Head torch

[ayjay]

Am I the only person left alive who just sticks their torch in their gob when necessary?

[Steve Burke]

The best ones I ever had were made by LED Lenser with an adjustable brightness control and an individual switch for both the red and white l.e.ds but unfortunately have not been available for a couple of years . As I trod on one I needed a back up and after some searching got one of these which are similar to the Lensers but without the brightness control. Seperate switches for red or white light and a battery pack which is waterproof.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351247190889?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

The Energiser one (an identical or very similar model) is sold under a lot of brand names at different prices as earlier posts have shown. It works well but isn't that robust. However as I said in my review I like it a lot. I find it perfect in the bivvy as the red light is fine for reading without destroying my night vision. That's important also for astronomy as John pointed out. The 2 white LEDs I use less but they aren't too bright to dazzle. It's comfortable - in fact I wear it in when I'm sleeping so that I can hit takes quickly.

 

The Coast one that Paul recommends may be uncomfortable to sleep in as the battery pack is round the back. Also the white light is may be too bright and there's no way of turning it down. Some of you may like a bright light, but most of the time I'm happier with a dimmer one.

 

However it has brilliant (no pun intended!) reviews, and apparently comes with a lifetime guarantee so should be much better built. I've therefore just ordered one. Many thanks for the heads up, Paul.

[Anthony78]

I too sleep In my head torch as a previous attempt to find it while a tench was screaming off with my method feeder saw me give up and run out in the dark resulting on me getting disorientated and falling on my arse. In addition to this I then had to reach back into the bivvy to find said torch as I couldn't see the fish for netting. Lesson learnt

 

Thanks again for the advice guys. Just waiting for the weather to warm up so I can actually get out in the evening to use one of the 4 new head torches I now have

Edited January 2, 2015 by Anthony78

[Anthony78]

Am I the only person left alive who just sticks their torch in their gob when necessary?

I'm afraid so ayjay. I stopped putting things in my mouth once I started hearing reports of Weils disease and most of the waterways I night fish do have a rat population.

 

Ant

[chesters1]

I'm another fan of the Energiser (just make sure it's the version with the red LED) as a general fishing torch. I have others that have much more powerful beams but for general use, the energiser is fine. It's not the most robust of torches in heavy rain or saltwater but it's cheap as chips with mine coming in at well under a tenner.

 

The other head light I use is about five years old now and is an earlier version of this. Mine is strapped to my cycling helmet and I used it as a light that goes wherever I look when I'm commuting home. It's cheap and ugly but I've used it every weekday of every winter for five years in all weathers and it is still going.

 

I've had expensive lights in the past but they're not worth the money. They're no more reliable and any benefits that you get from premium technology are outdated in 12 months anyway.

I wish the lights on my bike when i was a kid was as good as modern ones ,mine was one of the usual two prong battery ones where you had a simple choice of very bright if you used a lower voltage bulb but they busted for the slightest knock or a dull brown glow if you used a voltage associated with the battery LOL

Got a few headlamps mostly petzl but kept away from cree but i bought some astonishingly cheap t6 of 1600 and above hand torches from china which to date have lasted and are very bright but the best bit is the broad beam and choice of power.

No street lamps around here so even popping next door needs a light so you dont stumble over the hoards of badgers and foxes milling around

 

My coarse fishing one is just a battered 2AA maglite with a red optional bit of plastic that covers the end but in reality on wide beam like all maglites with normal bulbs pretty dull so it doesnt effect night vision

Edited January 2, 2015 by chesters1

[Ken L]

Never rated the Maglites. My travelling hand torch is a 2 AA jobbie that cost a tenner from Tesco. I can't speak highly enough of them.

[Vagabond]

I bought one of these.............. last year mainly for astronomy use.

Is that for signalling to Metabelis III ? Do they respond ?

[John S]

Is that for signalling to Metabelis III ? Do they respond ?

 

 

It sure has. I told them to stop abducting me as I'm fed up listening to Elvis all the s*dding night.

[Steve Burke]

The Energiser one (an identical or very similar model) is sold under a lot of brand names at different prices as earlier posts have shown. It works well but isn't that robust. However as I said in my review I like it a lot. I find it perfect in the bivvy as the red light is fine for reading without destroying my night vision. That's important also for astronomy as John pointed out. The 2 white LEDs I use less but they aren't too bright to dazzle. It's comfortable - in fact I wear it in when I'm sleeping so that I can hit takes quickly.

 

The Coast one that Paul recommends may be uncomfortable to sleep in as the battery pack is round the back. Also the white light is may be too bright and there's no way of turning it down. Some of you may like a bright light, but most of the time I'm happier with a dimmer one.

 

However it has brilliant (no pun intended!) reviews, and apparently comes with a lifetime guarantee so should be much better built. I've therefore just ordered one. Many thanks for the heads up, Paul.

I've now used the Coast light and I'm very impressed with it. It's brighter than the Energiser, both with the red and white LEDs. If it had the option of a dimmer setting it would be perfect. Rather than the lifetime guarantee I mentioned earlier it's 5 years. However it's a very simple design and the build quality seems excellent, so I don't expect to have to use the guarantee. It also came with a free keyring torch that wasn't mentioned in the eBay listing, and delivery was very fast.

 

Whether it'll be OK for sleeping in will have to wait for the clocks to go forward, which is when I start my session fishing.

 

It's difficult to find headtorches that have the option of a steady red light without having to have the white light on first - which defeats the whole point as your night vision is immediately ruined! This is one of the few that has this option as it has separate switches for each colour.

 

So thanks again for the heads up, Paul!

[Dave H]

I'm afraid so ayjay. I stopped putting things in my mouth once I started hearing reports of Weils disease and most of the waterways I night fish do have a rat population.

 

Ant

Ant....It's certainly not the thing i am in too but each to their own