PRODUCT NEWS: The New Petzl SWIFT RL Headlamp

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 UKC/UKH Gear 29 Oct 2019
With 900 lumens of lighting power at only 100 grams, the SWIFT RL is Petzl's brightest compact headlamp. Designed with a reflective two-part headband for a stable and secure fit, this lamp is ideal for outdoor recreation with a mixed beam pattern for distance and proximity lighting.

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 mcdweeb 30 Oct 2019
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

I wondered why there wasn’t anything mentioning the price of this head torch, then I checked the link and find it costs £95.

That’s a lot for a torch!

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 PPP 30 Oct 2019
In reply to mcdweeb:

It's actually fairly reasonable for the features you get. Yeah, definitely not cheap, but it's not a luxurious price tag either for their flagship. You can also find it for £75 online, so it's not really £95 either. 

What I am a bit upset about is the new battery type which costs £36 or more. Sure, it's much larger capacity than the previous Petzl Core, but it's a bit of a shame that you cannot just reuse old batteries if you had some lying around. It doesn't seem to be compatible with AA/AAA batteries, which is a nice and cheap backup or a good option for multi-day activities. Although it sounds like battery pack is a must these days.

In reply to mcdweeb:

I'd echo PPP's sentiments, which ultimately chimes with what I say within most of my reviews: if you're buying a premium product don't be surprised when they charge a premium price.

That said, I would also argue that £95 represents something of a bargain given what you're getting. We're a bit sheltered in climbing/mountaineering/hillwalking circles, but take a look at the running/cycling market and you'll soon be spending three times that, which is interesting because within what we do a headtorch could genuinely save your life, or - at the very least - make it a whole lot easier.

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 TobyA 31 Oct 2019
In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

I think my bike lights are perhaps even more necessary to keeping me alive commuting than my headtorch is walking off winter hills! But I take your point - some bike lights are incredibly expensive. The only thing I would add though is market size seems to be central again - my current favourite bike lights were all bought from Aldi (or from a Hong Kong online "shop" a few years ago) and all cost less than a tenner (the HK ones much less than that including delivery from China which is a bit mad when you think about it), but are very very good. You can get cheapy headtorches too of course, but beside Alpkit ones (which are a different kettle of fish as you know you are getting decent quality and good back up there), I've not heard of any climbers recommending no brand or supermarket headtorches yet. On cycling forums lots of people will give their experiences of Aldi bike lights for example.

 FreshSlate 31 Oct 2019
In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

I too don't have a problem with the price because 900 lumens is a lot. It probably compares pretty well on a lumen/£ ratio.

But how many runners' head torch are three times as much? Runners have also heard of Petzl you know. 

Look at this of top 5 headtorches article for runners, three of them are Petzl: https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/gear/tech/g28655876/best-running-head-torch...

Post edited at 09:13
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 Sir Chasm 31 Oct 2019
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

I look forward to you gettting one in to test and confirming those burn times.

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Are we entering into lumen war here? 

In night running and mountain biking this has been going on for a while. Your lights are good, quite adequate, until your mate pulls up next to you with the latest lighting overwhelming yours and killing what little night vision you had left.

I take the point that a headtorch is a safety feature but we did cope climbing, cycling, running and navigating by petzl zoom. 

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 galpinos 31 Oct 2019
In reply to Presley Whippet:

> Are we entering into lumen war here? 

This has always been the case. I remember doing the High Peak Marathon in 2002 with my Petzl Zoom (what a great headtorch for running, no bounce at all.......) and a mate turning up with a zoom with a jazzy superbright bulb. 

 Flinticus 31 Oct 2019
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

That price seems OK. I've a LED Lenser H7R.2 at 300 lm, now available for about £40 up to £50

In reply to FreshSlate:

The ones I specifically had in mind were the Silva Headlamps, which come in at somewhere between £291 - £382 (depending on the model you go for), but you're quite right - they're a specialist affair. That said, my comments regarding price were more directly aimed at the bike market, where you really can spend £££s.

With regards to runners not having heard of Petzl, where exactly did I say this? When I ran for Eryri I think 99% of the club used Petzl headtorches and I suspect that's probably still the same today.

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In reply to TobyA:

Fair point re: commuting, I was more thinking within a mountain context - hence had the blinkers on.

For what it's worth I'll be focussing on climbing/hillwalking/running within the review.

 Tyler 31 Oct 2019
In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

> For what it's worth I'll be focussing on climbing/hillwalking/running within the review.

Lack of dedication, you really ought to go and get a 9-5 in a busy city for the period of the review and cycle commute daily

In reply to Tyler:

I'll sign up to do a few shifts with Deliveroo

I actively avoided adding mountaineering within the criteria, because there is no way I'm going to be heading to Scotland and/or the Alps. The words 'winter climbing' mean something very different to me these days...

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 FreshSlate 31 Oct 2019
In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

> The ones I specifically had in mind were the Silva Headlamps, which come in at somewhere between £291 - £382 (depending on the model you go for), but you're quite right - they're a specialist affair. That said, my comments regarding price were more directly aimed at the bike market, where you really can spend £££s.

> With regards to runners not having heard of Petzl, where exactly did I say this?

You said "We're a bit sheltered in climbing/mountaineering/hillwalking circles, but take a look at the running/cycling market and you'll soon be spending three times that".

That suggests it's normal for runners to be spending that much more money for a similar product.

> When I ran for Eryri I think 99% of the club used Petzl headtorches and I suspect that's probably still the same today.

I'm not sure how it's normal for the running scene to be paying around £300 for the likes of Silva headlights whilst '99%' of runners in your anecdotal experience are using Petzl. 

Perhaps you can explain that one to me? Do runners pay well over the odds?

Also the £292 rrp (available for £236) Silva puts out 2200 lumens, not 900. So you're not comparing apples with apples there are you? It's a similar £ to lumen value as the Petzl. 

I think the product is well priced by the way. 

Post edited at 18:27
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In reply to FreshSlate:

I think you're reading a lot into a single passing comment, putting words in my mouth, and generally muddying the water of what we are/aren't talking about, so I'll sign out there...

Post edited at 18:11
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 FreshSlate 31 Oct 2019
In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

> I think you're reading a lot into a single passing comment, putting words in my mouth, and generally muddying the water of what we are/aren't talking about, so I'll sign out there...

Maybe just say 'oops my mistake' instead of googling some expensive headlamps to prove me wrong. I would have happily dropped it. 

Post edited at 18:14
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 sbc23 31 Oct 2019
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

You seem to get a fair bit more torch for your money with a Fenix HM65R, plus it takes standard 18650 batteries.

 EdS 31 Oct 2019
In reply to sbc23:

Best me too it. Fenix are far better torches, and more robust.

There is a reason you see plenty of Fenix down caves but few 'posh' Petzl..... Duo (with none petzl conversions) and Pixa at centres


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