UKH

I have a Petzl Reactik+ and have been disappointed with its battery life in low temperatures. Yesterday it went from fully charged to not working after I left it in an outside pocket on my jacket while climbing an Alpine route. It was pretty cold (perhaps -10) and it was in my pocket for about 14 hours before I tried using it (I used a Tikka RXP on the ski in, specifically to save the Reactik+ in case we needed to climb in the dark!). I’ve had a couple of other occasions while winter climbing in less cold temperatures where the battery died or went from fully charged to ‘red’ with hardly any use. Wondering if anyone else has had similar issues or perhaps I have a duff battery? It’s only a few months old so I’ll try to get a replacement.  The Tikka RXP has been much more reliable over the years!

Anyway, would appreciate any suggestions for a reasonably powerful head torch which doesn’t die in the cold. Appreciate that batteries don’t like low temperatures but clearly they’re designed for use in winter and will be out in the cold when actually in use on a helmet...

Have you tried lithium batteries? They also have the advantage of being very light.

If you can deal with using 18650 batteries then have a look at the Armytek Wizard Pro V3.

It's on the expensive end but still cheaper than the higher end mountaineering head torches. It blows every other head torch out the water that I've seen. About the same brightness as my cars headlights with a considerably better battery life than equivalent torches. I think Ive charged the batteries twice in a year of owning it with reasonable use, and that was just to make sure it was charged before large trips.

As for the cold, it's had a season in Scotland and the Alps on the same charge. 

And have the undoubted advantage of being VERY warm if you buy cheap Chinese ones and they go wrong...

The Petzl battery is lithium I think. 

Try Led lenser, good quality torches, or using lithium batteries they will works down to -20c.

I'm moving house so it's in a box somewhere but I have a BD Polar from my Nordic days that you can have for postage and the cost of beer (fancy IPA, no rubbish lager thanks. ) if you want to try it. It's one of the last generation of halogen bulbs but has an LED unit as well for proximity work and to save the batteries. Takes 3 x AAA and they are held in a remote pack with a wire long enough to keep in your clothes. I remember it being bright, but I'm not sure if that is old school bright (much better than a Petzl Zoom) or nu-skool bright (melts faces like in Raiders of the Lost Ark). Interested?

Edit "Polar Star" not Polar: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Black+diamond+polar+star&safe=strict&...:

Thanks. The battery pack in a pocket could help but I think it would just get in the way, especially with axes. I like some of the less well known brands suggested above. Seems it’s a trade off between weight and battery power, as ever. 

http://ledx.se/en/

With a price tag that melts bank accounts.