Petzl Myo XP...disappointing...

I opened up my Myo XP to mod it last night. It was easy to open...just remove the 4 Phillips screws and you can crack it open without much effort. It had an SV1K star in it so I decided to replace the emitter with a TWOH. I was disappointed to find that only the switch area has any kind of weatherproofing built into it. The yellow rubber shroud covers the switches like an umbrella. Past the shroud, there are no other rubber seals or weatherproofing.

Interesting. I almost bought the Petzl Myo XP but ended up purchasing the Tikka XP. I also looked to see if they were really weather proof, which I assume that they are. When I opend up the Tikka XP to install batteries, I noticed that the O-Ring encircling the "housing" was bone dry! Even wiped it to see if any residue would come off of it. None. . .So I just used simple petroleum white grease. Then ran it in the shower and drowned it for about an hour. Came out working fine. . .But like you state in regards to the "rubber seals or weatherproofing" of your Myo XP, I was puzzled likewise with mine.

grnamin. The XP is not rated as waterproof and is a disappointment. I also had a SV1K and swapped it for a TWOJ.

sunspot said:

grnamin. The XP is not rated as waterproof and is a disappointment. I also had a SV1K and swapped it for a TWOJ.

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You're right, Dana. According to the Myo XP's literature, it's supposed to be "water resistant for all-weather use", but I wouldn't trust it in a downpour.

Is the Myo XP disappointing only because of it's lack of proper weatherproofing? I'm very happy with mine but I'll be careful with it because of what you've posted here. My jacket hood has a stiffened peak which covers the Myo XP so I think I should be ok even in the worst weather.

Is it easy to change the Luxeon in the Myo XP and does it make a big difference?

Cheers!

Wow. This is really making me second guess getting one.

Jiffy said:

Is the Myo XP disappointing only because of it's lack of proper weatherproofing? I'm very happy with mine but I'll be careful with it because of what you've posted here. My jacket hood has a stiffened peak which covers the Myo XP so I think I should be ok even in the worst weather.

Is it easy to change the Luxeon in the Myo XP and does it make a big difference?

Cheers!

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The Myo XP is disappointing because of the lack of proper weatherproofing and the lack of regulation. It's easy to change out the Luxeon. Would be best if you could swap out the star with another star. When I soldered the TW0H emitter onto the old star, I had to jury rig it for a good connection. It's an easier swap if you have a Luxeon Star.

grnamin said:

The Myo XP is disappointing because of the lack of proper weatherproofing and the lack of regulation.

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Curious why these attributes are important to you. Do you cave? Night bike/kayak/???

Just my 0.02 on the subject of weatherproofing; I'm a field biologist and all my gear gets wet, from dipped to rained on.
My experience with electronics that get wet is that they fail sooner or later from corrison or other related issues. Because of this I use a waterproof PT Apex...

I belive the disappoinment is caused, as is often the case, by a good product where shortcuts and penny-saving prevents it from being a great product. Putting in an O-ring, some thought and regulation wouldn't have been that expensive and would've made the Myo XP a lot better IMHO...

Sverre

Is the Myo XP much brighter than the Tikka XP? How about tint, are they consistently white or bluish?

hank_moon said:

Curious why these attributes are important to you. Do you cave? Night bike/kayak/???

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I like backpacking in adverse weather conditions.

Trashman said:

Is the Myo XP much brighter than the Tikka XP? How about tint, are they consistently white or bluish?

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here is a review of the myo xp
here is a review of the tikka xp

myo XP had a overall rating of 21 on high, 45 on boost
tikka XP had an overall rating of 6.5 on high and 29 on boost.

as a comparison the new arc had an overall of 5.2

Thanks for the links!

I was never disappointed in my myo xp until I got it wet once. Completely quit working for 2 days. It was only a light drizzle too. Later, the wire from the battery box got a short in it, but thats a different story.

A few years ago, I found a Tikka XP buried under rocks at the bottom of a cave streamway.
It must have been there a long time since it was covered in mud 'concretions', and that doesn't seem to happen rapidly.

It had ended up full of water, but despite the length of immersion the only damage was to one of the switches, which had internally corroded, and until being replaced, the light could only be operated by pressing both buttons at once. The circuit board itself was completely clean and unblemished - had the switches had a touch of suitable oil inside, I think they'd probably have both been fine despite their ordeal.
The battery contacts had only superficial rust on (coming from the cells) and were easy to clean.