Tikka

This is an excellent headlamp for around camp and emergencies. Small enough to fit in your pocket and light enough to carry 'just in case'. It gives off plenty of light for using around camp and for trail hiking. For climbing or glacier travel (where I was worried about holes), I will stick to carrying my Zoom. Otherwise, this is the light I carry.

I Love this light. It is small, lightweight and packs a huge punch. The fact that the bulbs don't wear out for a long time and batteries do as well is a big plus. I haven't found myself in one of those awkard night situations trying to replace either.



The Tikka is small enough to throw in a pocket just incase. The LED light is also a bit softer on the eyes at night and doesn't have the hotspots of conventional bulbs.



I just wish they made it a bit more water proof.

I won't add to all the glowing comments already listed here but I've had two of these lights that have had switch problems. The first one I bought that had the problem I took back to REI and they replaced it with a brand new Tikka. The second light had the same problem. I still use the light alot, I just find this switch problem to be a little irritating at times. Has anyone else had a similar problem? I gave it three stars because of the switch problem and because it can't be swiveled like the Aurora or Moonlight. I'm not sure I'd want to use it a lot for night hiking as the light it throws out is somewhat marginal IMHO> Still, it is so very lightweight that I've fallen asleep with the thing on my head and slept with it on all night as I find it an excellent light for reading in my tent or hammock with.

This headlamp doesn't light sufficiently far for climbing objetives. However the light of the LEDs is very clear and the weight is minimum. The elastic is good when it's new but I think it will get longer when it has some years. The button of the headlamp is difficult to handle with gloves and also to open the case for replacing the batteries even without them. It's good for fitting on the helmet due to its little size and weight.

Things that still haven't been said about Petzl Tikka:

- The beam distance of the leds is 10 m / 30 ft but I'd say that is a little longer with new batteries in dark nights, 12 - 15 m.

- The maximum light power is given for 12 hours but then the beam distance decreases gradually: 5 m at 12 h, 2 m at 24 h, 0 m at 150 h. Tested at 20 ºC

- LEDs are very knock-resistant because of the absence of filaments inside them.

Very bright and lightweight. Long lasting and very comfortable around the head unlike the other heavier headlamps. I've tried other headlamps but some of them were so heavy that it felt as if my head was gonna tip over. The Tikka is rated to last 300 hours; obviously the intensity of the light will begin to dip, but the source of light will still be usable. Another advantage of LEDs are that they run cool and it's very unlikely that they'll burn out (they're LEDs!). Unlike the traditional halogen and krypton bulbs, or even the expensive xenon bulbs that have comparatively short burn times.



I didn't like the Tikka's sibling the Zipka, the one with the wire headband. The wire just felt weird and uncomfortable. But if you're a fast packer and need to shave as much weight off, the Zipka's your ticket.



I also chose the Tikka over the Black Diamond version which has the three LEDs unprotected without a lens cover. The pros outway the cons.

I searched one of these out, to have an even lighter and smaller headlamp, that would be in my climbing pack at all times. I do have a Princton-Tec Matrix, which is still my favorite LED. With the Tikka I found a very compact and lightweight headlamp that would easily fit on a head or over a helmet. I also found it very useful in night climbing to SLIP IT OVER HEAD AND TO WEAR IT LOOSELY AROUND THE NECK, UPSIDE DOWN, THAT IS, WITH THE BEAM POINTING UP !!!! It is a versitile tool....



I was a bit disappointed in the amount of light that it produced. Granted, it runns on 3 AAA batteries, which is lighter than the AA batteries that the MATRIX runs on, and one might expect a little less light. I found markedly less light and in reading the specs discovered that the TIKKA produces 17 candles worth, while the MATRIX produces nearly twice that amount.....Another sticking point, for me, with the Tikka is the On/Off switch. Its NOT fool proof, and I am a fool, and I found it ON, in my pack several times. The answer is, of course, to reverse the batteries while carrying-it-not-in-use. This of course leads to the (Great, in my case) chance of fumbling or dropping batteries when you need to use it.



All-in-all, not a bad light, but there are better ones out there. For my need, to carry a lightweight headlamp with me in my everyday climbing pack, there are much much better ones.

I bought this for my wife for doing camp chores. It works great for this purpose and is super light. The one thing that I don't like about it is that it won't let you aim the lamp where you want the light (my Black Diamond Moonlight does).

Look out for the Tikka plus which I know is on sale in South Africa for not much more than the Tikka. It cures most of the defects mentioned in these reviews including the on/off switch problem and the aiming of the lamp. Definitely a better buy than the Tikka which I would imagine they will phase out now. Candlepower of the lamp and burntime has remained unchanged though.

I use this light around camp and for hiking at night. It provided sufficient light the guide me down 7,000 feet from Sawmill Pass in the dark at the end of a 26 mile day. It is extremely light and great for backpacking.

Incredibly lightweight and compact, perfect for hiking in any weather or season, either for night hiking or as something to carry "just in case."

The illumination is far brighter than any incandescent headlamps I've seen (all of which were much bulkier), and the juice lasts far longer. There are some LED lamps now that are brighter, but the Tikka is still among the best overall when you factor in size, comfort, and price.



The Tikka lasts all night (or, more realistically, for a couple of hours every night for about a week).

Battery life matters because changing the batteries is a bit of a pain - both getting the case open and stuffing the new batteries in (properly aligned) could be difficult on a dark winter night. On a really long expedition, you could carry a spare Tikka as easily as spare batteries - it's that small and light.



Edit: I've now upgraded to the Tikka Plus which has the bright-mode option (and is brighter than the Tikka even when in low-power mode), an easier switch to operate, and is the same size and weight. Review to follow eventually.

I only had this headlamp for a short period of time back in 2001 before the switch broke. I had trouble reaching customer service at Petzl and so I sold this headlamp on Ebay (yes, I advertised it as broken but still somebody bought it) and bought a Princeton Tec Aurora. I've since heard that they fixed the problems with the switch. I hope they have!

I take this thing everywhere with me. It is bright, lightweight, and small, I have no switch problems like I have had with my previous Princeton Tech Aurora
Great for pre-dawn starts and late returns.

...has failed after one use and then will not work again with new batteries. Tikka, Aurora, and Moonlight...Suggestions?

I give this item 5 stars despite the fact that the one I've owned for years has a glitch. It is difficult sometimes to close the compartment after putting in batteries (I usually keep the batteries out of the lamp until I need to use it). Apart from that, this thing is a gem in terms of its size, weight and usefulness for most wilderness night-time purposes.

It is a great tiny lamp, perfect for night expedition to the toilet or searching for sth inside the tent, but it does not provide enough light for a night hike.

Not that powerful of a lamp. However great for night climbs, lights up the whole cliff.

okay for around the camp, not very bright.