61301 Argo LED Head Mount Headlamp, Yellow - 150 Lumens

I have owned and used this headlamp for a year now. I use it daily on walks in the early morning. I use rechargeable batteries with the headlamp. SInce I use it daily, the batteries only last about 9 hours on the low setting. I walk three hours each morning and can usually get 3 days use before recharging the batteries. (I purchased the rechargeable batteries and battery charger from Amazon. They are not included with the headlamp. If you intend to use this headlamp on a daily basis, I would recommend purchasing rechargeable batteries and a charger.) The headlamp has three light levels. The high setting is very bright and has about a 100 yard range. This setting will also deplete the batteries in about an hour. The medium setting has about a 50 yard range. The medium setting will deplete the batteries in about 4 hours. The low setting has about a 25 yard range. The low setting is the best for battery charge life. This setting will deplete the battery in about 9 hours. This setting is adequate for lighting the way on my walks and gives me the best battery life. The overall quality of the headlamp is excellent. The straps are heavy duty. They are easily adjustable. The headlamp is light weight. I can not find a single fault with this headlamp. I highly recommend it.

Easy to operate, easy to adjust beam direction plenty of light with several beam adjustments.

Update - 01/15/2018. So I originally purchased this item on August 27, 2011. It performed really well over the last 5 or 6 years, and was definitely a better build than the typical energizer headlamps available at Walmart. Eventually, the headlamp had a couple of issues that made me try to send it in for a replacement, making use of the lifetime warranty. It cost me about $3 to send it to them, and within a week I received a new updated model. This is the kind of company your want to see succeed. Great product. Great company. Thank you Streamlight. --- Thanks to the other reviewers that said this was a great light. I appreciate it. Once I got it properly adjusted (by tightening the strap that goes on around the side and back of your head, and then after adjusting the top strap) it stayed in place fine. Very happy with the light output and the construction. For walking at night, the lowest setting was more than sufficient. Lifetime warranty on the product as well, which is one of the things that I look for. I hope Streamlight is around for a long time. They seem like a great company that stands behind their products.

