Petzl e+ Switch Failure

[Greg Mihalik]

Just a FYI on my experience with a Petzl e+ Lite.

I do like this LED headlamp. It is small, powerful, easily, adjustable, and has a reported 45 hour burn time. It has 2 intensity settings in white mode on one in red mode. I used it primarily in red mode, per Mike Clelland's recommendation, and thought it was great. A much mellower experience that the stark WHITE typical of most LEDs. And if it extends battery life, then so much the better.

However, on night 2 of a recent trip the multi-position switch became nearly inoperative. I thought I was going to break it before it would move. I struggled with it for 2 more nights, then on the 3rd night the switch became nearly free floating.

I had sent it to Petzl and got a call today saying they have seen "one or two" like this. The ratched/detent inside the switch freezes.

They are sending another, covered under warranty, no charge, to me. They were easy to deal with and I appreciated the phone call regarding the outcome.

I did ask I there was something I could have done to break it, or if I could have fixed it in the field. The answer to both questions was Nope. It just happens.

I feel this is a great light and it will still be my primary light on upcoming trips. But, if others have problems I'd appreciated hearing about them.

[EndoftheTrail]

You will likely hear from JasonKlass — who experienced problems with the switch twice — the second time after an exchange. I was hiking with him both times — and it takes very, very little to damage the switch. Wind-driven sands will jam it right there.

Too bad Petzl paid so much attention to cuteness and precious little to reliability.

[Jay Wilkerson]

My new Petzl e works great I really like [red] night vision and the weight of the headlamp. Mr. Tang- Mr.Positive

[Roman Ryder]

I let my little girl use mine to look for something. It came back very dirty and the switch was sticking. I definitely thought it was going to break at one point. I eventually got it all worked out and it's as good as new.

[christian gagas]

I own two of these lights, and I too have had switch issues. On one of them I can't engage the high intensity setting without wiggling the switch around, sometimes quite a bit. The other has performed flawlessly so far, but is not all that old either.

[Greg Mihalik]

To recent and future posters to this thread, if you have issues I encourage you to take 15 minutes to call Petzl and then send in your e+.

It is the only way something will change. They'll re-engineer and add a o-ring, or they'll drop it. Either way the community gets a better light or a bogus one goes away.

Thanks all for chiming in. It definitely impacts my decision on what to take.

[jeffrey bennett]

I had the same problem. I was using the it as my primary light on a trip to the guadalupe mts when the sitch got a little sand in it(70 mph wind gust in the desert). I got it to move (spring and ball bearing that fell out) but it moves freely now. I love the light but if it not going to do its job I am moving on.

[EndoftheTrail]

Jay wrote, "Mr. Tang – Mr. Positive".

Actually, I like to think of it as "Mr. Realistic". The switch is poorly designed — and cuteness/features can only go so far.

[Adam Rothermich]

I've been using mine for almost a year with no problems thus far. Then again, I rarely use a light at all and there's no sand to speak of where I hike. Its worked well enough for me in camp, in/around/under the house, and in the duck blind/fields where I hunt to provide a few moments of illumination when needed.

In accordance with all the reports I fully suspect its death will come by way of stuck switch.

Adam

[Chris Benson]

Any suggestions for a good alternative to the e+lite?

Basically, a headlamp that is about the same weight, but that doesn't have switch issues.

[James Hopson]

Hello,

The only alternative I have seen in this weight class is the Black Diamond Ion.

A great ultralight backup light, the new Ion is small enough to stash just about anywhere, plus the reflector-housed, 1/2 watt LED casts a far-reaching beam for finding your way up that final pitch of 5.11 or down that last mile back to the trailhead. Our lightest headlamp at 30 grams (1 oz), the Ion has a pivoting head that angles the light anywhere you need it, and a replaceable 6-volt battery provides power for 15 hours at the low setting and 3 hours on high. Yes, the Ion is unnoticeable in size and weight, but don’t let its diminutive size fool you—this two-setting headlamp is Black-Diamond-tough, able to withstand apocalyptic levels rain and sleet.

James H

[EndoftheTrail]

Chris:

The e-Lite isn't all that bright, so am I right in assuming that you use your light mostly for doing camp chores, etc. — and not for any serious night hikes? If so, then the Phton Freedom LED's are plenty bright and an even lighter option (though not as cute).

I really like the Photon's alligator clip with swivel. Cliping the thing to my cap or even just my tee shirt and pointing the light to an angle, I don't have to worry about inadvertently shining my light at people when I am talking to them.

