Headlight (aka hands free torch)

timbim_2

For walking, I'd look at petzl, black diamond etc for the reliability factor, and the fact that theyr'e optimised for low weight.

bob_a_builder

For the more MSE among us - mind you now the pound has gone bad - maybe less so

http://www.ledshoppe.com/ledheadlight.htm

This company does a lot of LED stuff (hence the name) - no problem dealing with them - done it a couple of time no troubles

edit: Ah - but it won't arrive by Tuesday !!

BillScarab

Alpkit are an excellent company, they design and sell good quality but economical climbing, hiking and camping gear. I've bought from them several times and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. If you ever want a down jacket theirs are excellent.

We have one of their head torches, an older model they no longer make. It was only a fiver and it's been great. Ours is this one

Reviews of the Gamma here

BTW if you call Alpkit they'll probably be abel to get it to you by Tuesday. Their service is very good.

fwor

Infidel wrote: »

This looks okay. I presume it's reasonably powerful, as i'll need it for hiking (sometimes over rough terrain) and road running in the dark.

Secondly, do you know if this company is reliable, as i'll need it to arrive by Tuesday.

Yes, it should be powerful enough - the "main beam" is a 1Watt Luxeon which is quite bright.

As Bill says, Alpkit have a very good reputation among walkers and climbers. Unlike some other companies, when they are out of stock of an item they actually update their website to say so.

Hotspur

I've used Alpkit for sleeping mats and found tgeir kit and service to be excellent. I got my Silva head torch from here Above and Beyond Also good service and prices

Infidel

I was just wondering if ALL head-torches run on alkaline batteries, as these are generally expensive and don't last too long.
If possible i'd rather use rechargeables.

fwor

A few makers say that you shouldn't use Lithium-based batteries (something to do with the internal resistance being too low and risking LED failure) but I've not come across any that can't use standard NiMh rechargeables.

The only problem you are likely to have is that any battery level monitoring circuit may get confused by them. My Petzl Tikka XP flashes a few times to warn if the battery is low, but it does this with rechargeables even when fully charged. It's not a problem when you know to expect it...

Hotspur

I've had my Silva torch for 18 months now and haven't needed to change the AA batteries yet. Granted that I don't use it more than once a month for a hour so on avaerage. LED's don't use as much power as bulbs so batteries last longer.

John_Gray

isofa wrote: »

Sunday Times reviewed a few recently in the In Gear section, might be on their website...

Indeed it is - I hunted it down for someone else after reading the article in the paper version... Unfortunately no pictures on the website, though.

Infidel

I read in the product info for most of these kinds of headlights and it mostly says that lithium (rechargeable) batteries may damage the LEDs or something.