I already own the Streamlight 61052 Septor LED Headlamp, which I was fairly happy with (see separate review). But the Streamlight 61301 Argo C4 LED Headmount Flashlight is much better. Prices on Amazon fluctuate, but both sell for ~$30, so buy the Argo. Comparison: Material: Both units are made from tough plastic with a rubber bumper on the front of the lens. Both have the same dual-strap headband (very comfortable). There is a separate rubber strap for attaching the light to a helmet. But I've never used it, and have no comment on it. The forehead foam pad is larger on the Septor. Weight: Both weigh approximately the same (within two grams by my scale, ~135 grams total with batteries). Form factor: The Argo is smaller and therefore feels chunkier. The Septor protrudes more, while the Argo sits closer to the forehead and has less downward torque. That is, it doesn't tug down as much and is better balanced than the Septor (which is fine, but the Argo is better in a side-by-side comparison). Battery installation: Both run on 3 AAA batteries. For both units, the battery compartment is one of the best I've seen. Remove a cap; slide out a battery module from a battery chamber; insert batteries into the module; load module into chamber; and replace cap. There is a clear index arrow marking the proper orientation of the module, and there is a pair of guide rails in the chamber which slide into a pair of mating slots on the module. Beautiful. The battery compartment on the Septor is more clearly marked than on the Argo: Septor has black lettering on a yellow background; Argo has black lettering molded onto a black cap. The cap on the battery chamber of the Septor releases/tightens with a bayonet twist lock; the cap on the Argo has multiple threads. The Septor cap lock is easier to use, but there is no problem with the Argo. The Argo has a battery level readout; three lights indicate power level from the battery (1/1, 1/2, 1/5). The Septor has no readout. Light output: This is where the Argo literally outshines the Septor. The bulb designs are quite different. The Septor has 7 low power LEDS. There are 3 output intensities. "Low" lights up the 1 LED in the center. "Medium" lights up 3 LEDS in a line. "High" lights up all 7 LEDs in a hexagonal grid pattern. Therefore, the light pattern is very uneven. There is no strobe (blink, flash) mode. The light color is slightly cool (blue tinge, not too noticeable). The Septor is designed for relatively close-up work (inspection), within 10 feet or so. If you are using it to light up a path at night, it's useable to maybe 50 ft or so on high. The Argo has a single, high-powered LED. Many high-powered LEDs are not useful for close-up work because they are blindingly bright. The Argo, however has three intensities. There is also a strobe mode. The light color is slightly warm (yellow tinge, not too noticeable). The Argo has an unsual combination of long throw and wide spill. For test targets, I use a mailbox at the end of my driveway (50 ft), and a stop sign at the bottom of the road (500 ft). The Argo has a uniform circular pattern with a center hot spot and a wide even field. There is no focus, as in a Maglite. There is a dark band around the hotspot, but it is not as pronounced as on my Maglites. The dark band is noticeable only when you shine the light against a flat surface (such as a wall or ceiling). Otherwise, objects scatter enough light to mask the dark band. On high, the throw is good to 500 ft, and the spill is good to 50 ft. Even at 500 ft, the spill is impressive (more what you would expect from a headlight on a car, than a headlamp on a forehead). I'm not the outdoors type. But this light would be great for hikers and cave explorers. Also as a good safety light for those who walk in the dark. As mentioned above, it's also useable for close-up inspection on low. The only neg I have against both lights is the rachet tilt mechanism. It's stiff and has click stops, so you can't adjust the position smoothly and continuously. Longevity of the plastic spring may be an issue (I don't use these heavily, so I don't know). Since I gave the Septor a 4, I'm giving the Argo a 5. I haven't tested battery life. Update 4/10/10 I'm still on my first set of batteries (down to 1/5 level), so I haven't had any problem with current leakage. We had a lot of snow this past winter, and I ended up having to run my snowthrower several times at night to avoid being buried. Since my driveway is not lighted, I wore this headlight. I used it on high for a total of ~4 hr in cold, wet, blowing snow. We also have had a lot of rain in the past month, and the light got drenched when I was working on a leaky sump pump connection. Toweled it off and opened it up. Bone dry inside. This product is truly a winner. After using this light for 6 mo now, I still have no neg to report except for the rachet tilt mechanism. It's become my all purpose hands-free worklight. I use it weekly to check over my car (great for checking out oil level and overall engine compartment; also, for checking out tires while your hands are holding a tire gauge or tire pump).

As an automotive technician, seeing in the dark recesses of vehicles is essential. I use a high lumen Streamlight Strion for my regular flashlight, but for hands free light I use this. Pros: It is very durable, I have hit it on just about everything under a car, dropped it a time or two, and still works perfectly. It has three modes: low, medium, and high. I usually keep it on high and keep a spare set of rechargeable batteries (3 AAA's), although I rarely change batteries in a day due to it's long battery life. Cons: Narrow dispersion of light, not really a con for people using it to see long distance, but I wish the focus was adjustable. Takes 3 AAA batteries, requires buying a special battery charger if you wish to use rechargeable batteries and charge only 3 at a time. In conclusion, This is an excellent if you need a headlamp that's tough as nails, and don't wish to spend a lot of money, buy this one.

Very good quality. Passed the test of time with flying colors. Dependable and keeps your hands free.

NICE LITTLE HEADLAMP, SIMPLE TO USE AND HAS A FLOOD AND SPOT LIGHT WITHOUT ADJUSTING ANY ZOOMS. USE IT FOR MY EARLY MORNING DUCK HUNTS AND HAS SERVED ME WELL SO FAR

Nice lamp very bright and focused, comfortable and easy to use however the lower levels feature failed after several uses and so now all three clicks of the operating button result in maximum brightness . In fairness a call to the company outlet near me provided an assurance from them that they would replace the unit at any time no questions asked.

The light works well and seems to be durable and well made. There is 3 intensity setting however, the light pattern is a small focused spot with diffuse light on the outer... Works well if you do not need to light something up close like an electrical panel.

it is not as elegant as other more expensive lights but it does the job. Going outside to play should not have to be expensive, this light will do what needs to be done for your night outings.