Streamlight Bandit Coyote White/Red LED Headlamp

The Streamlight Bandit Coyote White/Red adds a red LED to the 180-lumen white output, in a coyote brown finish.

Red is the strongest choice for preserving night vision, and it appears in astronomy and tactical use for that reason. The eye's dark adaptation takes around twenty minutes to build and is destroyed almost instantly by white light. Red light barely disturbs it, so a camp task at night costs nothing in adapted vision.

The trade is that red renders detail and color poorly. Reading a map printed in color under red light is properly difficult, and the green version handles that better while giving up some adaptation.

White stays at 180 lumens in the same lightweight rechargeable body. Coyote brown suits outdoor and tactical use where a conspicuous headlamp is unwanted. Explore more headlamps and compact lights.

• Red disturbs dark adaptation least
• Adaptation takes twenty minutes and dies instantly
• The trade is poor color and detail rendering
• The green version reads a map better