Energizer Headlamps, Flashlights and Lanterns

What Energizer makes for hunters and campers

On this site, Energizer covers three product types: headlamps, flashlights and lanterns. Energizer itself makes far more than that. Its lighting menu splits into handheld lights, hands-free lights, area lights and novelty lights, and that's before you get to the batteries the company is known for.

The headlamps are mostly compact AAA lamps, with a growing number of rechargeable ones. The flashlights run on AA, AAA or a rechargeable cell. The lanterns run from small AA tabletop lights to D-cell lanterns and rechargeable models, plus a floating lantern and a kids' lantern.

The grid above shows what's listed on Amazon right now, with filters by type. It changes as packs come and go, so I'll write about the lines and what separates them, not about this week's count.

How Energizer names its lights

Energizer's names are a mix of family names and output numbers. Here's how I read them.

• Vision: the main headlamp family, from the plain Vision to the Vision HD+ and Vision Ultra HD
• PRO and a number: PRO-260, PRO-315, PRO-360, PRO-400, where the number is close to the listed lumens
• HDL and a number: model codes Energizer uses on its own pages, like the HDL20
• WeatheReady: lanterns and lights aimed at power outages and emergencies
• HardCase and TAC-R: the tougher flashlight lines
• X and a number: lanterns like the X-250, X1000 and X1500, where the number again tracks output

Some listings also carry a licensed name, like the Jeep lamps and the PAW Patrol lanterns. The lamp under the logo comes from the same company. The number in a name is a hint, not a spec. Read the listing.

Lineup notes: Energizer headlamps

Vision: the AAA workhorses

Energizer's own pages describe the Vision family in detail. The plain Vision LED Headlamp lists three AAA cells, included, with 200 lumens on high for 7 hours and 45 lumens on low for 20 hours. Beam distance is 50 meters on high. It has a pivoting head and a stretchable, washable band.

The Vision HD+ steps up to four modes: spot, flood, spot and flood together, and a red night-vision light. Energizer lists 350 lumens on high for up to 4 hours, 45 lumens on low for 35 hours, and a beam up to 80 meters. The Vision HD+ listings in the grid show different lumen figures by version, so go by the listing for the exact lamp.

The Vision Ultra HD lists 450 lumens on high and an 85-meter beam, with red and green modes and a low-battery indicator that flashes red. That last one is a feature I'd put on every lamp ever made.

All three list IPX4 water resistance (splashing, not dunking), a 1-meter drop rating and testing to the ANSI FL1 standard.

PRO headlamps: the numbered lineup

The PRO lamps in the grid (PRO-260, PRO-315 and PRO-360) list AAA power and a red light. The PRO-315 adds spot plus flood. The PRO-400 is rechargeable and lists both red and green light. There's also a Pro200 sold as a 5-pack, which is the camp-supply-closet version: one lamp per bunk.

Energizer's HDL20 page gives a good look at what a mid-range AAA lamp from this maker looks like on paper: 325 lumens on high for 5 hours, 25 lumens on low for 40 hours, a 70-meter beam, dimming from 100 to 10 percent, and a red mode that the maker says preserves your night vision.

Rechargeable headlamps

The rechargeable lamps in the grid include the Vision Rechargeable, the S400, the MP-450, a 400-lumen model with red and green, and a rechargeable 2-pack. Listed outputs run in the few-hundred range, with the Jeep HM-2100 at the top of the grid at 2,100 lumens.

Energizer's page for the Jeep Multi-Purpose Handsfree Light shows what "multi-purpose" means here: a built-in USB-C battery, a white area light, red and green modes, a clip, a magnet for metal surfaces and a head strap. It also lists a motion control: wave your hand to switch it on and off. Walt wanted to know if it would also wave back. It does not.

More on charging is on the rechargeable headlamp page.

Hardcase, Universal and the rest

The Hardcase LED Headlamp in the grid lists AA power, 325 lumens, spot plus flood, and a tilting head. The Universal LED Headlamp 2-Pack lists AAA cells, 100 lumens and red light. A few other listings in the grid carry only some fields, and the grid shows a dash where the listing is silent.

Lineup notes: Energizer flashlights

Vision HD flashlights: AA and AAA, some with focus

The Vision HD Compact is a small aluminum light on AAA, and the Vision HD Performance Digital Focus and Vision HD Extra Performance run on AA and list a zoomable head, per their listings. The Extra Performance lists the highest output of any Energizer flashlight in the grid, in the low thousands of lumens, which is a lot from AA cells.

HardCase: the rugged ones

The HardCase HC-550, HardCase Pivot Plus and HardCase 250 Work Light all run on AA, per their listings. The Pivot Plus lists a rubber body and the longest runtime of the HardCase three. A light that runs on the same AAs as half the camp is a light somebody can always feed.

TAC-R and the rechargeables

The TAC-R 700 and TAC-R 1000 are the rechargeable handhelds, and both listings carry the tactical label, which is the maker's name for the line. The TAC-R 700 charges by micro-USB, and the TAC-R 1000 lists an aluminum body. The X-400 is a rechargeable penlight. The WeatherReady Auto-On Rechargeable Light is the emergency one in the group.

Penlights, the floating light and the Eveready

The Performance Inspection Penlight runs on AAA, the WeatherReady Floating Light on AA with a polymer body, and the EVEREADY LED Flashlight on AA with a long listed runtime. Eveready is one of Energizer Holdings' brands, so it shows up here. Flashlights across brands are on the camping flashlight page, the rechargeable flashlight page and the tactical flashlight page.

