I have had dozens of LED flashlights (water resitant & water waterproof) for work from cheap no name brand LED flashlights to Surefire, Streamlight, Pelican (float on water), Princeton Tec, Energizer, etc... and they all break after a certain period even the Surefire and Streamlight can't handle 40+ feet drops onto concrete floor or steel deck (the expensive highpower Surefire/Streamlight/Pelican/Princeton Tec put out a bit more light but they eat batter much quicker than the less powerfull ones).
For the last 3 years I found Costco 3 pack of Snap-on (3 AAA cells, and $20 for 3 flashlights) are the best bang for the buck, because they give more than adequate light at rated 250 lumens and they are robust enought that they handle the abuse and drops a bit better than the competitions. Snap-on is rated for waterproof up to 1 meter, and I tested it out by tying it on a rope and it survive a depth of at least 10 meters or more (once I have more time I will see how deep it can go befor failure).
As for headlamp I found the Princeton Tec Apex at $65 is the best bang for relatively high power output at the moment. Run time is 150-72 hours on 4AA cells (a bit heavy due to the batteries, but still light enought to wear all day), and max out at rated 275 Lumens (but seems to be quite abit brighter than the above Snap-on).
Energizer Hardcase Pro 4 LED headlamp possibly the best priced (less than $30) headlamp at 160 lumens output on 3AA at 60 hours that is weigth less than the Princeton Tec Apex.
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Manufacture rating aside, most flash light output at max power rating for 30-60 minutes before they progressively get dimmer till they drain the batter completely. The Surefire and Streamlight that I had give max output at best 15 minutes before it progressively get dimmer and give a total of 1-1.5 hours of working light before it drain the batteries dry. And, rechargable give even less working time than Alkaline.
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