petzl tikka tikkana, etc..

ok - need a new low frills small compact headlamp for 3 season use (I have an old petzl one that is dying and I have my winter petzl arctic one with the battery pack - but that is overkill for normal 3 season use)

don't know much about these new LED ones.

got my eyes on tikka - tikkanna, plus, etc.. - the diff seems to be the number of LEDs and price.

I am looking at the 2 led and that seems fine for typical backcountry use and the 4 seems overkill -is there a reason why I would want to the 30 dollar one rather then the 20 dollar one. It seems the 3 light settings, are just bells and giggles we don't need.

anyone have the 2 led one and are they happy with it??

or any other suggestions, black diamond, princeton also seem to make cheap low frills ones.

thanks!!

Gig -

Very happy with this one...$19 at Campmor.Princeton.

Rols swears buy the ones off the shelf at Wal-Mart...under $10...as long as they are LED and lithium.

I have the tikkina and have been very happy with it.

One caveat: With fresh batteries, it is bright enough to hike with at night.... though if the batteries have been used a few times, the light spot it produces is a little dim for hiking. I find it to be fine either way but others have found it not bright enough unless the batteries are pretty new.

- Ivy

I have the Tikka Plus (4 leds with 4 settings). If you try to compare it to the Tikkina (2 leds, one setting) the closest is:

Tikkina:
Light duration: 140 h
Distance:
t0 = 23 m
t30mn = 20 m
t10h = 15 m
t30h = 8 m

Tikka Plus (on optimum setting):
Light duration:
120 h
Distance:
t0 = 23 m
t30mn = 20 m
t10h = 13 m
t30h = 6 m

So the Tikkina is gives you more duration for the same/better distance covered.

I have the Tikka Plus and do enjoy the 4 settings - if you keep it at the lowest setting you still get 150h. At the highest you get 100h - which is still not shabby. And if you can handle using it with the strobe light setting then you get around 800h, or something ridiculous like that.
So if you plan on using it mostly for around camp then in essence you could keep it on the low setting and get more battery life out of the Tikka than the Tikkina (+10h) - and always have the option to boost it up on high for night hiking.

They weigh the same too - I'm biased, of course, so I'd say go with the Tikka Plus.

ps - to add to my review - I have used my Tikka Plus successfully (although not recommended for most) while road biking at night. By "successfully" I mean that I saw enough to not go off the end of the road, but not enough to avoid potholes going 30+mph - so I'd say it's pretty damn good if you're not going faster than 15mph.
When my Tikka goes I'll be getting a Tikka XP or Zenix IQ - having a hyperbright or boost is good once in a while to get a view of things very far away.

I have the tikka plus, very happy with it, does the job. It's all red duct taped (I dropped it on a ceramic floor), so I might buy a new one. Same, but with the small elastic band instead of the full strap. Size get cut by half.

(In this class of headlamp) I started with a Tikka. Poor waterproofing and the switch became unreliable after a while. Exchanged it for a Princeton Tec Aurora. Good waterproofing, reliable switch, 3 LEDs, standard readily-available batteries (AAA), 3 intensities. (AAAs are available in alkaline, NiMH, and lithium.) The Aurora is my current favorite light-weight headlamp--I have several.

Low intensity is adequate around camp. Medium is adequate for following a well marked trail in summer. High is bright enough for easy XC skiing (not bright enough for fast skiing). Lower intensities, of course, give longer battery lifetimes.

BTW, manufacturer's battery lifetimes are pretty meaningless. With alkaline batteries, the light slowly (quickly?) gets dimmer. You can get any "lifetime" you want by choosing how dim one lets the light get. (Of course, there are no standards and the manufacturers choose very dim cutoffs.) Time to half intensity or current drawn from fresh batteries would be far more meaningful. Usable distance is a similarly poorly defined measure.

Good reviews of flashlights and headlamps can be found at http://www.flashlightreviews.com/. Headlamp reviews are at http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews_index/reviews_index_headlamps.htm. The reviewer applies consistent criteria across units and manufacturers and is a very good source for making cross-manufacturer comparisons. Many of his analyses include non-obvious features and info not available from the manufacturer.

Doug

My old Tikka has the switch problem and I lost the plastic LED covering. Other than that, it works OK for what it is.

I typically use a BD xenix IQ now while using the tikka for working on my house, car, bike, etc. I had a Petzl Myo 3 at Rainier which was good except it was very heavy.

Jay

I have both a Princeton Tec Yukon HL and a Petxl Myo XP. Yeah, I know. I like both but really love the Myo. Great little light. If anyone is interested in buying a Yukon HL that has been treated very nicely, let me know. Actually I also have a older Petxl duo that I converted to leds that is available for sale as well.

