Head Torch - Page 2 - Gear

Stephen Finn

24/11/2011 at 19:18

No GPS I'm afraid, & yes 10.2 mile loop. Great course, which was a lot of fun, though pretty brutal in places. Some fierce ascents & descents.
Nice to be running with some of the 50 & 100 milers - I felt slightly insignificant next to these guys

Steve J

24/11/2011 at 20:15

Does anyone know if any shops are still selling the Alpkit headtorch

martin beaver

24/11/2011 at 22:03

Petzl Tikka XP 2 owner here and can vouch for a great piece of kit.

James Joy

25/11/2011 at 08:00

I have the Silva Trail Runner Plus. Great product, has a separate battery pack which you wear on a belt, or can put in you pack. This makes the actual head bit very light as well as giving better battery life.

Has a very wide beam so actually lights up a bigger area in front of you making it much easier to pick a decent path without having to move your head around.

Not cheap RRP is around £60. However, look on eBay found mine for £40.

Rennur

25/11/2011 at 08:25

Steve J, Alpkit sells directly from their website. Good value head torch, though a little less floody than I'd prefer.

xine267

25/11/2011 at 12:21

Alpkit Gamma sold out on the website, I'm impatiently awaiting new stock!

Smalleyboy

02/12/2011 at 09:42

Fenix HP10 or LED Lenser.
I have the Fenix and use it for regular 10k races and also on longer training runs. There is also a new Fenix the HP11 (or something like that) which might be worth a look.

A mate picked up one new on ebay from America for £30.

If you are going to be running for 5 hours, comfort is important. I went for the Fenix because I felt the additional 'over the top' head strap would add stability. It is waterproof and has a regulated power supply. This means it stays at the same brightness until the batteries die and then it just switches off. Torches with unregulated supplies start to fade from switch on, so after several hours of use, the brightness level will have reduced.

cougie

pirate

02/12/2011 at 10:21

They have night time 10k races ?? Cool !

Chimpster

02/12/2011 at 10:39

if people haven't already noticed the Alpkit Gamma are back in stock now

Smalleyboy

05/12/2011 at 09:33

Cougie,

The races are typically trail races.
Anyone in Northern Ireland, check out http://www.26extreme.com/categoriesList/247/running-events.aspx

Anthony Leddra

10/12/2011 at 22:45

I use the LED Lenser H7R beats all other head torches hands down! I run most nights through and around farmers fields and i needed something that would show me all of the ground

and these are amazing for that!

You even get cars flash you if you do any night road running! Cos they are really bright! And as they are the R version they are rechargable!

shaun sparrow

13/12/2011 at 18:09

The Vikerstar by Nextorch is amazing VFM - 140 lumens with 100 metre beam and a battery life of 25 hours on it's high beam!!! 125 hours if you turn it down to it's second beam and an S.O.S built in just in case (although touch wood I've never had to use it) for £30 it's absolutely fantastic.

Rennur

14/12/2011 at 09:00

Vikerstar sounds interesting, but even the nextorch website has the max output dwindling down to 70 lumens after 3 hours -- not 25 hours. Shame it's not regulated.

As an aside, I've downgraded my alpkit gamma to toolbox use... I really wanted to like it, as it has so much going for it (price, nice red light on the back, switchable modes), but it doesn't spill enough light at my feet when the spot is pointed 10 feet forward.

Smalleyboy

14/12/2011 at 09:22

I think generally torches fall into 2 categories.

1. Well priced torches, with a half decent spec but an unregulated power supply.

2. Torches from companies which specialise in torches, have regulated supplies, are often waterproof, have adjustable beams but you pay a premium for them.

It is all personal choice and likely to hinge on how often you need a head torch and what you are comfortable paying.

Trail running mag have a head torch test in their latest issue and their best in test is the Hope Vision R4 costing £250. Probably more of a torch than 95% of us actually need.

Muttley

14/12/2011 at 09:33

Agreed. I've always recommended the Gamma as a top starter headtorch. It's enough for my purposes but the Viker Star looked good - until like Rennur I spotted the decline in output. So I'll stick with the Gamma for now and tbh I'll probably continue until it breaks as I only need illumination for poorly-lit towpaths and just a mile or two of proper darkness in the woods.

I'm into my running but I'm not going to divvy up £250 for a headtorch

shaun sparrow

16/12/2011 at 18:01

Hmmm I'm surprised to hear that, I try and do 3 hours a few times a week and I'm still bright and breezy after 4 weeks which is going to be 24 hours of use. For the money I will recommend the Vikerstar to all and sundry!

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