UKH

Thinking of getting a new headtorch for winter climbing.  Requirement is excellent battery life, excellent brightness, easy to use with gloves or mitts, and reasonably waterproof.  What do other climbers use?

Petzl Nao + fits the bill. Not cheap (202o Xmas present) but have found the reactive function and burn time to be top drawer. Have field tested the water resistant claims in the west of Ireland and Scotland in poor weather and brought home a few accompanying pools of flickering yellow light from partners on the trail home. Have been genuinely surprised how useful the headtorch is after a few disappointments over the years. 

I've a petzl swift and rate it highly, set it to medium and you don't need to touch it till you are back to the car. had mine soaked by water which then froze it to my helmet last winter and it never missed a beat. 

Fenex HM65 are also good, very robust and bright but more fiddley than the swift as you have to press buttons to change brightness. becoming very popular with cavers and such which says a lot to its quality. 

Still trundling along with a Petzl Tikka with core battery.  If I program it (with the Petzl PC app) to be set for kids mode then it gives a battery life of 50 hours and keeps a decent brightness most of that time.

Thanks for all your advice.  There's an enormous choice out there so it's good to hear your views.  I'll probably go with the Petzl Swift, although I would have liked to have been able to use non-chargeable batteries just in case.  The Nao looks great....but not cheap.

Petzyl Actik core can use both. Recently bought one and it’s very good. 

Been rocking a Petzl Actik core. Cheap, fairly bright, fairly weather proof, good enough battery life.

I went for a non-Petzl torch (shock, horror): https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/headlamp/zebralig... because it uses a standard 18650 battery that's easy to charge from USB (with suitable charger, e.g. Sanyo NCR18650GA 3350mAh - 10A) so it's not locking you into a proprietary battery, it's powerful, good battery life, durable and a (relatively) good price. I ordered both items from https://eu.nkon.nl/ for 97.50 euros (haven't checked the current price)

Black diamond icon. Heavier but waterproof, reliable and robust with a very long burn time. It uses batteries so you don't have that horrible moment when you realise it is flat and too late to do anything about it. I have one of those and a swift. The swift has a longer but less wide beam, is significantly lighter but probably less robust with a shorter burn time if you are using main beam a lot.

If going for a big day I go in on the icon  use the swift for climbing. That way you can use it on main beam for the route without worrying. 

Some carry two swifts, I am just overly cautious I suppose. 

Good point about the 2 torches, my mate had a torch fail half way up a slightly bold and damp VS pitch, after a bit of a struggle he managed to deploy his spare.

one on the head, one round the neck - Actik are a good compromise

I have a Nao and while its great for a whole load of reasons and is a great running torch, it doesn't, IMO, make a great winter climbing headtorch. The cradle arrangement gives a very poor fit on the two helmets I've got (Petzl meteor and elios) and possibly most helmets. It doesn't work well under the clips. I'd look elsewhere for a winter climbing torch.  

Alpkit quark is my go to, comes with rechargeable battery and can also take 3x AAA. 3 brightness settings pkus red light and can do focus and flood beam. Excellent value for money, the only downside is the lens is recessed so could be difficult to wipe snow off with a gloved hand. 

That is a very fair point and has required some management.

I have the Petzl Swift RL and use it mostly for trail running/ultras. I bought spare battery units for it too - easy to change, provided you have a backup headtorch to enable this. I really rate the Swift.

N

Got too many broken petzl torches too ever recommend them.

Lupine piko has lasted me several years now. Used at work, off road biking, dog walking you name it. 

what do you think of this? I've fancied a Lupine for a while. A friend of a friend had one in Norway a few years back I'm sure we would still be on the route if he didn't have that amazing bit of kit. Lupine wilma  

I've been really impressed with the little piko, I was going to get the Wilma but my main use is at work and the Wilma is a bit too bulky.

As it is the Piko is more than enough for night riding off road. I might opt for a larger one if dh riding regularly.

The wire connections have been problem free and the battery (3.3ah) life excellent. I like that it came with the extension cord to put the battery in my bag/jacket.

