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
Post edited at 09:25