Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more

General => Gear Questions, Information, Reviews and Competitions => Topic started by: RedLeader on October 15, 2013

Title: Lets talk torches
Post by: RedLeader on October 15, 2013
I'm consistently peeved at the quality of the head torches I have. I'm using a Petzl Tikka 2 currently but also have an Alpkit Gamma plus a handful of other brand types. They definitely do the job but the brightness of the light is a bit of a letdown. I know they only take 3 AAA batteries and have a cracking battery life but still, I'd like something brighter.

What's everyone else using at the moment for both head torches and hand held torches. I'd happily stick with what I've got for hands free stuff if I could get a better quality hand torch, but as ever, weight is always a concern.
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Ed on October 15, 2013
I have a petzl nao and it has exceeded expectations consistently.
It has a high output, adjusts to the surroundings and is USB chargeable (so I can charge it on the go with my portable charger)
It is a little on the heavier side but this can be mitigated using the belt kit
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Rusty Madra on October 15, 2013
I've a shit home base £3 one... But I just stand beside Ed and it's like someone turned on a floodlight when that Pretzel comes on  :D

However I may ask Santa to bring me one of these bad boys:



Guinness book of records reckons its the most powerful torch in the world. Blow your retinas clean out lol!
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: LandyLiam on October 15, 2013
You wouldn't want that to switch on accidentally in your rucksack  :o

Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Rich.H on October 16, 2013
But have you seen the specs on it
Quote
Battery Lifetime:    5-10 Minutes[/url] You light one fire, find your way to the loo then carry a brick the rest of your time out.

I looked at a Petzl Tikka 2 at the shop for the mmm and was very impressed it's on a list of things to get. Made the mistake of pressing the on button when looking at it and spend 5 mins seeing bugger all after.

Is the Nao the only model that supports usb charging? the idea of having a single power source for everything is always high on my list.
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Redknight on October 16, 2013
Quote from: Rusty Madra on October 15, 2013

Guinness book of records reckons its the most powerful torch in the world. Blow your retinas clean out lol!

 :o
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Typo-On on October 16, 2013
I've a Tikka 2 which I think is crap ( I bought it for Megan )
I've a XP2 which I think is pretty good, I like the diffuser but as I don't have the core pack I think even the 'dim' setting is a little bright for most of my needs. ( I can't remember if the core actually let's you change it??)
And I've a handful of the gamma's as I needed a few for family camps and they did the deal if you bought 5. I actually like this best for usability - the low white led is more than enough for everything around camp and walking in the dark and it has the green and red LEDs too.
My preferences are driven solely for walking and camping. I've found the main LEDS can be to bright to be useful as it can give you the 'main beam in fog' effect and a almost white out feel.. I dunno maybe I just need to be out in clear evenings lol
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Ed on October 16, 2013
Quote from: Rich.H on October 16, 2013
But have you seen the specs on it
Quote
Battery Lifetime:    5-10 Minutes[/url] You light one fire, find your way to the loo then carry a brick the rest of your time out.

I looked at a Petzl Tikka 2 at the shop for the mmm and was very impressed it's on a list of things to get. Made the mistake of pressing the on button when looking at it and spend 5 mins seeing bugger all after.

Is the Nao the only model that supports usb charging? the idea of having a single power source for everything is always high on my list.

Other petzl torches include it but not all of them. I'd definitely recommend something USB chargeable in combo with a powerpack.

I use the New Trent battery pack: http://www.tinyurl.com/newtrentimp120d (http://www.tinyurl.com/newtrentimp120d) has enough juice to charge my phone 8 times or my head torch 5.5 times (from empty) or a combination thereof. Has two ports so you charge both at the same time overnight. Amazing for multi day trips.

The Petzl tikka core and Tikka RXP both have usb charging. The RXP has reactive lighting like the NAO does, but its a bit pricier.

The core is 50 odd quid, the RXP is 80 odd.

