Best headlamp?

geekswithguns

geekswithguns

Joined
May 24, 2005
Messages
485
Ok...I've been eyeing the Petzl Zipka and its variants- because of the easy storage- what's everyone's favorite headlamps?
 
I am a petzl man myself. I have two of them and both have seen alot of action. One is a model for cold weather that holds the battery pack under my jacket so it does not loose power due to the cold temp. the other one is a myo 3. It has a halogen that shines almost 100m and a set of three LED lights that casts a nice light over a 30m area. the myo 3 is water proof and ver light. petzl has a bunch of duo models that contain a high powered halogen bulb and a different array of choices in how many LED light you want. For me petzl is t he best brand and seems to be liked by most professional. best of luck
 
I like the Princeton Tec Aurora. Use it for deer hunting every year. When climbing up a tree before sunup, the low light setting is perfect.

Botach had the Aurora for $9.95 (normally a $30 lamp) several months ago. I ordered 9 or 10 and gave them as Xmas presents this past year.
 
I didn't find the prices. It looks like:

Princeton
Apex has 60 lumens, 279 Gm, 150 Hrs (0.2 lumens/Gm or .5 Hrs/Gm)
Eos 25 lumens, 105 Gm, 60 Hrs (.24 lumens/Gm or .5 Hrs/Gm)
Aurora 15 lumens, 79 Gm, 160 Hrs (0.19 lumens/Gm or 2 Hrs/Gm)

Not that those tratios have anything to do with the price of tea on Saturday.:D
 
The Apex is running around $65 which is not unreasonable for such a high quality piece of gear.

It is however more bulky than the zipka if thats an issue.

SKam
 
I'd vote for the Petzl Zipka. It's light, uses the battery size I've standardized on for my kits, and seems about the right brightness for general use.

In fact, it's so handy for inspecting/fixing injuries that we keep one in the kitchen drawer.

I use it a lot for close work too. My eyes aren't what they once were, and more light seems to help. Especially with putting that razor edge on a blade.

The only thing I haven't tried is hiking down a dark trail with one. I'd like to hear how they are for that.

I've never tried any of the wider headband models, so I don't know if they're more comfortable over a long period of time, but only experimentation on your part will answer that.

Bear
 
I really like my Petzl Myo 3. The only thing that sucks is the big battery pack on the back. other wise it's the nicest i've used.
 
Bear said:
The only thing I haven't tried is hiking down a dark trail with one. I'd like to hear how they are for that.


Bear
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Not advisable it has limited light for this activity. Great for around camp tho but not serious night hiking.

Skam
 
I have 2 Petzl's and plan to buy 2 more, I have the 3 LED TacTikka with a RED flip lens or you can gop white light as well. I am in the Army so this stays with me in the field. I also have the Tikka XP which is pretty cool, has one large LED with both wide angle and narrow long angle lenses. Also has several differant modes to include a Strobe flashing mode so this model would be good for Survival.

I plan on getting the MYO XP, when I can. You can go to Petzl'a WEB Page and look at all these models. I highly recommend Petzl and I think all Kits should contain a Headlamp for hands free work. Holding a flashlight while you are trying to start a fire or change a flat or give first aid in the middle of the night is outdated, yes there are still uses for flashlights but headlamps have their place.
 
I like the princton tec corona. There are several brightness settings, it's one headlamp for many uses.
 
gitarmac said:
I like the princton tec corona. There are several brightness settings, it's one headlamp for many uses.
Click to expand...

I do too. I think it's a great flood and highly adjustable, and very useful in a variety of circumstances.
 
skammer said:
Not advisable it has limited light for this activity. Great for around camp tho but not serious night hiking.

Skam
Click to expand...

I have the origional Zipka, and it is not ideal for following a trail at night, but is perfectly adequate. I also use it rapelling at night, and again, not ideal, but good enough. The only thing it really isin't good enough for is night skiing. At speed I need to be able to see farther ahead, and the halogen bulb is mandatory. I have stopped brining my Zoom hiking in summer now, and save it for winter and alpine climbing or when I know I have lots of full on night hiking.

BTW: The Zipka Plus (with 4 LEDs) is 80% brighter than mine (with 3 LEDs) so probably even better.

Will
 
Will said:
I have the origional Zipka, and it is not ideal for following a trail at night, but is perfectly adequate. I also use it rapelling at night, and again, not ideal, but good enough. The only thing it really isin't good enough for is night skiing. At speed I need to be able to see farther ahead, and the halogen bulb is mandatory. I have stopped brining my Zoom hiking in summer now, and save it for winter and alpine climbing or when I know I have lots of full on night hiking.

Will
Click to expand...

I like to see better than adequate when bushwaking at night and anything less than 20-30 lumens is pushing it. Bad broken bones experience:rolleyes: .

SKam
 
Petzl Zipka for me also.

Small and light enough for around camp and late night reading, plenty of light for finding your way to the latrine etc.

An added extra is using it for sharpening work on all my knives. I use various stone grades and sharpen by hand, and the extra light plus a good magnifying glass ensures constant and regular angles.

I know there are better and quicker ways to sharpen, but I just like the satisfaction of doing it all without too much technology.
 
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