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Could use some advice on a headlamp.
I have a Walmart $15 job that works ok. I don't like that I have to push the button 5 times for a 30 second blast of light. I like that the body tilts. On/Off, tiltable or pointing down enough that I don't have to bend the neck, 3+ (4 better) led, AAA battery, mass market.
Not caving, just need light to stumble around and break camp in the AM.
Suggestions?
Thanks ahead.
Midway Sam
03-15-2007, 10:41
I like my Petzl Tikka. If'n you want it to tilt, I'd recommend the Tikka Plus...
http://www.backcountry.com/store/PTZ0197/c3/s22/Petzl-Tikka-Plus-Headlamp.html
big_muddy
03-15-2007, 10:45
I just got the BlackDiamond Spot . . . both close up LEDs that save battery power when you are in camp or your tent, and a long range beam for hiking at night. Battery life is pretty good. It does not take Lithium batteries, but I don't know about them fancy things. I also have the Princeton Tec Aurora. I love that little light, but I wanted more for hiking at night. The Aurora is a great around camp light.
Petzl e-lite!! Da best! http://www.basegear.com/petzl-elite-headlamp.html
Footslogger
03-15-2007, 10:57
Petzl e-lite!! Da best! http://www.basegear.com/petzl-elite-headlamp.html
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What's your battery life experience been ? Advertised at 45 hours but those figures are generally marketing driven rather than real world. The CR2032 lithium battery it uses are pretty common in bigger cities but I wonder how available they'd be along the trail ??
'Slogger
Midway Sam
03-15-2007, 10:59
Petzl e-lite!! Da best! http://www.basegear.com/petzl-elite-headlamp.html
Sure is small but the battery life looks a little weak and I don't carry anything else that uses the CR2032 battery. I try to stick with things that use AAA so I carry fewer spare batteries.
Petzl e-lite!! Da best! http://www.basegear.com/petzl-elite-headlamp.html
Yeah, the e+Lite! :)
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What's your battery life experience been ? Advertised at 45 hours but those figures are generally marketing driven rather than real world. The CR2032 lithium battery it uses are pretty common in bigger cities but I wonder how available they'd be along the trail ??
'Slogger
This headlamp just came on the market (was on backorder when first purchased!!) Ive worn it around the yard, but havent put it to the test. Thats coming this week, when Frosty and I hike the Pinhoti Trail for 2 weeks.
I dont mind the small battery because they take up such little space and weight. (I buy batteries in bulk for work anyways, so I get a better deal that just a 2 or 4 pack...)
Sure is small but the battery life looks a little weak and I don't carry anything else that uses the CR2032 battery. I try to stick with things that use AAA so I carry fewer spare batteries.
45 hours is weak? One set of spares weighs practically nothing and have a 10 year shelf life.
Footslogger
03-15-2007, 11:04
Yeah, the e+Lite! :)
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Curious Sly ...how bright are they compared to the regular Tikkas
'Slogger
Midway Sam
03-15-2007, 11:04
45 hours is weak? One set of spares weighs practically nothing and have a 10 year shelf life.
Relative, I suppose. My Tikka is 120 hours.
If you use the light for 15 minute per night, on average, it'll last for a thru-hike. The e+Lite, plus one set of spares weighs less than most of other sets sans spare batteries.
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Curious Sly ...how bright are they compared to the regular Tikkas
'Slogger
I'm not sure I don't have a regular Tikka. With 3 white lamps it's bright enough to do anything you're likely to use it for, setting up camp, cooking, reading...
Midway Sam
03-15-2007, 11:16
If you use the light for 15 minute per night, on average, it'll last for a thru-hike. The e+Lite, plus one set of spares weighs less than most of other sets sans spare batteries.
See... there you go. I use mine to read so I use it WAY more than 15min a night. This is where one must consider their usage before buying gear. Good info!
See... there you go. I use mine to read so I use it WAY more than 15min a night. This is where one must consider their usage before buying gear. Good info!
LOL... OK, how about the e+Lite plus three sets of spares weigh less than your Tikka without batteries!!!
vaporjourney
03-15-2007, 11:20
I like my Tikka Plus, but have only 2 gripes. I don't like that I have to hit the button 3 times to get a dim light to save battery power. They should have the dim light first, then you can hit the button multiple times to get to bright, then off. My next purchase of a headlam will be one that doesn't require so much button-tapping. Second: when tilting the lamp downard, it is easy to make the battery compartment come open. Once in the dark I did this, and my batteries flew out. It was pretty frustrating trying to get them back in correctly in pitch black when I definitely needed the light. That taught me the importance of knowing how the batteries go in, so this won't happen again. The Tikka's are probably the most popular headlamp, for fairly good reasons, but be aware of these issues before purchasing.
