So far I've managed with my Petal Zipka Plus. It's apparently 70 lumens on the brightest setting, which isn't too bad at (my) running speed. However, it is a bit "floody" and the wee elastic cord that substitutes for a headband isn't great at holding it in place. I'm thinking that a H7 might do both fir running and as a decent headtorch fir cycling.
I have 2 petzl tika plus, I wear one on my head and one round my waist, two sources of light give better perspective to uneven surfaces. The second waist light also means that I can see my foot placement in my peripheral vision as I would when running in daylight.
I got a 300 lumen one by Coast from SP for £25, focussable and adjustable brightness.
It's awesome, all I need to do now is use it.
I got the one stever suggested and have been very impressed so far. Heavier than the gamma but the weight is balanced out and the beam is good. Massive wide flood with a bright spot in the middle. Obviously anything less than 1000 lumens will be useless 😉
Thought I'd best return to this one....
Following some of the advice on here I bought a LED Lenser H7. Tried it out tonight for the first time and it is just superb. On the Wide beam setting there's a bright spot in the middle and a halo that is ideal for making out the edge of the track/path. On Spot all the light is concentrated in the middle and reach is great. I'm finding that even the lowest setting is better than the Zipka. The weight is better balanced too (battery at the back) and the swivel on the light keeps it shining on the right area.
What would make it perfect would be a wee red, rear-facing LED on the battery casing.
Really looking forward to using it more now and I'll probably use it as backup on the HTR in May.
I was looking for a new brighter headlamp after reading through this thread, and found this one, which is less bulky than most of the superbright zoomable lights:
http://dx.com/p/kr-t6-2-x-cree-xm-l-t6-1200lm-3-mode-white-headlamp-black-grey-1-2-x-18650-223120#.UrnYQ38gGK0
Or this one:
http://dx.com/p/cree-xm-l-t6-1000lm-3-mode-cool-white-light-headlamp-black-1-x-18650-2-x-18650-175504
Or this:
http://dx.com/p/new-577-cree-xp-e-r2-2-mode-270lm-white-led-headlamp-black-3-x-aa-154369
http://dx.com/p/cree-xp-c-r5-xr-e-r5-280lm-5-mode-white-light-led-headlamp-134276#.UrnaOH8gGK0
Count - that first one looks good, but twice the weight of the Gamma...
That's why I put up the other ones as well; 270/280lm ought to be quite bright enough, and they're very cheap.
How stable are these things? The beam on the cheapo I bought wobbles around far to much for running.
Just run holding a torch.
I use the USE joystick
Yup despite having a number of head torches I tend to run with an Exposure Diablo mostly now. Not for the brightness, but because it's not a eye level so the light isn't just reflected back into the eyes on misty evenings and so that I don't have to point my head where I want the light to go. Also if it's pissing down with rain / snow then the beam of a head torch tends to get blocked by the hat peak.
That said, if you need to keep both hands free, then it's not such a great option.
petzl nao for me.it's not cheap but the reactive lighting works amazingly well for running and the battery last ages
If you're handy with a soldering iron you could always add an led at the back?
Thoroughly recommend Silva Trail Runner 2. 140 lumens. £54 from Above & Beyond. A USB charging version is also available for a bit more. Very stable, light and nicely balanced.
I got the one stever suggested and have been very impressed so far. Heavier than the gamma but the weight is balanced out and the beam is good. Massive wide flood with a bright spot in the middle. Obviously anything less than 1000 lumens will be useless
Mine's still going well after 3 months. Low beam is great and I'd imagine would last for hours on something like a BGR leg. A bit heavy after say 80-90 mins. Which is fine because that's when the monsters come out and it's too far to be running anyway 😉
Has anyone bought from Lightmalls.com?
[url= http://www.lightmalls.com/new-1400-lumen-cree-xm-l-t6-3-modes-rechargeable-led-headlight-with-charger-2x18650 ]http://www.lightmalls.com/new-1400-lumen-cree-xm-l-t6-3-modes-rechargeable-led-headlight-with-charger-2x18650[/url]
Wiggle is selling Mk8 Exposure Joysticks with a headband and a micro red-eye plug-in rear light for 95 quid at the moment. I reckon that has potential, particularly if you also need a a bike light, though you'd obviously need additional mounts for that.
scotroutes - how has the H7 performed over the winter months?
A few night time runs on unlit roads has me thinking about replacing my old Black Diamond
Daytime bump
Howdy.
The H7 has been excellent I've certainly never had to use it on full power, so the batteries just seem to go on forever. A lot more stable - and comfortable - than the Petzl I was using before. I've even managed to use it as a headtorch when cycling (though much will depend on the shape of your helmet/peak).
Cheers, that's good to know
Think I'll order one for the after work runs - the unlit roads round here are a bit tricky at night so some more lumens should help car drivers see me from further away
scotroutes - how has the H7 performed over the winter months?
A few night time runs on unlit roads has me thinking about replacing my old Black Diamond
As a fairly happy Black Diamond owner - I've only used it properly a couple of times, but it's worked fine - what have you found wrong with your torch? (I realise it could of course be a completely different model!)
mogrim - mine is about 8yrs old and not that bright. It's fine for campsite duties but on unlit roads in hilly West Yorkshire it's not quite bright enough. The LEDs are now very old tech
mogrim - mine is about 8yrs old and not that bright. It's fine for campsite duties but on unlit roads in hilly West Yorkshire it's not quite bright enough. The LEDs are now very old tech
Fair enough, the technology's moved on quite a bit since then! Mine's only a year old and is more than good enough for me 🙂
Mogrim - which model do you have?
Mogrim - which model do you have?
Pretty sure it's [url= http://www.decathlon.es/linterna-frontal-spot-id_8176292.html ]this model[/url], certainly I got it from a Spanish Decathlon for about that price (around 45€).
I'm sure better and lighter models are available, but I couldn't really justify spending much more.
Anyone interested in the LED Lenser H7, Go Outdoors are selling them and a P3 for £32 (50%). See [url= http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/dalesman-h7-and-p3-twin-pack-p106125 ]here[/url]. Probably going to see a few deals around as they have just brought out the H7.2 with up to 250 lumen.
