UKH

Just discovered my old headtorch has dodgy wiring so need a new one
Did a search but didn't find anything recent, so

What's the current recommendations for all-round climbing/mountain/skiing use?

Thanks

In reply to Carless:

Petzl Tikka type is fantastic for better weather conditions (it has an integrated battery, battery life tends to deteriorate rapidly as a function of decreasing temperature - it also is relatively weak and will not punch through whiteout conditions).

For seriously cold (less than -10 IIRC), you'll ideally want one with a separate battery pack that can be stowed next to your body or in your pack (will keep the battery life working longer) - that features a super strong bulb for cutting through whiteout conditions.

Spare bulbs are a thing of the past. Spare batteries are highly recommended, with some people just carrying a spare headtorch, as the weight over a pair of batteries is marginal, and the faff avoided by trying to change batteries in the dark (while also avoiding the accompanying risk of dropping the blighters and losing them) is probably worth the few extra grams.

In reply to Carless:

I've recently switched to Fenix rather than Petzl. Check them out.

In reply to Carless:

If you don't want to spend lots of money, but you want a good quality all rounder I would happily recommend the Alpkit Viper. Water resistant, 100 Lumens, good battery life, relatively compact and only £14 delivered. I got this as a spare and now use it as my main (over my Petzl Tika Plus 2).

In reply to BStar:

Recently replaced my tikka 2 xp with the new nao, and have given it a thorough thrashing with night nav practice, general camping, winter climbing and use at home. Very happy with it overall. You will need at least one spare battery for extended use, and reactive lighting isn't to some of my friends tastes, but I have got used to it and find it very good for navving where your are looking close at a map and then into the distance.

Previously have used an alpkit gamma, old green petzl (don't know the name), elites, and led lensers, and the nao is by far the best.

In reply to Carless:

I have a black diamond storm at the moment, which is reasonably good as small ones go. Fenix make some incredibly bright and fairly cheap models that I am quite tempted by for more heavy duty use.

In reply to LJC:

Second the Nao, it's absolutely amazing.

In reply to Carless:

If you've got the money then I reckon the Petzl Myo torches are hard to beat. Really powerful.

Otherwise, like the rest of the comments, I've found the Tikkas good. Not tried the Nao yet. I've only used older Alpkit ones which have been fine but never lasted long.

In reply to Carless:

Myo RXP is really good, and the 2015 version seems substantially more powerful than the previous as well. My only gripe is that the button is small and difficult with gloves on. The diffuser idea, rather than separate LEDs, for wide or focused beams is great as well.

I also really like the Icon from BD though. Button is much easier to use with gloves, but it is heavier and you need to click between LEDs for a concentrated or diffuse beam.
Red LED option is a bit of a un-necessary extra. It is good for avoiding spoiling your night vision, but you can't really navigate by it as the red light makes all contours disappear (on OS maps anyway).

Not a great fan of the Fenix HP20 - it's got a really bright, but really concentrated beam. Great for distance and for searches, but poor for close up illumination and the concentration of the beam makes for bad glare from map cases etc.

Cheers,

Stuart

In reply to StuDoig:

Ive always been a fan of the Myo was a little disappointed with the output of the previous Model when it had 205 Lumens plastered on the front of the packaging when in reality it was 140 New 2015 version should address that nicely 280 Lumens
New icon has been updated also now 320 Lumens choice is yours as they say