I usually use it clipped into the breast pocket of my winter jacket just because it's a bit more convenient but if I was doing a lot with it I'd use the head bit. It has about four brightness levels and the moonlight one is great for not blinding the animals! The brightest is seriously seriously bright.
I really like my Nitecore, it's usb rechargable and has done several winters now without any kind of diminishing performance. I've never tried the Alpkit ones myself but Alpkit stuff is usually really solid and dependable. Friends rate them for wild camping.