UKC

I'm looking to overhaul my lighting bag with a few spare Petzl torches for Alpine mountaineering, Scottish winter and general tent use. Most of the torches I have at the moment are TacTikka (I think) but they are getting on a bit.

I find the Petzl website hard to follow; you seem to have to know exactly what you want before you look. Nowhere could I find a simple table comparing their torches.

However, it looks like the Tikka and TacTikka are identical in performance. Both say...

MAX AUTONOMY 5 lm, 10 m, 240 h
STANDARD 100 lm, 40 m, 60 h
MAX POWER 200 lm, 60 m, 60h
red proximity 2 lm, 5 m, 100 h
strobe visible at 700 m for 400 h

But then when I search the web for the best place to buy either of these, I find Tikka+, Tikka XP, Tikka RGB, TacTikka 200, Tactikka+ etc, none of which are mentioned on the Petzl site or available via their search.

Can anyone point me to a good place to see the real differences between all these different types of Tikka and Tactikka headtorches?

In reply to doc_h:

Most of the models you list are old and no longer in production, hence not available on Petzl webpage. After all, can't find a thing about model T on Fords webpage .

That said, you'll prolly want the Reactic or what ever it was called. At least I've been happy with it.

In reply to doc_h:

Crazy suggestion:
https://www.petzl.com/GB/en/Sport/Lighting

In reply to 99ster:

As you say, crazy.
That link just takes me to Petzl's page where, as I said in my post, I need to know if I want a Classic, Active, Performance or Special head torch, go to that page and then go to a new page for each torch listed on that page. Something I already spent the morning doing before I posted my question.

In reply to HeMa:

Actually you can. (http://www.ford.co.uk/experience-ford/AboutFord/News/VehicleNews/2011/BenNe...

Shame Petzl don't show previous models as well.

In reply to doc_h:

Wasn't the TakTikka just the cammo version of the Tikka for stealthy types?

In reply to Removed UserBwox:

Don't think so.
Alpinetrek sell the Tactikka both in cameo and in black.
The Tactikka plus is also available in cameo.

(Can't see why anyone would specifically want a cameo one. You use a head torch in the dark so nobody can see what colour it is anyway)

In reply to doc_h:

Because you have them round yr neck/on yr helmet during the daytime as well. Hence need to be camouflage.

In reply to doc_h:
Basically "TAC" is the "Tactical" version of a plain civilian headtorch. Military like their stuff to be black or camo, as headtorches left on helmets all the time...

Also theater riggers & back of stage staff like all black & so do special ops people....& having dealt with them in the past I know!

The Tac versions might also get a red filter/light for better night time work for map reading etc..

Petzl headtorches are

From Basic to fancy:-
Tikkina,
Tikka, and Tac version
Zipka (elastic recoil cord headband version of Tikka)
Tactikka plus (this is based on older civilian version as body is different)
Tactikka lpus RGB(this is based on older civilian version as body is different
Actik (new version of old Tikka plus)
Myo
Reatik
Pixa 1
Pixa 2
Pixa 3
Reatik plus (+
Nao plus (+)

Sport
https://www.petzl.com/GB/en/Sport/Lighting#.WLRh4YXXI-U


Professional
https://www.petzl.com/GB/en/Professional/Lighting#.WLRh8oXXI-U


I have a Pixa 3...mind you I used to (when I ran my own shop) sell most of the Petzl range including all the Tac versions....

there are other big fancy ones I have missed as you seem to looking at the smaller ones

In reply to doc_h:

The "Tac" bit is short for Tactical and is aimed at the military, hunters, fishermen, those guys who seems to only war military issue/faux military issue kit despite looking like the military isn't something they are actual familiar with.

The Petzl website show's heir current range, not all the legacy models you're pickling up on web searches. They've dropped the Tikka+, Tikka XP and Tikka RGB from their main line but have kept the camo/black versions for the DPM obsessives.

If you say what you are after, people would help you? Do you want a rechargeable battery, reactive lighting, Bluetooth connectivity so you can InstaBook your adventures?

In reply to galpinos:




With respect, I did say what I was after in my OP.

ie "Can anyone point me to a good place to see the real differences between all these different types of Tikka and Tactikka headtorches?"

I wasn't after advice on which head torch I should get. Essentially I was looking for a place to to compare the technical differences between the ones I already have, which I now realise are mainly Tikka+, and the ones I can currently buy so that I could buy something very similar or maybe a little bit better.

('Better' meaning simply for seeing well when climbing on mountains in the dark. Definitely not something that needs access to a power station to recharge or usb port to 'program' and I don't care if I am seen wearing it or not so the colour is irrelevant!)

In reply to doc_h:

There isn't a single page on the petzl website (or anywhere I've seen) that'll give you a side by side comparison. Some shops will do so on their website, but it's very high level and only really useful if your chasing after lumens or grams. For a fuller comparison you really need to read up on each one. Unfortunately, a lot of online shops apply their own tags to torches for some reason (hence TacTikka 200 etc) which complicates matters when trying to buy!

Best place to see the differences is the petzl website where they have all the details on all the current models, and good explanations of what it all means (worth reading up on what their constant lighting tag means for example otherwise their torch performances look rubbish compared to competitors)!

There was an article on here at one point as well comparing higher end torches, and a good follow up article by petzl on their reactive series - worth a quick search of the articles page for those.

Unfortunately it just takes time to read up on the different brands and models and decide what features you like best and hence the model.

For what it's worth, I really rate the MYO range from petzl for general mountaineering and have the old TIKKA RXP (superceded by the reactik range) that I use for running and increasingly as my primary torch. Both would be good replacements for your tikka, though the reactiks are lithium ion batteries (optional crossover kit for AAA, or spare Li-ion batteries available). Personally, I've never had a problem with using them for weekend missions, or longer trips where I'm not expecting to use them for long durations each day.

Cheers and happy torch hunting!

Stu

In reply to StuDoig:

Thank you for an informative reply. I'd also eventually come to the conclusion that the 200 or RGB was not part of the real name, something which is a bit daft for a retailer to do if people are looking for a specific torch as you think its something else. I'd also previously read the article you mention. It was quite old but it was the sort of thing I was after for the current torches.

In the end I've simply gone for a few TacTikka torches in black as they seem to have a good balance of cost, weight, battery life and beam range.

Thanks to all who replied.

In reply to doc_h:

Probably a bit late to the party but I also lost the will to live with Petzl. Not least because (at the time?) they were advertising the new range which wasn't even available to buy.

I ended up with a Black Diamond which I'm very happy with.