Ed

Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: LandyLiam on October 16, 2013
I've quite a few head torches, my main one is the Energizer Extreme Headlight Cree LED, a good all rounder, quite bright at 70 lumens, has red led which is handy in groups so you don't blind everyone, and best of all it takes a single AA battery, so it doesn't cost a fortune to put a new battery in regularly to keep it nice and bright, and 1 battery is easy to change on the move, alos the gps uses same batteries so no need to carry a spare.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Extreme-Headlight-Cree-LED/dp/B0022NHN4Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1353064365&sr=8-3
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XO3rXuDmL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

Then i have the bad boy, a led lenser H7, at 140 lumens its very bright, you can adjust it between spot and wide beam easily, also the dimming function is an easy to use slider. I tend to use this one for night navigation exercises, but as it uses 3 AAA batteries it means i need to carry 3 spares  :( so i tend not to use it that often

http://www.amazon.co.uk/H7-Head-Torch-Gift-7497/dp/B001JZIE3A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353064473&sr=8-1
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tkA-JmOFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)


For in tent use i have the Energizer multi use spot. Its a wee small headtorch using button cell batteries, you'd hardly know you had it on your head so I can go to sleep with it on and therefore find it quickly when I awaken in the dark.

(http://www.lamps2udirect.com/assets/img/large/Energizer_Multi_Use_Spot_LE.jpg)

http://www.lamps2udirect.com/home-and-office-supplies-kettles-and-irons/energizer-multi-use-spot-led-torch-light-s5253/141335


The hand torch I use is the LED Lenser L5, bright enough at 85 lumens. using only 1 AA battery its small and lightweight too.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31gd-JfWi4L._SX355_.jpg)




So having a torch which is capable of being very bright is one thing, but you'll have to have good batteries in it to keep it bright so I wouldn't like to have to rely on a rechargable one, unless you can easily pop a few ordinary batteries in if needed.


Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: RedLeader on October 17, 2013
Interesting.. So looking at the torches that people seem happy with the lumen calculation is key. The Tikka 2 is only 40 the Energiser Cree seems to be 60 and the LED Lenser 160. Unfortunately I don't want anything super expensive or that can burn passing satellites out of the sky like James Bond ;)

I wonder what this would be like:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SuperLED-CREE-Torch-Lumens-Headlight/dp/B0050NN7GG/ref=pd_sxp_grid_i_1_1

160 lumens and a 59 person 4 star review. I'm not totally bothered by batter life as long as it's good for 4+ hours, I use rechargeables anyway.
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: RedLeader on October 17, 2013
It's also worth mentioning that two key elements to torch design are:
I have a few torches (maybe all) that fall foul of either of the above. Ones that are already invariably flat before I get to camp because they have a switch that easily gets knocked on in the rucksack or battery compartments that need a screwdriver or similar to prise open which is a pain in the dark.
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: LandyLiam on October 17, 2013
My Energizer Extreme is easily knocked on accidentally so I keep it in a little lunchbox which also stops it getting abused while I rumage about the rucksack (the battery cables are a bit delicate too). The wee box also makes it easy to find  :)

The LED Lenser is much less susceptable to switching itself on and it comes with a handy little pouch to remove even the small chance of hitting the on button.

The LED Lenser L5 is a twist on/off switch so no chance of accidental power up, but this does make it a bit fiddly to switch on/off regularly, so you can't have your cake and eat it  :)
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Ed on October 17, 2013
The nao has a lock function but the battery connects with a cable so I just disconnect that during storage.
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Revsi75 on November 22, 2013
Guys,
One of the best headlights that I've come across, is a Cree.
I work for a cycling company and lots of the guys who cycle all use this brand and they are cheaper than a meal for one.
I have an 800 lumen head torch and it's like a car headlight and only runs on 3 AAA batteries.

Unfortunately it has had to be binned, thanks to my pup who was extra hungry and managed to bite the cable in half!
Title: Re: Lets talk torches
Post by: Rich.H on November 22, 2013
Just incase anyone likes the look of the Petzl Tikka XP2, Taramack outdoors are doing them with the core charger pack on clearance at the moment. £59 all in with p&p, around £30 cheaper than anywhere else online at the moment. Just ordered one for myself so hoping the delivery isn't too long, have heard good things about the firm so fingers crossed its standard postage times.

http://www.tamarackoutdoors.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=9155456 (http://www.tamarackoutdoors.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=9155456)