LenserH7 or Fenix HP10

Smalleyboy wrote (see)

. I am doing a night race through a forest next week and that should be a good test for it.

Just a comment on this, if you are running in dense forest consider using the fenix diffuser on the light. When I purchased mine it came free and it simply clips on and you can flip it into place when required. To give you an idea of the effect of the diffuser see the pic below

The jump from 50 to 120 lumens is significant. I've done 4 or 5 night runs now both on and off road and lack of light has never been an issue.

When choosing between torches the biggest negative I had for the Fenix was it's weight, but honestly, when running you don't even know it's there, very very comfortable and balanced. It being waterproof is very reassuring, the build quality is excellent - I really wouldn't swap it for anything at the moment.

My understanding is that on a torch with an un-regulated power supply, as soon as the batteries are first used, the light level fades gently over time until the batteries are fully depleted.

Whilst, a regulated power supply keeps the lighting level constant over the life of the batteries until right near the end when it drops off very quickly.

Therefore a torch with a regulated power supply will give you constant lighting levels but when the batteries are done, you may not get much warning.

Did a 10 mile run last night in heavy rain with the Fenix. It was reassuring to know it is waterproof and i didn't need to worry about it failing due to water ingress.

Great bit of kit.

Fenix is regulated.

Still undecided

About the lenser, it says max power is 170 lumins, is that on boost mode or is that continuous? What is the highest lumin on the lenser that you can keep it on for hours?

I believe the Lenser can be kept on full brightness all the time. However, I doubt you would need it this bright.

The Fenix can only run at the 225 lumen level for 3 minutes before it then switched back down to the 120 lumen level. I did a night race last night and only used the 120 lumen level and it was brighter than all the Petzl and Black Diamond torches which the other runners were using. 

thanks

do you know what the next one down from the top power is on the Lenser? If the brightest is 170 then that will prob drain the battery quite a lot.  I supppose ideally I woudl want something that can stay on about 100 l for several hours

I believe the Lenser is infinitely variable so you can set it at any lightness level you want. This is one of the big plus points of the Lenser. I believe you can also adjust the width of the beam from a spread of light to a spot. The Lenser gets good reviews. I chose the Fenix over it because the Fenix has an extra head strap over the top of your head and it is waterproof.

I don't have a Lenser but those that do, rate it highly. It is slightly lighter in weight to the Fenix.

You can now get a programmable regulated rechargeable battery for your Petzl torches. (Well the latest ones anyway). You can set the two light levels you want and whether you want it regulated on your computer, it basically allows you to program your headtorch for the light levels you want depending on the event you are using it on.

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/gear-features/petzl-gets-programmable---core-first-impressions/7472.html

I went for the fennix.  Just used it once so far in the snow so maybe not the best test.

The prob I had was that there was a very bright spot just infront of me but really it wasnt big enough.  I dont want to get all technical (cos I cant ) but my alpkit shines a consistent beam which is a fairly big circle.  The fennix a bright spot in the middle of a bigger circle but the bit that wasnt bright didnt seem as bright as the alpkit circle if that makes sense.

 am I doing something wrong? Is it meant to be like that cos if it is then I dont think it is what I want.  Ideally I want the beam to be about as wide as the alpkit but brighter , none of this bright spot which is quite small larky

I also have the Fenix and it does have quite a concentrated beam. I use it for night racing and I find it excellent for that purpose.

If you want a wider spread fo light, you probably need a diffuser. I think Fenix do one for the HP10 but it will probably just spread the light at the expense of the distance it throws the light.