Hope these pics work right. Note: I am not a pro reviewer. I don't know if this light would be a great match for a spelunker, or mountain climber, etc. I know it works good for bike riding, and as a work light. Don't trust your life on my review! I also didn't use the flash on my camera because it made the dark blues look bright blue. The colors below are very close to the actuals.
Just got a new Petzl Myo XP LED Headlamp. This is Petzel's brand new 3 watt Luxeon Star model LED light. I purchased it at REI with a 20% off coupon for a total around $56. Not the cheapest light, but none of the Luxeon Star equipped models from any of the manufacturers are. With the coupon though, it came out pretty good.
Like most headlamps, this one has a plastic housed light adjustable in a frame and battery compartment. While I can appreciate the tough feeling of metal parts, the weight to strength ratio is not as conducive when your neck has to bear all the weight. Even being plastic, it appears very robust in construction, however it is obvious that Petzl does not want you to mess with the insides as the frame is held on with "bathroom stall" type screws (you know, the kind you need a special tool to put on and are meant to screw in one direction only even with the tool).
The honeycomb-ish front lens is for flood lighting and can be flipped down for narrower, longer throw, spot lighting. Here it is halfway flipped down to show how it works.
According to Petzl, it is water resistant (no depth rating, but I've dunked other Petzl lights rated as water resistant with no long lasting ill-effects after it's dried and I'm sure this one is no different in that regard. The battery case holds three AA batteries (comes with 3 AA alkalines in package) and is rated to last 70 hours on high, 90 on med, and 170 on low (2.9 days, 3.75 days, 7 days are easier to think). I haven't tested it myself, but I will be happy if they last half this long. The battery compartment is not watertight, but will shed a good rain, and would be easy to shake out if it does get dunked. The cord is partially coiled and of heavy duty quality.
Petzl does not rate in lumens like Surefire or others do but rather the distance it will illuminate too. In this case, 45meter, 35m, and 20 meters (high, med, low) and I assume in spot mode. In either case, it seems to be about half as bright as my Surefire L4 with the mark one eyeball test. I don't have a light meter and my kids have hidden my L4 somewhere so this is just a WAG on brightness.
Here is a wall shot on high and spot at about 6 ft (~2 meters). Note: the wall is NOT white, but salmon colored (though you cant tell) and makes the light look a bit darker than it is. Plus there was sunlight sneaking around the drapes when I took the pics so the camera's auto mode probably shut the aperture a bit. The inner corona is about a foot across and with second slightly dimmer corona is about 2 ft across.
Here is the same distance shot on high with the flood diffuser flipped up: The diffuser does a great job spreading out the light. The whole damn wall is evenly lit.
There is also boost mode in which the light will kick out a claimed 50% more light with the caveat that it will only do so for about 20 seconds before a temperature regulator will kick in and shut it back to normal settings regardless of whether you hold the switch on. My eyeball test says about 25%, but it is noticeably brighter when used. The boost switch is the smaller switch to the left.
Notice also how the lamp head is adjustable in angle from the frame. It is ratcheted to hold the position you set it to. When the headlamp is pushed all the way into the frame, the buttons are protected from accidental pressing (like when packed in luggage). You wouldn't actually wear it pressed all the way in or the light would be pointing way up in the sky when on your forehead.
The headband is a dark blue embroidered elastic band with plastic hardware. It also comes with another thin band you can put across the middle if you desire, but this headlamp is very light in weight (175 grams or 6 ounces with batteries). Even with violent shakings of my head, I could not dislodge it (at least not without hurting myself). The Luxeon LED is slightly tinged with green, just like my Surefire L4. Wish it weren't but, like the L4, in normal usage, it isn't a big deal.
There isn't any regulation that I'm aware of. It will slowly get dimmer as the battery wears. At certain battery levels, it automatically jumps to next setting. There is also a tiny led to the right of the main switch that blinks green until down to about 70%, then orange to about 90% discharge. I assume the no-regulation was a trade off for simplicity/price. Not a big deal to me, but other's demand regulation.
There main switch works like this. One click, high, next click med, next click low, amd finally next click blinking. The alternate way it works is you quickly press the switch 2, 3, or 4 times, and it goes straight from off to whichever setting without having to go from high down to whatever.
The part of the battery holder that contacts your head is bare plastic contoured to curve with the rear of your head. For most people with hair, it's no big deal, but I wear my hair high and tight and the plastic might get irritating after a long wear. A simple piece of stick on foam will cure that.
Behind the front piece frame/shell, the strap runs behind it to help cushion it against your forehead. Still has edges of bare plastic which contact skin, but seems comfortable, for the max time I've worn it (about an hour) while playing with it.
Initial Pro/cons:
Pro's:
-Lighter"weight compared to other models brands of same light output.
-3 watt Luxeon
-Very flat/short on the front (it doesn't stick out far at all maybe 1.2 inches)
-3rd (over the top) strap if you want to use it.
-Actually comes with a set of alkaline batteries to get you started
-Excellent diffuser that spreads the light evenly over a wide area.
-Diffuser is not a separate piece to get lost (flip it up or down)
Cons:
-Not regulated.
-Some tinge of green in the LED color (seems pretty much standard with the luxeon lotto)
-Some bare plastic that might irritate the skin (minor quibble cause I don't have hair like most people)
-I can sometimes see the very tip (it's there so you can catch it with a fingertip) of the glowing diffuser when it is flipped down. (A black sharpie would cure this)
Conclusion: Excellent headlamp!
