willstrickland Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Yeah, another headlamp thread... It's that time, my princeton solo is about to fall apart. I want something with led and halogen, preferably more than 3 leds. That seems to leave the MYO 5 , Duo 8, and the Duo 5. I haven't been able to find anywhere stocking the Duo 8 yet. Anyone have experience with either the MYO5 or Duo8? Any reason one would be preferrred to the other (MYO appears to be slightly lighter) Finally, anyone know of a store with the DUO 8 in stock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglehead Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Whatever you do, do NOT buy one of these. I'v had mine for about 2 years, and it was working great, then one night, nothing. The wire where it goes into the battery pack is either kinked or something, but there are no visible signs of abuse. My prognosis: SHIT Q.C. On the other hand, I've had my Petzl Arctic for 10 years, and it's even got chew marks from my dog on all functional parts, and it still works like a champ. For my money, I'd definitely stick with Petzl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ade Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I'll vouch for Petzl. I have a Zoom that's been going for 16 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dryad Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 bunglehead said: Whatever you do, do NOT buy one of these. I'v had mine for about 2 years, and it was working great, then one night, nothing. The wire where it goes into the battery pack is either kinked or something, but there are no visible signs of abuse. My prognosis: SHIT Q.C. Mine did the same thing. It's a well-known defect that's in the new version. Just take it back to where you bought it and they'll give you a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Will: I've been pretty happy with my BD Gemini's single LED and use it 90% of the time and the Halogen only when routefinding in the dark, which is not very often, thank God. No problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 aren't they phasing out the battery for the zoom? seems like all you can get now are headtorches that run on AA or AA's and you get like 1/4 of the lifespan you would from a 4.5 flat. my electrical enginner buddy hooked up a Tikka 3 to run on a 4.5 flat battery and it runs without any loss of brightness something like a year later on the original battery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalX Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Bronco said: Will: I've been pretty happy with my BD Gemini's single LED and use it 90% of the time and the Halogen only when routefinding in the dark, which is not very often, thank God. No problems. I have a gemini and I don't like it one bit. It's bulky, the LED is not bright enough, and the halogen is barely brighter then the LED in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiplash Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I have been using the MYO5 for the last 4 months or so and really like it. Seems to be built tough and is handling the abuse just fine. The switchable brightness of the LED's are nice but I seem to end up just leaving it on the lowest setting most of the time for anything but routefinding. The halogen works great and the whole setup with the batteries is small and light. In fact I've used it as a back up for Mtn. biking at night, my nightrider light lost it's charge last time I was riding and I was able to ride out with just the MYO5 and it was almost as bright as the 15 watt nightrider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatskiclimbsail Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I managed my college's outing club while I was a student there and we had nothing but problems from BD LED lamps. About half the time we would send them back (3 or 4 lamps) they would send us new ones but the other half they would send them back with a "sorry" note. On the other hand, we have Petzl Zooms that we have been dragging through tight, muddy, wet NY caves for the last 10 years that are still going strong. My duo has 6 years of abuse on it, and I recently got the 5LED upgrade for it. It works great, especially in caves. I bent the LEDs out a little bit to give a wider range and was pleased with the results. If you're going to be doing anything really wet or otherwise intense I'd highly reccomend the duo. As for a small lamp, I have had two BDs break within a year, and I hate the switch on the tikka. I have had a princeton tek Aurora for a year and a half that got used probably 10 or so hours a week all of last year and she is still on the first set of batteries. They are not water"proof", but very water resistant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willstrickland Posted October 22, 2003 Author Share Posted October 22, 2003 Somehow my last reply vanished....weird, anyway as for modifications for batteries: Off the top of my head (could be errors in this since I don't have the lamp in front of me)You can rig any of the 3 AA rigs to a 4.5v batt without anykind alteration to the current or bulb (the AAs are 1.5v each in a "stacked" config so the bulbs are getting 4.5v anyway) I used Petzl Zooms for my caving lamps when I lived in the southeast and I cut the 3 "C" cell batt packs off of them, put in a 6v bulb and soldered on a longer cord with two burly alligator style clips to use those big-ass square 6v batts. They were SUPER bright, and you could get between 10-18 hours out of a battery...just don't leave a 4.5v