UKH

5 headtorches in 15 years. How hard can it be to design something that:

1) the plastic tilting mechanism doesn't break or wear out (failure on 2 blackd iamond tikka style designs)

2) The wiring to the separate battery box doesn't develop a fault (failure on Petzl Myo xp, and intermittent fault on Alpkit one. Incidentally, an unreliable head torch is worse than one that just breaks). 

3) doesn't turn on in your bag and waste all the batteries. Maybe a proper off switch that can be used to disables the large push-button?

Re. the first of these, anyone have use for 2 head torches that only fall forward and point to your nose?

My caving headtorch is amazing. No problems at all.

Mind you, for a tad under 800 quid, there'd better not be!

Fenex is your friend......

You should have seen the head torches we had in the 1970s, when the most popular was the poorly named Achil Wonder lamp (or some similar name) - I'm still not sure what the wonder referred to.

Current head torches are amazing in comparison

I don't know fenex. Are they expensive? Just need something for camping and emergencies. 

Probably the most bombproof ones in the family are from decathlon for about 4 quid each, so

might just steal the kid's.

Fenix 

I'm old enough to remember the petzl one with a bulb you turned on by twisting the front. Yes, we are spoiled with leds nowadays. Would love to see the Wonder lamp though!

I refurbished one of these last year out of nostalgia but put in a halogen bulb and AA converter. It’s alright to be fair and one of these got me out of a few situations.

Spoilt we are nowadays.

saying that I had a petzyl myo that burst into flames! The external wire to the battery.

http://www.smhc.co.uk/objects_item.asp?item_id=31803

I got an LED online that fits the Zoom.

Works on 1v to 9v and cost £10.

Good battery life, focuses fairly well and only problem is its so bright you have to be careful not to shine it in anybodies face.

Another thumbs up for Fenix - absolutely brilliant headtorches!!!

Had a look, seem super bright. Still  at least £30 so comporable with BD or Petal ones. As long as they are robust, and don't turn on when you don't want them to, I could be persuaded.

My biggest gripe is that petzl regulates brightness by strobing - are there other brands that don't strobe? 

There might be but I doubt it.  Petzl buy in cheap LED driver circuits by the bucket load, the same as everyone else.  Pulse width modulation is the standard approach that they use.

I remember the wonder lamps, it was a wonder if they ever worked. Mine packed up half way up the three monts route on Mont Blanc.

If a headtorch uses an LED, it'll be dimmed by turning the LED off/on rapidly. The dimmer you go, the more time the LED spends off and the more noticeable the effect becomes (Pulse width modulation as d_b said). 

The AAs probably don't allow it to run for long enough, but a halogen bulb will get warm enough to allow the plastic reflector to soften enough such that when you turn it off the spring pressure distorts it and it turns itself back on again permanently.

Try a LEDLenser SE series one - batteries are in the lamp unit so no wires to fail, and they have an on/off button lock feature which stops them getting turned on in your pocket. Tilt mechanism looks decent as well. Add to that they have an excellent spot/flood function and two power levels.