Alpkit torches are good, and their Qark is currently down to £27.99

Qark 580 Lumen USB Rechargeable Head Torch | Alpkit

I have two qarks they are very good light-wise, but both of the wee tabs that hold the battery compartment closed have cracked, I wouldn't buy another tbh.

Petzl are our go-to. The 'classic' Tikka range are in your price. USB rechargeable if you buy the 'core' version, which does cost a bit more. Very reliable for us, had them for years with no issues and not had to change the rechargeable battery yet. Actik Core has multiple beams/settings including red light, can be found for about £45, but not really necessary if just walking.

Cool, thanks.

Decathlon 300 lumen head torch (internal rechargeable battery) had mine a year, works fine.. their (body) Kiprun torch is also well recommended for runners.
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Ideally I'd have said Petzl Bindi, but it's out of your price range - it's neat, light, bright enough for walking or running and USB chargeable. If your missus is going to be using the torch regularly it's arguably worth spending a little more for a rechargeable one rather than messing about with separate batteries. If the price is fixed, a Tikka is a safe buy.

I haven't broken my Quark, but then I tend to use either a Bindi or a Swift RL depending on how much light I need / whether I need something small and light.

The Quark is good but the headband is rubbish, and the buttons / controls are too stiff, but in terms of lumens for lira its good.

I'd say the Petzl Tikka is a good bet. I have a Petzl Swift, Actik and Tikka, the Tikka is well made, compact, sufficiently bright and fuss free.

controls are too stiff

Aye, that beam focus dial is a 2 handed affair.

I have two qarks they are very good light-wise, but both of the wee tabs that hold the battery compartment closed have cracked, I wouldn’t buy another tbh.

Are you sure you mean the Quark? It only has one battery tab. Are you maybe thinking of the original Alpkit Gamma which was notorious for breaking the tabs on the battery box. The Quark is/was an all-in-one design.

I have a variety of headtorches gathered over the years.  Petzel stuff is very good IMO -I currently have a bindi - very light, bright enough for my use very user freindly as its rechargeable of USB so can be charged off the powerbank I would be carrying anyway  tikka and tinkina - very similar, long runtimes but use AA batteries

I have had head torches from other manufacturers - just not the same quality

personally given my experience i would tend not to look beyond petzl - Bindi if its for multi day use doe to ease of recharging.  If its just for single days and return to home tikka

I have a bindi and an actik core.

bindi is tiny, bright enough for walking etc. but not great for running. i usually take it as a spare. i'd say its not that comfortable worn next to the skin. ok for short periods but not extended use.

actik is great, bright enough for trail running, core rechargable cell works really well and you can easily take a spare or use AAA's in a bind.

Aye, I've a couple of Bindi's too, agree with Jam Bo, not really up to running, but great for walking, and perfect for camping as they're so light.

Aye, I’ve a couple of Bindi’s too, agree with Jam Bo, not really up to running, but great for walking, and perfect for camping as they’re so light.

Depends on the running really. Fine on smooth, non-technical surfaces ime, not ideal for technical, uneven terrain.

I'd look at Petzl's as well, and it's pretty hard to beat the Tikka really. I've got a Silva Trail Runner and that's been very good, but it's more money than you want to spend, even if you find it reduced

We all have Tikka and Tikka + in the oab household.

I have had 40 torches in the DofE store - 30 Alpkit and 5 coleman and 5 Petzl.

I keep binning Alpkit torches as the battery boxes or some such similar is not designed carefully enough.

The Coleman and Petzl's refuse to die - and they get the same treatment.

Tikka - under £25, 300 lumen- 9h at 100lm, 2h on 300lm

Thrunite H01

Best head-torch I’ve ever owned and I’ve been through a fair few. Cost me £23. The firefly mode is very useful if you don’t want to be blinded, or wish to look in pet’s/kid’s/spouse’s etc ears/eyes etc.

