Petzl Headtorches

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard Phillips
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Hello all,

I bought a Myolite 3 last weekend, salesman convinced me it was a good one.
Normally I do lots of research before buying stuff, this was a bit more
"heat of the moment" purchasing though. Having read a little more about it,
it seems the Myolite 3 is aimed at night running, hence it has a long
distance beam and is rather heavy and bulky! Plus, the batteries won't last
long at all with the main zenon beam...

So, I'm thinking on changing to a Tikka. Anyone use them? Opinions?

I recently got a Tikka XP. It weighs about 20g more than the Tikka /
Tikka Plus (with batteries) and takes 3 AAAs like the others. It has a
single LED with three lighting levels and a boost function if you need
and extra long beam. There is a diffuser that can be slid across to
spread the beam out. It is much more versatile and powerful (when
needed) than the Tikka / Tikka Plus.

I'm very impressed - for the size and weight it is excellent. They cost
about £33.

http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=555

--

Dominic Sexton

Richard Phillips said:

So, I'm thinking on changing to a Tikka. Anyone use them? Opinions?

I have a Tikka, Roos a Tikka Plus. They're /excellent/ for where you
want short range ambient light, such as cooking or other housekeeping in
a tent or bothy. They're adequate, but not really more than that, for
if you're coming off the hill a little later than anticipated (guess how
I know that...).

If you're planning a night walk I'd suggest something with rather more
poke, but as a camping utility or emergency lamp with batteries that
last yonks they're excellent.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Dominic Sexton said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard Phillips
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Hello all,

I bought a Myolite 3 last weekend, salesman convinced me it was a
good one. Normally I do lots of research before buying stuff, this
was a bit more "heat of the moment" purchasing though. Having read
a little more about it, it seems the Myolite 3 is aimed at night
running, hence it has a long distance beam and is rather heavy and
bulky! Plus, the batteries won't last long at all with the main
zenon beam... So, I'm thinking on changing to a Tikka. Anyone use them?
Opinions?

I recently got a Tikka XP. It weighs about 20g more than the Tikka /
Tikka Plus (with batteries) and takes 3 AAAs like the others. It has a
single LED with three lighting levels and a boost function if you need
and extra long beam. There is a diffuser that can be slid across to
spread the beam out. It is much more versatile and powerful (when
needed) than the Tikka / Tikka Plus.

I'm very impressed - for the size and weight it is excellent. They
cost about £33.

http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=555

The Tikka XP still weighs a lot less than the Myolite 3 though! I see the
boost function times out after 20secs, how good is the beam for walking at
night without using the boost function? How long would the batteries last
in this scenario?

Cheers,
R.

In message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch
<[email hidden]> writes
[...]

Quoted message said:

If you're planning a night walk I'd suggest something with rather more
poke, but as a camping utility or emergency lamp with batteries that
last yonks they're excellent.

"Yonks". I haven't heard that word in a long time. I remember its
meaning but I looked it up (on-line) anyway because it struck me as
interesting and evocative. I could only find one reference in Chambers
English Dictionary which describes it as a colloquialism, without any
elaboration. I wonder where it originated?

--
Dave N

N.B. Mail to nospam is rejected. Reply-To does work.

Peter Clinch said:

Richard Phillips said:

So, I'm thinking on changing to a Tikka. Anyone use them? Opinions?

I have a Tikka, Roos a Tikka Plus. They're /excellent/ for where you
want short range ambient light, such as cooking or other housekeeping
in a tent or bothy. They're adequate, but not really more than that,
for if you're coming off the hill a little later than anticipated
(guess how I know that...).

If you're planning a night walk I'd suggest something with rather more
poke, but as a camping utility or emergency lamp with batteries that
last yonks they're excellent.

Pete.

I am planning to be able to use my headlamp in both ways; I do intend to try
some night walking with it, probably just for an hour or 3 at a time, but I
would like to be able to use it round the campsite too, so I don't have to
bother packing a seperate torch. The Myolite 3 has a zeonon bulb for "night
running", but also has a 3 LED array for tent reading etc.

Maybe I'm best off sticking with the Myolite 3 then? Is the zenon bulb (I'm
guessing it's bright but it'll eat batteries... I use rechargeables though
so apart from the risk of running out of charge, I don't care about the
cost) better for night walking uses?

Cheers,
R.

