Head torches

doris

doris

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I am sure I can google away and find lots of offers and deals but has anyone actually got any particular type/make that is the dogs wotsits and better than the rest. If so, what and where do I get a couple.
Ta v much chaps (and chapesses)
 
Obviously LED rather than conventional bulb.

My main piece of wisdom is do not get one where you have cycle through assorted blinking/flashing/dimming options to turn the damn thing on or off.
 
Think \"Petzl\" - nothing else will do.

I have two of them but they are a model no longer made. To one of them I've fitted a disc of "Pure Red" stage lighting gel - it slips in easily under the rubber lens rim and this is fantastic for night use in the cockpit. The other is "raw" and is great for everything else. Get either the LCD bulb - not too bright and the battery last forever or the halogen one which gives a really bright working light which can be zoomed from wide "flood" to narrow "spot" at the same consumption as the standard tungsten bulb.

Steve Cronin
 
I bought one recently from Homebase. Has 8 Leds which can be switched 2 on, 4 on, or 8 on (No flashing) They are dazzlingly bright to look at but the illumination is not good even with all 8 on, insufficient to do anything fiddly I would think but I have not yet really put it to the test yet. It is probably fine for finding the anchor on deck or a can of beans in a locker on dark night and that sort of thing. It also gives a horrid purplely blue light.

I would suggest you look at those that also incorporate a conventional or krypton bulb as well as the leds. Ok it will be heavier on batteries but at least you will be able to see properly!
 
Got an Energiser one recently - two focused beam, 2 wider angle (can have these separately or together), and 2 red.

Impressed so far. Good light level, and so light.

Found it in Homebase as well!
 
Petzl yes more expensive than others but they last have had loads of other brands and won't go back. The critical issues are weight and seals on the battery pack. Water and electricity don't mix. Working on a wet windy foredeck at night is the best test .
 
I just bought a Silva one (Model L4 - £20) which you can switch between white and red LEDs for use where you need to retain night vision. I also have a regular Petzl one with just white LEDs which is in the Top Ten of most useful gadgets I've ever bought in my life. (Agree with the comment about avoiding the ones with flashing lights!)
 
Beware the ebay 'cheap' option! I paid £0.99 + £6.00 P&P. Within 3 months without any real use LED's gradually turned off, never to be seen again!
Now 18 months later only the central LED works. I can't be bothered to send it back and complain, so I guess I'll buy a new one here.


Cheers
 
I have a Petzl that is the best part of 20 years old and runs on 4 AA or 4 D cells. It has a Krypton bulb for a couple hours of focused bright light or you can change it to a standard bulb which gives 3 or 4 times as long of a more general light.
 
petzl
no argument
I run a scout troop and use them an awful lot for extended periods we do lots of camping and night exercises
not all outlets have the spare bulbs so best ordering a few from the website
performance does dwindle over the life of the bulb but that info is contained in the pack and you can plan accordingly
they are brill on land and at sea lightweight and weather proof
 
I did most of my antifouling this year by the light of a head torch! Hope I didn't miss a bit....

Once you've used a head torch you'll never go back to a torch. As a climber I've always used petzl zoom ones with a conventional bulb. They're excellent to use but batteries are expensive. When LED variants first came out I ordered two - one for the boat and one for the car. Sea water eventually did for the one on the boat despite copious quantities of vaseline. So I replaced it with one of the expensive petzl ones. Not too impressed to be honest. It uses AAA batteries rather than AA so I have to keep another set of rechargeables. It also has the irritating habit of flashing when the batteries are low.

Disadvantage of LEDs is they are more dazzling than illuminating. Not too much of a problem on your own but if two people are working a foredeck wearing them ...
 
"I use one of its AAA battery LED strap-ons. No probs so far."

I thought this thread was about helmet lights not helmet strap-ons?

Whole new meaning to the phrase "his eyes lit up"
 
Just so happen i bought one this morning, its a Energizer £9.99 from Halfords, so far it looks great, its LED and has a white light option or a red light option, you can also tilt the light up or down so it can shine straight ahead or down into your hands.
And trying it in daylight hours in a dark corner at work, it seems quite bright, packaging says it will last up to 50hrs, half of that and i'll be happy.

Cheers

Al.
 
Nah!

There are many instances in everyone's normal day when you look down but don't turn your head down all the way. A tiltable lamp is essential for universal use.

Steve Cronin
 
Not necessarily - mending a bathroom light (no windows) the other day standing on a chair my eyes pointing higher than my forehead. Even if you're are reading a chart on the table then your eyes look down but your forehead doesn't point at the table (unless you've been drinking).
 
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