Mrs P has one also. It works as a torch or worklight/nightlight also as comes out of the headstrap if required. Also has a magnetic tailcap. Rechargeable. Long runtimes. Floody not spotty. Waterproof (IPX-8)

We’ve got a few Coleman ones from go Outdoors that work pretty well. Used them on Dartmoor and in Snowdonia. Think they weee about £20-25ish. Alpkit ones get good reviews but never used them. Otherwise Petzl have always been good to me over the years.

I like my Alpkit Viper headtorch,
Use it nightly for unlit dog walks by the river and has a useful range of beams.
(Have snapped many Quarks and haven't forgiven my wife for losing an LED Lenser at a scout camp).

You need to budget for rechargable batteries though.
I use Eneloop AAA batteries and a smart charger, recharging weekly.

Where to source a thrunite h01? struggling to find anywhere in stock

I looked before when it was recommended in another thread and couldn't find it anywhere. Bought the alpkit qark instead and that's been great so far.

Decathlon one been good for me. 2 previous Alpkit ones failed eventually so wouldn't buy another.

The Decathlon 300lumen one +1

£5 over budge but mines survived years of camping, cycling, walking, working under cars, working at work, etc.

The "low" mode is actually really useful as it's a couple of small LED's pointing down so you can read a map etc without being either blinded or having to adjust the angle (also great for doing fiddly stuff like soldering in less than perfect conditions). And they're just about enough to walk by without ruining your night vision too if you don't want to turn the main beam on.

The main beam is nice enough to ride by, although it doesn't play well with bike helmets.

Only negatives (and these would apply to 95% of head torches).
Why is the battery indicator not a slightly brighter red LED, then it would be a more useful safety feature on the road. And I'd like a red LED option on the low setting to completely preserve night vision when you just need it to check something but are happy to walk by moonlight.

Olight Perun Mini.

Are you sure you mean the Quark? It only has one battery tab. Are you maybe thinking of the original Alpkit Gamma which was notorious for breaking the tabs on the battery box.

No issues with Qarks here, but I was on first name terms with the staff with the old Gamma - luckily I was close enough to pop in every time it broke

cheers all. Bought a Petzl Actik 350lm in the end, as it was available locally. Not tested it yet but should be enough.

I have a few head torches. The one that gets used the most is the Petzl Zipka.

This is because it's so neat and tidy when it's not being used - it just sits snugly in a pocket or bag without having any dangly bits getting knotted up. This also means it's easy to use in the hand if you just need it for a couple of seconds.

Just here to amuse myself at the idea of a mid-level head torch being one that you perch on the end of your nose.

Also OP - you can't really go wrong with a Petzl. A few times in the past I've tried other brands but in the end I always seem to find a Petzl on my head.

Petzl Tikka user here too. Top piece of kit

@properbikeco

Where to source a thrunite h01? struggling to find anywhere in stock

Yes also drawn a blank sorry, it seems the Amazon seller has sold out, they were at sale price for ages.

Actually, mine is the ACTIK apparently!

And I’d like a red LED option on the low setting to completely preserve night vision when you just need it to check something but are happy to walk by moonlight.

Green is better, you can read contours!

Alpkit Viper, have half a dozen now (always carry two, ratehr than carry one plus spare batteries).

Alpkit Viper, have half a dozen now

Struggles to see how 6 x £25 rechargeable torches are a better option than 1 x £25 headtorch/torch with extra rechargeable/replaceable 16340 battery/batteries?

What am I missing?

Struggles to see how 6 x £25 rechargeable torches are a better option than 1 x £25 headtorch/torch with a rechargeable/replaceable battery?

What am I missing?

I'll always have 2 when hiking at this time of year, and a spare set of batteries too, in case one head unit fails.

6? who knows.

Are you sure you mean the Quark? It only has one battery tab. Are you maybe thinking of the original Alpkit Gamma which was notorious for breaking the tabs on the battery box. The Quark is/was an all-in-one design.

@BadlyWiredDog Aye, I mean the battery box locking tab had broken on both of my qarks, there's wee embossed lettering on the tab, both have cracked through the lettering on the first time of opening (a fingernail underneath, so not exactly much leverage).

Good lights otherwise, that's the only let down.

6? who knows.

Leave one in the toolbox, one in the workshop, two in my rucksack, two in the wife's rucksack.