Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

Back in the late 90's my first headlamp was a Petzl Tika. It's served me well for years & lived in my backpack. After a hike with my wife & son where I decided to stay 6 miles into the woods to get pictures of the sunset over a Mt. lake, we hiked out in the dark. The older Tika and a flashlight between us, my wife decided it was time for an upgrade and bought me the Tika Plus 2 for Xmas of 2010. (I figured I would put some mileage on it before I gave it a review) We hike, backpack, & camp in the backcountry, whether by backpacking or canoeing in, extensively. Much of our time in the rugged forests of the Adirondaks & Catskills region of NY & NH/VT.
The light has seen a lot of use in the past year in every imaginable weather condition, along with a Black Diamond Spot I bought for my wife and a Princeton Tec Quad I bought my 8 year old son. We use each others on occasion, I wanted to be able to evaluate the different brands... The Petzl Tika Plus 2 has been hands down the best of all. The Black Diamond is cheaply made by comparison and in fact has already broken. The Petzl is a notably solid build yet is compact & unobtrusive, slim & sleek & light in design. The headband and mount is the most comfortable by a factor of ten and never loses it's adjustment as the BD Spot did constantly. I've several times completely forgotten I was wearing the Petzl. By comparison, I usually can't wait to get the Black Diamond off. The Princeton Tec has a good band too but it's not the Petzl. After a few hours, you will care...

The light itself, is very bright and though not power regulated does holds the same output through the bulk of the battery life. Likely cause the lights output isn't stretched to the top of the batteries capacity to give it a bloated lumens rating. It has just the right mix of penetrating spot with just enough peripheral flood, without having to switch back and forth constantly. The BD is one setting for spot and another for flood and you have to keep switching back and forth or cycling through one to get the other after you turn it off. The PT is just a good bright flood from four LEDs, no complaints exept the lack of a red light that I find priceless at times. The 50 lumens of the Tikka plus 2 is more than enough and I am often using it in low power mode as I just don't need to see 35 yards away that often, but when I do, it's one easy switch click. I was lured to the spot with the 70 lumens claim, problem is after just 20 minutes on the batteries, that 70 lumens has fallen off quite a bit and just gets worse from there. The PT is power regulated and holds the same brightness through most of the battery life but when it hits the end, it goes dim very fast. (Always carry spare batteries for any light)

The switch is also another feature that stands out with the Petzl. It's very easy to find & operate even with thick glove & frozen fingers. My finger just seams to fall right on it when I put my hand up and it operates smooth with a sense that it will continue to do so for a long time. The BD is a pain without gloves and near impossible with them. The PT switch is on par with the Petzl but I do like the Petzl better.

Changing the batteries is an important consideration. You'll likely be doing this in the dark in the middle of the woods one night... The Tikka Plus 2 opens easily with one finger but holds solidly until you want to open it. The case opens on a solid hinge and is easy to control with one hand as you work the batteries with the other. I guess my one gripe is that there is nothing tactile to tell me which way the batteries should go if I fumble one of them. (can't see the little pictures in the dark...) and the batteries have a tendency to pop back up sometimes. The battery retainers could be improved. But a this is something you should practice and get the hang of before it becomes a situation. To open the case on the BD is a similar clip but it puts up a fight and is another more flimsy piece of plastic I didn't expect to survive too many cycles. This hinge is a couple of plastic ribbons that let the two halves flop around and make it difficult to get things lined up again to close it. Wreaks more of cost reduction than quality engineering. The PT, being waterproof, has a thumbscrew with a slot for a coin or the edge of the adjustment bracket on the headband. It also has a solid hinge but has springs on the negative side that give me a tactile indicator in blind darkness, which way the battery goes. These also hold the batteries in more positively than the Petzl.

The angle adjustment on the Petzl is very easy to adjust with one hand, smooth and holds solid. The trails I hike are often very jarring and bounce cheaper lights out of position easily. The clip that allows and holds the adjustment on the Black Diamond Spot is what broke, it was a cheap & thin piece of plastic that just snapped off and never held well before. The Petzl has three separate contact points that are well engineered and even if one broke, unlikely, the other two are redundant. Glad I wasn't hanging off a rope when the BD broke! The Princton Tec is also a three point contact that is very solid but is also a bit rough and tight, sometimes requiring two hands to adjust.

The plastic case on the Princeton Tec Quad has recently split at the top just over the lens. The Petzl Tikka Plus 2 is chugging along flawlessly. I recommend it without hesitation. I'll never buy a Black Diamond again.

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

The product came in the mail quickly. Good service. Have not used the headlamp in the field yet, but it looked good in the backyard.

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

Product does everything they say it does. Lamp is bright, lightweight and easy to use. However, I feel like a paid a bit more for features I will rarely use (red lamp light, blinker) and will probably opt for the more basic and less expensive Petzl model next time. Great brand - just paid for upgrades I did not need here.

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

The red light is great for reading or low level camping jogs to the privy while the high beam is great for late evening trekking!

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

Significantly lowered the amount of stubbed toes when living without electricity

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

Bought for the kids to go to camp and they reported back it was awesome

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

Do not stare into the light. This puppy is very bright. Power lasts quite a while. Definitely a good buy.

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

Bright, simple to use. Fully adjustable and lightweight. Much superior to my current headlamp made by Energizer.

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

Lightweight and easy to use

Comments about Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp:

It doesn't get any better than this