I have about 20 head lamps. I know ridiculous but every single one has its share of short comings. This is my most recent and I have to say, I’m really liking it. Here are some of those reasons:- It has a strange strap with a knob to twist left and right to tighten and loose it. It allows me to make some small adjustments to get it to fit just right in different situations.- The buttons are easy to feel and press and for red, which I use most of the time, I just have to double click either button to turn it on or hold to turn it off. It also had a cool or warm white which you hold the corresponding button to turn on and off.- Easy USB C socket

I've used the Actik Core system with various Petzl headlamps for years, and patiently waited for them to update their removable Actik batteries to usb-c. When I realized they might never do it, I looked for an alternative with similar functionality.Briefly looked at the Petzl Swift, but at the time it was over $100 (what?!) and didn't meet my "musts" list. Was about to buy a knock-off for around $50 but then this Fenix hit the market.Musts:• Battery that can recharge USB-C, but also removable (NOT baked into the headlamp)• Waterproof• Somewhat "tough" and impact resistant• Battery in front (no rear battery pack)• Infrared for night photography• Powerful beam for potential night hiking• Dim light for tent (reading, etc.)• Long battery life (for trips of a week+)• Lightweight (around 3 oz is fine for me, although some might want even lower)Preferred:• Could swap out rechargeable battery for AAA batteries in same compartment• Sensible price (around $60 would be so nice)• Battery indicator that was actually helpful• Dedicated buttons for different beam types• Easy to adjustThis is it! This headlamp checked every single box, except there's not a dedicated button for infrared. Still, VERY easy to engage. Which leads to:The one thing I'd definitely change:To turn on warm and white lights, you long-press either of their buttons. To turn off, you long-press again. To turn on infrared, you double-press either button. I wish they'd swap this functionality, because it's quicker and easier to double-press than to long-press. So I wish they'd change it so that long-press is infrared, and double-press is turn warm and white lights on and off.Please, Fenix?Coolest Feature:The two different types of light modes (warm and white) with dedicated buttons for each (not talking about infrared, which is technically a third type on this headlamp). The warm light is excellent in the tent, or sleeping in the back of the truck at a trailhead or photography spot, etc. And there are two separate buttons for the two different modes, and one click on either button switches the modes (warm to white and vice versa). It's so well-done!Biggest weakness:The thin cable that makes up the admittedly very cool tightening feature. Just twist (although it is a bit loud in the dead of night) to tighten or loosen. It's such a great feature, so I'm not going to take off a star. But I do wonder if the very thin cable will snag on something and snap.Caveat to the weakness:While I'm not sure how well the cable will hold, I do think the way it tightens and loosens with a twist is VERY helpful when I'm dealing with wearing different head "garments" out on the trail. Often I'll need to wear a hat, or a beanie, or a beanie with thin buff underneath, etc. Being able to adjust the strap with a simple twist is awesome, and so much more superior to the straps I've had to deal with in the past.Most surprisingly accurate claim:The dim light is actually dim. On the "warm" light setting, the dim is so dim, it's perfect for being in the tent, waking up middle of the night, needing light but not wanting the typical blast of light in the eyes. Huge bonus, because I really don't expect headlamps to live up to their "dim" light claims.The most important part—the white and warm lights:They actually have a significant range of light intensity. The dim is actually dim, and the brightest settings are powerful. When in the woods, it just lights everything up more than I'd hoped for in something this lightweight with removable, rechargeable battery. Usually you have to trade weight for lumens. I think this is a perfect balance of that. In my opinion, they absolutely got it right!Infrared:Works great. There's a solid and a blinking. Only thing I wish it had was two levels of solid infrared brightness, but that's so low on my "that would be nice" list, I'm absolutely fine with it. But I did want to note that in this review.Batteries:A proprietary removable, rechargeable battery that is USB-C is so nice! Many equivalent headlamps either have a baked-in battery for USB-C, or you can't use AAA in a jam, etc. This is so flexible, it's like Fenix read my mind. (NO, I'm not a Fenix advocate. I've never used any of their products before this one.) The option to be able to use AAA batteries is so beneficial. Great if you're thru-hiking, need to resupply, don't have time to recharge headlamp as well as phone, etc., and don't mind the extra ounce or so for the added luxuries of this particular headlampAnd yes, you can buy a spare battery (Fenix ARB-LP1900), which will be sold in US soon, I've already chatted with Fenix.Overall:I absolutely love this headlamp!! I feel bad as I was a faithful Petzl user for years (decades), but I've now moved on (sorry, Petzl), and I really do think this headlamp is just about perfect. And for around $50? I mean, come on. That's delicious icing on the cake. I find it a very sensible price and I respect that. (Thanks, Fenix.)