Night time wood pile head lamps !!!

[Robbie]

I just had to post a mini review on my new "after dark" wood pile lights.

First let me say, these lights are not your ordinary awkward old yeller lights.

These are LED high tech head lamps that are amazingly bright and simple to operate.

I am 52 years old (I think) and I did not realize just how out of date and behind I was on technology until I bought a couple of these lights recently at Bass pro shops.

You simply must try one of these things for your late night wood pile runs or anything around the house you need to put some extremely bright WHITE light on.

The amazing thing about these lights are the fact that they run on 3 tiny AAA batteries on HIGH BEAM for a constant 50 hours.......and low beam which is really bright for 150 hours.

I've tested two brands and both are incredibly good lights......both are simple to operate, both leave your hands 100% free for those late night dark walks to the wood shed etc.

Here are links to the two brands I have tested around my home and if these links are not proper please remove them and just do a search on PEZTL TIKKI PLUS and PRINCETON TEC QUAD head lamps.

I promise, these are the handiest things I have ever come in contact with in my whole life except for food and water..........and my family....... ;-)

I got both brands at Bass pro.......I got one of each to compare and now I can't decide since both are great so I will keep both.

http://www.princetontec.com/?q=node/66

(broken link removed)

Robbie

 

[sgcsalsero]

Yeah, couple guys in big box stores said they are v. popular. I used to have a regular incand. version of this many years in the Boy Scouts, my family still remembers it and teases me because I was the only 13 year old with handsfree setup. Now these LED head setups are flying off the shelves, go figure.

 

[jebatty]

I've been using and giving as gifts LED headlights and flashlights for about 3 years now. The big E auction site has great deals, and at least what I have bought has had excellent quality.

LED space lighting is on the verge of a breakout. It won't be long before CFL's are the energy hogs, as LED's have a quantum leap in energy efficiency over CFL's.

Incidentally, you can easily make an indicator or pilot light which will operate on 120AC with a simple diode, resistor and LED. Cost is about a dollar. The parts are so small they usually fit right in the electrical hookup box of valves, pumps, controls, etc., with a small hole drilled to show the light, and in a visual instant you know whether something is operating. *oogle this and you will find circuits.

 

[ericjeeper]

I used to coon hunt.. I have owned a Nitelite battery 6 volt rechargeable with a Kohler Wheat light head.. That is the cats meow.It is a little bulky but I only have to buy the 40 dollar battery about every 4 years. It will last all night before needing recharged

 

[cmonSTART]

My wife and I do a lot of backpacking and camping, so good headlamps are a must. We have a pair of Petzl headlamps similar to what you described in our kitchen drawer we use all the time. Awesome things!

 

[Robbie]

And there seems to be no limit to the usefulness of these things.

I guess they are a little pricey compared to my old rayovacs but these lights and batteries should last many times longer than any other light I have ever owned.

The PT quad is probably my favorite over all but I really like both brands I got. The PT quad seems a bit easier to load the AAA batteries into and the switch seems a bit smoother (the Petzl switch is a little harder to push).

The Petzl is no doubt a quality light and works very well.........I'll just keep both of them.

These things just seem to be a natural for doing anything around stoves, looking into pipes etc.

And if you ever do anything with wood at night like stacking, splitting etc. these would be perfect.


Robbie

 

[velvetfoot]

They're great for having your hands free.
I have two in the kitchen drawer as well!
One had multiple leds and the other a single bulb, 1 watt I think, and two smaller leds.
Battery life is important. I try to keep it as dim as I can. I used to do rechargeable batteries for everything but somehow got out of that habit-I should get back to that.
I have a couple of led spots over the mantle that I got on Ebay for like 20 bucks each! They have multiple leds and are pretty dim, but use very little electricity. I'm not so sure that leds for light fixtures won't consume a fair amount of juice for the light they put out. Maybe less than cf, but not hugely so (but this is just subjective).

 

[WarmGuy]

I have one like this that I got on eBay for a total of $9.98 (including shipping).

It's very cheap construction, but I have to say that it has worked perfectly for two years now. Very useful through several power outages, several camping trips, and one surfing safari.

How are your headlamps for reading?

 

[Robbie]

My 2 headlamps works great for reading.

Robbie

 

[downeast]

Great find-- we've used headlamps for years climbing. The later LEDs make a big difference for lasting power.
The older headlamps are kept in the cars for handling emergencies like a tire or accident.
Check out the latest winter LEDs: the battery pack can be kept inside your jacket or in a pocket. My Petzl winter headlamp has both LED and incandescent with 3 AAs on a long cord. The tiny Petzl Tika is super.
How about a special forum on headlamps ? %-P

 

[carpniels]

Hi Guys,

I have been using lights like that for about 5 years. They are perfect for night carpfishing trips. Setup the gear, toss in the chum, cast in the rods, turn the alarms on, have a few beers, go to sleep with the lamp on your head, WAKE UP because the alarm goes off, grab your forehead, turn on the lamp, and voila, you can see all the carp you want.

Carpniels

 

[Gooserider]

Years back I used to work on the river, and had a big headlamp that ran off those square 6V lantern batteries, worked great, but the batteries were bulky (ended up making a holder out of an old glove tied to my life vest) and would only last a few nights.

Now these new LED lamps are out, and some put out huge amounts of light, others don't... I have one of the Petzl Tikka's and it is OK, but not outstanding - probably nicer in campground type situations where you are talking to people, but even on high beam, the light isn't great. I would say max range is about 20 feet in black, if you are in a room with normal light levels, it is hard to tell it's on while wearing it. You CAN read with the Tikka, but I'm not sure I'd reccomend it.

I have a couple of others that I got through Sportsmans Guide - they are a combination unit, with a Mag-lite style krypton bulb in the center, and a bunch of LED's around the rim. The bulb eats batteries but is as bright as one might expect. The LED's are nearly as bright though, however they don't have an as tightly focussed spot to the beam - This is definitely "anti-social" when in a camping situation, since you look at the people you talk to, and blind them, but it's better for seeing where you are going in the dark. I would say no problem reading with these.

One of the things I've found them very useful for is working in poorly lit areas, especially where most of the light is coming from behind you so that you are casting a shadow where you are trying to work... The headlamp provides a nice spot of "fill-in flood" to help you see the details. I tend to keep one now as part of my general tool kit for that reason.

Gooserider