I also recommend buying the colored lens filter kit, for an additional 3 bucks. It's well worth it to have a red lens filter, which helps eliminate the blinding effect of the light when turned on in darkness. Still gives enough light to read by and get around in the dark. If you need to see a bit further, just remove the filter, and the lighting is stronger.
Oh, did I mention the e+Lite has a red lamp too? ;)
the e+lite tilt, can clip onto a hat brim, the switch "locks" so there is no accidental turning it on, already has the red LED for low-light (and low battery drain) and a quick flip of the switch turns on or off whatever degree of light you need (no pushing buttons repeatedly for on off!)
Could use some advice on a headlamp.
I have a Walmart $15 job that works ok. I don't like that I have to push the button 5 times for a 30 second blast of light. I like that the body tilts. On/Off, tiltable or pointing down enough that I don't have to bend the neck, 3+ (4 better) led, AAA battery, mass market.
Not caving, just need light to stumble around and break camp in the AM.
Suggestions?
Thanks ahead.
I have an Engerizer headlamp that I bought at Wal-Mart for 10.00. You have the normal light and a red light so you don't blind folks at night. Great light for the money.
I have an Engerizer headlamp that I bought at Wal-Mart for 10.00. You have the normal light and a red light so you don't blind folks at night. Great light for the money.
I have a couple of those. Good light except the sliding switch tends to turn itself on. A few times I've picked one up only to find dead batteries. :(
I have a couple of those. Good light except the sliding switch tends to turn itself on. A few times I've picked one up only to find dead batteries. :(
yeah I have had that happen before. I have noticed that since I put it in a small ditty bag that it happens less now.
I like my Tikka Plus, but have only 2 gripes. I don't like that I have to hit the button 3 times to get a dim light to save battery power. They should have the dim light first, then you can hit the button multiple times to get to bright, then off. My next purchase of a headlam will be one that doesn't require so much button-tapping. Second: when tilting the lamp downard, it is easy to make the battery compartment come open. Once in the dark I did this, and my batteries flew out. It was pretty frustrating trying to get them back in correctly in pitch black when I definitely needed the light. That taught me the importance of knowing how the batteries go in, so this won't happen again. The Tikka's are probably the most popular headlamp, for fairly good reasons, but be aware of these issues before purchasing.
I also recommend buying the colored lens filter kit, for an additional 3 bucks. It's well worth it to have a red lens filter, which helps eliminate the blinding effect of the light when turned on in darkness. Still gives enough light to read by and get around in the dark. If you need to see a bit further, just remove the filter, and the lighting is stronger.
This is good info.
I need idiot-proof with less button pushing.
How does the switch function on the e+?
I like simple. Prefer a Dorcy AAA led over a Photon. But thats just me.
I like my Petzl Tikka. If'n you want it to tilt, I'd recommend the Tikka Plus...
http://www.backcountry.com/store/PTZ0197/c3/s22/Petzl-Tikka-Plus-Headlamp.html
I have the same one and its great for camp ans I only payed 15$ for mine when it was on sell. I also have the petzl tikka xp that uses 3 AA bateries. Wich I use or night hiking.:D
floyd242
03-15-2007, 11:56
I bought a princeton tek and like it but when I'm backpacking I use this little $5 one LED headlamp that uses 1 AAA battery. I found it in the checkout line at walmart...
How does the switch function on the e+?
See the red switch? It moves manually to the left. (lamps on the right)
if you go here http://www.basegear.com/petzl-elite-headlamp.html
the red "thingy" is the switch. it rotates to whatever degree of light you was (hi, low, flash white, red, flash red) and "snaps" into the locked position.
Footslogger
03-15-2007, 12:02
See the red switch? It moves manually to the left. (lamps on the right)
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Can you get it with the clap/on - clap/off feature ??
'Slogger
On the basegear site, there a link for a zoomed pic of the lamp itself...
Free shipping at basegear.com. I like that!
I like my Petzl Tikka. If'n you want it to tilt, I'd recommend the Tikka Plus...
http://www.backcountry.com/store/PTZ0197/c3/s22/Petzl-Tikka-Plus-Headlamp.html
Like he said both my wife and I have these they're great
Could use some advice on a headlamp.
I have a Walmart $15 job that works ok. I don't like that I have to push the button 5 times for a 30 second blast of light. I like that the body tilts. On/Off, tiltable or pointing down enough that I don't have to bend the neck, 3+ (4 better) led, AAA battery, mass market.
Not caving, just need light to stumble around and break camp in the AM.
Suggestions?
Thanks ahead.
The River Rock 0.5W LED headlamp at Target is the best of the cheapies. $14.95, 2xAAA, High/Low/Off rubber clickey, waterproof.
rswanson
03-15-2007, 17:30
The Petzl e+Lite works good as an camp chore or reading light. I find it doesn't work well for more than casual night hiking. I'd basically consider it a Photon light on steroids. Its easily more powerful than a Photon but puts out no where near the light of a typical 3 LED, AAA battery powered lamps.
