Headlamp to replace PETZL Mega

[Moondog55]

While I have several cheap head torches none of them have the range of the big PETZL with the halogen globe and when skiing after dark I want to see as far in front as I can.
I may keep the PETZL for the car in which case a battery modification to take 4 rechargeables is going to happen.
What among the current offerings is the most powerful torch with the longest beam?
My personal preference is for simplicity, 1 switch off & on, no low beam / high beam flashing or red, just a robust strong beam of light
My battery preference is either 2 AA batteries or 1* 3.6V Lithium

[Strider]

Have a look at the recent "Torches" thread. Some really good options suggested there.

[cams]

Similar discussion going on in the tech forums. viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12159

As I posted there. I've been using the Zebralight H600. It can be simple to control if all you want is on off. Then its just one press on, one press off which gets you high beam. You can get into all the other controls if you like and it doesn't really take that much to master.

[Moondog55]

Not being very technically minded where walking is concerned i hardly ever look at techtalk
I just read the thread and used some of the links, it looks like the closest to what I want is the BD Icon Polar.

[quicky]

Not being very technically minded where walking is concerned i hardly ever look at techtalk
I just read the thread and used some of the links, it looks like the closest to what I want is the BD Icon Polar.

I haven't sieved through the other forum links attached to this thread, however I can recommend the Zebralight H51.
AA battery
Bl**dy bright, or very dim light...your choice (I know this is not ideal for you, but if you simply press the button to turn it on...it's on...and bright....then you turn it off)
Functionally simple
It's light
It's regulated
It works
http://www.zebralight.com/H51-Headlamp- ... _p_37.html

[Strider]

There is a direct trade off between brightness/distance and runtime. How much runtime do you need/want? Are you happy to carry spare batteries?

A Zebralight H51 would be a fantastic option for what you need, but you're looking at just under an hour of runtime of high and around 8 hours @ 30 lumens. So if you want long runtimes at high power then I would rule it out.

Just looked at the Petzl Mega - the runtimes appear to be horrendously short anyway. Those old schools halogens must really suck the power!!!

[Moondog55]

Yep they sure do, using AA Lithiums I get around 2 hours of bright light but these were designed to use C cells as well. Current draw on the halogen is 0.79 Amps This almost necessitates using the bigger batteries
As I would be using my small lights for around camp use I could be happy with 2 - 4 hours run time
Always carry spare batteries and a small solar battery charger will probably be purchased (it was part of the Mega but got misplaced about a decade ago) if I buy the BD Polar I would consider using a bank of 4 D cells as well and saving the AA for back up; using D cells is the most advantageous when considering weight to run time

[Strider]

I can't imagine "bright light" from a halogen being all that bright, considering my H51F makes a 12V downlight look dim! There really is no need for multiple cells with LED lights either, and especially not anything larger than AA. Things have come a loooong way since your Petzl was produced mate...

Sounds like you need to invest in a charger and some Eneloops. Which would be a necessity if you went the Zebralight path anyway (unless you want to continue forking out for lithiums?).

[Moondog55]

I know of the improvements, but my experience is, ATM, limited to small headlamps using the large Cree or the ultra cheap $10- specials which are fine for reading and cooking
I was hoping to get a direct screw-in LED replacement for the halogen globe if I can't afford what I want

http://www.thetorchsite.com/TTS-1_Watt_ ... _Bulb.html
BTW the picture in the website is misleading, it shows the light from the small standard globe.
$30- to get a new lease on life doesn't sound like too much of an outlay

[Strider]

I know of the improvements, but my experience is, ATM, limited to small headlamps using the large Cree or the ultra cheap $10- specials which are fine for reading and cooking
I was hoping to get a direct screw-in LED replacement for the halogen globe if I can't afford what I want

http://www.thetorchsite.com/TTS-1_Watt_ ... _Bulb.html
BTW the picture in the website is misleading, it shows the light from the small standard globe.
$30- to get a new lease on life doesn't sound like too much of an outlay

That is only a 1W emitter - I wouldn't be expecting much of it. The poor man pays twice..

*EDIT* just noticed there are pictures! And rated at 100lm (out-the-front or at the emitter though? - probably the latter given the low wattage). Not a bad beam profile though, heaps of spill

[Moondog55]

Well not having a job in mining or IT means I am automatically poor and being over 60 and unemployed doubly so

[JOCKs]

Foursevens Mini ML (formally knowns as "Quark Mini 123") is $39 shipped from the US. 180 lumens (high) for 1.2h. You'll need a fenix headband kit for it ($20). They come in packs of 2 (large and small plus a few other acessories). I have the larger one laying around you can have for free if you go this route.

https://www.foursevens.com/product_info ... ts_id=2857

Fenix E15 is the same price shipped. 140 lumens for close to 2 hours. Most manufacturers don't do a "on/off" light anymore. Especially if its for outdoors use. The low/med/high feature is their to save energy. High for walking, medium for setting up camp and low for reading . Don't think of it as a hindrance mate.

http://www.fenixtactical.com/fenix-e15.html

As for personal preference of the two. I would personally pick the first, its a better "overall" light (low/med/high plus strobe/sos and high/low beam functions). The only downfall is using Fenix accessories with it, they don't fit (or fit loosely). The diffuser caps that fenix makes are a god given when your camping with others, as it spreads the light if you hang it up and wont blind everyone that looks at you.

[TheOutdoorCompany]

I'd definitely try the Princeton Tec Fuel or Remix. Both are very cheap in comparison to performance at around $39.95 & $58.95.

My personal favorite is the Fuel which supports 4x super-bright LED's which create a massive kick of light (70 Lumen's) for a long time (146 hours of burn time). If you wanted something a little bigger then you can't go past the Princeton Tec Apex which creates a massive 200 lumen's!

[Strider]

The Fuel is a POS in my experience - 5mm LEDs just can't produce a nice beam profile or tint. My Fuel is very purple and the beam shape peculiar.

My advice is stick with lights with Cree (or similar) emitters. They are often paired with 5mm LEDs on the cheaper lights to provide an acceptable spot/flood combination.

[Moondog55]

Well in the short term I have ordered the small 100 lumen drop in.
I'll be giving it a go and making comparison with the small Cree powered headlamp I already have The square Cree is OK but chews thru AAA batteries so I will be interested to see the difference between the way a collimator and a reflective focusable lens works in the real world

[Moondog55]

The delivery from the UK arrived this afternoon and I have just spent an hour taking the PETZL battery box apart and reversing the polarity of the current flow to suit this LED replacement globe. This will do for now, and I can recommend these as a cost effective upgrade, same cost as a local replacement halogen globe. In fact I am going to recommend to Bogong stocking these