2 in 1 head torch from joby

[T1Viper]

Hi all,

I just spotted this Gorillatorch switchback from Joby and thought it looked quite good, its a head torch and lantern with tripod too. They advertise it as a 2 in 1 headtorch and lantern, but with the tripod as well for your camera i think that makes it a 3 in 1.

think i'm gonna save up and get one for xmas.

Tom

 

[T1Viper]

just managed to find a bit of a product review on it. It turns out it has also has red leds so it will preserve your night vision too.

The 5-LED array includes a 130-lumen spotlight, two white floodlights and two red LEDs to help you keep your night vision intact. It has six brightness settings, an adjustable dimmer switch, a beam distance of 60 feet and a battery life of up to 72 hours on 2xAA batteries.

Joby says that in lantern mode, the Switchback has enough kick to illuminate an 8-person tent and its 92% ultra-efficient holographic lens "produces brilliant and even light that is easy on the eyes when viewed directly."

The lamp stand / camera tripod is of the Joby grab-anywhere variety, so figuring out how to hold your light steady shouldn't be a problem.

I'm not convinced that I'd leave my dedicated headtorch at home if I had the Switchback in the kit (there could be too much changing back-and-forth involved while tinkering around the campsite), but even if you look at it as a bright, compact lantern with the bonus of a spare headtorch (and a camera tripod), it's still has the makings of a very useful piece of camping gear.

 

[Ray Britton]

It must be worth remembering that the battery life is UP TO 72 hours, and will likely be closer to 1.5-2 hours on full power.

I can only agree with the review, and think it may be a bit annoying to be adding or removing the head band to swap from one use to another (especially in the dark). I don't think I will be tempted to change my Alpkit gamma for this. It will be interesting to see how the buttons operate, as many head torches now use 'multi use buttons' and hence often you need to select white light before getting red (not forgetting that green is 'the new red' for night vision lol).

The lightweight (in capability of carrying terms, not actual weight) tripod could be useful for clinging to posts or upright tent poles though ( I won't mention for branches, as the lamp already has a hanging loop lol).

It would be good to hear from someone who has one already

 

[T1Viper]

Hi Ray, Thanks for your input

They are not on sale until the 25th of this month i just spotted it on one of the gadget websites i frequent.

I understand if you were to run it on the 130 lumen spot light you wouldnt get anywhere near the stated 72 hr battery time, but I think running just the LED's (full power) would still get you a good 30-40 hrs.

I will be doing more research on these before i buy one if i find anymore reviews i will post them here.

Tom

 

[dave53]

hi all can i have a link please regardsdave

 

[T1Viper]

Hi dave
The only place I have found it so far is direct from the manufacturer http://joby.com/store/gorillatorch/switchback

I'm going to have a proper look next week once it's been released

Tom

 

[Ray Britton]

T1Viper

Your response regarding battery life made me have a second look at the torch, as it may be a bit of a give away to the torches quality that the beams may be split between the cree LED and the side ones (which I hadn't bothered to notice until your reply lol). On a torch such as my Fenix L2D there is only one LED, and this does all the power settings, as the torch is electronically controlled rather that just electric. On a head torch such as an Alpkit Gamma, although the main LED has three settings, it also has smaller LED's to provide white, green and red light. The Gamma is simply electric though, and this makes a big difference to the torches performance. Whereas the L2D will stay bright until the end of the battery life, the Gamma will gradually dim with use (as traditional torches did). The other difference 'electronic' brings is power regulation from the batteries, thus the electronic L2D is suitable for lithium batts while the electric Gamma is not.

This may be something worth finding out about the Jobby lamp, as it would be a shame to pay a lot of money for a lamp that is a bit basic in manufacture.

Just a thought