hi all..

gotta buy a birthday prezzy for a keen hill walker/mountiner/rock climber, and found out he heeds a head torch, I've got about 9 days to get it so looking for help fast..
Basically I've been told I can't go wrong with a Petzl, however there are so many of them at drastically diffrent difrent prices, so wondering what the best would be..

looking for it to be

light
bright (lamp power)
waterproof
long lasting (batery life)
comfortable to wear
Durable


I've been more focused on the small £25 e+Lite that they recomend for emergancy use with the red LED and white lamp. but after seeing they do others at a higher price I wasn't sure if I'm better buying the more expensive.

any help is accepted and personal reviews on individual lamps would be great..

thanks in advance..

Yeah, for all round torch I'd avoid the one you mention which I guess is the e-lite? instead I'd go with either the Petzl Tikka Plus or the slightly more expensive Tikka XP, which weighs a tad more. It as plenty enough beam for walking/running at night. I use it as a back up when night riding on the bike, and it's fine as a get me home torch (on unlit roads) if I have any probs with my main powerful lights.

yeah it's the e-lite I was looking at..
I'm on the Petzl site now and the closest I can see to the Tikka XP is the Tikka XP Adapt is this the one you mean?

as it's a prezzy I don't mind the cost too much. If it's going to do the job for him and he's not going to need another any time soon then the price will be justified to me.

check out the MYO 3 on Petzl's website. It heavier and bulkier tahn the Tikka range, but has both Halogen and LED options for long and short range

I couldn't recommend the e-lite for climbing.

I use mine for walking along tracks, reading in the tent, etc. I've a pocket LED for looking for ticks and the like, when I need a powerful close-in light.

The e-lite lives in my coat pocket, and the wee LED light lives on my pocket-cord gear.

Best all-rounder is the Black Diamond Spot.

Tikka XP is the one you want. Think the Black Diamond Spot is a similar performance.

i bought myself a myo xp yesterday, bit of an impulse buy, normally i research these things so i had to field test them in the shop, it was the one the blinded me for the longest time when i shone it in my eys :) Was also a nice touch to have batteries included.

Tikka XP for me. With it I've wandered many a summit after midnight, descended winter ridges after dark, read many a book in my tent. It's the only torch I need these days.

Tikka XP is by far the best head torch around for price weight and performance.

What about Alpkit`s Indigo £5 only weighs 107g with battries. Not that waterproof only down side

thanks all,

I'm off to my local tiso outdoor center in Glasgow in a few hours to have a look there, been told I can try them there in a darkroom.

so the main recomendation is the Petzl Tikka XP, off to have a look..

once again.. thanks all

ok.. was just about to leave and got a phone call.. apparently the 'Princeton Tec Aurora' is the best on the market at the moment.. (for the requirements)

any idea if this is true? anyone heard of it?

anyway.. still off to have a look at the tikka xp and if I can find the other then I'll look at that too..

let you al lknow how I get on, though any further recomendations or advice is very welcome.

Princeton Tec is certainly a rand to look at. I've got a PT Quad which is a bit like a Petzl Tikka but with more advanced electronics. A very popular one is the PT Eos.

The Priceton Tecs eat batteries compared to others, going by the experiences of the various torches that the teams used in Worlds Champs adventure race recently.

Bright as the sun itself they are though.

Just to confuse you, I am a big fan of the Black Diamond Zenix , for the reasons I (and others) explain in the OM review.

John

ok back from the shop...

John.. you're right.. that does confuse more.. looks like another good torch.

the PT wasn't in stock though the guy in the shop told me that it eats batteries also. The Tikka XP seamed ok.. but.. Hmm... yeah.. left me thinking..

so still got some looking to do I think.. just hope I can get the torch in time.. might see if I can find out what torches he's been looking at ( if any) and base it on that..

Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP Tikka XP

Not that I want to sway your decsion in any way, but deep down you know it makes sense.

Tim.. would I be right in thinking that you are a small fan of the Tikka XP?

so thats Tikka XP then:)