Head torch recommendations?

[Jacob]

Tried it but wouldn't stay on my head.

Gorilla glue.

 

[mudman]

So many choices!
My Ledlenser iH5R is fairly similar but heavier and twice as bright. Still tiny compared to the old days.
Have had Petzls in the past - the old ones were quite chunky with big 3LR12 batteries banging against the back of your head.
Years ago was caving with acetylene lamps - are they still going? Come to think, have been caving with candles and Ever Ready bike lamps. PS and paraffin hurricane lamps I seem to recall. Can you still buy paraffin? Might come in handy with the coming energy crisis!

Blimey, sounds like the early days of caving, did you know Monsieur Martel?
The acetylene lamps are no longer used for caving, at least in Britain, they are polluting as they pump out copious amounts of soot and people would dump the spent carbide in the caves so it is now actively discouraged and in some cases forbidden as part of access arrangements. Some may use them for expeditions but even then, today's batteries and solar charging makes them a bit redundant.
The Petzl lamp you mentioned would most likely have been a Petzl Zoom, commonly known as a Petzl Gloom due to the pathetic amounts of light emitted. They could be improved by swapping the bulb for a halogen one but still rather dim. However, when in an environment devoid of light, so long as everyone in the part has equal levels of illumination, it was surprising what you could see with them. Most people would progress to lamps with a large belt battery but all that has now been superseded by the LED light and Li-Ion batteries. The illumination these provide is quite astounding and has revolutionised caving in a lot of ways.

 

[Jacob]

Blimey, sounds like the early days of caving, did you know Monsieur Martel?
The acetylene lamps are no longer used for caving, at least in Britain, they are polluting as they pump out copious amounts of soot and people would dump the spent carbide in the caves so it is now actively discouraged and in some cases forbidden as part of access arrangements. Some may use them for expeditions but even then, today's batteries and solar charging makes them a bit redundant.

In the 60s for potholing purposes they were more reliable than ordinary battery lamps, and a very bright light.
Also carbide made interesting little bombs of a treacle tin. It would blow the lids off with a very sharp bang. Hole in the side of the tin with acetylene flame lit - as the flame dimmed to nothing the trace of acetylene left inside the tin would explode.

The Petzl lamp you mentioned would most likely have been a Petzl Zoom, commonly known as a Petzl Gloom due to the pathetic amounts of light emitted. They could be improved by swapping the bulb for a halogen one but still rather dim. However, when in an environment devoid of light, so long as everyone in the part has equal levels of illumination, it was surprising what you could see with them. Most people would progress to lamps with a large belt battery but all that has now been superseded by the LED light and Li-Ion batteries. The illumination these provide is quite astounding and has revolutionised caving in a lot of ways.

Yes LEDs are amazing really.

 

[John Hall]

https://trugearguide.com/best-head-...ln4W5ocqOcrs2Jftvpcio6fqBau0ylchoCbzgQAvD_BwE

 

[Allen Quay]

https://trugearguide.com/best-head-...ln4W5ocqOcrs2Jftvpcio6fqBau0ylchoCbzgQAvD_BwE

Thanks for sharing this link. As it's a .com website address, does that mean it's from an American website?

 

[Allen Quay]

In relation to Petzl headtorches, has anyone else had problems with the head band not lasting very long i.e. losing it's elasticity, too loose and no more room left for tightening it up?

 

[Sideways]

In relation to Petzl headtorches, has anyone else had problems with the head band not lasting very long i.e. losing it's elasticity, too loose and no more room left for tightening it up?

Yes.
After a few years elastics do tend to perish.
Back in the day, you could get replacement headbands from Petzl. I've bought them. They came with a flat plastic rivet so that you could remake the original construction. No idea if they are still available.

 

[redefined_cycles]

One of the offerings from Petzl. Working well for me and good adjustment and battery life (3 x good rechargeable AAAs. I'd not get another Alpkit one again, ever... break down quickly and contrary to what they claim, they're just rebranded cheap chinese tat (yes,I did try to chase down warranty as they claim to have the 3 year alpine bond warranty on most/all items - but just got fobbed off again)...

