Headtorch Recommendations

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 alastairmac 22 Sep 2016
Any thoughts or recommendations on head torches for running off road. Very bright, reasonable battery life and at a reasonable cost (no more than £150) ?
 tony 22 Sep 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

LED Lenser H7R.
Rechargeable batteries, very bright, lasts for ages.

Have a search for similar threads - there was another one last week.
OP alastairmac 22 Sep 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

Thanks for that.
 StuDoig 23 Sep 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

I've noticed quite a few people with Magic Shine lights in the last year or so:

http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/head-torches.html

I've used one of their bike lights once and it was pretty good, certainly cheaper than a lot of "name" brands.

That said I normally run using a Tikka RXP and have no complaints about - a cracking wee torch.

Cheers!

Stu
 LG 03 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

I use the following for ultras:
http://www.exposurelights.com/marine-lights/head-torches/exposure-verso-hea...

Super light, and you can use different size spare batteries depending on how long you are out for.
Note - they report that you can use a 1.7mAh support cell, but what they don't make so clear is that you can use the bigger 3.1mAh as well.

For general shorter trail runs I use a hand torch - much better depth perception because the light is coming from a different angle to the direction of your eyes so that you can see the shadows, to pick out relief much better. Takes a run or so to get used to holding it steady but much better generally than a head torch. I'd use it four ultras except that I like to have my hands free for water / feeding etc...
Ferret 03 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:
I must be old and grumpy but when did 'reasonable cost' equate to £150ish!!

I've got a lenser which is good but has a few design flaws (newer models may be better) but I also find it eats batteries.

Having looked at expensive, running torches and lost will to live with spec, specific rechargeable batteries (which can leave you tried to expensive specific batteries that you can't easily replace in future), short burn times (how do you deal with long one or two night events with a dedicated battery that then goes flat, bar buying multiple super expensive batteries?), ones that do amazing things when running on the dedicated battery but loose most of the 'extra' great stuff if you go onto standard batteries as back up on long runs etc etc I recently opted for an Alpkit Gamma (I think) that runs off rechargeable or standard AA batteries and comes with 2 'battery packs' so a battery change is as simple as flip a lever over, one pack pops out, slot second pack in until it clips and that's it. Can be done in 5 seconds in the dark... and as it takes 'normal' batteries I had spares in drop bag or could have carried yet more spares and re-loaded the battery cartridge on the hoof if needed. It saw me happily through 1 full night and a second half night on the Lakeland 100 and I'm not aware that I was missing anything in terms of my ability to see and run vs anything more complicated.

That said, if I ever spend £150+ on a torch I might discover what I've been missing. Or not.
Post edited at 16:17
 Aly 03 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:
I, and a lot of runners I know have one of these or similar:

http://tinyurl.com/hjukhaa

Doubles as a bike light.
Bargain for £14!

From experience, battery lasts 7-8 hours and I haven't come across a runner with a brighter light yet.
Only downside is you need a pocket for the battery (though I'm usually wearing leggings anyway if it's dark outside!) and the headband isn't the comfiest.
I've tried a few other torches from Petzl and LED Lenser but none of them really compare, or can offer the same brightness.
I think Hope do similar torches, which are probably a bit more refined but they are £200+
Post edited at 20:40
 malk 03 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

using very bright torches off road is not cool..
 DancingOnRock 03 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

The Alpkit Muon is supposed to be quite good. It's on my Christmas list. Only £12.

https://www.alpkit.com/products/muon
 SouthernSteve 03 Oct 2016
In reply to malk:
> using very bright torches off road is not cool.

It's better than falling on your arse, tearing your knee cartilage, having surgery, taking 8 months to recover.
Tree roots - they're not kidding. How cool do you need to be to float above them??

To OP: Petzl Tikka RXP with a spare battery
 TobyA 03 Oct 2016
In reply to DancingOnRock:

Recently got a Muon - light and small for the brightness, maybe only a bit brighter than my old Alpkit Gamma but noticeably smaller/lighter. I guess with just one AA you can't expect it to last so long on bright but carrying a spare is hardly a biggy!
Ferret 04 Oct 2016
In reply to Ferret:

Actually - it's an Alpkit Arc which is a clearance item so appears to be in process of phasing out... shame as I like the battery pack concept which none of the others now seem to have.
 Blake 04 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

I just bought a petzl reactik+... its a great little unit.

- It's a nice, small, cool looking and rugged little device... waterproof, lightweight etc.
- for a compact one piece, it's way brighter than anything i've ever used: 300 lumens, very crisp, white light.
- has a usb rechargeable battery unit, you can get a housing for 3x AAA batteries as a spare, so covers all bases there.
- numerous lighting modes, but has some very reactive settings, meaning it detects how much light you need. This can of course be overidden with quite a few presets.
- Comes with a phone app. Connect to your phone with bluetooth to make your own lighting profiles and get various info i.e. battery life. It can also do some more useful things, like program SOS morse code flashes.
- reasonable cost - I think I paid about £60. which i think is very reasonable for the above specs!

