FIELD TEST
SIX OF THE BEST
With shorter days and darker nights ahead, a HEADTORCH is a must-have item. But with lighting technology advancing so fast, is it time to replace yours? Here’s six that impressed us in the mountains…
A good headtorch will feel comfy on the forehead and provide ample illumination for your adventures, whether that’s lighting up a mountain trail or helping you read in your tent.
The first thing to check is a headtorch’s brightness, measured in lumens. For general outdoors activities, 200-300 lumens will probably suffice, providing a good balance between battery life and weight. For more intrepid expeditions such as night walking, opt for 400+ lumens. The higher the lumens rating, the greater the torch’s beam distance and width – but weight and price will increase too, so think carefully about whether you really need the extra power.
A versatile torch will have several modes, enabling you to toggle between different power settings and colours. Switching between these modes should be intuitive.
Most modern headtorches are very easy to use, with just one or two buttons. Battery life (also known as burn time) is another key consideration. Brands usually state how long a headtorch will last in each mode. Most will keep going for up to 100 hours on their lowest setting, but only 2-3 hours on the highest output. Take manufacturers’ stats with a pinch of salt too – they can be a tad overly optimistic.
The options can seem somewhat endless and bamboozling – how will you ever decide what is right for you? Do you favour Petzl or Black Diamond? Would you like rechargeable lithium-ion or AAA batteries, or both? How many lumens do you need? What about burn time, beam distance and reactive lighting? And how light and waterproof should it be? Whatever your answers to these questions, here are six of the best headtorches for 2023.
Princeton Tec Byte LED 200 Lumen £40
This no-nonsense headtorch is a good option for more basic tasks. It’s also the cheapest torch in this round-up and the lightest too, clocking in at just 65g.
It’s comfy and simple to use, with decent stats considering the price. In high-power mode you get a max output of 200 lumens for 3.4 hours with a 39m beam distance. In low you get 50 lumens for 11 hours, with a 23m beam. In ‘red high’ the lamp delivers 3 lumens for 66 hours (3m beam) and in ‘red low’ it’s 1 lumen for 140 hours (1m beam). Power comes from 2x AAA batteries, an old-school approach with some benefits – simply carry spare batteries for extra juice when required.
The lamp unit has a good range of tilting, up and down, and the headstrap is min
