New Petzl LED head torch...
- Thread starter Martyn
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An L4 will set you back about £90 quid.
They aint cheap.
They also run on lithium batteries, which aint cheap either.
They aint cheap.
They also run on lithium batteries, which aint cheap either.
Just to put that into perspective ... My M2 takes 2 x lithium CR123 which I can get for about £1.20 each ... and that will run for about 90 minutes. My Tikka takes 3 x AAA at about 60 p each for quality (Duracell or Energizer) and theu last for, well, ever! 100 hr easy.
Surefire is great if youwant a robust, powerful "lightsaber" but they are way too fierce for bushcraft and mucho dear to run. However, they are very, very hard to break!
Surefire is great if youwant a robust, powerful "lightsaber" but they are way too fierce for bushcraft and mucho dear to run. However, they are very, very hard to break!
Womble said:
Martyn, how long does the battery last with the 5 watt head? I was checking them out in a catalog earlier but they didn't have any runtime figures. Very tempting.Martyn said:
Powderburn, with the 2x123a's the torch will last somewhere between 1 to 1.5 hours in full regulated brightness, then slowly diminishing brightness for a further 3 hours or so.
However, before you buy, you may want to look at the new ARC LS4+ - it's a 1 watt light, but the internal circuitry allows it to be run on a variety of power settings, including an overdrive setting. It wont be as bright as the surefire, but wont be far off and it will have a huge variety of features that will make it a much more attractive optioj for bushcrafterts and campers (including a 2xAA battery option - I think???).
It's about the same price.
However, before you buy, you may want to look at the new ARC LS4+ - it's a 1 watt light, but the internal circuitry allows it to be run on a variety of power settings, including an overdrive setting. It wont be as bright as the surefire, but wont be far off and it will have a huge variety of features that will make it a much more attractive optioj for bushcrafterts and campers (including a 2xAA battery option - I think???).
It's about the same price.
...Oh, as regarding what to carry, Ray Mears says he carries 3 types with him, a small LED keyring type (the photon microlight sort of thing), an LED head torch and a superbright halogen torch for emergencies.
Well this sounds very good to me. I figure a photon microlight on a lanyard, carried round your neck at all times is a good solution. The burntime is usually around 12 hours, which is pretty good, though the light output is paltry. It would double as a pretty effective "tent torch" when hung on a cord, though spare batteries (or spare photons) would probably be required for anything longer than a week.
An LED headlamp I would think is the "one" if you can only have one, it's the one to pick. A huge runtime, quite bright, comfortable, hands free, great for after dark walking, cooking, firelighting, firewood hunting, brewing up, kit shuffling, reading and whatever else you can think of. - something like the pricetontec aurora or petzel tikka+, fits the bill perfectly.
The emergency halogen is debatable. You might not need it at all, and if weight was a huge isse for you, you could probably comfortably leave it at home. But there may be occasions, when you just want the superbright, darkness-splitting beam for a few minutes. There are tons of options, most of them either thunking great2xD cell options, or lithium powered options. Lithiums are smaller, lighter, last longer, higher output, temperature tolerant and more expensive. Surefire lights are perfect, but again very expensive. The 5watt LED's are the first LED's which can truly compete with the halogen lights, but they are also much "whiter" than halogens, the bulb doesnt break and they last longer.
My choice:
1x PhotonII (on a neck cord)
1x Petzl Tikka+
1x Surefire LS4
All bases covered. The downside? The obvious one is cost - that's about £150 worth of torches, another is battery incompatibility. But as the LS4 is an emergency torch, I dont anticipate using or needing more than 1 set of batteries. The main torch is the LED headlamp - the only gripe, I would like a Tikka+ that ran on lithium AA batteries. Then I would sell the above and carry:
1x ARC AA (sinle LED to replace the photon)
1x Petzl Tikka (AA variety)
1x ARC L4 with AA battery pack.
...and about 1/2 dozen spare AA litiums for whatever torch ran out.
/end of ramble.
Well this sounds very good to me. I figure a photon microlight on a lanyard, carried round your neck at all times is a good solution. The burntime is usually around 12 hours, which is pretty good, though the light output is paltry. It would double as a pretty effective "tent torch" when hung on a cord, though spare batteries (or spare photons) would probably be required for anything longer than a week.
