Head lamps have come a long way since we were on our last scouting trip. No longer do you need to have a glorified Mag Lite strapped to your head, bobbing around and weighing your head down.
On a recent hunt for a new and more reliable but lightweight headlamp, we went to one of the local distributors of Petzl here in Manila, Philippines. There I found a the new Tikka. Petzl’s new Tikka Plus 2 has opened our eyes and become quite a convenient piece of gear to have around.
On a recent hunt for a new and more reliable but lightweight headlamp, we went to one of the local distributors of Petzl here in Manila, Philippines. There I found a the new Tikka. Petzl’s new Tikka Plus 2 has opened our eyes and become quite a convenient piece of gear to have around.The Tikka Plus 2 features:
- Quick adjust headband, with ADAPT mounting system.
- LED lighting with four different modes: High, Low, Blinking, and Red.
- 50 Lumen max output.
- 35 meter max lighting distance.
- Up to 140 hour battery life.
- Tiltable lamp head.
What does this mean to you? Well, pretty much that the Tikka Plus 2 is going to replace your flashlight. We found it to be light on our heads, extremely comfortable, and functional for getting things done. Tasks that would normally require giving up a hand to a flashlight became, dare we say, light years easier, working under the sink, night time runs, walking the dog at night, finding said dog’s poop at 11:30pm, etc. It will perform equally well in the great outdoors no doubt, and with summer and el nino bearing down it will be key for the inevitable power outages. Honestly if you don’t get your use out of this within short order you need to get up off the couch.
I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I amwith Coleman's Exponent Headlamp. Coleman says of their hadlamp:"Coleman’s new Exponent® line of battery-powered headlamps merges convenience with rugged quality. These bright LED lights featuring LEDs are lightweight, durably constructed, and were created to meet the demands of today’s adventure lifestyles. Beyond their rugged functionality, they are easy to use, easy to pack, easy to carry, and relatively easy on the pocketbook."Features:
- Bright .5-watt white LUXEON® LED shines for approximately16-hours
- Two white ultra bright .5-watt LEDs for diffused area light light for around nine hours
- Together, the three white LEDs provide a wide-beam path of light for up to five hours
- Two red .5-watt LEDs for enhanced night vision and will burn for up to eight hours
- Emergency strobe mode will flash for up to 12 hours
- Three straps on headband for added comfort
- Operates on 3AAA alkaline batteries, included
- Weighs 4.5 ounces including batteries
When after I used it ONCE, it malfucntioned and wouldn't light up anymore. I had to send it back to coleman where it took ONE MONTH before I got it back. It was ik after that, except that on the third or 5th use, the locks for the battery pack snapped! Such brittle material. It had to be taped in order to fucntion "NORMALLY" again. Soon after, the red signal light just won't turn off after you switched it on! ARGH! What a headache!
On the other hand, the Kovea SuperDuo 2 Head Torch is a multi purpose, waterproof, head mounted torch utilising two bulb options - 1 x Standard Krypton bulb giving good illumination up to 30m for up to 30hrs and the other a very bright Halogen globe giving illumination up to 100m for up to 6 hrs. This is a high quality reliable item that we have used with excellent feedback on its performance and reliability. It uses 4 D-type batteries.
with the Coleman Exponent Headlamp
with the Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp 
with the Kovea Super Duo 2 Headlamp
Petzl Tikka 2 Plus' Red Signal Light
Coleman Exponent's Red Signal Light
The Broken battery pack locks (on both sides, yeech!)
On the other hand, the Kovea SuperDuo 2 Head Torch is a multi purpose, waterproof, head mounted torch utilising two bulb options - 1 x Standard Krypton bulb giving good illumination up to 30m for up to 30hrs and the other a very bright Halogen globe giving illumination up to 100m for up to 6 hrs. This is a high quality reliable item that we have used with excellent feedback on its performance and reliability. It uses 4 D-type batteries.The Petzl and Kovea headlamps are of great quality. Depending on your type of adventure, both headlamps can provide you with ample illumination, not to mention comfort and durability. The Kovea superduo2 is perfect for spelunking, while the Petzl Tikka 2 Plus is great for hiking because of its lightweight design. On a far note, the high beam of Kovea's Superduo2 is also perfect for a night trek.
with the Coleman Exponent Headlamp with the Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp with the Kovea Super Duo 2 Headlamp
Petzl Tikka 2 Plus' Red Signal Light
Coleman Exponent's Red Signal LightAuthor's notes: For those of you who are serious runners or cyclists, you can get a red signal light to pair with the Tikka Plus2 and the Coleman Exponent. The Super Duo 2 of Kovea does not have the red light feature.
No comments:
Post a Comment