I like my Zipka plus.
Light, good light levels, fantastic battery life, and the retractable strap is brilliant.
Light, good light levels, fantastic battery life, and the retractable strap is brilliant.
The Best Head Torch
- Thread starter Halfdevil333
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Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
I just bought an Energiser headlamp at a certain major supermarket chain, for just under 9£. It takes 3 AAA's, and has a claimed run time of 30 hours. The light is either a single red led or 2 white ones, lensed so that they cast a single beam. It's small, and the angle is adjustable - both things I need in a work head torch as I spend a lot of time above ceilings and in tight access areas. I haven't taken it camping yet so I don't know how weatherproof it is, but so far I'm pretty impressed.
another vote for the Lidl LED head torches.
I got a black one a year or two ago that has 3 LEDs and is still going strong.
earlier this year i got a newer blue one that has 7 LEDs and is much brighter. but the on/off button on the newer one is a bit tricky with my fat fingers. I've standardised on AAA and these seem to last forever
the only really bad part is the battery clip mechanism - again it may just be me being clumsy but I broke the newer blue one the first time I tried to open it - so it's currently selotaped on. but the batteries just last and last (especially energizer lithiums) so i've yet to care.
as with every great deal at Lidl - you have to be there the week (sometimes the day, within an hour of opening) to get the really good deals. so keep on checking the website for the upcomming deals once a week.
I got a black one a year or two ago that has 3 LEDs and is still going strong.
earlier this year i got a newer blue one that has 7 LEDs and is much brighter. but the on/off button on the newer one is a bit tricky with my fat fingers. I've standardised on AAA and these seem to last forever
the only really bad part is the battery clip mechanism - again it may just be me being clumsy but I broke the newer blue one the first time I tried to open it - so it's currently selotaped on. but the batteries just last and last (especially energizer lithiums) so i've yet to care.
as with every great deal at Lidl - you have to be there the week (sometimes the day, within an hour of opening) to get the really good deals. so keep on checking the website for the upcomming deals once a week.
just spotted this yesterday. I don't know if it's any good, but search out a review and you could have a bargain on your hands. Personally, I use a petzl tikka plus, which is a bit dim, but seeing as my bro gave it to me for free, I won't complain.
scroll down to "Magnum LED Headlight" at £9.99:
http://www.heinnie.com/cgi-bin/hein...AIN/fr-CLEARANCEMAIN.htm&cart_id=2231445.2844
scroll down to "Magnum LED Headlight" at £9.99:
http://www.heinnie.com/cgi-bin/hein...AIN/fr-CLEARANCEMAIN.htm&cart_id=2231445.2844
I'm another MyoXP fan; hugely reliable, very bright, lasts forever.
For fiddling about in powercuts - or playing cards in the dark, I also have the odd alpkit indigo/. Not bad for a fiver.
For fiddling about in powercuts - or playing cards in the dark, I also have the odd alpkit indigo/. Not bad for a fiver.
I know it's a no frills option but i use the alpkit headtorch, at £5 inc P&P you can't go wrong. Great service aswell.
I'm with him. A great light, small and compact enough to keep in my pouch all the time - and the retractable strap is surprisingly secure and comfortable. Same good light levels as the tikka plus.
I've just got the Petzl e+lite and after using it for the weekend I have to say its really great Ideal for around the camp.
I'm interested that noone has recommended the Petzl Myo 5 (or myolite 3)
I reckon they're better than the XP - you get a choice between Halogen or LED, and even a choice of bulbs for the halogen part to choose brightness vs. battery life.
The winner for me is that you swith it on by turning the whole reflector bezel rather than fighting with a fiddly little button. It's cheaper than the XP too...
I reckon they're better than the XP - you get a choice between Halogen or LED, and even a choice of bulbs for the halogen part to choose brightness vs. battery life.
The winner for me is that you swith it on by turning the whole reflector bezel rather than fighting with a fiddly little button. It's cheaper than the XP too...
Anothe one for the Tikka XP.
I've managed to break two Tikka's and one Zipka, so I don't trust them any more. They all broke at the same place too - The thin plastic bit at the back that's supposed to hold the battery cover in. Can't glue the plastic to any reliability, and taping it makes changing batterias a hassle + the tape doesn't work too good in winter conditions (wet and cold).
Personally I find the e+lite nice and small, but still have to use it a bit more to build up some trust/confidence in it.
/ Karl
I've managed to break two Tikka's and one Zipka, so I don't trust them any more. They all broke at the same place too - The thin plastic bit at the back that's supposed to hold the battery cover in. Can't glue the plastic to any reliability, and taping it makes changing batterias a hassle + the tape doesn't work too good in winter conditions (wet and cold).
Personally I find the e+lite nice and small, but still have to use it a bit more to build up some trust/confidence in it.
/ Karl
Ok, Petzl TacTIKKA, MYO and E-lite are most excellent; however...
