Headlamps?

[JoshK]

marylou said:

I like my Ion. Have only mispaced, but not lost.

 

Now having used if for half a year, the Aurora and the Tikka both fell like boat anchors.

 

Yeah, good luck actually seeing anything for routefinding with the ion. I have one too, but I leave it home when I need to more than just set up camp and follow trails in the dark.

[marylou]

I'm a wimp. I do that routefinding stuff when it's light out.

 

Having said that, the light on the Ion is also a little bitta wimpy!

[Thinker]

I went out and compared the Myo3 and Gemini. The Myo ROCKS! For only a few dollars more than the Gemini, it has a beam that really focuses, plus the 3 LEDs are significantly brighter than the Gemini's one or two. I liked the Myo so much I bought one.

[Thinker]

The Myo3 performed well on the glacier this last weekend; the LEDs were fine for following a boot track and the bright beam was plenty bright for routefinding. Found myself very thankful I chose this over the Gemini when comparing headlamps in the dark at camp.

[Ned_Flanders]

Can you actually route find and climb in the dark with a moonlight?

[erik]

i like the led lamps only for basic stuff.

 

never would i purposefuly climb with one.....nor really attempt to route find in the dark or hike with one...i prefer some real light!!!! petzl zoom till i die!!!! for climbing!!!

 

tho the leds are nice for other stuff.

 

[Fence_Sitter]

i agree with erik... led's and shit are great for following bootpack on rainier, but if you need more than 30 feet, you are SOL... mabe my headlamps are shitty, but my led's seem to just help me put one foot in front of another...

[snoboy]

erik said:

i prefer some real light!!!! petzl zoom till i die!!!! for climbing!!!

 

Better buy yourself a few then. Petzl ain't gonna make 'em after this year.

[Thinker]

I was quite impressed with the halogen bulb in the Myo3 when I fired it up on the glacier. It focuses much like the older Petzls and throws the beam well. It was cool to have the LEDs right there with a twist of the bezel when I didn't need the big gun.

[Pencil_Pusher]

Of the Myo3,

How long is the battery life, what kind of batteries, how much does it cost and does it come with a spare bulb inside (or is there a place in the headlamp to store an extra)? I've always wanted one of those regular/led combo lights.

On a separate note, what a trip it must have been for those SAR folks to rappel from a chopper with night vision goggles on to rescue Stefan...

[Thinker]

web page

 

check out the 'technical notice'

[snoboy]

Pencil_Pusher said:

Of the Myo3,

How long is the battery life, what kind of batteries, how much does it cost and does it come with a spare bulb inside (or is there a place in the headlamp to store an extra)? I've always wanted one of those regular/led combo lights.

 

Xenon 4hrs/led 180hrs,4xAA, $59 CDN, yes (yes).

[Toast]

Any user feedback between the Myo 3 and Myo 5? Any feedback on BD's Supernova Headlamp?

[schnitzem]

I used the ion LED on trail run recently that pushed through the night (30 hour push). I noticed that after a few hours of hiking with the LED that it gave me a weird headache and when I would turn it off to give my eyes a rest, I had blurry spots. I have never noticed this when using my P etzl. Anyone else notice this problem with LEDs?

 

Also they suck when it is really dusty out - the LED light is displaced much easier by particles in the air.

[mattp]

My nearly new supernova has developed some weird strobelight virus. I can't find anything about it in the directions, so maybe this was not an intended feature.

 

I have to take my lamp back to REI and I'm wondering:

does anybody know what the brightest thing is? In my view (as I've said before) more is better; lite is next to useless.

[cj001f]

mattp said:I have to take my lamp back to REI and I'm wondering:

does anybody know what the brightest thing is? In my view (as I've said before) more is better; lite is next to useless.

I'll disagree - a Tikka Plus does what I want. But I do most of my night work on trails/snow - sometimes I bring along a Petzl Arctic.

 

If you want brite go for an orienteering lamp - something like this:

http://www.mila.se/english/hotellstart.html

or

http://www.silva.se/orienteering/index.htm

I hope 250m is enough range.

 

 

[mattp]

CJF-

I'm not sure I disagree, much as I would like to just because I'm a contrary guy. If you are on a trail, if you are "on snow" where routefinding may not be that critical, or if you already know exactly where you are going, it doesn't matter what kind of a headlamp you have. Most people use their headlamps for camping, not for routefinding, and the Tikka or the Tikka Plus is just fine for that. But when I'm crawling through the jungle and looking for a way accross a roaring stream, looking for a route through an icefall, or trying to find an unknown descent in the dark, or in other words when I really need the lamp, I want as much light as possible. Has anybody tried one of those Silva headlamps?

[erik]

MATT I HAVE NEVER FOUND A BRIGHTER HEADLAMP THEN THE ORIGNAL PETZL ZOOMS WITH A HALOGEN BULB.

 

 

[mattp]

Those seem to be pretty good, Erik, though it is a nuisance to have to use the 4.5 volt batteries that are not widely available and the lamp is not nearly so bright when you use AA's, is it? Also, don't you have to unplug the battery to prevent the thing from turning on in your pack? (Maybe I'm just exepecting too much, I know.)

[Jopa]

mattp said:

Those seem to be pretty good, Erik, though it is a nuisance to have to use the 4.5 volt batteries that are not widely available and the lamp is not nearly so bright when you use AA's, is it? Also, don't you have to unplug the battery to prevent the thing from turning on in your pack? (Maybe I'm just exepecting too much, I know.)

 

Matt

 

I would have to agree that the original petzl headlamp provides plently of light with a halogen (even with the regular bulb depending on what your needs are). However, as you said, it has turned on in my pack on more than one occasion. I'm pretty good about taking the battery out these days, though, and that seems to be an easy solution.

 

A friend of mine has the "strobe light" feature that you speak of, so I'm not sure it is a glitch. We couldn't figure out why it did that either, other than offering a backcountry disco option!

[Attitude]

mattp said:

I have to take my lamp back to REI and I'm wondering:

does anybody know what the brightest thing is?

Head for the bike section and buy this.

 

 

[mattp]

Jopa said:

A friend of mine has the "strobe light" feature that you speak of, so I'm not sure it is a glitch. We couldn't figure out why it did that either, other than offering a backcountry disco option!

 

Did you and your friend figure out how to make the thing revert to "steady" light? The disco option might come in handy, I suppose, if I could control it.

[cj001f]

mattp said:

Has anybody tried one of those Silva headlamps?

I know of people, but have not myselg, used the Silva's/Orienteering lamps. They beat the pants off of the Petzl's - and are made from route finding in the forest. The Arctic = zoom + corded battery pack, os you can keep it close for more warmth. Really makes a difference in light output when it's cold.

[Jopa]

mattp said:

Jopa said:

A friend of mine has the "strobe light" feature that you speak of, so I'm not sure it is a glitch. We couldn't figure out why it did that either, other than offering a backcountry disco option!

 

Did you and your friend figure out how to make the thing revert to "steady" light? The disco option might come in handy, I suppose, if I could control it.

 

Come to think of it, I'm not sure if we did. I'll be seeing her soon and will ask.

[iain]

Toast said:

Any feedback on BD's Supernova Headlamp?

I think this is what I have. It works well. You have 3 adjustable levels of halogen light for battery conservation, and a backup led that runs off a separate battery once the main ones die (it uses the main batteries otherwise). Pretty slick. Smart features include the ability to fold down the light so the switch is protected from accidental power-on. Annoying feature: it starts flashing when the aa's are almost out of juice to warn you to replace them. It is also fairly expensive at retail price. I am satisfied with it.