 

[redefined_cycles]

In relation to Petzl headtorches, has anyone else had problems with the head band not lasting very long i.e. losing it's elasticity, too loose and no more room left for tightening it up?

Not sure. Mine is one of the newer ones (about 1.5 year old) and still attaches/tightens up nicely. The band doesn't look too stretchy so maybe the older ones were a different headband!?

 

[TRITON]

In relation to Petzl headtorches, has anyone else had problems with the head band not lasting very long i.e. losing it's elasticity, too loose and no more room left for tightening it up?

I don't think you've any other choice really. Needs to be elasticated to get a snug fit on your bonce. So maybe pick one that they sell replacement headbands for and that dont cost as much as the lower end lamps themselves.

 

[redefined_cycles]

I don't think I'd use that site (trugear) as it appears they've just bought/been given various bits of kit from cheap (?chinese) manufacturers and then gone and reviewed with their thoughts.

For example if you click on their 'best hydration' packs they don't even include the big quality brands with outstanding aftersales (Osprey, Hydrapak, Dakine, Camelbak etc). My personal favourite and what I use now is the Hydrapak Shapeshift after using Camelbak for many many years and then owning an Osprey briefly.

Sorry again for going off topic...

 

[Just4Fun]

Thanks for sharing this link. As it's a .com website address, does that mean it's from an American website?

No.
In theory at least .com indicates a commercial site; .com sites can be based anywhere in the world. You cannot guess the nationality of a site based on it being a .com domain.

Also in theory American sites can be registered as .us but I don't believe there are many of those in reality. American sites are often .com when .us would be a more logical choice, but it is a one-way association. So an American site might well be a .com but that doesn't mean a .com is likely to be American.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

In relation to Petzl headtorches, has anyone else had problems with the head band not lasting very long i.e. losing it's elasticity, too loose and no more room left for tightening it up?

Because they use latex elastic not neoprene! Wait till you get near sea water/air!

 

[Orraloon]

Cheap and cheerful but I find one of these useful in the shed.
% LED Outdoor Lighting Camping Night Fishing Cap Baseball Cap Light Cap | eBay
Regards
John

 

[pgrbff]

In relation to Petzl headtorches, has anyone else had problems with the head band not lasting very long i.e. losing it's elasticity, too loose and no more room left for tightening it up?

Mine now doesn't stay adjusted, it slides through the plastic keepers but I've had it several years and it has been washed several times. The strap is available as a spare for my model.

 

[Cheesehound]

Over the years, being a keen outdoorsy type, I've always used Petzl - they are the industry leaders in the headlamp market for good reason.
The head bands are still replaceable, and in my experience the only other brand which holds a candle to Petzl is Black Diamond.
Both manufacture headlamps which can be relied upon in gnarly situations.

 

[JoeS]

Petzl are still the kings of headlamps. Not too many settings, which drives me nuts like with black diamond.

 

[mudman]

I don't think I'd use that site (trugear) as it appears they've just bought/been given various bits of kit from cheap (?chinese) manufacturers and then gone and reviewed with their thoughts.

For example if you click on their 'best hydration' packs they don't even include the big quality brands with outstanding aftersales (Osprey, Hydrapak, Dakine, Camelbak etc). My personal favourite and what I use now is the Hydrapak Shapeshift after using Camelbak for many many years and then owning an Osprey briefly.

Sorry again for going off topic...

+1 for this. I would stake money on the 3000 lumens claim for their 'Editor's pick' is complete rubbish. All those 'best head torches' look like cheap chinese tat and those ones with the 8 LEDs are going to be a big disappointment.
Stick with established, well know brands, Fenix, Petzl for example.

 

[TRITON]

I would stake money on the 3000 lumens claim for their 'Editor's pick' is complete rubbish. A

The only time a lamp/light/etc is going to put out a true 3000LMN, is when it costs £300-400 and you're not going to get any more than a 3h run time.

 

[mudman]

The only time a lamp/light/etc is going to put out a true 3000LMN, is when it costs £300-400 and you're not going to get any more than a 3h run time.

And quite often it will be a 'turbo' mode that only allows a 15 min runtime before it overheats and automatically switches to a lower setting.