Help! Petzl sucks what should I do??

Me and a fellow researcher bought a Petzl Tikka and a Tikka XP for a trip to Belize in January. Belize is home to 9 extremely venomous snakes and we were in a jungle outpost 7 miles from the nearest road. Needless to say a reliable headlamp is a necessity! We thought we researched headlamps and made a good choice but once down there we were severely disappointed with our costly lamps. Others, who had paid roughly $20 at Wal-Mart had lamps with beams that seemed to be easily twice as bright. We contacted Petzl and they told us we should have gotten the MYO XP for $80. This is way too much for a headlamp! Does anyone know of any good deals on headlamps with with over 30 lumens (unlike our Petzls) for less that $80.

Everyong loves their Zebralights, not much throw as they are all flood but for close to medium range they are fantastic. 3lm - 66lm uses single AA. $50 for premium model.

You might want to check out the Rayovac Sportsman 1AA. It might be putting out around 30 lumens, plus it has red and blue LEDs. The main problem with this one is that the main beam cuts out suddenly when the voltage drops to some point. You can still use the red LEDs to find a new battery, so you won't be left in the dark. Also, the swing away diffuser lens is a nice touch. These are about $18 at Walmart. There's a thread here about them with more info than you'll want to read.

Geoff

P.S. Welcome to CPF

:welcome:

Seems like you want something with a high power LED. Though there aren't too many with the current gen high power LEDs.

Check out the Rayovac Sportsman 1 AA headlamp. Seems to be a good deal.

Don't worry, if you stick around here long enough, $80 would seem like a great price for a light.

Flash-nubie said:

Does anyone know of any good deals on headlamps with with over 30 lumens (unlike our Petzls) for less that $80.

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Isn't the PT Apex only $60-70 over there? Or less? You could get one and a Seoul Cree to modify it with for less than $80.

:welcome:

First, I want to thank you all for welcoming me to CPF! What I'm looking for is something with a strong central beam that also has some side light as well. Looks like the zebra light is all central beam, but the cree sounds like it is a pretty important part of a good set-up. Are there any headlamps out there with a cree bulb that also have some side lighting as well??
Thanks again for the help everyone! I'm so glad I found this site!!!!!

Flash-nubie said:

First, I want to thank you all for welcoming me to CPF! What I'm looking for is something with a strong central beam that also has some side light as well. Looks like the zebra light is all central beam, but the cree sounds like it is a pretty important part of a good set-up. Are there any headlamps out there with a cree bulb that also have some side lighting as well??
Thanks again for the help everyone! I'm so glad I found this site!!!!!

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The Princeton TEC EOS would be a good choice. Strong throw with decent sidespill, runs 4 hour with constant brightness. Can be had on the street for $30 US.

Check it out on their website.

The Zebralight is pure flood, with no defined central beam. It is highly recommended for working within arm's length. YMMV using it for walking etc.

I love my Princeton Tec EOS. Great light!

(BTW, I agree about petzl. Way overrated)

--Matt

The new Energizer Hardcase Headlight supposedly has a Cree emitter. I think they are just starting to show up online for around $40.00. I read that they should be eventually (if not now) be available at Home Depot stores. I haven't seen any reviews yet, too soon I imagine. There is another thread with pictures and a link to site that has them for purchase.
I have a PT APEX Pro and I would consider it pretty bright in it's stock form. I'm waiting on a Seoul emitter to mod it. I elected to do so just because it appears to be a simple swap with the benefits of more output and supposedly longer runtimes. I must say that I am not impressed with the battery life on the PT APEX Pro (Lithium). Otherwise I really like the light.
Good Luck

I too am puzzeled with fascination with crappy Sporting good store Petzels. When Walmart had a $20 great 8 led Garrity (you need to order directly) 42 lumen 3 AA great throw and spill HD that can compete with an 80 lumen. Then there is the Stream light K2. Browning phantom 70 lumen.

Also puzzeled that people like a 1-2 hour running zebra that makes you near blind with detail beyond 5 foot, while Energizer has a great 50 hour 6 led magnifying Nichia based $14 at Walmart, with usable throw and useful flood. (my zebra skeptisicm is due to single cell and little optic--batts and optics are every bit as important as the emitter for brightness and usability.)

I am guessing heatsink, controller and size, are considerations for the raves of Petzel and Zebra. Maybe, I am missing another factor and need a tip.


But a 3 AA, good optic, direct drive with 100%, 75%, %50 %5 modes, wins hands down for use more than 2 hours a day. I like direct drive for reliability over a boost anyday, but would like to try a buck driver.

The Browning Phantom 70 is easily modded (per that thread) to 2 or 3 AA in parallel, but I suspect to far less working hours (probably 7.5 hr at 3AA v. 11 hour for garrity) than a 3 AA direct drive Garrity, due to one mode for main led, and driver efficiency loss, and driver voltage preference.