UKC

Hi
I've got an old petzyl zoom and have seen this conversion bulb on the net.
Has anyone used one?
Ta

In reply to Dave the Rave:

why? While I loved my zoom, it was massive and heavy and dim compared to even a cheap modem light. Surely your money would be better spent on a new light. Alpkit have a decent range with 3 year guarantee which I'd bet cost about the same as a conversion kit.

In reply to Dave the Rave:

Brings back memories...

But can you still get the strange 4.5v batteries anymore? Haven't seen one for years.

In reply to Monk:

Price. £10.95 for the bulb which is even cheaper than an Alpkit torch. I've got a 5 year old one and its inadequate for the hills. My zoom has the converter for 3 AA batteries and it may make it modern?

In reply to andyjohnson0:



Mine has the AA converter fitted. Was adequate prior to LEDS and I don't think the nights have changed too much

In reply to Dave the Rave:

Nice. I didn't know such a thing existed!

Whats the battery life like? As far as I remember, 3LR12 batteries were/are designed for high-drain appliances, but I guess alkaline batteries would perform well enough.

And the nights, as you say, haven't changed much.

In reply to Dave the Rave:

yea i have, my zoom was for fishing and so was the bulb conversion. it was simply a like for like (fitment size) swap for a halogen bulb. brightness increased massively but so did battery useage.
you know this was like 20 years ago?

In reply to Dave the Rave:

search some old sea fishing forums back to the days of dial up! you'll find lots of diy belt battery conversions too

In reply to Dave the Rave:

Come on mate - get with the program.
Its not the 90's anymore!
(Excepting your Buffalo which is still amazing.)

http://m.joe-brown.com/22467/products/petzl-tikkina-headtorch---2015-model....

In reply to andyjohnson0:


5000 hours or something like that. I'll have another look. As I remember my zoom with a halogen did 7.5.
Exactly

In reply to bouldery bits:


But if you have something that you can make more useable when you're on a budget, instead of buying into the hype then it's a good thing? I have a Myo XP which is ace, but walking off Moel famau tonight with one torch, two would be more fun
Worn singly. I've bought my kid a 99p pair of buff mitts and she loved them tonight

In reply to Dave the Rave:

I think you should buy one and write us a ukc review. After all, how many modern headtorches have the twisty zoom feature, any? Can you still get replacement elastics though?

In reply to wilkie14c:


I had a halogen + lead acid conversion on my zoom. After using it all night on Tour De Trigs I turned it off....only for it to turn back on half a minute later and never turn off again. Turned out the reflector had been softened by the heat of the halogen bulb and the spring was able to distort it when I turned it off so it was permanently on!

The twisty zoom won't work very well with a LED as they don't chuck light out sideways like a bulb does. The best thing about the zoom was the strap over the top of the head which modern lamps tend to lack.

In reply to Monk:
My original zoom bought in the 80s still works flawlessly - it's the only torch that has continued to work reliably in tough conditions over that timespan. I haven't used it much lately as I went over to a BD torch which I find fiddly and flimsy by comparison despite being technically very good.

I was told that some MRTs have started using these replacements with old zooms because of their reliability and durability in the outdoors.

As I have 2 zooms, one bought in the early 2000s I'm certainly contemplating giving this a try as the torches themselves are tough and bombproof.


Plus I could carry on using a torch that carries so many memories like leaving the Gleckstein hut in the darkness on my own to climb the Wetterhorn when the only other mountaineers in the hut were heading somewhere else, my little light on its own while theirs were shining little pools on the glacier

In reply to Toerag:


Depends on the design, many LED replacement bulbs I've seen have multiple LEDs facing sideways like these:-

http://m.lightinthebox.com/10pcs-dimmable-g4-3w-24x2835smd-180lm-3000k-6000...

In reply to Dave the Rave:

I'm quite tempted too - I have a zoom belt that I have hardly used and it seems a shame not to get some use from it. The only thing putting me off is that 120 lumens doesn't seem much compared to modern LED head torches - even my Tikka XP is more - so I'm not sure it is worth the bother.

In reply to NathanP:


According to tech spech the XP is only 180 L with burst mode and the time looks like 10s off the spech sheet?
If mine still works I will try the LED bulb and report back
.http://www.allbatteries.co.uk/media/pdf/EZX66105_UK.pdf

In reply to Dave the Rave:
I've replaced maglite bulbs with LEDs. Massive increase in brightness and battery life, but it does affect the focus a bit. I've found it a big improvement.

Been looking for a conversion for my old Myo 5, but not found one as yet.

Do you have a link to the LED for the zoom?

In reply to Ridge:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TTS-1WCREE-MES-E10-suitable-Headtorches/dp/B009E3S...

In reply to Dave the Rave:

I'm surprised the elastic headband is still OK. Mine is more like a waist-torch than a head-torch these days!

In reply to AndyC:


I've ordered a replacement elastic. £6.
So that's £16.95 and hopefully a 'new' better torch.

In reply to Dave the Rave:
my original Petzl is on at least its third possibly 4th elastic refurb. It's fitting them on Helmets that does it.

In reply to Siward:


Yes. £6.

In reply to Dave the Rave:




Yes. Got one last week off fleebay, £9.95.

Impressed so far.

Found an old Saxo, dull yellow glow from old batteries in it. Really bright with new bulb, nice to have focus feature and simple switching.

I will let you know how it is when it needs new batteries.

In reply to Rick Graham:





Yeah. Mine is up and running too. Nice, white light even better than the halogen bulb. It turned out to be a good gamble.