I scoffed at this "toy" light when my buddy pulled it out. At about the size of a quarter and a few grams you hardly know you have it. And that's the idea....you always have it on you.

I frequently get in off the water after dark and with my failing eyesight (glasses, ugh! :P) it can be a little tough to get things organized. Throw in a swarm of skeets and it can be downright frustrating.

After seeing my pal yank out his light whenever he needs it I have finally wised up. Extremely thin and light I have one in each of my 2 tripping shirts pockets. While it won't replace my headlamp it sure comes in handy. There are 2 types. The original which works with thumb pressure to activate the LED. I like this one because it can't be turned on accidentally. The drawback is it doesn't work so good if you try and put it in your mouth to free up your hands. (I swallowed mine and it got stuck so now when I go outside in the middle of the night for a "relief" break I make my own northern lights..... ::) )

The Pulsar 2 has a positive on/off switch. I seen one on in its package in REI and thought better. Plus the cheap little switch can break.

Anyway, these are handy.
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It's all I've used camping for a number of years.  One on a string in my tent, one in my small "personal" stuff sack with meds and such.  Scout camps of course have a Coleman propane lantern in the site and this past Christmas my son gave me a head lamp - which I used to read a book but not generally.  I've had same "toys" for over 5 years and they seem just as bright  - at 100 F or -15 F.

I used to scoff at headlamps in general. The LED battery life made me a convert. Question about that. Mine has a high and low beam option. The way they do that is by making my low beam flash at a high (ok, maybe low ~50 times a second) interval. The dim setting took some getting used to.

What I dislike overall about wearing headlamps is there is little depth perception at that angle for walking around. Hold it in your hand and you see a whole new world - w/ a lot less surprises to trip over.

What I don't like about headlamps is that people wearing them tend to look right at me, killing my night vision and blinding me.  Very hard to keep pointed down.

I have obny worn mine to read in the tent.

agree Bill.

mastertangler wrote on Sep 15^th, 2011 at 11:19am:

I scoffed at this "toy" light when my buddy pulled it out. At about the size of a quarter and a few grams you hardly know you have it. And that's the idea....you always have it on you. (I swallowed mine and it got stuck so now when I go outside in the middle of the night for a "relief" break I make my own northern lights..... ::) ) Anyway, these are handy.   (You need to Login or Register

This, too, shall pass...

BillConner wrote on Sep 18^th, 2011 at 1:14pm:

What I don't like about headlamps is that people wearing them tend to look right at me, killing my night vision and blinding me.  Very hard to keep pointed down. I have obny worn mine to read in the tent.

Most lamps have a clear removable cover. Get some red auto taillight repair tape and cut to fit on the inside, Depending on your lamp, you can cut the tape so that you have red light for close-up/ fishing, and keep the brightest light for distance viewing. A little experimentation should get you the combo that's suits you best.

Try that on a weekend camp with 50 Scouts?  It's not my headlamp that causes a problem, since I never turn it on outside the tent.

Easily solved by soloing though. 

I hear ya about headlamps, Bill.  Many come with a red gel, mine flips up/down and I only use the white light when I really need it.

Another downside, this one for the wearer, are the bugs that fly into your face.  I've had moth eyebrows.

As the king of thread diversion I should be the last to speak..........

But the thread is not about head lamps per se. We can certainly talk about them as I have more than my fair share lying about and I would be interested in what other people have.

I think this particular light (pulsar) warrants unique consideration. A head lamp you invariably have to retrieve in order to use. What I like about this light is that it is so small and light as to enable you to have it within your grasp at all times. Hence, the main point of the original post. Similar to a pocket knife......you forget it is on you until you need it.

For a light the size of a quarter I was surprised at how much light it threw. The downside of its small size is that it is easily lost. While it will never replace my headlamp it just might help me navigate safely to my headlamp or to the safety of the no-see-um mesh  8-).

On point now ;)

I like these. Clip to hat/shirt/ tent/tarp/ anywhere they'll fit for handy no-hands lighting.
2 in pkg. Run till the battery is dead and buy another set. Cheaper than buying the batteries.

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Hmmmm....
Those would have a place. I really like the clip on feature. But is it something you want in your pocket all the time? Clip or the switch breaks, kinda uncomfortable when you press against something. 

mastertangler wrote on Sep 19^th, 2011 at 7:17pm:

Hmmmm.... Those would have a place. I really like the clip on feature. But is it something you want in your pocket all the time? Clip or the switch breaks, kinda uncomfortable when you press against something.

I clip mine to shirt collar or bill of ball cap.
I keep the spare in my waist pack. I find that with the clip and 360 rotation, it comes in handy as a night light for those after dark cooking chores or when you need you hands free for those late night nature calls ;)
Clipped to clothing or tree branch it works great.
I think for the money you can hardly go wrong.
Even around home/auto/work, I can see plenty of uses for a small hands free light source.