Which head torch

[Philip]

Hello all,

I am in the market for a new head torch. I trust the opinion of the forum so any recommendations are welcome. Heres my wish list ;

- Battery life must be BRILLIANT this is priority 1 for me.
- Robust ...waterproof/drop proof etc Another priority
- Ideally I would like it to work on both batteries and also via USB charging but would consider something with just either/or
- Brightness has to be enough to be usable but I dont need Blackpool illuminations, quite the opposite in fact as I want to stay discreet...so perhaps something with more than one brightness level.
- Small and light ...if it can tuck away easily in a waistcoat in a pocket thats ideal.
- Comfortable to wear. I also prefer the sort with a circular band that goes round your head/hat. I dont like the ones with a third band down the middle of your head altough thats not a show stopper.
- I dont need any fancy functions like the wave your hand in front on/off...a simple on / off button will do.
- I dont need or want a red light function
- Cost, anything within reason. I want a good one that will last

In a nutshell I dont need anything fancy, I just want something that I can rely on will work all the time.

Thanks.

 

[Gaston664]

I have a ThruNite TH20.

It's fantastic and I've taken it just about everywhere, fishing, hiking, camping, urban exploring and it's still as good as new.

You can change the brightness by holding in the power button.

It goes from really really bright, like Blackpool, all the way down to discreet.

Takes a single AA battery which obviously lasts depending on what brightness you are using.

It's drop proof and waterproof.

I liked it so much I got my dad one and he uses his in alsorts of weather fishing off the beach.

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[naxian62]

Been using a Black Diamond for about 3 years now. Tidy piece of kit, small, light, dimmable, plenty bright, good battery life, low battery warning, waterproof. Cant really fault'em. Not USB rechargeable. Before I found Black Diamond ,had a all singin dancin rechargeable Coleman, got rid of it, too much faff.

 

[flightliner]

I've been using a Dragon carp headlite since around 2001. It's been totally dependable as a lite , never let me down in all those years despite all the foul weather it's endured but early this year one of the l e d failed so I looked around and found a TOG 24 in of all places Boundary Mills just o/s Sheffield in a sale for a knockdown price of £4 instead of £30.
It looks and works fine with an adjustable beam from flood to searchlite mode and a reastat to adjust light intensity/ battery saving mode, sorry, no USB recharge but at the £4 price tag I just had to have one.
Since using it a friend saw it and insisted I buy him one that he thinks is a great bit of kit!

 

[S-Kippy]

Aaargh ! Head torches.....NO !

 

[terry m]

Avoid angling specific offerings, they are overpriced mediocrity.

Go to B&Q and buy a fairly priced unit that is perfectly functional. I have been using an Ever Ready unit for many years and it works wonderfully.

 

[john step]

I got a couple off Ebay. Two white settings and two red settings for discreet illumination in case Skippy is nearby. As far as I can tell they are identical to the TFG ones but minus the woven TFG name in the headband. A fraction of the price. Battery only but they last for ages.

I cant do links but it came up as the seller as dillonbuffon (703)

 

[sam vimes]

I have one of the SEO5 Led Lensers. However, I added one of the Led Lenser rechargeable battery packs to effectively make it an SEO5R. No mad high lumen specs, no thousand yard pinpoint beam, decent burn time and the red light option. They'll also work with bog standard batteries if required and the rechargeable packs are USB. They are perfectly adequate for any fishing scenario and might actually stand a chance of not making Skippy cry. Look around and you can pay an awful lot less than list.

 

[S-Kippy]

I understand the need for a discreet light of some sort at night. What I do not understand is why some people seem to need to have the brightest ones available and to have them on permanently. I can only assume they must be scared of the dark.

I confess to having one but it is rarely used, only ever on the green setting and only for re-baiting. I have a cap with 2 [yes 2 not 22] built in under brim leds which is perfect and doesnt annoy other anglers because 1. the leds are angled downwards and 2. I dont leave it on for a second longer than necessary or look at other people.

 

[108831]

I use a head torch to rebait,retackle,or pack up,then walk back to the car,as it's too dangerous due to my inordinate skill for putting my feet in holes,or uneven ground...

 

[John Keane]

LED Lenser H7R.2. It’s light, powerful and can adjust from a flood for re-baiting or moving around your peg or walking to and from your car, to a searchlight beam that will illuminate for 100m+

 

[Ray Roberts]

I’ve just bought a Nightcore Thumb from Ali Express. I paid about £13, you can get them elsewhere and Amazon has them for about £20. I bought it for a key ring torch when I’m working. The beam isn’t focused, which is good for walking as it provides a wide beam and which on the highest setting is fine. There are three levels of brightness the lowest would be fine for baiting up. The head of the torch is adjustable for angle and there is also a fairly dim separate red led which again is fine for baiting up without killing your night vision. It isn’t marketed as such, but the clip is very strong and attached firmly to the brim of a cap.

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[Ray Roberts]

Oh, it’s rechargeable through a usb and weighs in at 25g.


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[shane99]

I have a Petzl Tikka Ray, 3 levels of brightness + red only option which I recon is what you are after, light, small
& only £20.00

 

[xenon]

I have a Petzl Tikka Ray, 3 levels of brightness + red only option which I recon is what you are after, light, small
& only £20.00

Another vote for the Petzl Tikka-had the same one for years-virtually bombproof and does everything you are ever likely to need it to.

 

[seth49]

I have a head torch in my waist coat which I use occasionally, but normally use one of the caps from aldi which has one built into the peak, it uses the round penny sized batteries, I get replacements from the pound shop, get a card with about eight on for a pound, of which four are the right size,

The head torch came from Aldi as well, when they were selling camping gear, only about three pounds but it works well, two white light settings and one red.

 

[Philip]

Thank to all. All the suggestions sound tempting and I imagine they would all do the job.

The petzl in particular sounds very close to what I am looking for. My only niggle being that I have an old Petzl head torch from before LED days so with the classic bulb setup. I got it as I thought being Petzl it would be really good but to cut a long story short its terrible and it dented my confidence in them somewhat. I imagine the LED versions will be allot better.

 

[xenon]

Thank to all. All the suggestions sound tempting and I imagine they would all do the job.

The petzl in particular sounds very close to what I am looking for. My only niggle being that I have an old Petzl head torch from before LED days so with the classic bulb setup. I got it as I thought being Petzl it would be really good but to cut a long story short its terrible and it dented my confidence in them somewhat. I imagine the LED versions will be allot better.

Think you can relax regarding quality these days-have used Peztl for nigh on 30 years and find them excellent.