Good analysis.

I like looking at a number of factors in a headlamp:

  • Is this for regular use or going to be squirreled away in a kit? For regular use headlamps I really like either onboard USB-rechargeable or a commonly sized rechargeable LiIon cell. For kit headlamps, I prefer a common primary cell available in lithium (there's the now-discontinued Fenix HL50 that takes either 1xAA or 1xCR123A).
  • Size and weight.
  • Mode spacing and UI.
  • Minimum output (very useful for not waking up Mrs. Magnet).
  • Max output.
  • Runtime, particularly at what is likely to be the most common output levels.