I also wanted to add an option for 'any, as long as it's not flashing!'
The worst mode is that one where it slowly and gradually goes from off to brightest then back down to off endlessly for no reason.
1. Reading in a tent;
2. Moving around an unlit hut;
3. Bright for walking off the hill in pitch dark;
4. Mega for mountain biking and/or searchlight duties;
5. Flashing for cycling;
6. Mega bright SOS pattern (preferably with a lock on this mode).
On, or, off
Dim to bright with option to turn off any time by longer press on button. A red light aslo is handy.
Actually my usb charging decathlon light is great. Two big buttons a '+' and a ' -' to toggle up and down the 4 brightness levels, starting on dim red light. At any time a long press on the '-' button turns it off. No flashing mode. And can lock it in the off mode by pushing both buttons at once.
Dim to bright. That way you are less likely to blind everyone nearby.
Dim then bright - I don't want to dazzle myself before dropping to dim, but an extra button press to go bright isn't a big deal when my finger is already there.
Also I do like a red function.
No strobe please.
Alongside this question it'd be interesting to know people's take on which they prefer - an infinite scrolling between brightness (i.e. dim-bright-dim-bright-dim etc...) or whether or not it is best being interrupted (i.e. dim-bright-off). The former is the approach Silva take, whereas the latter is what Petzl take. Curious to see if anyone has any preferences, although I suspect it'll be a case of some like one whereas some like the other.
> On, or, off
And some simple mechanism that stops the torch accidentally switching on in your rucksack pocket.
Having decided to splash some money on a Zebralight, and spent an evening battling with how to set it up, I noiw have it on:
1. Low - indoor, hut tent
2. Brighter than the Petzls I had previously, bright enough for pretty much any realistic use
3. Brighter than the midday sun
I can't remember what torch this was but it was: hold to turn on/off, hold for longer to go red. Press to change modes, and it would remember what mode it was in when turning on. Worked really well for me. It may have been the Reactik.
> Dim to bright with option to turn off any time by longer press on button.
This. Whatever brightness modes are available it should be possible to cycle between them without turning it off completely at any point.
(To add another entry to the list of shame: I have an LED Lenser with three brightness modes cycled by pressing the power button but *only in the first few seconds after switching on*. After that brief opportunity pressing the button again just switches it off...)
If it was the Reactik, the main downside is it has the smallest button in the world which is hard to find, when wearing it and using gloves. Also the lock function is quite hard to use.
Dim first. There is nothing worse than waking up or being woken up in a mtn hut by the very early morning sun of the worlds brightest headlamp.
+1 for zebralight, I've got one too and its the best torch I've ever had. Three modes, the dimmest of which will eke out the battery for days and the brightest of which will light up an entire mountainside and a really simple control system with a nice big button. Also uses 18650 batteries which are rechargable but you can buy a stock of your own fairly cheaply and carry as many charged spares as you think you'll need. I'm had an assortment of BD and petzl headtorches and not really sure why people keep buying them when there's much better and simpler options available.
Dim, then bright, with an option to switch off at any time with a long press.
I'd just go for On & Off meself.
I really, really don't care as long as there are no further complications and it doesn't keep seitching itself on.
maybe:
One Press - On Dim/Off
Double Press - On Brighter
Triple Press - On Brighter still
etc
> I have an LED Lenser with three brightness modes cycled by pressing the power button but *only in the first few seconds after switching on*. After that brief opportunity pressing the button again just switches it off...)
Sounds ideal to me
Aren't the middle two the same?
Anyway, my vote is a single on/off button that switches the lamp on always at the dimmest setting and a separate button to toggle brightness up and down in use.
Also a transport lock on the on/off button.
> > I have an LED Lenser with three brightness modes cycled by pressing the power button but *only in the first few seconds after switching on*. After that brief opportunity pressing the button again just switches it off...)
> Sounds ideal to me
Not really. I often run on a low setting, occasionally going to high for route finding. With that system you constantly have to keep switching the light on and off again to change brightness levels.
Off - On (at last brightness setting) - Off
Hold button down to increase/decrease brightness.
This is how the internal light dimmer in my van works
Petzel should reincarnate the zoom, with a twisty control from off to full blast through every brightness level in between.