Quoted message said:

"Yonks". I haven't heard that word in a long time. I remember its
meaning but I looked it up (on-line) anyway because it struck me as
interesting and evocative. I could only find one reference in Chambers
English Dictionary which describes it as a colloquialism, without any
elaboration. I wonder where it originated?

Maybe from "donkeys years" ie a long time ?

Boo

Energiser headtorch. Tesco,s £9.99.
Takes 3AAA batteries, twin LED plus single red LED to preserve night vision
if needed.Similar battery life to my four LED Petzl. Energizer slightly
brighter in direct comparison.Why pay £30 when you can pay £10.

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard Phillips
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Dominic Sexton said:

I recently got a Tikka XP.
http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=555

The Tikka XP still weighs a lot less than the Myolite 3 though!

It does. I have the Myolite 3 too.

Quoted message said:

I see the
boost function times out after 20secs, how good is the beam for walking at
night without using the boost function?

It is fine for general walking on the dimmest setting. If you want to
pick your way through tricky terrain you need the brighter beams. The
brightest (without the boost) is almost as good as the Myolite beam with
fresh batteries.

Quoted message said:

How long would the batteries last
in this scenario?

I couldn't say for sure because I've only had it a month. I have been
out with it three times and have been playing with the different powers
for about an hour each time.

Petzl claims on the packaging that the high power mode will still be
good for 20m after ten hours of use (they claim 35m with fresh
batteries).

Overall I really am very impressed with it and will be using it as my
head torch or choice for nearly all applications. If I feel I really
need more power I also have a Princton Tec Apex which has a very
powerful beam but weighs three times the Tikka XP.

--

Dominic Sexton

Richard Phillips said:

Maybe I'm best off sticking with the Myolite 3 then? Is the zenon bulb (I'm
guessing it's bright but it'll eat batteries... I use rechargeables though
so apart from the risk of running out of charge, I don't care about the
cost) better for night walking uses?

The thing about night walking is you don't typically need much light
beyond your immediate footfalls a lot of the time, but when you do it
can make a crucial difference. Think of finding a good place to ford a
large and fast stream or working out a good descent from a scramble, for
example: you really want a power spot for that particular sort of game,
but once you're over/down you can probably go back to less oomph (quite
possibly none at all in many situations, especially if there's a good moon).
Looks to me like the Myo 3 should do what you want, though worth getting
into the habit of getting away with LEDs as much as possible.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In message <[email hidden]>, Doug B
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Energiser headtorch. Tesco,s £9.99.
Takes 3AAA batteries, twin LED plus single red LED to preserve night vision
if needed.Similar battery life to my four LED Petzl. Energizer slightly
brighter in direct comparison.Why pay £30 when you can pay £10.

I've got a Tikka. I agree with what others have said here, it's not the
brightest beast in the world, but for illuminating the path directly in
front of you it's fine. Very small and light, I carry it most of the
time just in case.

See:

http://www.7dayshop.com/

and search on 'Outdoors' and 'Torches'.

"VERY Limited Stock - An incredibly bright 19x LED headlight - look into
it on full power and it hurts (not recommended!). Comfortable to wear
and has lots of uses including cycling, walking, in the garage and
anywhere you need hands free lighting - nice product at a great price !
Silver body with black/grey strap
Requires 3 x AAA (LR03) batteries (not included in price)
4 modes: Low (1 uses just bulb), Med (uses 7 bulbs), High (uses all 19
LED's) and a flashing mode (using all bulbs)
Also supplied with elasticated around (and over head) strap. Fitted with
a padded forehead section for extra comfort "

No experience of it, but £3.99 - cheap as chips!

Regards,
--
Neil Pugh

Dominic Sexton said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard Phillips
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Dominic Sexton said:

I recently got a Tikka XP.
http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=555

The Tikka XP still weighs a lot less than the Myolite 3 though!

It does. I have the Myolite 3 too.

Quoted message said:

I see the
boost function times out after 20secs, how good is the beam for
walking at night without using the boost function?

It is fine for general walking on the dimmest setting. If you want to
pick your way through tricky terrain you need the brighter beams. The
brightest (without the boost) is almost as good as the Myolite beam
with fresh batteries.

Quoted message said:

How long would the batteries last
in this scenario?

I couldn't say for sure because I've only had it a month. I have been
out with it three times and have been playing with the different
powers for about an hour each time.

Petzl claims on the packaging that the high power mode will still be
good for 20m after ten hours of use (they claim 35m with fresh
batteries).

