Head Torches

ronnie085

Planning on investing in one, not to sure what to get, looking at headtorch, any other suggestions appreciated

menoscemo

I have that very model that you have linked there. If you are dublin based you can get it at snow and rock in Dundrum shopping centre. I got it for €45 I thing. Does a great job.

HxGH

ronnie085 wrote: »

Planning on investing in one, not to sure what to get, looking at headtorch, any other suggestions appreciated

I have a PETZL myself.

I highly recommend them.

I don't know if this is the right one for you however, it depends on how frequent/commited you are to night walking. (or what have you.)

If it's going to get fair amount of usage go for it.

Try and pick one up in a shop, incase you need to return it or try another one.

ronnie085

menoscemo wrote: »

I have that very model that you have linked there. If you are dublin based you can get it at snow and rock in Dundrum shopping centre. I got it for €45 I thing. Does a great job.

Thats great, not to far away from me, thanks, always find it better to see things in the flesh. It will be getting lot of use 3/4 times a week all going to plan training wise, fingers crossed, so dont mind spending few hard earned euro

donothoponpop

Fair play ronnie, getting out and mobile in the dark is a great way to tackle winter training! Recently I got an UltraFire UF769 Cree P4 to replace several Petzl ones I've used over the years. It came highly recommended on the imra forum, and I could see why straight away, its vastly more powerful than any Petzl I've used. The batteries are contained in a pouch at the back, so the whole thing is balanced well. About €25, 10 days turnaround from HK.

opus

I got the Gamma head torch from Alpkit after it was recommended on the Marathon Talk podcast, arrived a few days after the order. Very happy with it I must say. Cost is £12.50 plus p&p.

Git101

ronnie085 wrote: »

Planning on investing in one, not to sure what to get, looking at headtorch, any other suggestions appreciated

Fantastic piece of kit.
I've been using one on unlit country roads. I can actually see where I'm going now when I bother to switch it on

BeepBeep67

ronnie085 wrote: »

Planning on investing in one, not to sure what to get, looking at headtorch, any other suggestions appreciated

I've been using the Petzl Tikka 2-3 times per week for the last month, love it. Haven't changed the batteries yet about 12hrs useage.
It has a useful pull up screen that allows you to spread the beam or have it targeted.

Peckham

Interview on MarathonTalk with Hywel Davies who ran a double Ironman that included 52 miles through the dark. Much of the discussion is about headtorches and general tips for running in the dark.

tunney

I have a petzel tikka, its *okay*. A Use Exposure joystick and a head band rocks.

boomdocker

i have this

http://www.uk.ayup-lights.com/products/64/

bit pricy maybe for running only, I also use it for mtb'ing.

fantastic light though, lightweight and bright.

ManFromAtlantis

worth checking out the petzl myo. i use it for running in the pitch dark and find it excellent. very small and great light. about €80 on ebay/amazon.

ocnoc

The light you want depends on a) your budget and b) what your using it for.

I have this light and its pretty sweet. I use it in terrain, up the mountains and it does the job as well as for a wee jaunt around the less severe trails.

On the other hand, a mate has this one and it is awesome!

jeffontour

I've had a couple of Petzl head torches and think there's much better value to be had out there. Didn't find them to be very reliable either given their price and status in the market. Only reason I bought the current one(same as posted by the OP) was I needed a torch for an event that day after I found my previous one Petzl died.

As recommended the Ultrafire looks great and I've only heard good things about Exposure products.

If you're considering running off road skip Petzl and get more bang for your buck with one of the alternatives suggested. My Petzl will become a backup soon when I get round to ordering a new torch from one of the other brands mentioned.

BeepBeep67

On the Petzl front, they have a rechargable battery for the Tikka now: http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/headlamps/core-rechargeable-battery?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=@Petzl&utm_campaign=core&utm_content=en
You can hook it up to your PC and change it's settings.

ronnie085

donothoponpop wrote: »

Fair play ronnie, getting out and mobile in the dark is a great way to tackle winter training! Recently I got an UltraFire UF769 Cree P4

Hey donothponpop, I ordered that headtorch 2 weeks ago today and still no sign of it, probably just the bad weather causing the delay, e-mailed them this evening and waiting on a reply, you didn't have any problems with them?

donothoponpop

ronnie085 wrote: »

Hey donothponpop, I ordered that headtorch 2 weeks ago today and still no sign of it, probably just the bad weather causing the delay, e-mailed them this evening and waiting on a reply, you didn't have any problems with them?

Got mine in 10 days, but other stuff I've ordered from HK (different site) can sometimes take many weeks to arrive. Hope it turns up soon!

ronnie085

yeah, between snow, ice, races been postponed and threadmill driving me mad have 2 many excuses not to run, hopefully the dark evenings wont push me over the edge to lazyness, hate winter:mad:

donothoponpop

Bump. Decent headtorch for €25 delivered.

Time to winterize. Also, YaxTrax are available in plenty of stores, get 'em before the snow comes.