> Alongside this question it'd be interesting to know people's take on which they prefer - an infinite scrolling between brightness.
I think it's a terrible idea. Compare it to a high and a low, I can get some estimate of how long the battery will last on either but infinite scrolling I have little chance of mentally tracking remaining battery life.
Also I think it's using technology to "solve" a problem that doesn't really exist, or at least... it's a very niche use case.
Or just have a zoom with the core battery and a decent LED (good emitter and driver) instead of the incandescent yellow glow.
2 settings high and medium and you get that alternating each time you twist it on
You could probably get an old one from eBay and make it yourself if you want a project
If you start with a Petzl gloom and pimp it, do you end up with a Petzl ungloom?
I've probably got one in the back of a cupboard!
Actually if I had spare time not a bad idea
> Petzel should reincarnate the zoom, with a twisty control from off to full blast through every brightness level in between.
But the twisty control on the Zoom was, well, the zoom! (ie: focus)
It sounds like a cunning plan to have a twisty control (more usually referred to as a knob) to adjust brightness, but unfortunately it's also just the kind of electrical moving part that would be very likely to cause reliability problems.
> Actually if I had spare time not a bad idea
Not a bad idea as a novelty item. But if you think you'd like to regularly use a pimped-up Zoom instead of a modern head torch I suspect you might have forgotten how heavy and bulky they were. (By modern standards.)
Got one of these to replace a bd storm which had a million complicated combinations, much simpler on off independently on each throw/flood side, hold button from off = on at lowest setting, then hold to cycle low/med/high/turbo with memory
https://www.sofirnlight.com/products/sofirn-hs20-usb-c-rechargeable-headlam...
You could prove the doubters wrong (or maybe prove them right 😉) and still get change out of an £11 note by unscrewing the old bulb and just screwing in one of these cree led jobbies (with electronics included in it) in its place, please note spaces added into link below due to filtering so you'll need to remove them
https:/ /www.eb ay.c o.uk/itm/283428800153
after that you'll need to think about the (petzl core?) battery. From what I remember the zoom batteries I used had spade/blade connectors so maybe you'll need to solder? Enjoy the project.
I bought an ay-up headtorch over 10 years ago. Turn it on, pressing the button alternates between low and high. Long press for off. Battery still lasts for hours. Simple, well built and still bright enough. Expensive at the time but not bought a headtorch since. Think they are still a similar design.
I have a really cheap one. It has a switch on top. Left for red, right for white, middle for off. I've positioned a bit of tape over it so it doesn't switch itself on in the bag but still works when I want it to.
It's perfect.
Looks like lenser already do one with a "dimming wheels" https://www.torchdirect.co.uk/head-torch-range/ledlenser-h5r-core-rechargea...
> You could prove the doubters wrong (or maybe prove them right 😉) and still get change out of an £11 note by unscrewing the old bulb and just screwing in one of these cree led jobbies (with electronics included in it) in its place, please note spaces added into link below due to filtering so you'll need to remove them
I looked at doing that a few years ago. The zoom bulb isn't compatible with the led replacements, it's like a teeny tiny version of those old push in car sidelight bulbs where the glass is flattened to make a spade connector.
> Petzel should reincarnate the zoom, with a twisty control from off to full blast through every brightness level in between.
Was that the chappy with the massive square battery?... Always made yer channel yer inner Arthur Scargill?... And was equally dim, even on full power?
That's the one. There was no 'full power' though, no electronics other than a big square battery and a bulb. It was off or on (and to be fair quite bright for about 10 mins after putting a fresh battery in).
The twisty lens at the front screwed the reflector in and out behind the bulb to go from flood to spot. (Like a kind of 'zoom' lens, hence the name.)
And was equally dim, even on full power?
Yes, really made you appreciate how good owls night vision is...
Hmmm.. you must have been a yuppie with the halogen version? very fancy!
In reply to deepsoup:
Yeah, many of the maglite torches work the same way. A classic design.
> Hmmm.. you must have been a yuppie with the halogen version? very fancy!
Just googled and it was indeed the halogen version! I've done the led conversion on my maglites (mini and 4 D-cell) and very good it is too, would be well worth doing on a zoom.
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