UKC

What is hot in the world of headtorches at the moment? The petzl nao has come down in price recently, but is it any good, for mountaineering, not fell running.

What about offerings from silva? The nao has been out for a while now and is now sub £100, but is it worth it? Other suggestions welcome.

Thanks

In reply to Paddlermatt:
I have heard that reactive lighting systems do not perform very well in white-out conditions (some light will be reflected from the snow and hence the torch will reduce its output power). I am not very sold by reactive lighting idea in general, though. Maybe for running, but not so much for mountaineering use. Mostly I would be interested in a system where you can keep the batteries inside your jacket so they are warm. Batteries don't work well in cold environment (don't ask me why, but that's a fact). Not sure if you want USB rechargeable batteries as having a spare set of AAA batteries sounds like a better idea. Rechargeable must be good for running/cycling/etc..

Don't look only at the maximum output power as some torches can produce a very bright beam, but not for a long time. You will probably face long hours of use, so you need something in between powerful and long lasting. Also, I am a fan of red LED light, which does not interrupt with the night vision. While hitch-hiking, I used to carry old Maglite Solitaire (probably about 10 lumens) for use at night so no one can notice me and it gives you just enough light for setting up your sleeping system. In the end, after three dogs attempted to attack you, you don't really want to be seen by anyone... It's not the case for you probably, but worth considering if you want to be as unnoticeable as possible.

Also, take a look at this quite recent article: http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=5951

In reply to PPP:

It's because batteries generate electric current from a chemical reaction, and these reactions proceed more slowly in cold temperatures.

Incidentally, in practice this means that cold batteries not in use will retain their charge longer than warm batteries for the same reason - but they need to be warmed up before use.

In reply to Paddlermatt:

LED Lenser H14 r.2 - everyone raves about, I've just ordered one, so haven't used one personally in anger but everything I've seen with them seems great.

£70ish I think.

In reply to planetmarshall:

Thanks, I kinda expected something similar. As I grew up in a country where temperature of -20 to -30 degrees in the winter is rather common, camera batteries didn't last long. I usually kept them in the pockets in trousers if taking any photos, but that might not be so comfortable for climbing.
Clearly, Electronic Engineering course at the university does not teach you something you might need to know on the UKC forum!

In reply to Paddlermatt:

I'm not a fan of reactive lighting at the minute. Snow and rain (or reflective striping on clothing) reflect the light making it behave pretty erratically. You can over ride the reactive part and control manually, but then why bother with the reactive part? I can see the application for running and biking a lot more than for mountaineering / winter climbing.

I use either BD polar Icon, or Petzl Myo RXP.

Of the two, I prefer the Icon - more power for better batter life, but heavier and feels faffy if your not used to a seperate battery pack. Also not "smart" so you can't pre-set brightness levels. Hand electronic lock to stop accidental switching on though. Has a red LED function if that is important, but be aware that red light = contours disappear on map making nav a real pain.

Myo RXP is programmable, so you can preset your brightness levels for different modes, and regulation is for a longer period. Less power, and shorter battery life though. Lighter than the Icon.

Neither would be disappointing for you I suspect.

Cheers,

Stuart

In reply to JamButty:


I have one. Love it for hiking, but it can be too bright for the actual climbing. Brilliant though if retreating off a route in the dark, or can't remember where along the road you parked the car!

In reply to Paddlermatt:

The Tikka XP seems to do the job fine - plenty bright with a decent battery life - and is a fair bit smaller than the Nao.
I've not used the most recent version, mind, but I don't imagine it'd be much different to the older one.

In reply to Paddlermatt:

I have a Fenix HP11 which has a separate battery pack and a flip-down diffuser

In reply to Paddlermatt:

Just bought a Nitecore HC50 - much better than previous Petzl headtorches I have owned.
It costs approx £50 and requires special batteries (18650), however they're rechargeable and last a long time.

It most likely saved my life in the alps (finding a safe place to cross a bergshrund whilst in a snowstorm at -15°C).

The light is regulated - so stays at constant light output until the battery dies, unlike similar Petzl/BD torches where light output decreases with time on an exponential decay curve.

It lasted 4/5 days without running out of charge in a recent September trip to the Alps - in cold conditions too.

It is relatively heavy (the only downfall) at 130g.

I'm never looking back to Petzl/BD.

HTH,
BR

In reply to blackreaver:

Hi the Nitecore looks quite interesting, have you tried running with it; I'm looking for a replacement for my TikkaXP but I'm a bit worried about that thing bouncing? Does it feel heavy?

In reply to Reach>Talent:

My vote is for the BD storm.
I used to have a powerful two part system. I chose the Storm because it's less weight and bulk which matters on long walk in's and if you are using a 30L sack. The other features are 4 not 3 AAA batteries so the balance of weight to reasonable light time is OK, it gives a regulated output until the batteries are depleted to a certain extent, it has the LED heat sink in the battery compartment which I imagine helps in winter, the water proofing is reasonable and the hatch is screwed down (the strap buckle has a screw driver). The batteries are replaceable while out unlike some USB systems - and certainly cheaper, but in practice I use rechargeable AAAs and a fully charged set easily does a weekend of Ben walk in and outs while remaining in the regulated zone of output. The light pattern is a good shape for walking, it has red output option, holding down the button long enough will lock it off too, output is continuously dimmable though I rarely do dim it while walking. The only odd thing is the defused lighting takes more power than the central main beam, so stick to the main beam if making it last is much of an issue.
In short - its not cutting edge, but it is tuff, light, small and practical.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

I wouldn't run with it as it may bounce around a bit. I've had no problems walking/climbing/mountaineering with it on.
When you first notice it's on you do notice the weight, however it's no problem as soon as you start your activity.

In reply to blackreaver:

I've just got a 2014 nao after smashing my old tikka xp. It's crazy bright, but I burnt through a whole battery in about 3:30hrs night navving with it on full 500lm power. I was unsure about the reactive lighting element but I actually think it's great for checking maps and not blinding yourself with reflected light, and then looking into the distance on full power. I have have some issues with it reacting to reflected/diffused light in the rain and mist, but I set up a sensible manual profile with the softwear and that works fine if you need manual control.