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As the nights draw in it's time to look at ways to illuminate the darkness.
I'm happy with my choice of bar lights and I'm looking for a head torch that's rechargeable, with an integrated battery, is bright enough to be useful when fixing mechanicals at the trail-side (and picking up dog poop on the evening walk) and small enough to fit in a small frame bag.
What can folk recommend?
Cheap Ultrafire cree 501b...once you have the charger (i i use a nitecore smart charger) & some decent 18650 batteries, they are cheap and sufficiently powerful for most applications: i us them for everything from helmet mount bike lights, dog walks, understairs torch etc etc
OK, to clarify, I don't want a helmet mount torch but I do want something I can use hands free.
Mind you, I would have thought the dog poop comment would have intimated that.
Petzl Actik Core is pretty small, and should be bright enough.
@doomanic, I don’t think nuke is referring to a helmet-mount specific light, he’s talking about a light that can be worn as a helmet mounted light, as well as general duties as a head-light:
they are cheap and sufficiently powerful for most applications: i us them for everything from helmet mount bike lights, dog walks, understairs torch etc etc
@CountZero OK, but I specifically asked for a head torch, not helmet torch, as one of the uses would be picking up poop. I have plenty of normal torches from diving that function extremely well as general torches but they aren't hands free.
@Houndlegs seems to have produced a winner.
Don't you wear a helmet when walking the dog? If you were to walk in to a low branch you'd be 100% at fault and will surely die if you're not wearing a helmet! If you wear a helmet then it's the trees fault and you'll be fine 🙂
Just picked up a couple of these at £22 each.
https://chilli-tech.com/content/cree-capsule-mountain-bike-helmet-light/
Head or helmet mountable. Does the job.
Led lenser SEO 5 or 7 - I have a couple of these, great lights, easily available spare batteries etc, and a good company to deal with if you have any problems.
they come with a headband, but a helmet clip is available as a spare.
Alpkit are taking pre-order for a new headtorch due out at the beginning of November; the Qark with 580 lumens output on high - £29.
I am tempted to get one for running.
https://www.alpkit.com/products/qark
Depends what your needs are in terms of output, but if you want small, rechargeable and bright enough for most things short of full-on off-road running, the Black Diamond Iota is super compact, USB-rechargeable headtorch that you can pick ups for around 30 quid in the real world - the SRP is £40.
https://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_GB/headlamps-and-lanterns/iota-BD620628_cfg.html
Brilliant for just sticking in a pack or saddle-bag just in case, but bright enough to be useable when you do need it. Only weighs 56g.