Need Advice on Which Headlamp?

[Jim MacDiarmid]

I use the Petzel Tactikka. It comes in at 2.75oz w/3 AAA batteries on my non-digital postal scale, which is dead on the manufacturer's specs. Battery life hasn't been an issue yet. I'm using Duracell non-rechargeables, and I have to be pushing 10 hours of useage. It has the 4 setting, high, med, low, and blink. And it also has a red flip down filter. This is really hand for preserving night-vision. It really does work. Also, if you are camping with others, the red filter prevents you from blinding them as your approach or talk to them if you've forgotten to point your beam down. I wouldn't hike an unknown or rough trail using the filter, but for around camp/in your tent, it's great.

[Anonymous]

I've been happily using the EOS since it came out. It is the best all around head lamp I've found, so far. Plenty bright for night time hiking, on and off trail, rugged, takes lithium batteries, low beam fine around camp, highly water resistant. My only gripe is that the rubber gasket that seals the housing has a tendency to pop out and can be a bit of PITA to re-seat. I've tried the Petzl Tikka XP(not as rugged, doesn't take lithium), and other less memorable lights and always go back to my trusty EOS.

[Lawton G]

Thanks again for all the great feedback thus far. I've seen a lot of props given to the PT EOS and the BD Spot. Both these lamps are over 3 oz. which is more weight than I want to carry in a headlamp.

So to quantify this a bit . . . it's gotta be less than 3 ozs and run off AAA's or AA's as I plan to use rechargeable batteries. It's gotta have a long burn time/battery life and it's gotta be bright enough for night hiking.

Nothing seems to beat the Zipka Plus at the moment. Zipka Plus has 80-140 hours of battery life on 3 AAA's which blows a lot of the other headlamps out of the water. And at 35 Lumens it is definitely bright enough for night hiking. And at 2.3 ozs it is about as light as I have seen in a headlamp that is bright and good battery life.

I'm going to pull the trigger on a Zipka Plus unless anybody out there has something that can top it. Anybody?

[Craig Burton]

I have a BD headlamp that is 52 grams (~1.8 oz) with lithium batteries included in the weight.

It had excellent battery life, and it worked fine for me for all uses; but it fritzed on me after about two years of use. I replaced it with the EOS and I was disappointed with how much heavier the EOS was, but the light output is superior.

I will see if I can find some type of model name on it somewhere and update you to what it is called — I'm pretty certain it is not sold anymore.

Update:

Couldn't find the product name on the headlamp, but it appears to be the BD Cosmo. It's a cheapo headlamp, but it worked for me even for night hiking. You can get better light output; but if weight is the primary concern, you can definitely get by on this.

[Russell Swanson]

Lawton,

The Zipka+ is basically the same as the Tikka+ with a different headband. Having used both, I prefer the traditional style band on the Tikka+. I found it more comfortable and was not concerned about the band breaking (not that I know of the Zipka's retractable band to fail).

Bottom line on the Zipka/Tikka+:
Plenty bright for night hiking
Battery life very good
Not supposed to use Lithium batt's, but I do, and haven't had problems
I do wish it had a red LED for milder in camp light, minimizing impact to night vision, and not attracting as many bugs. The Taktikka has that feature.

[Adrian B]

The original Princeton Tec EOS is using what is now a pretty dated LED.

Recently they released the EOS II with a newer LED (Luxeon's Cree equivalent I believe), I expect this would totally trounce the older Zipka for runtime and brightness (unless thats been updated too). And even the old EOS is regulated and allows lithium batteries, the Petzls don't do either.

If you want lighter, try Zebralight. 21g + batteries + strap (so like 60g all up). Cree Q5 LED, so runtime/brightness is as good as it gets right now. But no AAA option, only AA/CR123/18650 (the last would give you a rechargable solution though).

I'm suprised the Petzl e+ gets so many mentions (I have one):
– it's not regulated, so brightness drops off very sharply
– it runs on button batteries, so runtime is really quite short

[Adrian B]

I'm going to pull the trigger on a Zipka Plus unless anybody out there has something that can top it.

Well anything with the newer generation LEDs (Luxeon Rebel, Cree) is definitely going to make the Zipka look dim and battery hungry.

[Robert Blean]

Somewhere I got the impression that the EOS itself has been updated with Rebel LED by now. Perhaps I have a mis-impression — does anyone know for sure?

My problem with the EOS II is that its figures on the PT website are no better than the EOS, and it only has two modes (high, low). The EOS II low does not seem to be as low as the EOS' low. According to the PT website, the EOS burns 50 hrs regulated on low, while the EOS II only burns 11 hours regulated on its low setting.

