yǔqí dài shǒudiàntǒng, bùrú dài tóudēng.

与其……不如…… is a very common pattern meaning rather than A, it would be better to do B or instead of A, B is preferable.

So the structure is:

与其 + option A， 不如 + option B

In this sentence:

• 与其带手电筒
• 不如带头灯

It presents two choices and says the second one is the better choice.

This pattern often sounds a little like advice, recommendation, or practical judgment, not just a cold comparison.

Here 带 means to bring / take along / carry with you.

All of these can work in English depending on context:

• bring a flashlight
• take a flashlight
• carry a flashlight

Chinese 带 is broad and often covers the general idea of having something with you.

In this sentence, the meaning is basically:

• take along a flashlight
• take along a headlamp

So 带 is about what equipment you choose to have with you.

That is a great question, because 带 and 戴 are different characters but both are pronounced dài.

• 带 = bring / take along
• 戴 = wear / put on

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about which item to take with you, so 带头灯 is correct.

If the focus were on actually wearing it, then 戴头灯 would make sense.

For example:

• 上山的时候最好戴头灯。
  It’s best to wear a headlamp when hiking up the mountain.

So:

• 带头灯 = bring a headlamp with you
• 戴头灯 = wear the headlamp on your head

Normally, you should repeat the verb here:

• 与其带手电筒，不如带头灯。

This makes the two options parallel and clear.

If you say:

• 与其带手电筒，不如头灯

it sounds incomplete or unnatural, because 头灯 by itself is just a noun, and the second half needs a full idea.

Chinese often repeats the verb in patterns like this when comparing two actions:

• 与其开车，不如坐地铁。
• 与其等他，不如先走。

So in your sentence, repeating 带 is the normal and natural choice.

Chinese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.

So this sentence can stand alone as general advice:

• 与其带手电筒，不如带头灯。

Depending on the situation, the understood subject could be:

• 你
• 我们
• 大家
• or even a general one

If you want to make it explicit, you can add one:

• 你与其带手电筒，不如带头灯。
• 我们与其带手电筒，不如带头灯。

But in many real conversations, leaving the subject out sounds perfectly natural.

They are both light sources, but they are used differently:

• 手电筒 = flashlight / torch
  A light you usually hold in your hand.

• 头灯 = headlamp
  A light worn on your head, usually with a strap.

A headlamp is often better when you need both hands free, which is probably why the sentence recommends it.

Also, in everyday speech, people sometimes shorten 手电筒 to:

• 手电

That is informal but very common.

In Chinese, nouns do not always need classifiers when you are talking about things in a general way.

Here the sentence is about which kind of item is better to bring, so bare nouns are fine:

• 带手电筒
• 带头灯

If you want to emphasize the number one, then you can add a classifier:

• 带一个手电筒
• 带一个头灯

Both are grammatical, but the version without 一个 sounds more general and natural in this kind of comparison.

It is definitely a normal and useful pattern, and native speakers do use it. But it can sound a little more deliberate or structured than some simpler everyday alternatives.

So this sentence is natural, but in casual speech people might also say:

• 带头灯比较好。
  A headlamp is better.

• 最好带头灯。
  It’s best to bring a headlamp.

• 别带手电筒了，带头灯吧。
  Don’t bring a flashlight; bring a headlamp instead.

So 与其……不如…… is common and correct, but it is not the only natural way to express this idea.

The pronunciation is:

• 与其 — yǔqí
• 带 — dài
• 手电筒 — shǒudiàntǒng
• 不如 — bùrú
• 带 — dài
• 头灯 — tóudēng

A few useful notes:

• 与其 = third tone + second tone
• 不如 stays bù rú, because 不 only changes to bú before a fourth tone
• 手电筒 is a bit long, so learners often need practice saying it smoothly
• 带 and 戴 are both pronounced dài, even though they mean different things

So the full sentence is:

yǔqí dài shǒudiàntǒng, bùrú dài tóudēng.

It can compare much more than single verbs. It can compare:

• actions
• plans
• habits
• whole clauses
• even abstract choices

For example:

• 与其等，不如先做别的。
  Rather than waiting, it’s better to do something else first.

• 与其抱怨，不如想办法。
  Rather than complaining, it’s better to think of a solution.

• 与其坐飞机，不如坐高铁。
  Rather than taking a plane, it’s better to take high-speed rail.

So in your sentence, it is comparing two practical choices:

• bringing a flashlight
• bringing a headlamp

That is a very typical use of the pattern.