Petzl Tikka ?

“Anyone have one of these little wonders that backpacker magazine is raving about ? I'm thinking about picking one up.”

“Wind Walker, I look at these every time I go into REI, etc., but I just can't seem to get by the $35 price tag... As I'm somewhat of a gear hound, I SHOULD have one, but I already have a Vortex & a Solo. Weighty though they are, relatively speaking, I'm gonna have to have a garage sale, bet rid of them, and THEN, maybe, I'll have a go with the Tikka.

By the way, it's very light - for a light - and seems bright enough to light up what's immediately in front of you. I wouldn't consider it very useful for seeing any kind of distance, but if you walk really slow, it should be fine.”

“I've never had a headlamp before so this little light one appeals to me. I would more than likely use it more in camp
( cooking, setting up a tent after dark, etc) than walking after dark with it.
Tired of gripping my mini maglite in my teeth :)”

“I have a great Testamony for this little light.

After getting past a lot of flack from my girlfriend for spending $35.00 bucks for one of these gagets, I can't complane. I haven't taken it hiking yet but one night I wanted to go running, but being that I live in a country area there is little light to go running safely at night. I used my Petzl Tikka for that purpose. It gives off a wide beam and was bright enough to see any obsticles I occured. Also the weight is very light and was fine for running.
Anouther time when we had a rolling black out I used it to read. I noticed that the light emited puts off a slight blue hue that makes the blue and purple colors come out strong in whatever your looking at.
My dad used his on a recent Sierra Club outing and said he was the envy of the group. They all had new heaver headlamps and had to change batteries at least once on their 4 day trip

I think this is the best peice of gear I've got! Of course I stand by my Kelty Flight 60 pack, and my new Montrail Torra GTX boots too.”

“Haven't yet upgraded my Petzl or my Princeton Tec to LED, but I did get myself one of those CMG LED tent lights for Christmas. Puts out more than enough light for around camp and even for night hiking, if peering into the distance isn't necessary. Having spent far too much time changing batteries in my Petzl during night hikes, I'm looking forward to LED. I've also got one of those dynamo lights that you squeeze, but hiking with that and sqeezing it every other step gets old real fast.”

“i had the matrix AND the tikka. i took ba.... jeez! don't you folks read ANYTHING? i've already posted about this light AT LEAST THREE TIMES!

try reading the threads, man!”

“Bear has one and it certainly has my coveting! I'll have one sometime soon for sure. Plenty of light, long hours of burn time, and all it takes it a cupla AA's or AAA's. This and a Photon MicroLight II is all you'll ever need. If I can nighthike with my Photon light easily enough, I KNOW there'd be no prollems with the Tikka.”

“A couple of the guys on the ECT hike last weekend had them. I want one!!!! Birthday comin up this summer so it's "mom, you can get me this..." They are extremely bright but have a tint so you aren't blinding those around you. I was told the battery life is good in them as well.

Also saw the Micro Lights in use for the first time. I want one of those too!

Help, help! I'm on a gear binge and I can't stop!!!!”

“Pamster you can regularly pick those Photon MicroLight II's up for $10.20 at www.botachtactical.com. Normally they sell them (all the colors) for $12.00, but about once a month they have a 15% off sale and put's 'em at $10.20 each.

You just cannot beat that anywhere!”

“I was in a store Saturday morning that had display models of both the Tikka and the Princeton Tec LED Solo, so I compared them side by side. Though I can't swear the batteries were in equal shape, the Tikka sure seemed to be a brighter, whiter light (yes, a bit blue-ish white) with perhaps a bit better reflector focus. The PT, of course, could swivel the light up and down, and the weight difference was very significant. What saved me $35 for the moment was the fact the shop was out of the Tikkas other than the display unit.”

“REI is claiming they have practically cornered the market on the Tikkas at their site. Thanks I'm going to place an order.”

“Thanks Naked Ape. I'll check it out.”

“Yo! Check this headlamp out. Seems pretty cool. I've heard/read the non swivel fixed beam on the Tikka can be a pain. This solves that problem. Plus an extra LED and one more battery for a super duper long burn time. Seems to be better....

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/rockclimbing/headlamps_moonlight.html”

“roseymonster, thanks for the link. Now I'm glad I held onto my $35. That Black Diamond light is way, way cool and apparently more weather-resistant than the Tikka (I saw no real seals when I check its battery compartment) as well as adjustable. Lust, lust, lust.”

