A headlamp buying guide - Part 2 of a 2 Part Guide

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by: stufrank
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Word Count: 757
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 Time: 12:54 PM
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Welcome to the 2nd section of my personal headtorch purchasing guide. The 1st part of this guide covered the issue of light output and looked into the pros and cons of several kinds of light source. The first half of this guide also looked into why you ought to obtain a headlamp to begin with. This additional section of the guide will explore areas including battery type and placement, running time, weight and light output modes.

Battery pack type and placement

The batteries found with a headtorch are normally situated in one of three locations: inside a battery pack worn, for instance, on a belt, inside a battery pack attached to the rear of the head and finally in the main device enclosure.

In general devices which have batteries in the main device housing are the models around the bottom-middle of the available range, e.g. Tikkina and Tikka products from Petzl. This is great for simple devices used in casual environments. These units generally work on AAA or smaller batteries.

A device having a battery pack attached to the rear of the head generally is a considerably more powerful together with pricey unit for instance the Petzl Myo or Ultra. The pack is attached to the back in order to balance the increased power supply weight essential for enhanced performance. These units either have special battery packs, for example the Petzl Ultra or AA batteries in the Petzl Myo.

Finally a handful of units have a longer battery cable to permit the pack to be placed on a belt. Because of this , the battery weight is shifted from the head ideal for demanding activities that require lots of head movement as well as for use in cold temperatures where the pack can be placed near to the body boosting battery performance. Such packs commonly offer the highest battery capacity and thus produce higher performance. The Petzl "Ultra Belt" comes with an ACCU 4 battery as standard instead of the ACCU2 Battery which comes as standard on the head mounted battery version of the ULTRA. This provides twice the battery capacity.

The running time of the head torch

The operating time of the headlamp will be a trade-off of output against battery capacity and location. LED units provide a substantial improvement of battery life compared to incandescent models, with most Petzl models offering over 100 hours, the Petzl Ultra is an exception to this with fewer than twenty hour runtime using the ACCU2 power supply although this device has significant light output. Some more high priced units for instance; Petzl Myo and Tikka XP offer a battery power indicator so you're able to quickly gauge the remaining power.

Weight of the head torch

There are slight differences between headlamp products when it comes to weight and the trade-off is usually that weight increases along with headtorch performance. The vast majority of weight for headtorch's is due to the weight from the batteries. For most people the weight difference between comparable headtorch's is so identical that the weight will not hold a serious role in the decision making process.

Light output modes

A lot of headtorches now feature various light output modes to enable the user to match their particular lighting requirements to light output and extending headtorch battery life. The most common setup within Basic Petzl models is high output, low output and S.O.S flash output. The high and low outputs permit the user to increase battery life and S.O.S mode aids signalling friends and also rescue crews. A number of more sophisticated Petzl products for instance the Myo RXP allows users to pick their own output from a defined range to further fit the product to user needs.

Bottom line

Headtorch's are excellent items for both recreational backpackers and campers to hard-core adventurers as well as cavers. The key decision to make when buying a headtorch is: simply how much light do I need? If your answer is not a lot and the only use it's going to see is around a campsite, it is likely that you would only require a compact headlamp for example one from the Petzl Tikka range or the Tikkina. However in the event you require more light then the Petzl Myo or Ultra may very well be more appropriate!

I'm hoping this guide helps and enjoy lighting up the dark!

About the Author

For part 1 of my head torch purchasing guide you should head over to my head torch review website, where you will also find the cheapest petz head torch deals online!