A top of the range (100€+) headtorch?

hypersonic

so I've been looking and I'm now 100% confused. I liked to use this on the bike too but the primary purpose is off road running/back roads.
ideally I'd like something light weight in the 500l range that's rechargeable.

I'm currently drooling over this http://silva.se/products/sport/trail-speed-elite
or this
http://www.ayup-lights.com/systems/lighting-systems/head-torch-kit-ht13/

so what are people using and is there one worth the money?

(sorry should have posted this under gear )

Peemaccee

Bought a 850 lumen one from this crowd for 87 Euro.
Excellent light, battery a bit heavy though.

BrightBikeLights.com

100+ euro should see you getting a pretty decent light.

Micilin Muc

Sorry if this is annoying but why do you want to spend €100+? My €45 LED Lenser is perfect for a couple of hours on misty mountain trails. A few others here will vouch for it too!

plodder

I'd say light weight is more important than huge light output for running. My Petzl is a measly 40 lumens but does me fine for running on roads in pitch dark. I can't imagine what 500L or 800 would be like - heavy on batteries, I'd say. I wouldn't be using it every day in the winter, but one set of AAA batteries seems to do for the whole season.

hypersonic

Micilin Muc wrote: »

Sorry if this is annoying but why do you want to spend €100+? My €45 LED Lenser is perfect for a couple of hours on misty mountain trails. A few others here will vouch for it too!

if I can get it for less all the better! so far light weight and bright enough for the bike (500lums on full mode) has landed me in that bracket. weight wise I'd like to stay under 200g but it's got to be rechargeable as it will be used 2+ times most days at least during the winter months.
that and it's nearly Christmas!

hypersonic

plodder wrote: »

I'd say light weight is more important than huge light output for running. My Petzl is a measly 40 lumens but does me fine for running on roads in pitch dark. I can't imagine what 500L or 800 would be like - heavy on batteries, I'd say. I wouldn't be using it every day in the winter, but one set of AAA batteries seems to do for the whole season.

I've got a 60lum petzl and it does a nice job when not competing against headlights but sadly the practice of dipping your beams for pedestrians seems to be a thing of the past. so it's really that 5-10s of complete blindness I'm thinking about, also for off road I'd like a little more light for the faster descents.
for bike use it's just not bright enough, you might know what you've hit but theres no hope you'd see it in time to avoid it with 60lums.

mirv

Have a look at the term '18650 headtorch/bike/torch' on ebay. You can end up with a 800 lumens torch with a li-ion battery pack for about $35 or €30 including postage from the far east.

I'm considering getting one for the bike. I've had a Petzl Tikka XP2 with the Core Li-Ion battery for the past few years which packs about 70 lumens (probably around 75e combined in the shops) for camping and hiking but you need a bit more light on the bike as you cover the distance quicker and need a bit more distance/coverage with the lighting.

Either way, you end up saving hassle and bother with a rechargable batteries than with alkalines for regular use as you can plug them into a usb port or a wall charger. Although if you're into alpine mountaineering then the benefits of single use lithium aaa/aa batteries come into their own for cold weather performance and power to weight ratio, but I'm getting a bit off topic here.

tommycahir

after going for a run yesterday evening using one of those aldi head torches I would recommend avoid at all costs if you live in the country, currently looking at the LED Lenser H7R Rechargeable Head Lamp (Black) - Box
so if anybody has any comments on that please let me know

Micilin Muc

tommycahir wrote: »

after going for a run yesterday evening using one of those aldi head torches I would recommend avoid at all costs if you live in the country, currently looking at the LED Lenser H7R Rechargeable Head Lamp (Black) - Box
so if anybody has any comments on that please let me know

That's the one I was talking about. It's great, and a few others here have it. Bring spare batteries for anything over 2 hours if you intend having it on full power. They're only AAA batteries, so not too heavy on the head.

Cabaal

tommycahir wrote: »

currently looking at the LED Lenser H7R Rechargeable Head Lamp (Black) - Box
so if anybody has any comments on that please let me know

Bought this headtorch last year and find it great, perfect on pitch black country roads and I can get cars to dim headlights a good 600metres off by pointing it at them

Battery lasts ages too and its not too heavy

tommycahir

Micilin Muc wrote: »

That's the one I was talking about. It's great, and a few others here have it. Bring spare batteries for anything over 2 hours if you intend having it on full power. They're only AAA batteries, so not too heavy on the head.

Cabaal wrote: »

Bought this headtorch last year and find it great, perfect on pitch black country roads and I can get cars to dim headlights a good 600metres off by pointing it at them

Battery lasts ages too and its not too heavy

Thanks for the feedback guys onto the wishlist on amazon it goes so!

TFBubendorfer

tommycahir wrote: »

after going for a run yesterday evening using one of those aldi head torches I would recommend avoid at all costs if you live in the country

I have been using one of those for the last 3 years for running in just about the remotest part of the country and never had any issues (and that after my expensive Petzl died and I asked myself what the heck I had paid so much money for).

I would not run on trails or go into the mountains with that thing but for running on country roads it suits me perfectly fine.

b.harte

I have one of these:
LED Lenser H-14
It is superb.
Burn time on the low power setting (which is plenty) is around the 12hr mark so I only charge the batteries every few weeks.(1 or 2 night runs a week.
I run fully off road in it and it lights the way well enough for a few of us to run comfortably on the wider fireroads.
The bad bit: Switching from low to full beam is by way of turning it off and back on again, would be better it the button could be tapped to go full beam again.
The weight is well balanced so it doesn't feel heavy on the head.

I'm tempted by the newer ones:
LED Lenser SEO-7R
But I don't really need one, which is not to say I might not get one.
I need to check it out as I prefer the 3 strap headband.

Ther eis a thread from last year, I initially got a fake lender H14 from ebay but hte real one is a lot better, in all respects.

Bertie

plodder

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

I have been using one of those for the last 3 years for running in just about the remotest part of the country and never had any issues (and that after my expensive Petzl died and I asked myself what the heck I had paid so much money for).

I would not run on trails or go into the mountains with that thing but for running on country roads it suits me perfectly fine.

That's surprising. I've never heard anyone say a good word about those Aldi lights. I had one myself, and you think you can't go wrong for 5 euro, but you can ... For me anyway, it just bounced around the place and wouldn't stay still.

ajk24

hypersonic wrote: »

so I've been looking and I'm now 100% confused. I liked to use this on the bike too but the primary purpose is off road running/back roads.
ideally I'd like something light weight in the 500l range that's rechargeable.

I'm currently drooling over this http://silva.se/products/sport/trail-speed-elite
or this
http://www.ayup-lights.com/systems/lighting-systems/head-torch-kit-ht13/

so what are people using and is there one worth the money?

(sorry should have posted this under gear )

i have the ay-up set - 2 in fact - i give one to a buddy if I can get them out with me. great focus and range on beams. the 2 barrels can be individually directed - I aim 1 about 5 yards ahead and another about 20.

using the headband they are very light even with the battery also attached to the headband. there is an extention cable that allows you to carry the battery in a pocket or armband as if it was an mp3 player.

very expensive but solid - a friend who is is an LED product designer recommended them as he said they use the best quality diodes.

Insane1

IMO they don't get much better than the Petzl Nao. Around €145 in the local shop.