In reply to Ysgo:
But most people want to be able to use it with gloves, whether thin or thick, and other than the Petzl Professional range the switches on all their other torches or tiny and unusable. I have a Petzl Tikka RXP and the 2 switches are stupidly small. The idea that you switch it on and it then reacts to what is needed is great, unfortunately the fool who designed it then made it have 3 modes with different options and two switches.
Put simply, a concept alien to the designers, users generally just want 2 or 3 levels and off. The total amount of light depends on the use so you get different head torches, not one torches that does 10 different levels and costs a fortune because a few users need searchlight mode.
The Petzl Professional range are brilliant, simple knob to switch which is easy to use in gloves. Clever charging cradle, robust. Problem is that it is old technology so heavy, not very bright and very expensive. The RXP and others are hopeless.
Mr Petzl (and Black Diamond and Co) please slowly read the following, sorry if it comes as a shock to you:
Torches are used in the dark.
It is dark at night.
It is also usually cold at night.
Days are shorter in winter so head torches are used more often in winter.
It is cold in winter.
People wear gloves when it is cold.
So most of the time people wear gloves when using head torches outside.
No one wants to have to take off their gloves just because the head torch switch is badly designed.