As a serious hiker or ultra-runner, owning one of the best headlamps under $50 is a great way of ensuring your safety before hitting the trails. These innovative units also come in handy when camping, night fishing, and mountaineering among other outdoor adventures.
Well, an ultra bright flashlight could still do the trick in most of these scenarios. That’s undisputable! But what we’re looking for is a unit that can brighten the area around you while still leaving your hands free for other activities. When camping, you’ll want to correct firewood to build a campfire, pitch a tent, or catch an approaching animal on camera. Needless to say, these are activities that only get easy if you have your two hands on them. And only a headlamp can offer this convenience.
When selecting the best headlamps under $50, brightness comes first, ALWAYS! On this note, the headlamp needs to project the light over a considerable distance for you to make timely decisions, especially if you’re running or biking. Again, pay particular consideration to any headlamp that allows you to adjust the lighting angle. You’ll also want to go for a headlamp with a durable wilderness-oriented construction and that which won’t require a lot of tweaking to make it burn. Lastly, the best headlamp under 50 is one that works without reminding you of its presence due to its weight.
Looking for the best headlamps for your camping, hiking, jogging, or hunting expeditions? Here is our roundup of the 5 best headlamps under $50 in 2018 that never frustrate!
InnoGear- 4 lighting modes, 5000 max lumen, 2-battery powered, waterproof and heatproof
Rugged components for the toughest roads
At a glance, anyone will tell that InnoGear is a tank regarding construction. The light assemble consists of a middle LED and 2 other side LEDs. The lamps are made of quality aluminum alloy and are attached to a sturdy band via a strong well-crafted rubber to ensure optimum versatility and endurance. Its tough construction makes it the best headlamp for hiking, cave adventures, running, and biking.
Lightweight, Comfortable, and Convenient
As I mentioned before, the best headlamps under $50 is one that does not compete with your helmet or hard hat in weighing you down. InnoGear is only 0.5 pounds and adds almost no weight to your sporting gear. It can be worn directly on your head or caps without causing any discomforts.
Importantly, the lamps feature an adjustment notch that tilts the lights 900 up and down. This makes it convenient to concentrate the light where you need it the most.
Incredible Lumen to Price ratio for best headlamps under $50
With a maximum of up to 5000 lumens, this InnoGear headlamp is your best bet if you’re looking for the brightest headlamp under 50 bucks. In fact, this was the brightest unit that we came across in our hunt for the Top 5 best headlamps under $50 in 2018.
It’s powered by 2 2200mAh rechargeable batteries. The batteries can be charged via both wall and non-wall sockets and portable solar panels. The batteries recharge fully in 12 hours and can offer up to 6 hours of continuous lighting before another recharge. Moreover, you can use spare batteries in case you have no way to recharge the lithium batteries.
Charge your phone or camera from the headlamp
Smartphones and cameras tend to run out of power in the weirdest places and times. Luckily, InnoGear comes with a lifesaving USB port that lets you power up any USB-rechargeable device ranging from phones to cameras. So you can hit the trails knowing that you’re well covered.
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- No heat buildup
- Waterproof for fishing and rainy weather
- Comfortable and light
- 900 rotatable
- 4 working modes
- 3 Lighting LEDs
- Emergency power bank for phones and cameras
- Visible safety green light at the back
- Takes long to charge fully (12 hours)
LE Headlamp LED- Reasonably priced, safety red flashing mode, super lightweight, and bright
Best affordable headlamp: best headlamps under $50
Were it not for its high price, InnoGear would have taken our #1 position of the Top 5 best headlamps under $50. If you’re not ready to shell out close to 30 bucks for a lighting device, our next recommendation would be this LE Headlamp by Lighting Ever.
This headlamp costs slightly above 5 dollars on Amazon! Amazingly, you get it without any shipping costs. So if you’re on a budget but still require several headlamps for your camping team or family, LE is your go-to choice.
20 LEDs that turn nights into days in 4 modes
The sweet-spot about this LE headlamp is that it does not compromise brightness and functionality for affordability. It flaunts 18 white LEDs that project a bright light over a long stretch and customizable circumference.
LE offers 4 interchangeable modes that light up a different number of LEDs depending on the amount of light that you require. It has an easily accessible rubber button on one side that you click once to light 2 LEDs, twice for 10 LEDs and thrice for all the 18 white LEDS. The 4th click switches ON the blinking mode. This mode consists of 2 bright red lights just below the white LEDs. They keep you save from being run over by other motorists and athletes.
Fits all users including children
This fact alone makes LE one of the best headlamps under $50. It has 2 adjustable buckles with a minimum circumference of about 13.7 inches. The buckles can also stretch to 21.6 inches. It’s, therefore, the best headlamp for children and adults too.