— MV

[Jonathan Ryan]

Hey Lawton,
I have used a varirty of standard LED headlamps as well as plenty of cree and rebel models and I always seem to go back to my Tikka + (same output as Zipka+). It is just easy to use and alwasy seems to be all I need. That said if I know I am going to be doing some serious night hiking I will use a Fenix L1D Rebal which is like a spotlight in comparison.

[Lawton G]

Thanks everybody for the great posts.

I'm amazed at how many folks are recommending the Fenix lights considering the relatively poor battery time:

As an example, here is the batter life under different brightness settings for the Fenix L1D
General Mode:
9 lumens (25hrs) ->
40 lumens (5hrs) ->
80 lumens (2hrs) ->
SOS Turbo Mode:
90 lumens (1.5hrs) -> Strobe

40 Lumens would be a good brightness level for night hiking and all I'd get at this level is 5 hours of burn time. No thanks.

Back to the Zipka & Tikka. My better half told me tonight that the Zipka's retractable headband can't be locked and she had problems with it slipping down her forehead. Is that still the case on current models of the Zipka +?

The other thing I realized tonight is that I normally where a ball cap or visor when hiking and unless the Zipka or Tikka can attach to a hat brim, they might not work for me at all. Any info on how to work around this or if they can attach to hat brims would be great.

[Adrian B]

40 Lumens? Thats awful bright. I find about 10 lumens fine for a trail, occasionally stepping up. The Petzl lights you mention aren't even this bright on their highest setting.

[Anonymous]

The LDO1 Q5 has a run time of 4 hours at 27 lumens.
This is with 1 AAA battery (Li). Most small headlamps use 3 AAA batts per load. Three AAA's with the Fenix would give 12 hours of regulated light (constant brightness)at an acceptable level of 27 lumens or 4.5 hrs at 80 lumens. The weight of this is about 1.295 ozs.

[Adrian B]

Another consideration is that the Petzl lights aren't regulated, wheres the Fenix lights are. So those quoted Fenix runtimes would have a much 'flatter' light curve, whereas the unregulated Petzls continually and sharply drop off in brightness. By the end of the huge quoted Petzl runtimes I imagine there would be very little coming out. I found this with my eLite, the quoted runtime is 35 hours on max (!). Practically this is rubbish (not suprisingly, given that it runs on two button batteries), the useful runtime is far shorter.

Basically runtime is going to be roughly a function of the LED + the battery power, and the Cree LED in the Fenix is as currently as good as it gets (Luxeon Rebel in EOS II is similar). So I don't think you'll find better runtimes for the battery weight and brightness.

The Petzl headlamps are still great lights, sure, but they're using an older generation of LEDs, which makes a big difference. Later this year they're being updated apparently: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2859435.

[Brad Groves]

Bottom line, it depends on the trails you travel and the skies above. I've done considerable night-hiking without any artificial light on open trails in familiar territory. In my experience, the Zipka/Tikka (and Pluses) aren't bright enough for route-finding in many conditions. You can follow an obvious trail, but if you want any kind of clarity at any kind of distance you need a brighter light. The Zipka plus I've typically carried is plenty bright for camp tasks and a little walking at night with its 35 lumen output. But if I'm really looking to do some hiking, I take a much more powerful lamp. (Myo XP, or for cold-weather ski trips I still take a remote-pack halogen bulb.)

You voice two concerns: Long run-time and Rechargeable batteries. To take things out of the theoretical and into the realm of practical, my first Zipka ran about 5 years on its first set of batteries. I don't need anything approaching that kind of burn time on a typical trip–and since you're using rechargeables, less runtime isn't a huge deal because you won't be throwing out batteries. How much burn time do you really need on an average trip? I usually don't run my light more than an hour a day. Say you run your light three times longer than me, and you're out for a week. You need 21 hours of burn time. The Fenix lights put out plenty of light for night route-finding, many with longer runtimes than the one you chose to highlight. As a poster before me noted, you showed a 1-cell light instead of a 3-cell light like the Zipka. 2 or 3-cell Fenix lights still weigh only 1.5-2.5 ounces but put out up to 215 lumens. Easy to clip these little lights to a hat brim.

[Lawton G]

Brad, you bring up some very good points/questions. I didn´t realize there were multiple cell Fenix lights and that they could be clipped to a hat brim. And with a strong brightness level (215 lumens is a streetlamp!) this just might be the ticket. Can you recommend a model or 2 in the Fenix line that would fit the bill.

The hiking trips I have lined up for the rest of 2009 range from overnight trips, 3-day weekend trips, 5-day trip and a possible 6 week thru-hike of the Arizona Trail. I´d love to have one light that would work on all these different length trips. As far as night hiking goes, I can foresee scenarios where I´m putting in 1-4 hours of night hiking on a given night here and there but not likely every night.

Thanks again for the insight.