Robin, B&Q have a sale on boxes of screws

baza1976

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&searchTerms=HEAD+TORCH&authToken= what ye think of these from argos... What do people think of the wind up head lamp?

donothoponpop

baza1976 wrote: »

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&searchTerms=HEAD+TORCH&authToken= what ye think of these from argos... What do people think of the wind up head lamp?

Great for picking slugs from your runner beans late at night. Useless for running.

baza1976

donothoponpop wrote: »

baza1976 wrote: »

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&searchTerms=HEAD+TORCH&authToken= what ye think of these from argos... What do people think of the wind up head lamp?

Great for picking slugs from your runner beans late at night. Useless for running.

wideball

opus wrote: »

I got the Gamma head torch from Alpkit after it was recommended on the Marathon Talk podcast, arrived a few days after the order. Very happy with it I must say. Cost is £12.50 plus p&p.

+1 on this headtorch. I got this last winter and it's great with the red rear light for quiet country roads. Powerful front light for a cheap price.

BobMac104

Does it eat batteries?

opus

BobMac104 wrote: »

Does it eat batteries?

I've had the same battery in it since last year so I guess not! I don't use the really bright light though just the white LED one which is enough light for me.

BeepBeep67

donothoponpop wrote: »

Bump. Decent headtorch for €25 delivered.

Time to winterize. Also, YaxTrax are available in plenty of stores, get 'em before the snow comes.

Robin, B&Q have a sale on boxes of screws

Took a punt on this from another website
Ordered on Oct 1st, arrived today, €18.35 delivered - nice bit of power there, not sure about the battery life, but a great bit of kit for < €20.

gsxr1

I use a head torch for work every night on the railway.

Everyone uses these including me

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Energizer-headlight-LED-x3-/330627474182?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item4cfaeee306#ht_500wt_1202

Cheap, light and a great beam

TFBubendorfer

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Took a punt on this from another website

Cheap, but 5.71 oz = 160g, and I don't know if that's with or without batteries. My biggest issues with headlamps is weight (apart from the ridiculous prices for the Petzls)

gsxr1 wrote: »

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Energizer-headlight-LED-x3-/330627474182?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item4cfaeee306#ht_500wt_1202

Cheap, light and a great beam

77 g with batteries, that's more like it.

Having said that, my €3.99 "camping head light" I got from Lidl or Aldi last year is doing me perfectly fine. I wouldn't go anywhere near a trail with it but for the road it does the business.

gsxr1

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Cheap, but 5.71 oz = 160g, and I don't know if that's with or without batteries. My biggest issues with headlamps is weight (apart from the ridiculous prices for the Petzls)




77 g with batteries, that's more like it.

Having said that, my €3.99 "camping head light" I got from Lidl or Aldi last year is doing me perfectly fine. I wouldn't go anywhere near a trail with it but for the road it does the business.

I find the energizer will do a 49 hour working week before a battery change. Then I use rechargeable aaa batteries . I get less hours with rechargeable, but dont mind as they are free after the first purchase.

seanynova

it seems that most of the headlamps posted have a centre strap over the head also....is that a big advantage when running?

was thinking of buying one from this attace store...not sure which one though. any recommendations?
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Electronics/Lighting/Headlamps.jsp

what should i be looking for? LED, internal rechargeable battery, weight, anything else?
thanks

kingQuez

Petzl kit is ok, I'd only really use a tikka for camping or as a backup though. I used to use a duo for various things. I like my exposure spark on my bike and would consider using it as Tunney suggests on a headstrap, its a great light but doesnt give much ambient light (which is what the tikka and duo do a lot better) so not sure I'd spend that much cash on it specifically for running with.

BeepBeep67

seanynova wrote: »

it seems that most of the headlamps posted have a centre strap over the head also....is that a big advantage when running?

was thinking of buying one from this attace store...not sure which one though. any recommendations?
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Electronics/Lighting/Headlamps.jsp

what should i be looking for? LED, internal rechargeable battery, weight, anything else?
thanks

You only need the center strap if it's heavy, I've a Petzl (Tikka XP2) and it's perfect for good surfaces, if I'm going off road I'm using the new I got above which has more power and the batteries on the back.
I went all last winter without changing the batteries in the Petzl, not sure the new one is as green.

Bugsy2000

I have the Petzl (Tikka XP2) too. It's definitely fine for road running. It gives a great spread of light and I've never had any issues with it slipping or moving on my head. It's a very comfortable wear. I've never used it off road so I've no idea what it would be like for trail running.

seanynova

cheers guys,

got the tikka xp2 in the end...was that or the tikka but the extra distance/battery life made the difference(even though is was $25 more expensive)...i may also use these hiking so all in all, the xp2 was the best fit for my needs.

ThisRegard

For anyone that's interested, Trail Running Magazine will have a group test of 14 head torches in their latest issue
http://www.facebook.com/TrailRunningMag

shels4ever

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Took a punt on this from another website
Ordered on Oct 1st, arrived today, €18.35 delivered - nice bit of power there, not sure about the battery life, but a great bit of kit for < €20.

Hows this one working out for you, hows the light from it, would it light up enough to go off road/trail at night, nothing major just a park with some tree cover.