Lineup notes: Energizer lanterns

D-cell lanterns

The D-cell lanterns are the long-haul end of the lineup. In the grid, the All-Weather LED Lantern, the 360 PRO and the X1500 2-pack all list D batteries. Listed runtimes on these run long, into the hundreds of hours for some. Those big runtime numbers usually belong to the lowest setting, so don't expect them at full brightness.

Energizer's own WeatheReady Emergency Lantern page shows the pattern: it takes 3 D or 3 AA cells, lists 500 lumens for 30 hours on high, 100 lumens for 90 hours on low (with D cells), and a nightlight mode rated at 500 hours. It also has a USB output port and a switch that glows in the dark. That switch is the most useful feature on any lantern at 3 a.m., and nobody puts it on the box.

AA lanterns

The Emergency LED AA Lantern and the LED Camping Lantern in the grid list AA power. AA lanterns are lighter to carry and easier to feed from the same drawer as your headlamp. D cells last longer per set. That's the trade.

Rechargeable and hybrid lanterns

The Rechargeable LED Lantern, the X1000 and the Collapsible Rechargeable Lantern 4-Pack list rechargeable power. The X1000 lists 1,150 lumens, the highest output for a single rechargeable lantern in the grid.

Energizer also makes hybrid lanterns that take a rechargeable pack or AA cells. Its Vision Hybrid Lantern page lists 1,250 lumens on high, and 70 hours on low on the rechargeable battery versus 30 hours on AA cells. A hybrid is the best of both on paper. In practice, it's one more thing to charge before Friday.

Novelty and specialty lanterns

The Floating LED Lantern lists 60 lumens. The PAW Patrol LED Lanterns 2-Pack lists a 17-hour runtime, and Energizer's page for its kids' lantern lists 35 lumens, a shatterproof lens and a retractable clip. Low output is a feature in a kid's tent. Nobody needs a 1,000-lumen lantern under a sleeping bag.

The LightxPower Cube X1000 lists 1,000 lumens and dimming.

How to choose within the Energizer lineup

Pick the power source first

This is the decision that sticks. AAA lamps run on cells you can buy at any gas station on the way to camp. Rechargeable lamps skip the battery runs but need an outlet, a power bank or a truck charger. Energizer's AAA lamps list the batteries as included, so you can test one at the kitchen table the day it shows up.

For lanterns, it's the same choice with bigger cells: D for runtime, AA for weight, rechargeable for no batteries at all.

Then output and beam

Lumens are total light output. Beam distance is how far it stays useful. For camp chores and the walk to a stand, a few hundred lumens is plenty. The top of the range is for searching open ground after dark. If you're tracking after the shot, bring a second light as backup, and check your state wildlife agency for recovery rules after dark.

The headlamps page compares these numbers across brands, and best headlamp has a ranked list.

Then red light and modes

The National Park Service explains why red helps: bright white light breaks down rhodopsin, the pigment your eyes use for night vision, in seconds, and full night vision takes roughly 20 to 40 minutes to come back. Dim red barely touches it. Many Energizer lamps list a red mode. On the walk in, that's the one to use. More on the red light headlamp page.

Then lantern size and runtime

For lanterns, pick the runtime you need for the trip, then the output. A long weekend with no outlet points to D cells. A tent light points to a small, dim lantern. The camping lantern page and the battery operated lantern page cover both across brands.

Keep fuel lanterns out of the tent

My one opinion on this page: the lantern that goes inside a closed tent should be an LED one, never a fuel-burning one. The CDC lists lanterns and stoves among the things that make carbon monoxide whenever they burn fuel, and says never to use a portable gas camp stove indoors. Carbon monoxide doesn't care how cold you are. A battery lantern like the ones in this lineup makes light and no fumes.

Battery care

Energizer's care page has three rules I follow. Store lights somewhere dry and cool. Don't leave them under a car seat or in direct sun, since heat speeds up defects and leaks. And if a light sits unused for a long time, swap the batteries every few months to head off leakage. Keep a spare pack of cells with each light.

For rechargeable lamps and lanterns, the U.S. Fire Administration says not to charge lithium-ion batteries below 32°F or above 105°F, and to keep them out of hot cars. Don't throw them in the trash; take them to battery recycling.

The same agency says to stop using a lithium-ion battery that gets too hot, smells odd, changes color or shape, leaks or makes strange noises. A rechargeable lantern that does any of that goes outside on something that can't burn, not back on the charger.

Energizer facts

Here's what I could verify from Energizer's own sites:

• Parent company: Energizer Holdings, Inc., per the Energizer site
• Brand: introduced by the Eveready company in 1980, per Energizer Holdings' legacy page
• Company: spun off from Edgewell Personal Care in 2015 as a standalone, publicly traded company, per the same page
• Other brands: Eveready, Rayovac and Varta, among others, per Energizer Holdings
• Lighting history: Energizer's history page traces the Eveready flashlight to the 1890s and lists the first Energizer LED light in 1996

Energizer's pages listed here don't give a warranty for the headlamps and lanterns or say where they're made, so those are left out.

Put fresh AAAs in the lamp, three spares in the bag, and the glow-in-the-dark switch where you can find it. The vault can spare them.