[John Haley]

Lawton…

LD01 (1 AAA Wt=0.5oz) Stats: Three output modes: 27 Lumens (3.5hrs) -> 10 Lumens (8.5hrs) -> 80 Lumens (1hrs)
In other words 3.5 hours with good trail lighting.

LD10 (1 AA Wt=1.7oz) Stats: General Mode: 9 lumens (34hrs) -> 47 lumens (6hrs) -> 94 lumens (2.2hrs) -> SOS
Turbo Mode: 120 lumens (1.5hrs) -> Strobe
or 6 hours with powerful lighting.

The LD20 uses 2 AA batteries and basically doubles the run time of the LD10. I don't see the point in using both AA's at once for no specific benefit.

I have both the LD01 Q5 and the LD10 Q5. The tiny LD01 is plenty at 27 lumens for normal trail walking clipped on my cap. The LD10 is a night blaster at it's medium setting, 47 lumens, but the LD01 can be set on the turbo mode for short periods if the trail is hazardous. Yes, I like the LD01 a lot.

[Jeremy G]

Petzl Tactikka Plus. It has the pivoting red filter which is much easier on the eyes at night allowing the eyes to adjust quicker. Hours and brightness are just as good if not better than any others mentioned.

Can't really tell if the light pivots or not, but my experience is that I'd rather it not pivot. I've had two that the pivot doesn't hold any more and it just flops around. Very annoying!!

Here are the specs off of the REI website. I'm planning on using my dividend to get one of these, so obviously I can't vouch for the performance personally.

Bulb type 4 LEDs

Weight with batteries 2.75 ounces

Dimensions 2.4 x 2 x 1.7 inches

Brightness (lux @ 2 meters) High: 64 / low: 14

Maximum beam distance High: 32 / low: 15 meters

Brightness levels 3

Beam type Flood

Strobes 1

Regulated output No

Battery life at 70 degrees High: 100 / low: 150 hours

Batteries 3 AAA

Material Plastic

[David Ure]

Interesting thread.

May I suggest the Princeton Tec Fuel as it appears to meet all of your requirements:

-35 lumens
-waterproof
-pivoting head
-3 AAA
-2.7 oz with batteries
-164 hours on low with a beam of 65 ft (72 hours with a beam of 124 ft)

[Lawton G]

Hey David, the Fuel soundz like it just might be the one. Someone posted on this thread that the Fuel replaced the Aurora. Does anyone know if the Fuel can be attached to a hat brim?

I've had the Princeton Tec Scout for sometime and have had the hat brim clips on that headlamp break over and over as many of you will relate to that have owned a Scout. So if the fuel is using the same type of hat brim clips I'd be reluctant to buy one. Any insight would be helpful.

Thanks, Disco

[Robert Blean]

For those who do not think the LD01 is bright enough …

LD01 also supports the 3.7v lithium ion batteries (e.g. 10440 rechargeable). They do suggest not using it long on high with them though, because of heat. (Note: LOD did not support them — using them voided your warranty.)

One guy said that results in high: 120 lumens, medium: 80 lumens, low: ??? lumens. He did not give the low lumens. I have not seen exact duration, but from the curves I have seen, duration is not a lot less than with AAA batteries.

Looks as if low would do for most trail walking, and the others really light up the woods. Given the criticism that low on the LD01 is not low enough to suit most people with dark-adjusted eyes, even with AAA batteries, perhaps the plan would be to use a AAA rechargeable LI battery normally, and carry the 10440 both as a spare and to use when you want more light.

[David Ure]

Hey Disco – I can't answer your question directly, but the PT Fuel is on sale at Backcountrygear.com for $15…..

[Jim Wood]

I've done a great deal of night hiking under a wide range of conditions, am very familiar with the current crop of popular headlamp products, and would like to offer a few thoughts:

1. Manufacturers' runtime and lumen ratings on unregulated headlamps are pretty much meaningless in my opinion.

The problem is that the brightness of unregulated LED headlamps begins to drop off the moment they're turned on, so the published light output ratings for these products usually represent only theoretical maximums. Likewise, the runtime ratings usually offer little insight to their actual utility for night hiking. They might be OK when you first start out with fresh batteries, but can be wholly insufficient an hour or two later.

A good example of the runtime curve for the original Tikka XP can be found on the flashlight reviews site (no longer being updated). It's probably typical for most unregulated LED headlamps and flashlights.

2. Quality regulation is, therefore, very important (at least to me) in selecting a headlamp product. A headlamp that's well regulated offers reliable, steady light output for a fairly predictable length of time, though the runtime will vary with battery type and to a lesser extent, ambient temperature (the heat from your head can help to keep headlamp batteries warm on cold nights).

