Personal Information

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Product  Information

• Manufacturer : Petzl
• Model : Tikka Plus
• Year of manufacture : 2004
  
• Manufacturer's website : http://www.petzl.com

From the manufacturer's website:
Inventor of the headlamp, Petzl constantly innovates to propose "hands free lighting" concepts to people who practise [sic] outdoor sports but also to professionals.

• Combines a variety of illumination with long-lasting battery life.
• 3 brightness settings (maximum, optimum, economic) and a blinking mode.
• Batteries last up to 150 hours on regular settings (up to 400 hours on blinking mode).
• Lamp articulates with new tilt feature.
• Lightweight and comforatable [sic] to wear.
• Water resistant and excellent for use anytime.
• Elastic band is fully adjustable and comfortable to wear.
• Requires 3 AAA batteries (included)
• 78 g with batteries

Technical specifications :

4 LED	Battery Life	Distance of illumination
Maximum mode	80 h	15 m  (50 ft)
Optimum mode	120 h	10 m  (33 ft)
Economic mode	150 h	5 m  (16 ft)
Blinking mode	400 h	-

  

Measured weight as delivered (without batteries) : 46 g (1.6 oz)
Measured weight as delivered (when batteries fitted) : 79 g (2.8 oz)
Measured size as delivered : Lamp body (approx) : 60 mm x 42 mm x 35 mm (2.4 " x 1.6 " x 1.4 ")

Product description and initial impressions:

The Petzl Tikka Plus is one of a range of small headtorches made by this company.  They utilise Light Emitting Diodes (LED's), which give an intense blue/white light, as the light source.  The Tikka Plus has four, arranged in a horizontal line.  The intensity of the light and the low battery consumption means that they can be run on the small standard AAA cells, which are readily available all over the world.  Unlike many incandescent or halogen lamps, or even some LED lamps now, the Tikka Plus is not focusable.  For more details on my initial impressions, see my INITIAL REPORT and FIELD REPORT

Field use so far:

I've continued to carry the Tikka Plus in my pack on all my walks since writing my Field Report.  In addition to day walks, I've used it on several overnight trips, a few night walks and also on a three-week backpacking trip in the French Pyrenees.  Weather conditions during the test period have varied tremendously, from -5 C with heavy frost and some light snow to 40 C, blazing sun and very dry (23 F to 104 F).  I've used the Tikka Plus in forested areas, the fields and woodlands close to my home, the cliff tops of the south coast of England and the Alpine country of the French Pyrenees.  Altitudes have varied between sea level and 2000 meters (6560 feet).

I still carry the Tikka Plus in a small stuff sack along with a spare set of batteries.  This keeps all the items together and saves the head strap of the torch getting tangled in any other kit in my pack.  So far, I'm still on the original set of batteries, although I have inserted a second set on a number of occasions and used this second set for night navigation exercises.  When I've changed back to the original set I've not noticed any difference in the intensity of the light output between the original set and the fresh batteries.  It's difficult to say with any accuracy how many hours have been put in on the original set of batteries but when I was using the Tikka Plus in the Pyrenees it amounted to at least two hours total per night, although a lot of this was on the lowest intensity setting.

In my Initial and Field Reports I outlined and answered some of the things that I wanted to look at while using the Tikka Plus.  In the months leading up to this report I've continued to use the Tikka Plus and examine some of the points I wanted to look for.

Is it possible to switch the headtorch on accidentally (in a pack)?

[Field Report] Not as far as I'm aware.  I keep the Tikka Plus with a spare set of batteries in a small stuff sack in the bottom of my daypack or in my backpack pocket.  I find that it makes it easier to locate and keeps the strap from tangling with other kit. 

I've still not found the Tikka plus to have accidentally switched on when I haven't wanted it to.  This doesn't surprise me, as the switch needs a positive push to operate.

Is it possible to swivel the headtorch accidentally and will this swivel function become sloppy over time?

[FR] So far the swiveling feature remains very positive.  I only really swivel between the straight-down (which is very good for map-reading even on the low-light setting) and straight-ahead positions.  In the straight-ahead position, it sits very comfortably against my forehead.

The swiveling feature still remains positive.  As before I tend to use only the straight-ahead or straight-down positions.  The straight-down position is really useful for map reading.

Does the light spill down the front of my glasses?

[FR] Eureka! The little beak just below the LED housing that I referred to in my Initial Report, works a treat.  I must admit that when I first saw it I was a bit sceptical that such a small protuberance would make any difference but it does, it really does.  I get virtually no light spilling down the front of my glasses so I'm confident I'm getting the full benefits of the light as it's projected forward.

This has been a real boon to me when using the Tikka Plus and is a major factor when I'm selecting a headtorch to use at night, especially if I think I'm going to be wearing it for a long period and actually using it to navigate in a continuous way, for example, on a night navigation exercise.

Is it water-resistant? It's not stated anywhere in the literature (There is a little symbol on the manufacturer's leaflet that reads "H2O OK" so perhaps it is water-resistant, the next few months will tell).

[FR] So far, I've not been able to test this properly yet.  We've had a largely dry summer here in the UK but I'm sure I'll be using it in wetter conditions before too long.  In the instruction leaflet there are diagrams that show opening the battery compartment, removing the batteries and drying the inside under a fan.  I suppose a hair-dryer would be equally as good but I'm not sure how accessible either of these items are going to be for me in the field. 