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- All-weather proof (IP4 rated)
- Adjustable circumference fits all users including children
- 18 ultra-bright LEDs and 2 blinking LEDs for safety
- 1 button headlamp
- 4 versatile modes
- 900 adjustable head
- User-friendly
- Wireless lighting
- Uses easily affordable Alkaline batteries
- Non-rechargeable batteries can be inconveniencing at times
GRDE- Zoomable, Rechargeable batteries, Super bright, 3 Modes
Multiple uses
If versatility and affordability is your strategy, this GRDE headlamp is the best headlamp for the money. GRDE has a robust construction design just like InnoGear only that it’s a few dollars cheaper and lighter. The headlamp itself is held by a hard plastic that makes it possible to use it as a waist lamp or a desktop lamp.
Versatile charging options
GRDE uses 2 rechargeable batteries. This is a superb way of steering away from battery replacement expenses. But what’s good to know is that these batteries can be charged from almost any known source thanks to the multiple chargers included in the package.
GRDE ships with a cigarette lighter cable that you can use to charge the headlamp in your car. You also get a wall socket charger for charging at home and a USB-charge for USB charging sources. Good enough, GRDE charges fully in utmost 6 hours as opposed to InnoGear’s 12 hours!
Super bright and Zoomable
The 1800 lumens with this headlamp are enough to create enough light in the darkness. This unit has a huge press-on button that can be hit even with your gloves on. Interestingly, there’s also a knob on one side that lets you navigate through its 3 modes- Low, Mid, and Strobe. Its zoom function is a versatility that you’ll appreciate most when you want to concentrate the light on a specific area.
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- Headlamp is tilt-able
- Rechargeable
- Multiple charging options
- Zoomable
- Waterproof
- Concern about some units with heat buildup issues
Shining Buddy LED Headlamp – Best headlamp for runners: best headlamps under $50
Affordable headlight with decent brightness
Shining Buddy has the least bitumen in this list of the Top 5 best headlamps under $50. But besides this drawback, it’s still one of the brightest headlamps in 2018. It has a pretty tight spotlight and can brighten up an area of up to 100 meters. A nice feature with Shining Buddy is that its bulbs promise up to 100,000 hours of usage.
4 modes for best headlamps under $50
There’s almost nothing to hate about this headlamp’s lighting modes. The bright mode is ideal for hiking, running, and jogging. It’s also perfect for spotting animals running after you. Shining Buddy also has a low-beam mode for reading and grilling. There is also a red beam mode for use when all you need is to light up the area without blinding your campmates. The 4th setting is a red flashing mode that alerts other athletes of your presence.
12 hours of bright light
The problem with rechargeable batteries is that you tend to charge them more than you use the headlamp. Again, they are more susceptible to heat buildups and lose their charge fast. Shining Buddy utilizes 3 AAA batteries. Its best-in-class bulbs are battery-friendly and will offer you over 12 continuous hours of brightness. The good news is that this unit ships with a set of batteries to start off with.
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- Rapid Response customer care
- Adjustable strap for adults and children
- 12+ hours of light from 3-AAA batteries
- 4 light settings
- Water and shock resistant
- Wireless unit with minimal flaws
- Ultra-lightweight
- AAA batteries can be tricky to find at times. An option is to buy them in bulk though.
Luxolite LED Headlamp Flashlight- 2 separate buttons, best headlamp for children and seniors
Lightweight with no bobbing or ‘brainsqueezing’
Luxolite weighs around 3 ounces with the batteries on. Unlike GRDE and InnoGear before, the batteries and bulbs are on one head. As such, there’s no hard pack to squeeze you at the back of your head.
The elastic band also makes wearing it on your head and any hard cap easy and fast. Moreover, you can wrap the band around your hand and use the headlamp like a handheld flashlight depending on your lighting needs.
Easy to use
What makes Luxolite our best pick in our roundup of the top 5 best headlamps under $50 dollars is its incredible ease of usage. It features 2 function-oriented push buttons that eliminate all the hassle associated with a single button when trying to set the appropriate mode for your situation.
6 function-oriented modes (2 separate push buttons)
One button allows you to choose between 4 white modes- Low, Medium, High, and SOS. The other button lets you choose between 2 (Steady and Strobe) red night vision modes.
Lifetime guarantee
This AAA battery-operated headlamp comes with a guarantee that you won’t get from any other brand. You can add it to cart knowing that you’ll get a replacement whenever it develops the slightest fault.
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Conclusion on the best headlamps under $50
Forget about balancing a heavy tactical flashlight in your hands while still trying to get things done. Our list of the top 5 best headlamps under $50 has amazing units that will make your life way easier and enjoyable. They are all easy to use, durable, and function-oriented.