UKC

Just received a Petzl e+Lite

Seems like a great piece of kit but the ball joint seems a bit loose. Has anyone else noticed this/had this problem?

Contemplating whether to send it back or just add a layer of plastic in the ball joint to stiffen it

Same here. Bought one as a running back up, but it's far too loose to run with. Pretty disappointed with it TBH.

Removed the strap with integrated whistle to use on my old elite (the strap had lost elasticity), which has a really stiff ball joint (and a clothing clip which the new one doesn't).

I folded up a thin plastic bag and pushed it in so the ball now has 4 layers of plastic bag making it much better and fine to run with. I'll see how long that lasts

I've had mine for about 10 years. Rarely used: bought as back up. Mine has always been stable and firm; certainly wouldn't desribe it as loose, but these terms are relative: I wouldn't expect mine not to move if I was running but it's stable enough for climbing. HTH.

I got one recently and had the same thought. Very loose ball joint which is disappointing for an otherwise good bit of kit.

I have tried road running with it and it was okay; certainly stayed in place much better than it seemed it should. There was a bit of creep though. I suspect it would struggle off road where I’m likely to land a bit harder at times. Probably still good enough for an emergency, but definitely a flaw that lets it down. 

Is it the black and red version with 3 white LEDs or the newer white and black version with the single white LED? The old one has a much firmer ball joint, the new version seems very floppy.

Edit: Bit of a retrograde step IMHO.

I have an old one that has gone floppy. Make of that what you will!

Can’t get it out of its socket to make a repair, so we’ll probably just glue it.

Just tried again and it popped out easily. Solved the floppiness with a bit of plastic cut from a pill capsule blister pack.

Ah, Yes, indeed, it is. Another piece of evidence proving that progress is inevitable.

Not only that; the old one had a great retractable head cordtl that made it truly compact.  The new one has this vast floppy strap thing that makes it much bigger.

Presumably they had to stop the helpful cord incase any babies stranged themselves with it.  Now they can choke on the strap instead.

The very first had the strap thing and came in a smooth box - I lost that one somehow after a few years - then came the Zipka style retractable string one with no box. Sounds like they've gone back to the original design? I think I was happier with the strap as the 'string' always feels a bit vulnerable and hard to trust (given your down to your back up torch already ...

Ah I didn't know the original was like that.  I bought my first maybe 12 years ago and it had the cord.  I never had problems with with security of it.  But I bought a second maybe 5 years ago and it had the stupid strap.... requiring the box to make it portable.

I’ve got one of the originals 😬. When I saw the retractable string one I was glad to have bought mine beforehand. It’s been with me for more years than I remember and occasionally used if necessary. I still like it as an emergency torch and really appreciate the red led more so now as it’s the only torch I have left that has a red setting.

I still have the original with elastic strap, (and a sprung wire clip to attach it to clothing that the new one doesn't have). The elastic strap was getting knackered with age, hence me buying the new one.

The new elastic strap is a bit wider than the old one, and the adjusting toggle has a built in whistle. Plus the red button that loosens the toggle is shaped to open the battery compartment, which is a good idea.

Unfortunately the whole thing is let down by that bloody loose ball joint, so the straps been fitted to my trusty old one and the new one is in a drawer until I find a use for it, will probably stick it somewhere in my running vest as a backup for the backup...

I bought my original one because it was lighter than carrying three spare AA batteries, such as Petzl headtorches used at the time, plus, you were covered if a bulb went. But Petzl Core batteries for my Actik are lighter (if pricey).

OT, but anyone know how reliable and long lasting Actik bulbs are? (Very, at a guess.)

I actually have one of each type

Original with elastic strap and plastic case

Original with zipka style kevlar cord (I've also had a Zipka!)

Current with the elastic strap and plastic case

The plastic case is useful for protecting the light when it's in your bag, can also hold spare batteries in it. The elastic strap also has a whistle on the cord adjuster. But the kevlar cord version is my preferred one, it's smaller. I put a little tritium vial on the puller so I can find it in the dark as it's so small it's easy to lose

I dot them around in various places as the shelf life of the batteries is handy. I've not found the ball joint to be a problem at all. They aren't particularly bright though

But for normal day to day use, I use a Petzl Bindi, which is brighter, similarly sized and rechargeable. Or a bigger 18650 powered light

Have you practiced changing them in the dark? I use my e-lite the help with changing batteries on the main headtorch (done it once already this year, keep forgetting Alpkit qarks have a quite short burn time).

Now that is a very good question! And then when that technique is perfected, do it with gloves on! Cheers.