Overall I really am very impressed with it and will be using it as my
head torch or choice for nearly all applications. If I feel I really
need more power I also have a Princton Tec Apex which has a very
powerful beam but weighs three times the Tikka XP.

Why did you buy the Tikka XP when you already had the Myolite 3? Do you see
any scenario where you'd prefer the Myolite 3 over the Tikka XP?
How do you think they compare? What's the beam length on the Tikka XP like
compared to the Myolite 3?

Cheers,
R.

Peter Clinch said:

Richard Phillips said:

Maybe I'm best off sticking with the Myolite 3 then? Is the zenon
bulb (I'm guessing it's bright but it'll eat batteries... I use
rechargeables though so apart from the risk of running out of
charge, I don't care about the cost) better for night walking uses?

The thing about night walking is you don't typically need much light
beyond your immediate footfalls a lot of the time, but when you do it
can make a crucial difference. Think of finding a good place to ford
a large and fast stream or working out a good descent from a
scramble, for example: you really want a power spot for that
particular sort of game,
but once you're over/down you can probably go back to less oomph
(quite possibly none at all in many situations, especially if there's
a good moon). Looks to me like the Myo 3 should do what you want,
though worth getting into the habit of getting away with LEDs as much
as possible.

Pete.

Good points Pete. I think the Myo 3 might well do what I want, but Dominic
has made quite a good case for the Tikka XP too :-/

Cheers,
R.

Neil said:

In message <[email hidden]>, Doug B
<[email hidden]> writes>Energiser headtorch. Tesco,s £9.99.

Quoted message said:

Takes 3AAA batteries, twin LED plus single red LED to preserve night vision
if needed.Similar battery life to my four LED Petzl. Energizer slightly
brighter in direct comparison.Why pay £30 when you can pay £10.

I've got a Tikka. I agree with what others have said here, it's not the
brightest beast in the world, but for illuminating the path directly in
front of you it's fine. Very small and light, I carry it most of the
time just in case.

See:

http://www.7dayshop.com/

and search on 'Outdoors' and 'Torches'.

"VERY Limited Stock - An incredibly bright 19x LED headlight - look into
it on full power and it hurts (not recommended!). Comfortable to wear
and has lots of uses including cycling, walking, in the garage and
anywhere you need hands free lighting - nice product at a great price !
Silver body with black/grey strap
Requires 3 x AAA (LR03) batteries (not included in price)
4 modes: Low (1 uses just bulb), Med (uses 7 bulbs), High (uses all 19
LED's) and a flashing mode (using all bulbs)
Also supplied with elasticated around (and over head) strap. Fitted with
a padded forehead section for extra comfort "

No experience of it, but £3.99 - cheap as chips!

Regards,
--
Neil Pugh

Neil
Had a quick look at these. Keep away unless you are wanting something
just for camp. The head strap system is c**p on these very cheap ones
- I bought one of the single LED 1W ones which put out a good light in
a reasonable beam but the strapping was useless. I ended up
canabalising an old Petzl and mounting it on that.

The 3W versions with the back of head battery pack showing up on Ebay
have a much better head frame.

Rob

Remembering trying to do a night walk with standard torches, i dont think
anything is that good that you arent going to have to walk very slowly and
carefully to avoid going A over T on branches and rocks and so on. The most
useful thing we found to use was some torches built into a set of glasses
menat to be used for car inspection which followed your gaze but even those
wore out eventually due to overuse.

Rob

"Richard Phillips" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Clinch said:

Richard Phillips said:

So, I'm thinking on changing to a Tikka. Anyone use them? Opinions?

I have a Tikka, Roos a Tikka Plus. They're /excellent/ for where you
want short range ambient light, such as cooking or other housekeeping
in a tent or bothy. They're adequate, but not really more than that,
for if you're coming off the hill a little later than anticipated
(guess how I know that...).

If you're planning a night walk I'd suggest something with rather more
poke, but as a camping utility or emergency lamp with batteries that
last yonks they're excellent.

Pete.

I am planning to be able to use my headlamp in both ways; I do intend to
try some night walking with it, probably just for an hour or 3 at a time,
but I would like to be able to use it round the campsite too, so I don't
have to bother packing a seperate torch. The Myolite 3 has a zeonon bulb
for "night running", but also has a 3 LED array for tent reading etc.