Give me a shout if you have any questions dude, I'll help if I can

In reply to Blake:

> I just bought a petzl reactik+... its a great little unit.

I'm currently reviewing this head torch it's absolutely brilliant. I used it last Saturday on a 1 day Cuillin Ridge Traverse (Summer) (VD). +1 from me.
 quirky 04 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

Another +1 for the Alpkit Muon. First run out with it over the moors last night, light weight, 2 good beam patterns, plenty bright enough and only £12, what's not to like? Running off 1 AA battery will no doubt affect burn time but carrying a spare battery is no problem.
 Oli Greg 05 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

I've been using a Fenix HP12 for nearly 2 years now and it has been faultless.
It's not a well known Chinese brand but they are really good. Around 400l of controlled light (won't dim as batteries die), with a 900l 'boost'. On the max 400l a battery lasts over 3hrs and is bright enough for fast technical descents.
The battery is separate on the back of the head, so I find it more comfortable and stable with the weight split.
Uses 18650 battwriwa, so you may need to factor in a battery or 2 and charger, but these aren't too expensive either.

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/Shop/Fenix-Torches/Head-Torches/13035-Fenix-HP1...

 galpinos 05 Oct 2016
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

It looks good but I thought the battery life looked a bit poor. For a short run, fine, but only 10hrs of max autonomy with reactive lighting? Doesn't seem much for say, an alpine outing.....
 galpinos 05 Oct 2016
In reply to Blake:

What do you use it for? Just running or climbing too? For long alpine days/multiday efforts, don't you worry it'll run out of battery?
Do you use the bluetooth/lighting profiles bit or is it a gimmick (I imagine I'd never actually use it?)
Where did you find it for £60?
 d_b 05 Oct 2016
In reply to Oli Greg:

Fenix are incredibly bright for the money but I have seen problems with water getting into the electronics on very persistently wet days.

A mate of mine waterproofed his by popping it open and smearing dielectric grease on the circuit board.
 Tom Briggs 05 Oct 2016
In reply to galpinos:

> Do you use the bluetooth/lighting profiles bit or is it a gimmick (I imagine I'd never actually use it?)

I've been using the new Petzl Reactik+ and feel the App is a bit of a gimmick. Maybe useful for checking the power you have left, but in terms of different settings I can't imagine not just pushing the buttons on the thing itself.
 galpinos 05 Oct 2016
In reply to Tom Briggs:

Cheers Tom, thought it might be. Have you been using it for running or on alpine stuff too? Good/worth the money in spite of the Bluetooth shimozle? Do you ever worry about running out of battery?
 Tom Briggs 05 Oct 2016
In reply to galpinos:
Just for running. I think it's maybe just a tad heavy having the battery at the front, meaning it bounces around a bit compared to the Myo that I used last winter, which has the battery on the back. It's certainly bright enough. I've only used it for up to 2 hours on full beam, so not got much of a feel for how long the battery lasts. I quite like it.
Post edited at 12:48
 Blake 11 Oct 2016
In reply to galpinos:

Apologies for the late response.

I use it for everything - I have climbed with it at night, but I haven't really tested it in anger. In my experience of night climbing, it would be perfect; as i mentioned, it has a reactive setting and numerous presets to control flood and beam... it's more than enough for a night climb and walk down in pretty much any situation (at 300 lumens, its brighter than the torch I have used for caving in the past).

Regarding the battery, I have used the usb charged main battery unit for several hours and then checked with the app and it still had about 70% left. Of course, if you have it on full power, you can expect it to drain faster. I also shelled out a tenner for the seperate housing which takes 3xAAA as a spare (see link). You can also buy extra usb battery units.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B01GFPMH9K/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8...

Regarding the app, I have only really played with it - its very handy for checking the battery level (you can easily get an accurate exact percentage, which is obviously very useful).

Now I've used it quite a lot, I can't really imagine a better torch unit in this or any price range. It's mad bright and pretty much completely settable/tweakable. The battery is chargeable via USB (i do it in my car like my phone), but with the attachment, takes endless AAA's.

Martin Mckenna says he's reviewing it as we speak, so I guess you can expect a pro review coming very soon.

Hope that helps?
Blake
 wbo 11 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac: Having had another trip end up in the dark this weekend I saw a variety of cheap and expensive torches in use. I'm finding it increasingly hard to justify spending a lot of money on a torch. I have a basic cheap light and simply carried a spare set of AAA's if the USB rechargeable battery dies (it didn't)

OP alastairmac 11 Oct 2016
In reply to alastairmac:

Thanks for all the suggestions and information. I ended up buying an LED Lenser HR7 shortly after my initial post (which cost around £50). I've used it a few times now and it does the job well. But if I'd waited I might have been tempted to have a look at the petal reaktik.....

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