A head torch purchasing guide – Part 2 of a 2 Part Guide
This is the 2nd part of this headtorch buying guide. The first part of this guide covered the issue of light output and examined the pluses and minuses of various kinds of light source. Part one also looked into why you should get hold of a headlamp at all. This 2nd part of the guide will explore areas like battery type as well as placement, running time, weight and light output modes.
Battery type and location
The batteries used with a headtorch are normally situated in one of 3 locations: in a battery pack placed, as an example, on a belt, inside a battery pack placed on the rear of the head or alternatively in the primary device enclosure.
In many instances devices that contain batteries in the main device enclosure will be the products within the bottom-middle of the available range, e.g. Tikkina and Tikka products from Petzl. This is good for basic devices utilized in casual environments. They ordinarily operate on AAA or smaller batteries.
A device which includes a power supply mounted on the rear of the head generally is a much more powerful as well as pricey device much like the Petzl Myo or Ultra. The pack will be mounted on the back to balance the additional power supply weight necessary for enhanced overall performance. These units either need special battery packs, for instance Petzl Ultra or AA batteries in the Petzl Myo.
Finally some units have a longer battery cable allowing the pack to be installed on a belt. Consequently the battery weight is relocated from the head great for physically demanding activities which need lots of head movement and for use in cold temperatures where the pack can be placed close to the body improving battery performance. These kind of packs typically offer the greatest battery capacity and for that reason deliver higher performance. The Petzl “Ultra Belt” carries with it an ACCU 4 power supply as standard rather than the ACCU2 Battery which comes as standard on the head mounted battery version of the ULTRA. This offers double the battery capacity.
The battery life of the headtorch
The running time of the headtorch will be a trade-off of output against battery capacity and placement. LED units present you with a substantial improvement of battery life over incandescent models, with most Petzl products offering over one hundred hours, the Petzl Ultra is an exception to this with less than 20 hours runtime using the ACCU2 battery yet this piece of equipment has serious light output. Some more highly-priced devices for example; Petzl Myo and Tikka XP offer a battery power indicator so you’re able to quickly determine the remaining power.
Weight of the head torch
You will find minor variations between headlamp models when it comes to weight plus the trade-off is usually that weight will increase with headtorch performance. The vast majority of weight for headtorch’s is because of the weight of the batteries. For most people the weight difference between similar headtorch’s is so very similar that the weight won’t hold a significant role in the decision making process.
Light output modes
Many headtorch’s now come with multiple light output modes to allow the operator to match their lighting needs to light output and extending headtorch battery life. The most typical setup within Basic Petzl models is high output, low output and S.O.S flash output. The high and low outputs enable the user to increase battery life and S.O.S mode aids signalling friends or perhaps even rescue crews. A number of more recent Petzl models like the Myo RXP allows users to pick their own output from a defined range to further match the product to user needs.
Summation
Headtorches are fantastic items for both casual hikers and individuals to hard-core adventurers together with cavers. The primary choice to make when choosing a head torch is: simply how much light do I need? In the event the response is not a lot and the only use it is going to see is around a campsite, it’s quite possible that you would just need a compact headtorch such as one from the Petzl Tikka range or the Tikkina. However should you require more light then a Petzl Myo or Ultra may very well be more appropriate!
I hope this guide helps and enjoy illuminating the dark!
About the Author
For the first part of my head torch shopping guide you should pay a visit to my
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