Maybe I'm best off sticking with the Myolite 3 then? Is the zenon bulb
(I'm guessing it's bright but it'll eat batteries... I use rechargeables
though so apart from the risk of running out of charge, I don't care about
the cost) better for night walking uses?

Cheers,
R.

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard Phillips
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Dominic Sexton wrote:

Why did you buy the Tikka XP when you already had the Myolite 3?

Lighter, smaller - half the size and weight. More beam options. And I'm
a gear junky!

Quoted message said:

Do you see
any scenario where you'd prefer the Myolite 3 over the Tikka XP?

Not really. The only advantages I can see with the Myolite 3 are:

the focussing of the beam (with the Tikka XP you only have spot
or diffused) but this isn't likely to be a big advantage in my
experience

locking mechanism to stop being accidentally turned on. This is
a good feature of the Myolite but having said that I doubt that
the push button of the Tikka XP will easily get accidentally
pushed and if it does a second push more than a couple of
seconds later would switch it off.

Quoted message said:

How do you think they compare? What's the beam length on the Tikka XP like
compared to the Myolite 3?

In use they compare rather well. The Myolite 3 on the Xenon beam
focussed to a spot shines further. However the beam is not completely
evenly lit and is not as white as the LED beam so at the extreme range
it can be hard to make things out. The LED of the Tikka XP produces an
even, white light which may have a shorter beam (Petzl says 76m for the
on fresh batteries and 50m for the Tikka XP of boost with fresh
batteries) but in practice the even light makes up for the shorter
range.

Trying them side by side I can tell that the Myolite 3 has a longer beam
but I could not honestly say I could see any better with the Myolite 3
than the Tikka XP.

The Tikka XP has a battery life indicator on it to show the state of the
batteries but I don't know how accurate it is. Carrying spare batteries
for the Tikka XP is a trivial addition to space / weight.

If I were you and I easily could take / send the Myolite 3 back for a
refund / exchange for a Tikka XP I would.

If that is not an easy option the Myolite 3 is a good head torch so I
expect you'll be happy with it. However from my experience the Tikka XP
is a good as or better in use and lighter, smaller & cheaper to run.

Finally I am probably a bit obsessed about small and light head torches
because most of my use for them in night running out in the countryside.
When walking I try to rely on my night vision as much as possible
because that gives a much broader view when there is enough light.
Interestingly I found that the Tikka XP on its dimmest setting and with
the diffuser on doesn't adversely affect my night vision too badly so I
can still get a reasonable general view outside the beam which is lost
when using a brighter light.

--

Dominic Sexton

"Rob G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:ad6c187c-4070-4c31-af9f-

Quoted message said:

The 3W versions with the back of head battery pack showing up on Ebay
have a much better head frame.

Got one of the ebay jobbies and it has worked well for a cheap head torch,
i've used it on a night walk once and it was powerful enough for purpose. If
i was fording streams then i'd want a bit more light (preferably daylight).

Biggest gripe is that it switches itself on in the pack, so 2 sets of spare
batteries always needed (especially rechargable as i've thrown a flat set in
before now).

Second biggest gripe, and this goes for all the torches mentioned,;who
decided that 3 batteries was a good idea? Batteries are sold by the pair or
in fours. My charging unit only charges even number of batteries. Anyone
know of ANY decent head torches that take 2 or 4 batteries? Any that also
take AA instead? The headtorch is the only item i carry that doesn't take AA
batteries, so it's a pain.

T Dave R

Dominic Sexton said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard Phillips
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Dominic Sexton wrote:

Why did you buy the Tikka XP when you already had the Myolite 3?

Lighter, smaller - half the size and weight. More beam options. And
I'm a gear junky!

Quoted message said:

Do you see
any scenario where you'd prefer the Myolite 3 over the Tikka XP?

Not really. The only advantages I can see with the Myolite 3 are:

the focussing of the beam (with the Tikka XP you only have spot
or diffused) but this isn't likely to be a big advantage in my
experience

locking mechanism to stop being accidentally turned on. This is
a good feature of the Myolite but having said that I doubt that
the push button of the Tikka XP will easily get accidentally
pushed and if it does a second push more than a couple of
seconds later would switch it off.

Quoted message said:

How do you think they compare? What's the beam length on the Tikka
XP like compared to the Myolite 3?