I've worn the Tikka Plus on several occasions in mild to heavy rain and not noticed any water creeping into the internal workings of the headtorch.  I've not needed to make any efforts to dismantle the torch and dry it, so I'm reasonably confident that the Tikka Plus is waterproof under normal usage.  I would not extend this to total immersion however as this is outside my experience.

How does it function in wet conditions?

[FR] Again, I've not put it to a severe test and on the couple of occasions I've worn it in the rain, I've had my rain jacket on with the hood largely protecting the Tikka Plus.  The usual 'bounce-back' of light reflecting from the falling rain is there as with any torch, but it doesn't seem any more or less with the Tikka Plus.

The Tikka Plus operates in the rain pretty much as it does in the dry.  When I've used it in the rain I've mostly had a rain jacket on, but on a couple of occasions it's got completely wet.  The only problem I seemed to have noticed is that the headband is a little uncomfortable when wet and it takes a little while to completely dry out.

How comfortable is it to wear for long periods at a time?

[FR] Well, in 'normal', even fast, walking it's very comfortable because of it's light weight and small profile and it's not really necessary to have the elastic strap adjusted tightly.  Once I started to hurry or broke into jogging, it did start to bounce a little and became slightly uncomfortable.  Tightening the strap stopped it from bouncing but then the strap felt a little too tight.  So I guess it's a compromise.  I'm fairly happy with the comfort level for normal backpacking though and hardly notice it most of the time.

In normal use it's very comfortable.  On a couple of occasions I've worn it over a fleece hat and I've noticed that I needed the strap at almost it's maximum size setting.  Most headtorches get a little uncomfortable after being worn for a long period and generally this means the lighter they are, the better.  Certainly, the Tikka Plus isn't unduly uncomfortable after a 4-5 hour night walk.

At the highest setting will I be confident in using it on broken, tricky terrain?

[FR] So far, I haven't used it in these sorts of conditions but on the highest setting I can easily read a vehicle license plate at about 80+ ft (25 m) distance.  I've used the 3 LED Petzl Tikka a lot and, knowing its limitations, I'm confident that with the extra light provided by the Tikka Plus I shouldn't have too many problems.

To illuminate the immediate surroundings to within a 10 to 15 meter (33 to 50 foot) radius, the Tikka plus is fine and although the light extends beyond this distance, the level of illumination begins to decrease drastically.  On my general walking trips, to pick out an ill-defined path or to see where the best route on the ground in front is, I've had no problems.  A couple of times in mountainous terrain I would have preferred the longer reach of a Halogen spotlamp but, by taking things cautiously I've managed OK.

At the lowest light setting, will it work as a tent light?

[FR] It does.  The low light setting is just right for the confined space of a backpacking tent.  I just need to devise a way of hanging the Tikka Plus so that it shines down as evenly as possible, illuminating the vestibule of my tent.

Yes it will, with reservations.  The level of light at the lowest setting is just right and I've been using it as my tent light but as yet I've not managed to rig up a suitable method of suspending it.   It's a headtorch and I've always thought that the best place for a headtorch is on the head.  This is where it functions best.  It even feels awkward holding it as a hand torch so I think I might find a separate, dedicated tent lamp.

Is the blinking mode any use to me?

[FR] Not so far.  I did strap the Tikka Plus to the handlebars of my mountain bike and it made a very good front lamp, but when I suggested to my nephew (an avid mountain-biker) that the blinking mode would be ideal, I was informed that this would not be legal for road use in the UK.  I can see how the blinking mode might be useful as a locater beacon and I intend to try this out when I get an opportunity.

Well, I've since learnt that a blinking front lamp IS legal for road use in the UK so I shall use it as such on the rare occasions that I ride my bike on the roads at night.  I have found though that when I'm walking at night and I have to walk along a stretch of road, the Tikka Plus held in my hand and in the flashing mode, is a very good signal to approaching traffic; more so, it seems, than a single continuous light.  I've noticed a more pronounced 'slowing down' reaction to the blinking lamp than I would have thought.

Overall impressions:

I'm very pleased with the Tikka Plus and find it a pleasure to use.  It's going to stay in my daypack as my headlamp of choice for the foreseeable future.  Although the purpose of this review is not to make comparisons, this headtorch is a Tikka with extras.  There is an additional LED (four instead of three), there are three light intensity settings, there is the blinking mode, there is the tilt facility and there is a small beak to deflect light.  So, are the extras worth the additional weight and size?  Well, for me it's pretty marginal.  I would be happy with just two light settings, high and low.  The blinking mode I could live without.  The swivel is useful and I've used it a lot.  By far and away the most successful has been the small beak to deflect downward light.  All in all, I think I'll use the Tikka Plus when I think I'll utilise the features most.  When I need a high intensity focusable lamp I'll use my Petzl Zoom with a halogen bulb.  When I need a really light, simple lamp I'll use my Tikka.  When I need the versatility of different power settings, the swivel feature and the ability to walk without light spilling down my glasses then it'll be the Tikka Plus.


I'd like to thank BackpackGearTest and Petzl for the opportunity of taking part in this test.