I don't much like headlamps as such. They have a lot of problems in my book.

The form itself, a headband with several boxes hanging off it makes it hard to store. Headlamps have to be worn or stuffed into a pack or sack. many are so ungainly that they are impossible to stuff into a regular pocket. Headlamps are more difficult to use in the hand and are subject to getting caught on things and damaged. I have seen this damage and a pattern of wear and tear with headlamps that have a separate battery box and lamp assembly connected by a cable. Where the cables go into the boxes there is a tendency to wear, become unreliable, and break.

Also there are some number of headlamps that require specialized batteries and/or special lamp assemblies. Finding replacements, on short notice or after the design is a decade old, can be a pain.

That said I do like the idea of a headlamp. Having both hands free to work and having everything you look at directly illuminated is very handy.

My solution is to get any of the many reliable two-cell AA or AA flashlights and a Nite-Ize, or its generic equivalent, headband. These headbands, which aren't at all difficult to manufacture on your own, allow you to mount the flashlight on the side of the head. Sort of a friendly Borg look. Functionally I see little difference between a side mounted light and a center mounted one.

The advantages of side mounting a small regular flashlight is that the flashlight is a compact, easy to store, easy to hold, package that is highly resistant to water damage and physical abuse. The flashlight uses commonly available batteries that you can find in any convenient store. These batteries are so common that there is little chance they will be unavailable any time in the next twenty years.

For field use I hang the flashlight ready to go in a nylon sheath and the nylon headband, a simple piece of 3/4" webbing with a few bits of elastic and Velcro sewn on gets wrapped around the belt and hangs out of the way or it rides in a pocket so compactly that it is nearly unnoticeable until needed.

The other benefit is the relative cost of a simple flashlight/ headband combination compared with the headlamps. Those headlamps can be north of $60. Reliable AA flashlights can be had for $10 and up and even the brand-name Nite-Ize headband, the most expensive option but very nice, goes for about $12.

Works for me.