Keith

Tikka + and XP

If price is on your mind get the original Tikka. If you want somthing you can confidently hike at night with, cough up the cash for the Tikka+ or XP. While the XP is much better for distance, I have successfully used the Tikka+ for 2 years on many a night hike. If noises off in the distance freak you out, get the XP and shine the booster mode on the situation.

Tikka Plus is a great light. The switch on the old models, Tikka, were defective but htis Tikka Pluss is great. I was surprised how much more light it gets than the Tikka since it now has 4 LEDs vs the 3 in the Tikka.

I have been using my Tikka Plus for the past 4 months, the batteries are still good. I use my light for working on the car, in my closets and as my main light source camping.

I have also had my Tikka for many years and love it. In all I have the Princeton Tec that Doug mentioned, two Tikka's, and a Duo Belt 5 for the winter. I have a few other non-LED headlamps as well, but I never use them anymore.

I like the Tikka, and it's been a workhorse (kicked around, submerged many times, stepped on, you name it), but I love the extra settings on the PT.

If I had to choose today, I'd definitely look for one with multiple settings and adjustable headlight bezel, no doubt about it.

I have had a TacTikka for a year or two. I love it. I would get another in a minute.

I have Princeton Tec Aurora. I dig it. The button takes a little getting used to, but it seems a little sturdier than the Tikka...I think those two are directly related.

Jkrew81 said:

If noises off in the distance freak you out, get the XP and shine the booster mode on the situation.

Click to expand...

The boost mode is especially useful for those nights, your tired because its 2AM and its raining and your trying to do a river crossing and are looking for the best route across. Not an easy task in the pitch black. The boost mode helps find a good spot to cross, sometimes even helps find the right spot.

Keith

I have the XP also and I agree the booster button is BRIGHT!!! Although it could be a bit pricey (I think I paid 50 bucks), I like how you can switch from wide to more focused light, and the booster I already mentioned is a great feature.

SAR-EMT40 said:

The boost mode is especially useful for those nights, your tired because its 2AM and its raining and your trying to do a river crossing and are looking for the best route across. Not an easy task in the pitch black. The boost mode helps find a good spot to cross, sometimes even helps find the right spot.

Click to expand...

The OP appeared to be asking about the lower intenstity lights rather than the brighter ones. (As noted earlier, the Princeton Tech Aurora is my favorite in this category.)

The Princeton Tec Apex appears to be the king-of-the-bright-light-hill of the moment. It can run ~3W continuously, the Petzl Myo XP can only do it for 20 sec or so. (The XP runs more like 1W in continuous operation at its high setting.)

My favorite-of-the-moment bright lights are the 1W BD Zenix IQ (for general hiking) and the 1W Priceton Tec Yukon HL for fast XC skiing (can throw a beam farther because it is focusable).

If you want brigher LED headlamps, check out caving lights. Orienteering and bike lights can be up to 40W (IIRC).

Don't forget--the brigher the light, the shorter your battery life.

Doug

DougPaul said:

If you want brigher LED headlamps, check out caving lights. Orienteering and bike lights can be up to 40W (IIRC).

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Yea but if I am thinking of the lights you are talking about.... you don't want to be carrying that battery pack, especially on your head.

Keith

DougPaul said:

If you want brigher LED headlamps, check out caving lights. Orienteering and bike lights can be up to 40W (IIRC).

Click to expand...

SAR-EMT40 said:

Yea but if I am thinking of the lights you are talking about.... you don't want to be carrying that battery pack, especially on your head.

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Don't think I really want to carry them either. But my Petzl Duo was the belt version--I liked having the battery pack in my pocket (even if I only had 4 lithium AAs in it).

My 6/10/16 W bike light with a 6 AH 6V NiCad battery weighs 1 lb 12 oz. (The newer NiMH version is 1 lb 7 oz.) Not for the (other kind of) ultra-lighters, but carryable if you wanted some serious light. I suspect I would carry the battery in my pack or on a shoulder strap...

Doug

DougPaul said:

But my Petzl Duo was the belt version--I liked having the battery pack in my pocket

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My Duo was the one with the pack on the pack of the head. I always wanted the one with battery pack off of the head. Hated trying to read with that lump on the back of my head laying in the sleeping bag. Used it for many years and really think highly of it. Converted it to LED's on the low power side.

Keith

SAR-EMT40 said:

My Duo ... <snip> ... Used it for many years and really think highly of it. Converted it to LED's on the low power side.

Click to expand...

Same here--my second headlamp. (The first was a Justrite focusable.) I rather liked the focusable high-power beam and the broad low-power beam. A combination that has not been matched on a multi-intensity LED light.

One of the things that I liked about the external battery pack was that the cable functioned as a leash--if the headlamp got knocked/fell off, the headlamp didn't go anywhere.

Doug