp or two. Keep all your batteries in the same kitchen drawer so you can find them when you need them in a hurry. I used to be a flashlight guy but I much prefer a headlamp. A heavy metal flashlight might be in order if you are going to take a small yapping dog on neighborhood walks and she challenges every dog behind every fence. In that case a headlamp isn't going to be of any use. You are going to need an aluminum MagLite flashlight (club) and hope that Cujo doesn't dig under the fence and try to eat your yapping dog. Small dogs think they are lions. PETZL TIKKA SUPPOSEDLY 60 hours of battery life on high. SUPPOSEDLY 240 hours of battery life on low. I believe that low is the reading light setting. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KYTU6BO/?coliid=I1HEDQ93OQR0NI PETZL - Tikka Headlamp, 200 Lumens, Standard Lighting by PETZL

Updated review October 2020. I cannot say enough good about this light. I had a chance to use it during the prolonged power outage from Hurricane Zeta. It performed flawlessly. It is light weight due to the single battery and with the 2 led flood light it was a perfect level of lighting for doing household tasks like washing dishes by hand without power. A single battery on the floodlight setting lasted about 4 hours (so 2 evening uses). The spotlight on high was about equal to a 2 AA cell minimag LED (not the Pro or Pro+) in terms of throw and pattern. High was actually too bright to use inside. A great power out buy! Get this and an 12 pack of AA and you should be set for several days of power outages. Yes I get that headlights are not fashionable but in this case function trumps form. *****Original review ***** This is exactly as advertised. It uses a single AA battery. It has 3 modes hi/lo spot type beam and 2 side floodlight type beams. First the brightness of the spot beams. It is turned on low when you first press the button on the top so if you want it brightest mode press twice. On high it is not as bright as a Luxpro LP100 (~ 100 lumens) but it is still a very good throw distance and illumination area flashlight. It is quite usable on high and on the low setting. The wide flood light setting is useful for short forward distances while walking around. You cannot turn on both modes at once so you have to pick one. It is very light weight and even more so with a lithium battery. The run time is about 1 hour on high. Obviously the limited run time is due to the fact that there is only one AA battery and not a design flaw. The quality is good for the price. It appears to have decent gaskets for water proofing for casual dampness. All in all a decent $7 flashlight.

I appreciate that these headlamps use only a single AA cell, which is quickly changeable, more energy-cost-efficient than AAA cells (which seem to be the most common power source in headlamps), and can be purchased in the form of singly-USB-rechargeable lithium-ion cells. The individual carry cases are also favorable, allowing these headlamps to be packable or otherwise stored compactly without the headbands tangling with other gear. My only gripe is the switch on the top of the headlamp. In preliminary use, at least, I find it difficult to press properly. For that reason alone I feel the need to deduct one star from the rating. Otherwise, I consider this product excellent for power-failure emergencies, as well as for close work in normal situations.

Best headlamp ever - very bright and comes w a nice carry case w a little place for spare batteries - now my GF thinks I'm a Dr. but i just play one on TV - Doh!

Use of a single AA battery is great! It saves money over the more common use of three smaller AAA batteries which cost the same but have 1/2 the capacity of AA batteries. These headlights appear well made and the sturdy band looks like it will hold up for a long time. The central beam is powerful (and can be set on low power to extend battery life). I think I'll probably use the low-power "side lights" the most--no central "hot spot", extends battery life, wider lighted zone for better peripheral awareness, but still bright enough for reading, finding your way around a dark room/tent, etc. If you need more light (e.g. to see colors accurately or make out fine detail at a distance) just turn on the central beam as long as needed. Battery Life: Using a single AA 2800 mAh rechargeable battery, the (very useful) wide-angle lamps stayed bright for over 9 hours of continuous use. A disposable alkaline battery would last even longer. Minor "cons": - The battery compartment is a little tough to open (it won't be popping open on its own!). Using a coin to twist and push up the locking tab works well. - There is some minor unevenness of the light intensity across the illuminated field. This is common to most headlamps and doesn't significantly decrease their utility. These are great headlamps for regular use, to put in a "go-bag", or just to have handy in your car.

I love this little gizmo. It has saved me a lot of headaches. Works well illuminates brightly feel free to buy it

This is coming from a bona fide flashlight geek. I own ~100 portable lights of various sorts, most of them from brands like Fenix, Streamlight, Nitecore, and the like. Of course, the quality of these lights isn't going to put any of those brands out of business. But I can tell you seriously that these lights have supplanted other headlamps I have from Petzl, Icon, and Black Diamond as my go-to wearable light source. They are simply the best mixture of usable light, versatility, brightness, and economy I've found yet. More specifically: Pros: Two very usable light levels for "spot" (low is plenty for most tasks, and high is brighter than the vast majority of lights costing less than $50); a very diffuse, gentle light for "flood" (perfect for getting around a pitch-black room, or a dark campsite); sensible interface (1st press for "low spot" - 2nd press for "high spot" - long press from anywhere "flood"); excellent comfort and adjustability; super small and lightweight; good water resistance (tested by submerging one for over an hour while turned on low, with no ill effects - though the seller makes no such claim); and probably the best attribute of all is that it runs off a single AA battery (I tested it with both Alkaline and NiMH - equal brightness with fresh batteries). All for less than $8. Cons: Nobody is going to mistake this for a Fenix or a Streamlight; the "beam quality" isn't great; and the materials don't make it feel very expensive (because it's not - it's the price of a Starbuck's drink). If you're looking for a headlamp that will wow you with its fine aluminum machining and anodizing, and its optics polished to optical perfection, this obviously isn't the light for you. But if you just want to light up the world around you, very effectively, efficiently, and comfortably, buy this one. I ordered 3 at first just because the price was so low - liked them so much that I ordered 3 more - they're now stowed in all my cars, motorcycles, . . . hmm, guess I need to order some more . . . .

The light itself works fine. But, accessing the battery compartment is extremely and frustratingly difficult. I almost gave up ad tossed the entire thing, but my son came over and after some examination finally figured it out. The project is not worth the trouble. I don't recommend buying it nor will i recommend it to anyone i know.