Lucido T3 Headtorch First Look

Lucido T3 Vario Headorch - First Look

Price: £29.99 (includes batteries)

Weight: 136 grammes (with 2 AA batteries)

Features:3 high-powered LEDs, option to use one, two or three of them, 25-65 hours light, adjustable beam, waterproof to ten metres, headband,

LED technology has quietly revolutionised head torches and if you're after a new head torch you're in luck. The advantages over more traditional lights are vastly increased battery life, smaller, lighter batteries, bulbs that are unbreakable and last up to 12 years, lightness and a bright white light. The only disadvantages are that the light tend to be in a diffuse pool rather than a concentrated beam meaning that it's hard to sketch out distant details when, say, route finding, or abseiling in the dark.

For general camping use, reading in your tent, walking and for emergency use they are superb. A couple of models combine LEDs with a conventional halogen beam to give the best of both worlds, albeit at a cost - see our look at the Lucido T61 linked from the bottom of the page.

Lucido's new T3 is pitched straight at the popular Petzl Tikka with its three LEDs and Black Diamond's 4-LED Moonlight, though it's a little heavier than both - 136 grammes with batteries against 112 grammes for the Moonlight and a mere 70 grammes for the Tikka.

The T3 has several advantages though. Initial impressions suggest that the T3 with its AA batteries is brighter than both its competitors, which use the smaller AAA cells instead. Lucido says that it uses a 'high efficient energy converter' for brighter light and it seems to work. Even with only one bulb illuminated, the Lucido is still decently bright. The conventional reflector housing may help a little here by directing the light more effectively.

Oh, did we mention that you can choose to use either one, two or three of the LEDs depending on how much light you need and how badly you need to conserve batteries? Yep, you can. A nice touch for battery conservation when reading. cooking etc.

Otherwise the T3 feels well made. It has a comfortable and secure full head-band with a top strap for added security which also fits a climbing helmet and the angle of the light is adjustable with a satisfying, clicking ratchet mechanism making it more versatile than the Tikka. Finally the T3 is waterproof to ten metres, so should shrug off showers or the odd involuntary immersion. If you spend more than a few minutes a year under ten metres of water though, we'd respectfully suggest that you're on the wrong site...

Verdict: Subjectively the T3 seems brighter than the LED opposition albeit slightly heavier and with less battery life. The ability to use between one and three bulbs is a neat touch and for most general use, it's ideal. It's hard to judge exactly how it compares to its nearest rivals from other manufacturers, so we're planning a comparative head torch test in the near future, but it's certainly in the ballpark and possibly even better than the BD Moonlight.

Lucido web site

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