An LED headlamp I would think is the "one" if you can only have one, it's the one to pick. A huge runtime, quite bright, comfortable, hands free, great for after dark walking, cooking, firelighting, firewood hunting, brewing up, kit shuffling, reading and whatever else you can think of. - something like the pricetontec aurora or petzel tikka+, fits the bill perfectly.
The emergency halogen is debatable. You might not need it at all, and if weight was a huge isse for you, you could probably comfortably leave it at home. But there may be occasions, when you just want the superbright, darkness-splitting beam for a few minutes. There are tons of options, most of them either thunking great2xD cell options, or lithium powered options. Lithiums are smaller, lighter, last longer, higher output, temperature tolerant and more expensive. Surefire lights are perfect, but again very expensive. The 5watt LED's are the first LED's which can truly compete with the halogen lights, but they are also much "whiter" than halogens, the bulb doesnt break and they last longer.
My choice:
1x PhotonII (on a neck cord)
1x Petzl Tikka+
1x Surefire LS4
All bases covered. The downside? The obvious one is cost - that's about £150 worth of torches, another is battery incompatibility. But as the LS4 is an emergency torch, I dont anticipate using or needing more than 1 set of batteries. The main torch is the LED headlamp - the only gripe, I would like a Tikka+ that ran on lithium AA batteries. Then I would sell the above and carry:
1x ARC AA (sinle LED to replace the photon)
1x Petzl Tikka (AA variety)
1x ARC L4 with AA battery pack.
...and about 1/2 dozen spare AA litiums for whatever torch ran out.
/end of ramble.
Thanks, Martyn. Looks like I'll have to spend some time on Candlepower Forums getting caught up with the latest and greatest before I buy my next light.
When Its dark, my Arc AAA does me fine, plenty bright enough.
It's only when theres light pollution or at twilight I need somthing with a little more punch.
If you want somthing with power check out the Princeton Tec Surge, its almost as bright as a three cell surfire (100 odd lumens), and can be had for about $20, it takes AA's and not the expensive CR123a's either.
http://www1.ecxmall.com/stores/texastacticalsupply/Detail.bok?no=32
Also, Black diamond do regulated LED, and Incandesant Headlamps, at reasonable prices too:
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/gear/lightware/soliras.php
It's only when theres light pollution or at twilight I need somthing with a little more punch.
If you want somthing with power check out the Princeton Tec Surge, its almost as bright as a three cell surfire (100 odd lumens), and can be had for about $20, it takes AA's and not the expensive CR123a's either.
http://www1.ecxmall.com/stores/texastacticalsupply/Detail.bok?no=32
Also, Black diamond do regulated LED, and Incandesant Headlamps, at reasonable prices too:
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/gear/lightware/soliras.php
stopit stopit!
i really want the tikka+ just can't afford the extra£ at present!
quite sad really i gave up on my Zoom as it was too heavy and drinks batteries.
i have rather drastically opted for a maglight AA and have made an elastic strap that fits rather uncomfortably to my head!
one day i'll have nice toys like you!!
Interesting factlet, in August this year, the battery manufacturers will start production and sale of AAA lithiums.
The tikka and aurora already have insanely long runtimes, imagine how long they will burn if the batteries were lithium? :-D
Of course they'll be hellishly expensive, just like the lithium AA's.
The tikka and aurora already have insanely long runtimes, imagine how long they will burn if the batteries were lithium? :-D
Of course they'll be hellishly expensive, just like the lithium AA's.
Hellishly expensive but worth it. Before I moved over to mostly recharchable NiMH 2100 mAh AAs i used to find that in some devices (such as GPS) that I'd get about 4 - 6 hours from Duracell while Energizer Litiums would give me in excess of 24 hours. At three times the price this was worth it.
It's the way they are unaffected by cold that is really impressive though!
It's the way they are unaffected by cold that is really impressive though!
...oh absolutely, if you're using your petzl tikka in arctic conditions, there'll be no contest.
using rechargable battrys such as NiMH would be far cheaper not to mention more enviromently friendly than lithium
But how would rechargable NiMH batteries hold up in the cold? anone have any experience with this?
I agree ... I tend to not use many throw away batteries as I think that they are a crime against the planet.
As for cold, they seem to work OK down to -10 deg C in my experience in low drain devices like LED torches.
As for cold, they seem to work OK down to -10 deg C in my experience in low drain devices like LED torches.
Stuart said:
Anyone tried the Inova X5 out? I bought for my dad in Oz but never tried one myself, saw em being sold in cotswolds other day.
