3.28.2010

The Green Girl Has A Green Headlamp

The Green Girl went to her favorite store, REI this weekend because as an REI member, she received a 20% off a single item coupon and her annual dividend check this week.

For those of you not familiar with REI's membership program, the lifetime benefits include discounts and yearly dividends - typically about 10% of your purchases. My local REI's offer free classes on basic bike maintenance and hiking for beginners.

I've been coveting the both the Petzl Tikka 2 in Storm Gray (it has some green accents) and the Petzl Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp in Pistachio for months now. The price difference between the 2 models was $10.

After I explained I wanted a headlamp for trail running at night, the REI salesperson recommended the Plus model over the Petzl Tikka 2 because of the high-output LED and the red LED. The Tikka 2 has 4 LEDs but no high-output LED. She said the Tikka Plus 2's red light is convenient when you need to focus on something up close like reading a map. I was very pleased to hear this because the Tikka 2 had a green strap but a grey lamp whereas the Tikka Plus 2 lamp was actually green.

The Tikka Plus 2 is about the size of a pedometer. It runs on 3 AAA batteries. With the batteries, the lamp weighs 83 grams.

I also purchased the Petzl Poche Tikka 2 Pouch which has a pocket to store spare batteries.

When I got home, I noticed how convenient the packaging was. Instead of having to wrestle with the plastic, they pre-cut a tab in the back that you simply push through and then pull out. I was able to extract the headlamp from its packaging within seconds.

The design of the Tikka Plus 2 is very intuitive. I was able to pop it open easily to insert the batteries.

In its default position, the headlamp shines straight ahead but its angle can be adjusted to point downwards. According to the documentation, the white LED delivers 50 lumens in maximum mode and lights up to 35 meters. In economic mode, it is supposed to reach a burn-time of 140 hours.

The Tikka Plus 2 features 3 white lighting modes: maximum, economic and flashing mode. It also has 2 red lighting modes: continuous and strobe. To switch between the modes, you simply press the button on top but you do have to cycle through all the modes to get to your desired mode. One nice feature is that if selected, the lamp stays in red LED mode when you turn it off, so it is in red LED mode next time you turn it on.

The headlamp is supposed to be IP X4 water-resistant. I discovered IP stands for 'Ingress Protection' and the 2 digits following the IP X4 indicate degrees of protection.

The first digit of the IP code indicates the degree that persons are protected against contact with moving parts (other than smooth rotating shafts, etc.) and the degree that equipment is protected against solid foreign bodies intruding into an enclosure. The second digit indicates the degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against the harmful entry of various forms of moisture (e.g. dripping, spraying, submersion, etc.). IP X4 means 'Protection from splashed water'.

Hopefully, I don't encounter a downpour when I am out with my Pistachio Tikka Plus 2.

4 comments:

  1. Enjoy the headlamp. I need to get to REI and figure out what to do with our dividend.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't wait to take it out.

    Have fun with your divident and coupon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great review! So informative, I am so happy you finally got one! and its GREEN!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you, Rad Runner. You know me, I always need to research everything!

    ReplyDelete

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