BeepBeep67

shels4ever wrote: »

Hows this one working out for you, hows the light from it, would it light up enough to go off road/trail at night, nothing major just a park with some tree cover.

More than enough for a park with tree cover, I use my Petzl in Shanganagh and the one above if I'm going off piste - DoNot and SJ have the same one also.

shels4ever

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

More than enough for a park with tree cover, I use my Petzl in Shanganagh and the one above if I'm going off piste - DoNot and SJ have the same one also.

Great thanks, think i'll pick one of them up then. Beats running in total darkness.

donothoponpop

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

DoNot and SJ have the same one also.

I used mine in the Moonlight Challenge last Saturday night- 15 miles over the mountains, including 10 miles where the fog meant visibility was down to 2 meters. It worked brilliantly when the air was clear, and I put on the green light for the fog, good option to have. If I'm running on road I'll turn on just the blue or green light- putting on the main white light is like running in daylight. Great for off-road where you need to read the terrain.

I ordered a back-up one a couple of days ago: great value at that price.

shels4ever

donothoponpop wrote: »

I used mine in the Moonlight Challenge last Saturday night- 15 miles over the mountains, including 10 miles where the fog meant visibility was down to 2 meters. It worked brilliantly when the air was clear, and I put on the green light for the fog, good option to have. If I'm running on road I'll turn on just the blue or green light- putting on the main white light is like running in daylight. Great for off-road where you need to read the terrain.

I ordered a back-up one a couple of days ago: great value at that price.

Green light , red light, blue light :eek: - Can you put them all on at the same time and have some funky strobe while you run

donothoponpop

shels4ever wrote: »

Green light , red light, blue light :eek: - Can you put them all on at the same time and have some funky strobe while you run

The one "complaint" about this piece of gear is that you have to scroll through all the lighting options when turning off. So when I'm running in green light (which is low, and seems close to moonlight), and a car with headlamps starts driving towards me, I have to hit the button a few times to go green>blue>flashing red>off>kickass-1000000lumen-whitelight-"youblindme, I'll blind you">and back to red when he turns down his headlamps.

Yes this headlamp will have you playing chicken with cars

digger2d2

donothoponpop wrote: »

I used mine in the Moonlight Challenge last Saturday night- 15 miles over the mountains, including 10 miles where the fog meant visibility was down to 2 meters. It worked brilliantly when the air was clear, and I put on the green light for the fog, good option to have. If I'm running on road I'll turn on just the blue or green light- putting on the main white light is like running in daylight. Great for off-road where you need to read the terrain.

I ordered a back-up one a couple of days ago: great value at that price.

I just ordered two of them

ThisRegard

Who did you order it from diggger ? I'm looking at bestofferbuy.com as per Beepbeep who got his, but as I've never heard of them before my suspicious mind is working overtime !

BeepBeep67

ThisRegard wrote: »

Who did you order it from diggger ? I'm looking at bestofferbuy.com as per Beepbeep who got his, but as I've never heard of them before my suspicious mind is working overtime !

I thought the same, but couldn't find any issues through researching them, payment is through PayPal.

Krusty_Clown

How about someone record a quick video of their head-mounted light-sabre, versus their Petzl torch, in the wilds of.. say Shangannagh Park, so the rest of us can see if it's worth the investment?

BeepBeep67

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

How about someone record a quick video of their head-mounted light-sabre, versus their Petzl torch, in the wilds of.. say Shangannagh Park, so the rest of us can see if it's worth the investment?

Can Emer911 bring the Camera, Action and we can bring the Lights - We need to target 1m You Tube hits - so I'll a dig a big hole for you to fall in to

digger2d2

ThisRegard wrote: »

Who did you order it from diggger ? I'm looking at bestofferbuy.com as per Beepbeep who got his, but as I've never heard of them before my suspicious mind is working overtime !

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

I thought the same, but couldn't find any issues through researching them, payment is through PayPal.

Yep, that's them...And as BeepBeep says, payment is through PayPal!

ThisRegard

Cool, don't have a Paypal account, even though I dealt with them professionally for a while. Time to create one. I'm guessing you're based in Tallaght, on their website in the little window showing the latest orders just after you posted, there was two for the head torch, one being delivered to Southhampton I think in the UK, the other to Tallaght !

If anyone else intends to order user the discount code DEAL10 which gives you 10% off so it comes in at just over €16.

Krusty_Clown

ThisRegard wrote: »

If anyone else intends to order user the discount code DEAL10 which gives you 10% off so it comes in at just over €16.

Where do you enter the discount code?

ThisRegard

It's an odd one as I initially thought there was nowhere to enter it. It appears right at the very end of the process, I used paypal so after you sign in and you're eventually returned back to the website the discount code page appears then, it's nearly the very last thing before competing your order.

Yesterday I was looking for it in the basket and when you check out but I never completed the transaction but came upon it today when I followed through,

smoochie06

Just ordered one .(Thanks for the discount code ThisRegard). I run on country roads so hopefully be able to see were im going now:D