Just got a new Petzl Myo XP LED Headlamp. This is Petzel's brand new 3 watt Luxeon Star model LED light. I purchased it at REI with a 20% off coupon for a total around $56. Not the cheapest light, but none of the Luxeon Star equipped models from any of the manufacturers are. With the coupon though, it came out pretty good.
Like most headlamps, this one has a plastic housed light adjustable in a frame and battery compartment. While I can appreciate the tough feeling of metal parts, the weight to strength ratio is not as conducive when your neck has to bear all the weight. Even being plastic, it appears very robust in construction, however it is obvious that Petzl does not want you to mess with the insides as the frame is held on with "bathroom stall" type screws (you know, the kind you need a special tool to put on and are meant to screw in one direction only even with the tool).
The honeycomb-ish front lens is for flood lighting and can be flipped down for narrower, longer throw, spot lighting. Here it is halfway flipped down to show how it works.
According to Petzl, it is water resistant (no depth rating, but I've dunked other Petzl lights rated as water resistant with no long lasting ill-effects after it's dried and I'm sure this one is no different in that regard. The battery case holds three AA batteries (comes with 3 AA alkalines in package) and is rated to last 70 hours on high, 90 on med, and 170 on low (2.9 days, 3.75 days, 7 days are easier to think). I haven't tested it myself, but I will be happy if they last half this long. The battery compartment is not watertight, but will shed a good rain, and would be easy to shake out if it does get dunked. The cord is partially coiled and of heavy duty quality.
Petzl does not rate in lumens like Surefire or others do but rather the distance it will illuminate too. In this case, 45meter, 35m, and 20 meters (high, med, low) and I assume in spot mode. In either case, it seems to be about half as bright as my Surefire L4 with the mark one eyeball test. I don't have a light meter and my kids have hidden my L4 somewhere so this is just a WAG on brightness.
Here is a wall shot on high and spot at about 6 ft (~2 meters). Note: the wall is NOT white, but salmon colored (though you cant tell) and makes the light look a bit darker than it is. Plus there was sunlight sneaking around the drapes when I took the pics so the camera's auto mode probably shut the aperture a bit. The inner corona is about a foot across and with second slightly dimmer corona is about 2 ft across.
Here is the same distance shot on high with the flood diffuser flipped up: The diffuser does a great job spreading out the light. The whole damn wall is evenly lit.
There is also boost mode in which the light will kick out a claimed 50% more light with the caveat that it will only do so for about 20 seconds before a temperature regulator will kick in and shut it back to normal settings regardless of whether you hold the switch on. My eyeball test says about 25%, but it is noticeably brighter when used. The boost switch is the smaller switch to the left.
Notice also how the lamp head is adjustable in angle from the frame. It is ratcheted to hold the position you set it to. When the headlamp is pushed all the way into the frame, the buttons are protected from accidental pressing (like when packed in luggage). You wouldn't actually wear it pressed all the way in or the light would be pointing way up in the sky when on your forehead.
The headband is a dark blue embroidered elastic band with plastic hardware. It also comes with another thin band you can put across the middle if you desire, but this headlamp is very light in weight (175 grams or 6 ounces with batteries). Even with violent shakings of my head, I could not dislodge it (at least not without hurting myself). The Luxeon LED is slightly tinged with green, just like my Surefire L4. Wish it weren't but, like the L4, in normal usage, it isn't a big deal.
There isn't any regulation that I'm aware of. It will slowly get dimmer as the battery wears. At certain battery levels, it automatically jumps to next setting. There is also a tiny led to the right of the main switch that blinks green until down to about 70%, then orange to about 90% discharge. I assume the no-regulation was a trade off for simplicity/price. Not a big deal to me, but other's demand regulation.
There main switch works like this. One click, high, next click med, next click low, amd finally next click blinking. The alternate way it works is you quickly press the switch 2, 3, or 4 times, and it goes straight from off to whichever setting without having to go from high down to whatever.
The part of the battery holder that contacts your head is bare plastic contoured to curve with the rear of your head. For most people with hair, it's no big deal, but I wear my hair high and tight and the plastic might get irritating after a long wear. A simple piece of stick on foam will cure that.
Behind the front piece frame/shell, the strap runs behind it to help cushion it against your forehead. Still has edges of bare plastic which contact skin, but seems comfortable, for the max time I've worn it (about an hour) while playing with it.
Initial Pro/cons:
Pro's:
-Lighter"weight compared to other models brands of same light output.
-3 watt Luxeon
-Very flat/short on the front (it doesn't stick out far at all maybe 1.2 inches)
-3rd (over the top) strap if you want to use it.
-Actually comes with a set of alkaline batteries to get you started
-Excellent diffuser that spreads the light evenly over a wide area.
-Diffuser is not a separate piece to get lost (flip it up or down)
Cons:
-Not regulated.
-Some tinge of green in the LED color (seems pretty much standard with the luxeon lotto)
-Some bare plastic that might irritate the skin (minor quibble cause I don't have hair like most people)
-I can sometimes see the very tip (it's there so you can catch it with a fingertip) of the glowing diffuser when it is flipped down. (A black sharpie would cure this)
Conclusion: Excellent headlamp!