[Rick Dreher]

Hi Greg,

Sorry to hear about your problems; hopefully Petzl takes care of you. Functionally, I prefer the Photon Rex to the e+lite, but of course there's no red mode and to my knowledge no headstrap yet. But it puts out much more light and is infinitely adjustable, as well as allowing for daily charges to keep the battery topped off.

I don't believe we'll ever see a button cell light that's truly useful for navigation more than a fraction of an hour. Those batteries don't offer the capacity.

Cheers,

Rick

[Chris Benson]

Thanks for the alternatives! My tikka plus will be my goto for hiking at night, so this is really for trips when I am very unlikely to need light other than for camp use.

After reading a few reviews on the ion, it doesn't look like that great of an alternative, although, certainly the only direct competition for the e+lite right now.

I wasn't really considering the photon freedom/rex style lights as I didn't think they would work well hands-free when not wearing a hat. I may have to give them a shot. The rex looks to have excellent light output, but with significantly lower battery life than the freedom. I'd like 1/2 hour use per day for a 5-7 days without recharge/battery swap. The freedom may have the edge given that desire.

[EndoftheTrail]

Chris:

I too hesitated on the Photons, thinking the alligator clip wouldn't work well unless it's clipped to the bill of a cap — and who wears a cap at night? But I've found that just clipping it to your tee shirt works very well — yes, hands free to do chores — and even night hike by angling the light appropriately (on non-treacherous trails).

[Kenneth Kortge]

This is similar in battery type and weight (<1 oz), but a much simpler and robust design.

http://www.equipped.org/dr_eq.htm

[Roger Caffin]

> The rex looks to have excellent light output, but with significantly lower battery life than the freedom.

Note that if you let the battery get flat you probably won't be able to get it to recharge. You have to recharge it before it is flat. This is not a fault with the Rex; it is a characteristic of the battery.

> I'd like 1/2 hour use per day for a 5-7 days without recharge/battery swap
At low power, no trouble at all.

High power on the Rex is BRIGHT.

Cheers

[Steve O]

I love my e-lite but my friend's switch broke this past weekend near the foothills trail. He can only turn it off or use the first 2 functions.

[EndoftheTrail]

Steve — I think this is a design problem with the switch mechanism — and not a quality control problem…

[Eddie Hollander]

If you're hiking or camping in the evenings you should ALWAYS have a backup light source. Check candlepowerforums for the various flashlights out there.

Oh yea, since you should always have a flashlight and a knife on you, maybe you can not count the weight as part of your kit, since you'll be carrying it either way.

The zipka doesn't weigh much, but the headband mechanism might fail if you have oily hair or sand gets in it.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Forget PETZL. Get a good headlamp in a regulated Princeton Tec or a smaller, unregulated PT headlamp.

Hell's bells, PETZL can't even handle lithium batteries without burning up.

Eric

[Arapiles .]

This is what you need:

http://store.sakaiya.com/product_info.php?products_id=37022&DS-STYLE=b74e588d37afe7899700997fbef6a0af

70g, 10 hour run time, or this

http://store.sakaiya.com/product_info.php?products_id=37021

50g, 30 lux.

[Barry P]

“Any suggestions for a good alternative to the e+lite?

Basically, a headlamp that is about the same weight, but that doesn't have switch issues.”

The Fenix E01 ($15) or LD01 ($45). They are a single AAA flashlight that weighs .76oz w/ an AAA lithium battery.
Yes you have to clip them to your ball cap. So my day-time sweat-absorbing shady ball cap becomes a dual use item.

Benefits:
1. Lighter than e+LITE
2. much easier battery change
3. cheaper battery
4. output stays constant
5. More robust switching mechanism.
6. Won’t dim in the first 30 minutes like e+LITE
7. can serve as candle.
8. made w/ hard anodized aluminum so it can take more shock.
9. And… it passed the grandkid test (which is harsh).

Or for 0.5oz more, get the H501 Zebralight that uses the cheaper single AA battery.

-Barry

[Dennis Park]

are the fenix lights set at spot or flood?

[Aaron Sorensen]

The zebra lights are a very very wide flood.
The Fenix lights give an inner and outer circular spot.

If you really want the best light, ditch the L0D and go with the LD10 (1-AA).
The 9 lumens at 34 hours is 5 times the light of the 11 lumens of the L0D.

I have the L0D and although it may somewhat compare with the e-lite, the LD10 blows away anything even remotely close to its size and weight.
You can also do anything with this light. Need to check something out 200 yards away, no problem.
The LD10 will shine on something as bright at that 200 yards as the L0D will at about 30 yards.

120 lumens out of a flashlight this size is just amazing.

Even if you may be interested in the L0D, everyone should have a LD10.

Fenix lights are that awesome.

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