bulb in there or you'll fry the bulb quickly. This option is great for caving where you don't want the batt weight on your head and a heavy batt in a waistpack is no big deal. For other activities though, it would suck. Those 6v batts weigh about two lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa_Eagle Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I use a gemini and an aurora for caving. They've both worked well with no problems yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Parker Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 I'm in the market too. I don't know who makes what when you refer to myo5 or dua or gemini or whatever. Can some one set me straight with the various manufacturers. I have a Petzl zoom (still works great, but too heavy) and a Tika and I want something in between. Sounds like the led/bulb combo in the lightest, but durable category is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatskiclimbsail Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Well if were talking caving there is nothing better than a carbide, but I have yet to destroy the duo, aurora and minimag as backups. This gives me confidence in their ability to perform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willstrickland Posted October 22, 2003 Author Share Posted October 22, 2003 I'd debate the carbide issue...if you've ever seen one dropping that shit out all over the cave or sputtering with water or setting someone's ass on fire...although they do make a good bowl lighter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhamaker Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Do the aformentioned headlamps have a long enough cord to keep the batteries warm in your jacket? If the batteries are just stuck on your head, your are getting *much* less life out of your batteries. I would have to agree, 4.5V is a good compromise of life vs weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatskiclimbsail Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 The duo has an optional to keep the battery pack in a jacket, the "zoom" does as well but they consider it a different headlamp, the "arctic". As for carbide, I had my fill of brass cap lamps and got a sealed Petzl system, the "Ariane/Aceto" unit, which I have yet to have any issues at all with. They are only useful really for caving. I have seen people start themselves on fire with the cap lamps and seen some really big fireballs but I have yet to figure out how they made this happen, I have never had one decide to malfunction on its own (be smarter than your headlamp!). During training everyone wants to look at their rope while rappeling / climbing so we decided early on in the caving program that the leader (usually me) would light the other carbides once they got to the bottom and shut them off before they went up again at the end of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa_Eagle Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Carbide provides a much better light. There's no super bright or dead spots (like an incandescent), and it's not blinding if you have to have your face against the wall, ceiling, or floor (like an LED). If you have a good one (not the crappy ones our outing club had), 6 hours from one filling of carbide and water ain't bad. Bring plastic bags into the cave with you, why would you dump it out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjain Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 Anyone have a chance to play with both the new BD Gemini (with the 2 LEDs) and one of the Petzl Myos yet? What'd you think? Currently I'm leaning towards the Myo5, I just wish it didn't take 4 AA batteries, because with spares this means you have to carry 8! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatskiclimbsail Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 We had three gemini's break in their first month of (non-hardcore) use over the last year... BD replaced one of them when it's owner complained a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Parker Posted October 24, 2003 Share Posted October 24, 2003 I just bought the Pelican dual (3)led and xenon bulb for about $39.00. It was lighterweight than the other duals and comes with a lifetime guarantee. Runs on 4 AAA batteries and the head tilts on a ratchet. Anyone else tried the Pelican? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafflehound Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 This is probably worth a look; http://www.acmeclimbing.com/index.html bottom of the page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Parker Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 snafflehound said: This is probably worth a look; http://www.acmeclimbing.com/index.html bottom of the page. Why do I keep thinking this shit is for the roadrunner and coyote cartoon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainier_Wolfscastle Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 I have both, and consider the Myo 5 to be superior. The light difference between 5 & 8 LED's is not noticeable to me. The on/off/adjustment on the Myo 5 is also easier with gloves on than the Duo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglehead Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 Rainier Wolfcastle? hey didn't you write that song "Nineteen?" na-na-na-na-nineteen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted November 4, 2003 Share Posted November 4, 2003 that was Falco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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