Sitting inbetween Ni-Mh and Li-ion you have hybrid types (e.g. The Bonus being (at least according to Petzl) that their torches with constant lighting will burn for longer on rechargeables compared to alkalines ( ), and you get good lighting performance for longer. Though the flip side of that is since most modern headtorches are (at least to a degree) regulated, they have the sudden drop off anyway. At least alkalines have a long steady discharge rate, with a gradual dimming. Before setting out I put fresh rechargeable batteries in my Petzl Zoom headtorch as it got dark quite early we put headtorches on, but mine didn't last long - neither I nor my friends nor I were impressed with this judgement (nor that none of us had spare batteries of any kind with us).Ī characteristic of rechargeable batteries (NiMH, NiZn and NiCd), is that they maintain a fairly constant voltage until nearly fully discharged, but then the voltage plummets without warning. Many years ago I had a battery failure at a critical moment on a long Scottish winter route just after Christmas. To the OP: was yours due to battery issues or unreliable kit? OK for occasional DIY, but not when I need to rely on them. I tried a couple of the ebay copies as a cheap ones to leave in the car or for DIY jobs, but they seem to allow the batteries to discharge even when switched off. I agree I've a couple of LED lenser H7 headtorches, which I rate highly. I had an LED Lenser briefly - very bright, but the angle adjustment system failed quickly so that the head unit now just flops down. Gammas are also prone to switch on easily in a pack, hence we both carry ours inside small Lock&Lock boxes. SWMBO's original Gamma is just fine (maybe she looks after it better?). The multifunction switch also developed a mind of its own on the replacement and the rear facing red LED has also packed up. A weakness on the Gamma is the twisty battery case cover. SWMBO also got a Gamma at the same time and the main LED on hers was noticeably brighter than mine (tested swapping batts etc).
In recent years I've has a Petzl Tikka, but the model I had was fairly dim, and not a lot of use on the hill. Like many old gits, I had a Petzl Zoom for decades, which I upgraded with a halogen bulb.Īpart from bulbs and elastic that gradually lost its elasticity, it was simple and fairly robust.