Petzl e+LITE; a review.

[Graham_S]

Today I picked up one of these little torches.

a handy little thing.
As far as i can tell it's designed for emergency use. it has a compact size and a lightweight design, however, I think it's capable of use as a general torch.

first, the size.
it's small.1 1/2" long, 1 1/4" high and 3/4" deep. small enough to tuck into the smallest kit. with the attached strap and storage case it's slightly larger at 3 1/4" by 1 3/4" by 1 1/4" however the case has a moulded belt loop and has room for a couple of sets of spare batteries.
the torch has 8 switch positions,
in order;
lock, off, low white, high white, flash white, flash red, red, off.
the rotary switch is easy to use wearing gloves.
the mounting system is quite handy.
there is a removeable elastic strap with a cordlock to adjust the size. this is comfortable to wear due to the light weight of the torch. there is also a wire clip so the torch could be attached to a baseball cap brim, a jacket cuff or even a storm flap of a jacket. there is a 360 degree swivel to direct the light to where it is required.

battery wise it takes CR2032 button cell batteries. they are calimed to have a 45hr burn time (although i've not tested this claim). the batteries are easy to change requiring only a coin to open the sealed compartment.

the torch is claimed to be waterproof to 1m so it should withstand bad weather ok. it's also rated safe for use in a vapour hazard area so it's safe to use if there is a gas leak

it's not cheap at £25 but i think it's a good well thought out piece of kit that will find it's way into many rucksacks as a backup.
personally i'm going to put one into my first aid kit. a head torch is just the thing when trying to patch up a cut in the dark.
so,
pros
compact size,
light weight,
versatile mounting system,

cons
cost,
batteries could be hard to find.

i rate it 8/10.

 

[jamesoconnor]

Nice review. and after googling as to what it looks like I fancy getting one now. Could come in handy.

 

[Brendan]

I bought a couple of these 3 weeks ago in Helsinki, they were €25 over there!
Great little torches and take the same batteries as my photon collection.
They do dim quite substantially after about 30mins of use but still usable light.

If you want an ultrabright 135 lumen EDC torch however check out these awesome little torches Fenix P1Dce
Everyone I have shown wants one, they are brighter than a 6Dcell maglite!

 

[Graham_S]

EDC i use an ORB RAW, it's bright enough for me. and i can recharge the battery.

 

[Brendan]

The Orb Raw is also a great little EDC I also have one but it's the same with most technology, it moves on and the luxeon led is not as efficient or bright as the new Cree led.
I think I've been on the candlepower forum too long, I'm sounding like a Flashlight geek!

 

[Graham_S]

i find that the ORB meets all my needs on the low power setting. i rarely use high power (although it's nice to have it available) once you hit a certain brightness, anything more is just an academic exercise. there is no practical need for extreme light levels.

 

[Brendan]

95% of the time I agree I also choose the low setting which is adequate in most situations. I just like the option of having a bit of clout if navigating through unfamiliar woodland at night for example.
Sorry I've led your thread slightly off topic, I like the petzl E+lite, it's a great backup light and being a head torch is a big bonus especially if out bushcrafting at night and you misplace your primary in the dark.