The red bulb is useful when you don't want to attract as many insects or keep your night vison intact. The switch is easy to use with gloved hands and the swivel feature is great.
The e+Lite's energy output is not regulated and brightness drops off quickly after the first hour or so of battery usage. It also doesn't perform as well in the cold as AAA or AA batteries.
Its a great alternative to the Photon, for those who want something a little more 'traditional'. It doesn't weigh much more than a Photon and is much more useful. Its small enough and light enough to carry as a backup, but I wouldn't recommend it for night hiking of any length. If all you need is something to cook by or use during midnight nature calls, it will do just fine. But at $30 or so, you can get a 4 LED Petzl Tikka Plus or Princeton Tec Quad (a great little headlamp) that will outperform the e+Lite in every area except weight.
Well, the e+Lite is a step up for me. I normally carry a Photon. I really don't need much else.
Tikka plus is good.........except
The flashing mode is useless
The front lens pops off too easily
I guess that's it.
buckowens
03-15-2007, 19:34
Headlamps - "The underwear of equipment". :D The performance is much more easily measured, but there is a fair measure of opinion...
A couple of things that I have noticed IMHO:
1) The flash feature is not awful useful unless I am trying to find you in a helicopter or airplane. The difference in the on and off is very noticeable especially using NVG's.
2) Light and easy to use is the best for somebody who is simple like me.
3) I am trying to keep all of my batteries the same so as to not have to carry a wide variety.
I like my Princeton Tec EOS with 1 watt of power and 3 levels of intensity.
Easy to use = on/off for me. Flash mode makes sense. AAA. Dang things are all cryovaced around here. I need to find a hands on display...
I am trying to keep all of my batteries the same so as to not have to carry a wide variety.
.
My camera that takes two AA's and is a must. I'm also carrying a GPS (2AA's) on the GET (maybe on the CDT) and possibly a Pocketmail (2AA's). I can swap out if need be. I also got a MP3 player that uses AAA's (1). 1 extra is fine and I don't care if it goes dead. The e+Lite should last me all summer with a spare set (tiny, weightless). Lots of electronics! A good reason for lithiums.
I see people mentioning all different types of headlamps, but I never see the Petzl Tactikka mentioned. I have one and love it. 4 led and flip up red lense which I like better then the snap on because it can't be lost. Plus it's name is tactikka, which means tactical tikka. So it's tactical. Tactical is always better than non-tactical. I can make tactical nighttime nature calls. I can cook my food tactically. I can perform nighttime tactical maneuvers (hiking at night for those non-tactical types). Just something to consider on your next headlamp purchase.
Sorrys2Cliche
03-16-2007, 14:29
I was unimpressed with the petzl brand, IMHO Im a huge fan of prineton tec's line of led headlamps. I have their scout model, and 2 of their H20 waterproof led's. I think imgetting the next model up before I head out,my buddy just happens to be the local rep for the company cha-ching!!! :)
- Ian
walmart has one w/ red and white light, it cheap, light and compact. nice beam spread. uses aaa batteries
Sly and AL hiker girl, does that e+lite kick out enough light to night hike by? I have a petzyl zipka that i use...I like to do the occasional night hike.
Sly and AL hiker girl, does that e+lite kick out enough light to night hike by? I have a petzyl zipka that i use...I like to do the occasional night hike.
I've never tried, but I suppose you could.
Sly and AL hiker girl, does that e+lite kick out enough light to night hike by? I have a petzyl zipka that i use...I like to do the occasional night hike.
While I havent nite hiked with the e+lite yet, I have used it quite a bit in my yard (2 acres) in my nightly cat-herding. Yes, I have to herd my cats (4) in each night. I have also used it out on my farm (45ac) for finding my way back to camp after staying out working too late. Its worked well in both situations. Im leaving early tomorrow (3/18/07) to hike the Pinhoti and will probably get some nite hiking in. Not sure if you can wait, but I'll be glad to report back in 2 weeks.
I've used the 3 in 1 headlamp for a year or so, the battery life is good as long as you use the LED. I've gone weekends with no problem, but I use the best recharable's I can buy.
The light output for night walking isn't all that great with the LED though, I don't think i'd recommend it to anyone worried about turning an ankle. The light is ok for walking around a yard, but the rocky AT gave me some problems, especially when it was snowing! The red light is cool, but I've found it pretty useless 99% of the time, definately not light enough to do much with.
The normal bulb is a good bit better, but I don't think i'd give it very long with just 3 batteries. My friends heavier duty set of LED's is much more suited to longer duration walks in the dark.
