I’d enjoyed my old petzl for nearly a decade but the battery was wearing out. I took the plunge having seen this on a video used as an inspection lamp for work use by a mechanic, and so picked this up Friday for dual use, and have now had chance to use fully now both in work and without.
At work as a vet I have used this today for a 3hr orthopaedic surgery as a bright headlight additional to my surgical theatre light, on floodlight setting second darkest it was a true colour, bright and delivered a good field of view with no shadowing, significantly reducing my eye strain.. I used the battery attached to the head strap, and it was well balanced. In those hours on that setting the battery charge rating didn’t drop.
I also tend to walk my dog in winter in the small hours before work or late at night after work (we aren’t very social) and this has been brilliant. For walking it is far more comfortable for me with the battery in my breast pocket and not on my head as I go a fair pace and it bounced a bit with both on my head. If like me you want to see where your brown dog has chased the latest rabbit this lamp is absolutely out of this world, on the bright turbo setting I can see the far side of Broadsands beach from the side entrance by Elberry common. It’s mind blowing.
Couple of gripes, a storage bag included would be nice to keep the big lens free from scratches. I have ordered the storage bag from Fenix, but suspect from a second look at the Fenix accessory chart that this torch actually won’t fit in there, so stick with a decent Molle pouch from Steve instead. Also take some time to adjust the head strap, to make sure the clips for the cable tidy are comfortable as with the weight, these can dig in if in the wrong place and on the move. The headlamp felt great once I’d spent a good five minutes adjusting, instead of simply throwing it on my head.
It’s probably complete overkill for a simple dog walk given the price tag, but any serious outdoor enthusiast or Dartmoor rescue, scout leader etc would idolise this head torch. Or if you have a use at work like me, it’s fantastic, a similar ‘surgical’ head torch would be double the price for me with the same performance, and I couldn’t take that on an outdoor trip.
Watch the heat this generates if used inside, it gets hot like it warns you. However, it cools quickly and effectively this time of year (October) when used outside, a 50 yards walk in the breeze and it’s safe to touch or put back in your pack, having been on for over an hour at second highest power.
I really like that it has an extension cable included, and will use with both the battery both on my head and in my pocket. The headband works well. It has a power bank function that will be great when camping of bivvying on Dartmoor over a weekend.
Extremely satisfied, zero regrets - Fantastic bit of kit. Thanks Steve for getting it in for me
