headtorchs wots a good one

[plastic-ninja]

Have to agree with Bones.Alpkit Gamma is a superb piece of kit for the money.
I have Petzl Tikka2 which is good but just got my son a Gamma for his birthday
and it is much brighter , more versatile , and less than a third of the price!!

 

[Genty]

I would always recommend the Petzl Myo XP. The rrp is around £70 but you can always find it much less with a bit of googling;

£42 at Go Outdoors

A lot more than the Gamma but once you've had Cree you never go back !

85 lumens on full plus a 'burst' up to 150 lumens when you hold down the button for spotting things of in the distance ( a claimed 97m). Cree is the way forward for all torches and lights these days; loads more power compared with halogen, xenon or traditional LED and much less power consumption.

(I treated myself to a Fenix E05 keyring torch after I found a few quid in my paypal acount I had forgotten about. 27 lumens from a single AAA. Compare that to the woeful 2.3 lumens thrown out by the Maglite Solitaire. Or try a Led Lenser P7 offering 200 lumens form 4 x AA compared to the 122 lumens of a mahoosive 4D Maglite? Mag Lite Lumens Chart

Two things to bare in mind with Cree torches/headlights
1. There is no focus on Cree head torches. The Myo XP has a flip down diffuser which softens the light for use around camp or when trying to talk to someone!
2. Halogen and Xenon bulbs will slowly fade as the battery reaches their limit. This means that you only have a short while of their full potential while the batteries are fresh. LED and Cree torches/headtorches will provide consistent output throughout a range of voltages but then suddenly stop, plunging you in darkness. Always have spare batteries when with you if you go Cree

 

[nitrambur]

I would always recommend the Petzl Myo XP. The rrp is around £70 but you can always find it much less with a bit of googling;

£42 at Go Outdoors

A lot more than the Gamma but once you've had Cree you never go back !

85 lumens on full plus a 'burst' up to 150 lumens when you hold down the button for spotting things of in the distance ( a claimed 97m). Cree is the way forward for all torches and lights these days; loads more power compared with halogen, xenon or traditional LED and much less power consumption.

(I treated myself to a Fenix E05 keyring torch after I found a few quid in my paypal acount I had forgotten about. 27 lumens from a single AAA. Compare that to the woeful 2.3 lumens thrown out by the Maglite Solitaire. Or try a Led Lenser P7 offering 200 lumens form 4 x AA compared to the 122 lumens of a mahoosive 4D Maglite? Mag Lite Lumens Chart

Two things to bare in mind with Cree torches/headlights
1. There is no focus on Cree head torches. The Myo XP has a flip down diffuser which softens the light for use around camp or when trying to talk to someone!
2. Halogen and Xenon bulbs will slowly fade as the battery reaches their limit. This means that you only have a short while of their full potential while the batteries are fresh. LED and Cree torches/headtorches will provide consistent output throughout a range of voltages but then suddenly stop, plunging you in darkness. Always have spare batteries when with you if you go Cree

Isn't it a Luxeon 3 in the Myo Xp?

 

[Genty]

Possibly - I don't know!

Cree Inc is one of the companies that make these new generation high power LEDs. Luxeon is another brand (or is it a model even?) - I just use the term 'cree' for High Power LED. Sloppy and bad form! I am sure there must be a proper term but I don't know what it is.

 

[cbr6fs]

Might be worth holding off, Zebralight are bringing out the H600/H600w in September.

Features:

White: Cree XM-L 6300 nominal CCT, 65 typical CRI
Neutral: Cree XM-L, 4200 nominal CCT, 75 typical CRI
Beam Type: Spill + Spot
Modes: 8
Max Output: 750/500 Lms (white)
Low Output: .1 Lms (1920 hours, (white))
Battery: one 18650
All levels are current regulated

If it's anywhere near as good as the SC600 it should be a industry standard setting light.

 

[bilmo-p5]

I picked up a Petzl Tikka on '*The* Gift It On' thread on these very pages and I'm delighted with it.

 

[Nonsuch]

Not trying to be funny here but can someone explain to me how these more expensive Cree etc headtorches are better than the Alpkit Gamma?

 

[Hoodoo]

I've been using Princeton Tec for a bunch of years now and probably have a half dozen of the 1 watt headlamps. Never had a problem and that includes using them while ice fishing in subzero weather. But I recently "jumped ship" and picked up a Fenix Cree off fleabay. Definitely brighter but only time will tell if it will be as reliable as my PTs. But I've had pretty good luck with Fenix in general.

 

[Genty]

As Hoodoo says, it is basically power output and build quality (although the second point is not universal; we all know of really good value products which are better made than some of their more expensive counterparts).

I have a Silverlight Pro Guide headtorch as a spare in the van. 150 lumens from a 3W Cree bulb. £20 is a bargain in my book. The head unit is a nice build quality; nice turned aluminium design but the battery case on the back is held together with hope! I've also heard god things about Princeton Tec.