You mention that you are going to use ift for work so I have to ask:
a. Will you be working in areas with potentially flammable mixtures? If so, you need an industry-rated system that will not spark and should also be waterproof. Petzl do some good ones - try their website.
b. Do you need it to have a long battery life? If so, especially if you need a powerful long-range beam too, you need a headtorch with a separate battery pack (belt or helmet-mounted)
c. Do you need to have a good long-range beam? (no idea how big these industrial boilers of yours are). LEDs are great but for a truly decent long-range powerful beam, you need a halogen lamp. There are hybrid LED/halogen systems out there that may fit the bill (eg, MYO). Before anyone gets on a high-horse about LEDs vs Halogen, if you do any alpine climbing or search and rescue, you will know that LEDs do not create a powerful enough beam for picking out small targets or route-finding in horrible weather. These are at the extreme usage end of the range.
So, really, you need to decide on what your requirement actually is. This might all sound a bit over-the-top but you could save yourself a bit of money in the long run. It may even be that you get yourself a camping/bushcraft LED headlamp and a more robust system for work.
You mention that you are going to use ift for work so I have to ask:
a. Will you be working in areas with potentially flammable mixtures? If so, you need an industry-rated system that will not spark and should also be waterproof. Petzl do some good ones - try their website.
b. Do you need it to have a long battery life? If so, especially if you need a powerful long-range beam too, you need a headtorch with a separate battery pack (belt or helmet-mounted)
c. Do you need to have a good long-range beam? (no idea how big these industrial boilers of yours are). LEDs are great but for a truly decent long-range powerful beam, you need a halogen lamp. There are hybrid LED/halogen systems out there that may fit the bill (eg, MYO). Before anyone gets on a high-horse about LEDs vs Halogen, if you do any alpine climbing or search and rescue, you will know that LEDs do not create a powerful enough beam for picking out small targets or route-finding in horrible weather. These are at the extreme usage end of the range.
So, really, you need to decide on what your requirement actually is. This might all sound a bit over-the-top but you could save yourself a bit of money in the long run. It may even be that you get yourself a camping/bushcraft LED headlamp and a more robust system for work.
I have a myolite 3 and i think its great I love the way you can switch between modes.
Been using one of these and,for the money,am very pleased with it.Noticed the other day that they are now on special offer at under £7(till Sept 1st) so bought another as a spare!!
as they say,every little helps
Just thought I'd resurrect this thread to pass on a bit of info, as the nights are drawing in it might come in useful!
After positive comments on this thread and the review in the BushcraftUK magazine I recently bought a Petzl TacTikka XP (the military version of the XP which comes in dpm or sand colour and has 4 interchangeable colour lenses - wide angle white, red, blue and green) from www.breaking-free.co.uk. It's on for £35.95 with free shipping ....... they normally go for about £40 with shipping extra. I thought this was quite a good deal and thought I'd pass it on. There are also other Petzl head torches (Tikka, E+lite etc) there at reasonable prices with free shipping.
Usual stuff "I have no connection with the company" etc etc but just thought this was a very good deal, the guy in the shop was pleasant to speak to and shipping was very fast (arrived the next day!).
After positive comments on this thread and the review in the BushcraftUK magazine I recently bought a Petzl TacTikka XP (the military version of the XP which comes in dpm or sand colour and has 4 interchangeable colour lenses - wide angle white, red, blue and green) from www.breaking-free.co.uk. It's on for £35.95 with free shipping ....... they normally go for about £40 with shipping extra. I thought this was quite a good deal and thought I'd pass it on. There are also other Petzl head torches (Tikka, E+lite etc) there at reasonable prices with free shipping.
Usual stuff "I have no connection with the company" etc etc but just thought this was a very good deal, the guy in the shop was pleasant to speak to and shipping was very fast (arrived the next day!).
Another vote for Tikka XP. I hate white light in the woods but it should be carried for an emergency. That's why I use the XP's coloured filters which slide over the white light. The white filter disperses the beam. Four brightness settings are handy. The power setting is suprisingly bright. The torch weighs next to nowt. My batteries have lasted about 18 months although I do use it sparingly.
Pablo.
Pablo.
Yup I'm still getting used to the different power settings ...... I keep on pressing the "boost" button instead of the off button at the moment
!One of the good things about the Tactikka XP is that it has special little clip on the head band so you can carry 2 lenses with you where ever you go (i.e. one fitted to the torch the other in the clip on the band). Not sure if this clip comes with the filters if you buy them speratly i.e. for the normal tikka XP? If not it should do as I suspect I'll probably loose the other 2 filters eventually
! Wish I could clip all 3 spare filters to the band.
A
appletree_man
Guest
another vote for the XP - with rechargeables (the power indicator is brill). However, t'is a tad chunky, so I do like to wear a Tikka on the wrist sometimes instead. Really fanct an e-lite but funds, dear boy, funds.