Easily switch between light levels (new version has a Bluetooth switch option) and easy enough to change how many light levels.

The elastic head band is getting a bit tired but I've had it over 6years so a new one might be in order.

Their support is excellent also.

You could easily get carried away buying more torch than you need on their website but the Piko has been all I've needed. 

Another vote for the Petzl Actik Core, seems really decent so far. I carry a basic Alpkit job as an emergency spare, although the best head torch is the one you remembered to pick up off the floor of the spare room and put in your cocking rucksack before you drove from Sheffield to the middle of nowhere. For example.

Ledlenser make some pretty good head torches, I’ve just purchased the MH-11 and  it’s full of different lighting options and a decent battery life.

https://www.ledlenser-store.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0Iaf0vTg9AIVXoBQBh1DLA...

Thanks to everyone who replied to my question.  I've now got about a dozen options to consider!  At least I now have a better idea than I did before....

Stephan

I've recently bought a Fenix HM65R-T. It's bright like a car headlight. simple to use without gimmick functions like slap to change brightness, 6000 modes or adaptive nonsense. extremely long battery life and rechargeable. 

ONE
It is on my ToDoList to rebuild my Petzl Zoom with LED tech! (Wondering if the battery life will be a a couple of thousand hours!)

TWO
I am investigating the idea of have a small and long-lived rescue lamp for lone hill-users. The idea is that some light spectra are particularly easy to detect with the II and IR sensors on a SAR helicopter. A person going out alone in wild country would have a small lamp on all the time. The battery life would be significantly greater than 100 hours. Police-MRT searches are generally conducted for about 3 days from the time of alert. A lamp of the right spectrum, even if only reflecting off the ground, might be expected to be detected by a SAR helicopter during the first night. 

Since you have all been looking at headtorch websites and catalogues, maybe you could let me have your ideas based on what you have seen on those pages. Red and Infra-red are the prime suspects at present. A lamp programmed to illuminate after the planned duration of the trip is another idea that is possible with some logic. Some headtorches already have rear red lamps. 

Latest (Feb 2022) edition of Trail magazine has an article on headtorches.  Reviewed are

• Alpkit Gamma III
• Prineton Tec Snap Solo LED 300 (Best Value)
• Biolite Headlamp 330
• Black Diamond Onsight 375
• Ledlenser MH8
• Petzl Swift RL 900L (Best in Test)

YMMV

Guardian mockingbird IR beacon would be an obvious candidate.

I have a guardian adventure white light equivalent on my Sea Kayak Buoyancy aid and it has survived multi-year complete neglect and regular dunkings. Clearly not a replacement for a proper stobe, but something is better than nothing and very light weight.  Was thinking about the IR version as well.

Talk to your local Lifeboat crew as I think they have something similar on top of their helmets.

Obviously the Caz would have to kindly refrain from collapsing in away to obscure it.

I have a Fenix HM65r - it's great.

Rechargeable without having to open up the headtorch and access the battery, unlike my Petzl Acktik Core. It's waterproof. Runs on standard 18650 battery, so it's really easy to carry a spare and swap it in. The body of the headtorch is made of metal which means it's more robust than a plastic one. I use it for dark DIY jobs as well, which with my plastic ones I'm always reluctant to do in case I end up damaging them. The spot beam on full power is fantastic, easily illuminates down a 60m abseil. A couple of days ago I was able to illuminate an ab for my partner when they went first and their headtorch had basically run out. It's got a battery life indicator which is really handy. It's got a top strap which I like for running or just wearing on my head, but can be removed for when I know I'll just have it on a helmet.

It is a bit heavier than my Actik Core, which seems to be the only downside. So when I know I'll be using a headtorch a lot I take the HM65r and when I'll just be using it a bit or might not need it I take the Actik Core. The HM65r is probably a bit less comfortable than the Actik as well, just because it's heavier I think. I really rate both torches, but for the purpose of actually being a headtorch, the HM65r is definitely better.

As it happens, a Mockingbird has just arrived in the post as I start stocking up with experimental kit!