In use they compare rather well. The Myolite 3 on the Xenon beam
focussed to a spot shines further. However the beam is not completely
evenly lit and is not as white as the LED beam so at the extreme range
it can be hard to make things out. The LED of the Tikka XP produces an
even, white light which may have a shorter beam (Petzl says 76m for
the on fresh batteries and 50m for the Tikka XP of boost with fresh
batteries) but in practice the even light makes up for the shorter
range.

Trying them side by side I can tell that the Myolite 3 has a longer
beam but I could not honestly say I could see any better with the
Myolite 3 than the Tikka XP.

The Tikka XP has a battery life indicator on it to show the state of
the batteries but I don't know how accurate it is. Carrying spare
batteries for the Tikka XP is a trivial addition to space / weight.

If I were you and I easily could take / send the Myolite 3 back for a
refund / exchange for a Tikka XP I would.

If that is not an easy option the Myolite 3 is a good head torch so I
expect you'll be happy with it. However from my experience the Tikka
XP is a good as or better in use and lighter, smaller & cheaper to
run.

Finally I am probably a bit obsessed about small and light head
torches because most of my use for them in night running out in the
countryside. When walking I try to rely on my night vision as much as
possible because that gives a much broader view when there is enough
light. Interestingly I found that the Tikka XP on its dimmest setting
and with the diffuser on doesn't adversely affect my night vision too
badly so I can still get a reasonable general view outside the beam
which is lost when using a brighter light.

Thanks for all that, I'll see about getting it exchanged then!

Cheers,
R.

In message <[email hidden]>

Dominic Sexton said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard Phillips
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Dominic Sexton wrote:

Why did you buy the Tikka XP when you already had the Myolite 3?

Lighter, smaller - half the size and weight. More beam options. And I'm
a gear junky!

I think if I was forced into choosing one headtorch for all round use it
would currently be the Tikka XP for all the reasons given by Dominic.

It's perfectly adequate for mountaineering and hillwalking at night and
the long battery life is a real bonus. Switched to the diffuser it gives
an all round light which makes it easy to see the immediate terrain. On
low power it is perfectly adequate for reading and other general
activities around the camp. With the diffuser off and the power boost
setting it then lights up a reasonable distance ahead.

However as I too am a bit of a gear junky I also have a Black Diamond
Space Shot which has a high powered halogen lamp as well as a low power
LED and a separate six cell powerpack that you can wear under your
clothing to keep the cells warm in extreme cold weather. The down side
is that with the most powerful bulb installed the light barely lasts
four - six hours using rechargeable cells (use an intermediate power
halogen bulb and the life is extended). However it is excellent for
picking out stiles and other features which might for example be the
other side of a large field, since it brightly illuminates well over
100m ahead in a focussed beam. If I know that's what I am after doing
I'll take it out with me. However most of the time I carry the Tikka XP.

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

In article <[email hidden]>, T Dave R
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Second biggest gripe, and this goes for all the torches mentioned,;who
decided that 3 batteries was a good idea? Batteries are sold by the
pair or in fours. My charging unit only charges even number of
batteries.

Best get a new charger then. Seriously the only chargers that can
possibly get the best out of batteries are those that charge them
individually not in pairs.

Quoted message said:

Anyone know of ANY decent head torches that take 2 or 4 batteries? Any
that also take AA instead? The headtorch is the only item i carry that
doesn't take AA batteries, so it's a pain.

The Princeton Tec Apex is a great LED head torch and takes 4 AAs. Works
well on my NiMH rechargeables. The push buttons are flush with the body
so hard to turn on by accident. There is a battery life indicator and
when it senses it is running down (20 min left) the light flashes
briefly as a warning so there is no need to check the indicator.

It has one 3W LED for spot lighting with full and low power modes and
four lower power LEDs for flood lighting. The flood lighting also has
two power levels and an additional flashing mode.

It is regulated so that the power output remains constant until the
batteries can no longer supply enough juice. It is waterproof to 1m.

The downsides (there always have to be downsides) are weight (300g with
NiMH batteries) and cost. The weight is offset by the very comfortable
straps / curved design of the battery box and lamp unit. The cost - list
price is about £70. Its about $70 in the US too so if you get a
reasonable deal on postage and don't get stung by customs you'll save a
fair bit.

I bought one about a year ago from the US via ebay and have used it lots
for night running. It is great.

Beware there is now an Apex Pro model that runs off two CR123 (lithium
batteries often used in cameras) which is much lighter (173g) but would
be expensive to run if you use it much. So if you go for it make sure
you get the right one!

--

Dominic Sexton