The brightness and features of this lamp are worth the extra cost. I have used this lamp for three trail races and a night orienteering event (which I won) on a moonless night in deep woods. On the trail, I set it on its lowest setting. Off trail, setting 5 was fine. The only time I used the highest setting was to demonstrate it to the curious. I almost always used it with the diffuser on. M
This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.