Those of you who read my previous post on LASIK and Wiley X Sunglasses know that I need to be able to see at night when running and walking my dogs.  With the warm winter we had this year there are a lot more skunks in my area, and I find I need some extra light to avoid them.  The other day I very nearly stepped on one that was standing still in a deep shadow.  I’ve had enough, but I don’t want to run around with a big, heavy flashlight.  I need something lightweight, bright and super easy to carry.  After a quick search through OpticsPlanet it was clear the perfect choice for me is the SureFire Saint Minimus Ultra High-Output LED Headlamp.

I’ve always like SureFire.  Their SHOT Show display had a TON of awesome gear, from their upcoming Annihilator to the Wristlight, which is a really inventive new tactical light that I’m sure will be incredibly popular when it’s released later this year.  But the SureFire Minimus is what I need.  While I might like to take out a few skunks on my walks using a SureFire Weaponlight on an AR-15, for now I’ll settle for seeing them ahead of time and avoiding a horrible spraying.

So what do I like about the Minimus?  First, it’s lightweight.  If you’re going to run around with this on your head, you don’t want it bouncing all over the place.  With the battery it weighs in at a feather-light 3.2 ounces.  The included headband is very comfortable and easily adjustable, so it’s no problem if you want to use it while wearing a helmet or hat (especially good for cold weather running when you’re wearing a winter cap).  The aluminum body of the headlamp is very tough without adding weight.  And the durability of this light goes through the roof because of the LED light bulb, which can withstand a lot of shock without flickering or dying.

Speaking of the bulb, you’re going to get a lot of light from the SureFire Minimus.  With a maximum output of 100 lumens you’ll have plenty of light for most situations, and that light is refracted over a wide area that perfectly fits your field of view.  It’s also adjustable, with three settings: low output of a single lumen (great if you need to get to the bathroom at night without waking up your wife!), medium output of 10 lumens (a good choice for reading or doing a bit of work on a motorcycle or a car) and high output of 100 lumens for situations like mine where you’re trying to get a glimpse of a pest at night.  You can also use the Minimus Light to make yourself more visible to others.  If you’re walking at night and want to make sure passing motorists can see you set the Minimus to medium or low power and you’re good to go!

Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about battery life, as the Minimus Headlamp uses a single Lithium 123A battery and will last up to 50 hours on low, 15 hours on medium and 1.5 hours on high.  That’s more than long enough for most situations so you won’t need to worry about buying batteries all the time.

There are a ton of great uses for a headlamp, so any time you need hands-free illumination check out the SureFire Saint Minimus LED Headlamp.  It definitely gets the GearExpert stamp of Approval!

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