Headlamps: Petzl Duo LED vs Black Diamond Gemini

[Josh Wilson]

I am looking at combination Halogen/LED headlamps for camping and hiking use. The two that seem to get the best reviews are the Petzl DuoLED (for $66) and the Black Diamond Gemini (for $38).

Can anyone share their experiences in terms of weight, battery life, robustness and general usefulness?

Thanks

 

[Diligence]

I don't own the two you mention, but my past experiences with Petzl lights (LED and Halogen equipped) is that they are of very good quality. I do not like the halogen bulbs generally as from my experience they drain the battery quite quickly. The newer models may perform better.

However, I currently rely on a Petzl Tikka (LED) for all my climbing and backpacking needs. It is lightweight and is always in my pack, even if I think it only a day trip. Very long life and decent light, but not enough for difficult route finding in the alpine environment.

Cheers,
D

 

[Oni]

Went on a night hike last night. 2 of my friends had the Gemini, some had the Moonlight, and I had the Princton Tec Aurora which I picked up yesterday.

When I was looking at the Gemini at the station, I was less than impressed. It didn't seem to have a lot of light output. Single LED and a small halogen bulb. Out on a dark trail though, I was pretty impressed. Maybe due to the reflector...the LED throws out a decent amount of light. Not quite as much as the Aurora, which has 3 LED's or the Moonlight which has 4...but more than enough to navigate established trails easily.

The halogen lamp, while not super powerful still puts out more light than the LED's. The Gemini is a lot more compact than the Duo too. I may get a Gemini too.

I am impressed with the Aurora too. Has 3 settings, high, med and low. I used the low setting and it had more than enough light to see the trail. I used the high setting while descending a sketchy area. It is adjustable for angle, which is an improvement over the Tikka which I also have. It is small enough to stuff into a jacket pocket and forget, so you can always have a light handy.

For general camping or hiking over non to moderately technical terrain, I think either would perform well for you. For technical climbing or route finding, the headlamps along with a more powerful light source would be wise.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[beezaur]

I consider my Black Diamond moonlight to have about the minumum amount of available light (for me). It is great around camp or on the trail, but gets pretty marginal off trail. The "beam" is really a very soft flood, so you can't see very far.

I just got a new flashlight, a Princeton Tec Impact II ( www.princetontec.com under "what's new"). They claim it is useable to 50 yards, and I've found that to be true. It has a lens in the bezel that does a good job of focusing the single LED's light.

I know it isn't what you are looking for, but in terms of your criteria, it is waterproof, tough, light (2.9 oz w/batteries), and has a claimed battery life of over 75 hours with 4 AAAs. I think I paid ~$25 for it at REI.

The brightness of the Impact II's single LED makes me think we'll be seeing LED headlamps cranking up the output a bit in the next year or so.

Scott

 

[DancesWithKnives]

I have a Princetontec Matrix, which has both halogen and LED lamp modules that can be interchanged. It is extremely sturdy, but I find myself using the lighter Princetontec Aurora a lot more. As noted, it has 3 steady light levels plus two flashing signal modes.