Petzl and Princeton head lamps.

R

Robbie Roberson

Joined
Dec 27, 2003
Messages
1,983
I just spent the best $ I ever spent on one of each brand of these, both seem to be amazing quality and both are extremly bright.

If you have never checked these head lamps out, you might want to look at them.........for the money I don't see how you could go wrong.

I got a Princeton tec quad and also a Petzl tikki plus.......both seem perfect for anything you would ever need to do and both should last for about 50 hours each on high beam.

I have not tested them much yet but my initial impressions are....these are amazing tools for the outdoors at night and where have I been....:o


Robbie Roberson. ;)
 
I got a Princeton Tec Aurora a while ago. Fantastically useful. Light weight, compact, can clip onto clothes without the head strap. Around the apartment at night, even the low beam is great for finding my way without glaring up the place or needing to use a hand to hold it.
 
Hello Esav,

They are great lights.........and so handy ! I think I'll go for a walk in the woods..........at night.......in the dark.........:o

Robbie Roberson.;)
 
If you head over to candlepowerforums.com you can get an idea of the massive world that is high-end flashlights. Over the past few years the technology has become absolutely incredible. The thing is that headlamps never caught up. I am working with a Chinese manufacturer, and we hope to release a headlamp this spring that will simply blow away anything you can currently buy in terms of brightness, runtime, regulated output, weather resistance, and need for many batteries. I am not speaking in terms of "50% brighter and longer lasting", but in terms of "several times brighter and longer lasting".
Sneak peak into the awesomeness: Two separately controlled beams for flood and for throw, each using a single Cree XR-E R2 Bin LED.
 
CanDo said:
I am working with a Chinese manufacturer, and we hope to release a headlamp this spring that will simply blow away anything you can currently buy in terms of brightness, runtime, regulated output, weather resistance, and need for many batteries. I am not speaking in terms of "50% brighter and longer lasting", but in terms of "several times brighter and longer lasting".
Sneak peak into the awesomeness: Two separately controlled beams for flood and for throw, each using a single Cree XR-E R2 Bin LED.
Click to expand...
make it compatible with Ni-MH AA battery(ies), and I'm in!
 
In my opinion, the most under-rated accessory for headlamps is the 'Adapt System' by Petzl. Got one on a whim, been relying on it ever since. I now use my Tikka Plus on my bike helmet, on the improved top-strap mount, and I've also clipped it on my belt and clothing straps for an on-body light.

For those with...over five hundred dollars to spare, Petzl just announced the 'Ultra' model. 350 lumens, rechargeable, as modular as an AK-47.Too rich for my blood, but pretty wild to read about.
 
I don't think I could use anything much brighter than the two I got that I listed above. :eek:

The PT quad seems so solid and smooth, but the Petzl is really bright and works well too.

The Petzl does have a slight design problem I think in the fact that I got two of them and both had problems loading the third AAA near the hinge because some straps for holding the back on always pull up into the battery slot making it hard to load that third battery.........I just used the battery lid to push and hold it in until it snapped closed.

This is not a big deal........but really needs to be corrected so people in the woods at night in possible rough weather do not have to deal with this.

Other than that, it seems perfect.

The PT quad seems perfect.


Robbie Roberson.;)
 
If you don't want any more brightness, you can just switch it to a similar lighting level that will last many times longer giving a constant level of light.
 
I just got back from an industry trade show and saw the new lineup of headlamps for the big boy manufacturers that are finally using CREEs. Petzl has one with 6 (!) CREE LEDs that is quite bright and quite expensive (starts at $450). Coleman actually has a few CREE headlamps that look to be very nice and relatively cheap, but can't be found many places. Princeton Tech and Black Diamond are continuing to use the old LED technology, as far as I could tell. Mammut has some very nice headlamps on the market and more on the way, so they should be a company to start watching for new headlamp technology.
 
Well I've had the opportunity to test quite many headlamps (including the silva high buck stuff) and in my opinion the Petzl Tikka XP beats quite anything else with some margin.

Raw performances are in the upper average and functionnality is excellent, particularly the collapsible "Fresnel lens" that allows quick switch from focused lighting to wide angle. Additional functionnalities such as battery indicator or boost mode are not that necessary but still good to have.
 
I have been using petazl for since high school (about 12 years). I love their stuff, but my Tikka plus which is about 2 years old, is starting to crap out on the last hunting trip. One of the bulb is acting up, sometimes a hard shake brings it back, anyone knows what could be the problem?
 
sherlockbonez said:
I have been using petazl for since high school (about 12 years). I love their stuff, but my Tikka plus which is about 2 years old, is starting to crap out on the last hunting trip. One of the bulb is acting up, sometimes a hard shake brings it back, anyone knows what could be the problem?
Click to expand...

That just sounds like a connection problem, I know alot of lights flicker, a few whacks and they work, either the batteries arn't touching right, or connections wise its loose, my guess anyways. :rolleyes::D
 
I've been very happy with my Petzl TackTikka. I still like it, but think it is probably dated technology. I would bet there are much nicer headlamps (in terms of brightness and runtime) out there, by now.
 
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