Likewise, regulated headlamps generally enable the use of lithium AAA batteries which offer very long shelf lives (10-15 years), can lengthen runtimes, reduce weight, significantly improve cold weather performance, and largely eliminate the chance of battery acid leakage during long-term storage. Most unregulated headlamps (like many (all?) of the Petzls) can't use lithium batteries because of the potential for overheating.

Of the two primary flavors of regulation now widely used, "current regulation" of the type employed in most Princeton Tec products is my clear preference since it eliminates the annoying flickering that can occur from "digital", or "pulse width modulation" regulation (used on many Black Diamond products such as the Spot, at least the original version) at lower output settings.

3. The ideal backpacking headlamp should (IMO) have enough throw and brightness for night hiking on rough trails, but still be "floody" enough at low settings for camp chores and reading. The very popular PT EOS (original version) was a great light, but was too narrowly focused for many hikers.

The new version of the EOS uses a much higher output Rebel LED (as others have noted), but also contains a new frosted optic that helps to diffuse the light more than the original. Users over at the Candlepower forums generally rave about the brightness and beam pattern of this new version (which is available for as little as $24 on eBay).

Likewise, the new 45 lumen PT Quad is a little less floody than the original, but quite a bit brighter. The new versions of these two products have become more similar than they were before, so making a choice between the two will probably be more difficult for many buyers. A useful summary of the differences can be found here.

Both of these new PT products are current regulated, rugged, waterproof, and IMO, may be the best all-around backpacking headlamps available today. PT can be quite slow to market with new technologies, but once new products finally see the light of day, they seem reliable and well-designed to me.

The new versions of the EOS and Quad also both output a steady 18 to 20 lumens on the medium setting, which is probably the most meaningful rating to me since it's the level I use most for night hiking.

I think that around 10 lumens (depending on beam pattern) is about the minimum for rough trail hiking on a dark night with no snow on the ground. Having hiked a lot with the original versions of these products (7 to 10 lumens on medium), I've often wished for a little more light, especially when the terrain is wet. I'm looking forward to using the new versions of both of these products, which offer total regulated runtimes of about 10 hours on medium.

I'll note that the maximum output on high of 45 to 50 lumens and runtimes of about 1 hour don't matter much to me, since after the headlamp has been used on medium for some time, it won't even crank up to high again (because of the regulation). Likewise, the low settings, even on the old models, offer plenty light for camp chores, as well as ridiculously long runtimes.

Even the blink mode on these headlamps can be useful around camp. I sometimes hang the blinking Quad or EOS near my shelter on dark nights when it's necessary to take a nature break. Using my backup flashlight (see below) for navigation through the woods, the brightly blinking headlamp can serve as a beacon to help me find my way back to camp.

I should further note that when doing extensive night hiking, I also carry a 3-watt Fenix 2LT (soon to be upgraded) that's great for finding blazes at a distance or illuminating a bear at the edge of camp. It also serves as a backup to my primary headlamp that, when powered with lithiums, is well worth the extra 3 ounces to me.

[Adam Hurst]

Wow, Jim that was great!

I can not add much (read: nothing) to what Jim said but I can tell you about my experience with the tikka plus.

I used mine last year to hike a Rim2Rim2Rim in the Grand Canyon and we hiked all night without stopping. Granted, the Canyon is wide open but we did not have the benefit of moon light at all since it was a new moon. I kept the Tikka Plus on low/med pretty much the whole time. I was using rechargeable Duracell batteries. By the time morning arrived I could still see the trail fine. I did not change the batteries for some time after that, come to think of it. I did not notice any discomfort either. I kept it pretty loose most of the time and I did not really notice it falling down my head at all.

Anyway, sorry for not having more scientific numbers but I am giving 2 thumbs up for the Tikka Plus. I think I am going to give PT a try if my Petzel dies though…for the simple reason that many people like them and the regulated light sounds cool.

Adam

[William Puckett]

Jim,

Thanks for your overview and clear information comparing headlamps. The distinctions between regulated and unregulated lights are not so clear in my reading of promotional advertising and product information commonly available.

(Princeton EOS on order!!)

[Peter Burke]

we used three of these in our group last summer

With a Lithium AA in it they weigh about 55grams including strap. Three different LEDs – red for low light and long life, blue for medium light, and white for max output. Swing-away diffuser.

On a single regular AA battery in mixed use of all three LEDs, they last about 2 hours, with Lithiums it should be around 5 hours. I didn't do any fancy testing, but at $18 these are hard to beat. On hikes where yo can swap out batteries every few days, they are plenty.

We did some night hiking with these around Muir Pass in the Sierras and they worked well enough, with just our lead hiker using the white LED, and the second person on blue, with the third one in line using no light at all.

some reviews I found online

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=169468
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=169650

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