I like the battery life, ease of use and super affordability, but it's limited.
Ramble~On
03-19-2007, 16:03
:datz
I have four Petz headlamps and five others. Yeah Tikka works fine but doesn't have a red lens....so being the idiot I am I bought the little $5.00 pack of .02 cent plastic lens filters from Petzl. The red lens replaces the white lens and snaps in...so now you have full time red lens..yeah !
What's funny is I picked up a $15.00 "Energizer" headlamp at WallieWorld and like it better than all the other headlamps in my collection of headlamp consumerism. The Energizer weighs about the same, burns about as long, has an area light, spotlight, economy setting and a RED light. There isn't a "slide" on/off switch but a push button. Yes, you do have to click it four times between on and off but in the "Jetson" age are we so lazy that pushing a button is a chore ?
$15.00 for a headlamp that has more bells and whistles, just as bright, burns just as long and has a red lens or $30.00 or more for something that all the other cool kids on the block have.:D
Looked at all the fancy ones at EMS the other day. The slider switch you speak of would be nice, and I will try to destroy my $15 headlamp so I can feel justified buying one of those fancy jobs that do the same thing...
Probably will get the same thing, cuz I can't have on/off, light, and cheap!
Midway Sam
03-28-2007, 11:20
:datz
I have four Petz headlamps and five others. Yeah Tikka works fine but doesn't have a red lens....so being the idiot I am I bought the little $5.00 pack of .02 cent plastic lens filters from Petzl. The red lens replaces the white lens and snaps in...so now you have full time red lens..yeah !
What's funny is I picked up a $15.00 "Energizer" headlamp at WallieWorld and like it better than all the other headlamps in my collection of headlamp consumerism. The Energizer weighs about the same, burns about as long, has an area light, spotlight, economy setting and a RED light. There isn't a "slide" on/off switch but a push button. Yes, you do have to click it four times between on and off but in the "Jetson" age are we so lazy that pushing a button is a chore ?
$15.00 for a headlamp that has more bells and whistles, just as bright, burns just as long and has a red lens or $30.00 or more for something that all the other cool kids on the block have.:D
I too picked up the $15 Energizer this past weekend at Wal-Mart. I was on the way to Natural Bridge State Park with my son and remembered there is a cave you can walk all the way through if you have light so I bought one.
It will be replacing my Petzl for my AT trip next week.
LIhikers
03-28-2007, 15:27
I use the Priceton Tec Aurora. It's bright enough for anything around camp and you can nite hike by it's light as long as you go a little slower than usual. It's got 3 LEDs and uses 3 AAA batteries. I've never worn out a set of batteries so I don't really know how many hours they last. Every January I put in new ones so I don't have to deal with the dead battery issue. And like most, the head tilts down at an adjustable angle and there are different light settings.
My wife has the Tikka Plus. It's very similar to my Aurora but has 4 LEDs and so it's a little brighter. If I ever have to replace mine this is probably what I'd get cause the older my eyes gete the more light they need.
atbeatle
03-28-2007, 20:21
Sleep In!!!
I haven't tried night hiking with it yet, but I've been pretty impressed with this $10.00 Energizer.
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/hd33a1en.pdf
Undershaft
03-29-2007, 12:20
I have owned two cheapies from walmart. The first was $10 (don't remember the brand) and worked great. Three l.e.d.'s, took two watch batteries. I only changed the batt. once in 2 1/2 years of trail and home use. The button finally crapped out when I was hiking the Grayson Highlands. I could not turn the light off, so I let the batteries die and threw it away. The second cheapie was one of those three-in-one jobs. Two white l.e.d., one red l.e.d., one incandecent bulb, took 3 AAA's. It worked great for a while, but mysteriously died except for the red l.e.d. Not good considering it was 2 hours after sundown on a moonless night in the state forest(which totals 1/4 of the land area in my town, the largest in MA) that has no blazes on any of the hiking trails. I recently decided to shell out the big money and buy something more reliable. I got the Tikka XP. Works great and has good battery life; about 20 hours so far and stiil going strong. It's a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for.
paulbrown137
03-29-2007, 12:37
I'll put a vote in for my Princeton Tec EOS. I had a Petzl Tikka plus that is now relegated to household duties, working on the car, or lending out. The bright setting on the EOS is brighter, it has a full 1 watt LED, the Low setting on the Petzl was just a bit too low for my nightime use needs(I have a stigmatism so I need a bit more light when its dark) and the Low of the EOS is perfect. Regulated output with great battery life, and though I dont, you can use lithium batteries with no risk to the bulb.
I also carry a photon light for backup.
FanaticFringer
03-29-2007, 18:26
I haven't tried night hiking with it yet, but I've been pretty impressed with this $10.00 Energizer.
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/hd33a1en.pdf
It works great for nite hiking. I have 2.