“Tikka rocks. Accept no substitiutes. If you don't believe me, ask Rad.”

“Tikka rocks. Accept no substitiutes. If you don't believe me, ask Gremlin.”

“That other one looked cool, if anyone has one let us know. It didn't look like it had a reflecter behind the leds. But 4 is cool”

“We all await someone willing to spend $70 and get both the Tikka and the Black Diamond and report back to the others on how they compare. Who's going to throw themselves on this gear grenade to save the rest of us (our hardearned bucks)?”

“I like it, it's lite weight, very comfortable. Lights up a good little distance. Long battery life. Not good for winter though. Also no gasket if it gets wet you are supposed to dry out the batteries separate. Ok.........I'll sacrifice myself (For the sake of TT) and get The Black Diamond. Only for you guys would I do this.”

“We salute you Willow and godspeed on your mission.”

“Tikka rocks. Accept no substitiutes. If you don't believe me, ask Gremlin. Or Lounge Lizard. Or Wind Walked. Or Thin Air. Or Naked Ape. Or Pamster. Or Pekka. Or ...”

“Sorry everyone I can not finish my mission. (Please see the - Addiction begins with a small sample - thread. Read my first entry)”

“One of the reasons I chose the insert over the Tekka is because I can use lithium AAs rather than regular AAAs. This cures the dim winter light problem plus they weigh less than the AAAs but what's a few grams, right?”

“Sorry, that's "Tikka". I remember the good old days when we called a flashlight a flashlight.”

“Nigal, do 2 AAs weigh less than 3 AAAs, or are you saying that 2 lithium AAs weigh less than 3 regular AAAs?

The Princeton is heavier but looks as solid and well-built (and weather proof) as the Micro. The Petzl looks like a toy. Will it hold up to weather? Will it hold up to getting dropped in the snow? Will it endure long years of use and abuse?

For that matter, will I?

8-)”

“Yes, I'm talking about two lithiums. Lithiums are everything people say they are. They are lighter and last three times as long.”

“They're also 3 times as expensive, but worth it IMHO.”

“Well, make that twice as expensive... I picked up a 4-pack at Taget for $10. And like Nigal, if it's gonna use batteries, I look for items that take AA's. I don't believe they come in anything other than "D" or "AA" sizes, except for the usual camera or watch batteries. Now, if they could or would make them in "AAA" size, that Tikka would cut perhaps another ounce of weight.”

“8D”

“new Petzl Zipka

http://www.rei.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=10402637&prmenbr=8000&stat=hp675909”

“Yeah, but is it comfortable?”

“doesn't look comfy to me. I think it's overkill for .2 oz saving.”

“oooooh I want it! Hurry up birthday!”

“I used my new one over the weekend and loved it. Very comfortable.

See the "headlamp" thread.”

“Anybody know where I can obtain a Tikka/Zipka Accessory Kit #E44850 containing 3 (Transparent, Red and Green) lenses? Or even just a transparent replacement cover?”

“Try emailing Petzl, they may send you one for free. Some companies still value loyal customers and have good customer service.”

“Obviously you've already started taking your drugs!!! j/k”

“LOL @ tango! I recently bought a Princeton Tec Aurora from an REI scratch-n-dent sale for about $3. It was missing the hinge screw. I sent an email to Princeton Tec with to find out how I could get a replacement screw for it. They very cheerfully sent me a repair kit for it for free. I think it's very likely that Petzl will do the same.


Heeheehee, the prescription meds are the part I'm looking forward to ¦ ) .”

“Got a reply back from Petzl and there's a place in WV that sells just about all of Petzl's stuff...
www.karstsports.com
So reading between the lines, they do not, I repeat DO NOT, slide ya free replacement covers.

They sell just the clear cover for $2.10 and a filterkit having a Green, Red and Clear for $3.50, and the S&H for only them (under $50 is typically $4.95) is $2.

So I should have my $5.50 3-color filter-covers by the end of the week.

(Watch me find the lost cover within the next few days.)

”

“Some people say the Princeton Tec Aurora is way better. I haven't had any problems with my relatively new Tikka, but I may pick up an Aurora just to compare. My wife can use whichever one I like the least.”

“Sorry Buddur, I guess it was worth a try. I think you're right, the lost one will now have permission from the Universe to re-appear intact. Most likely in an obvious place or someplace you already looked.”

“That filler kit sounds cool I would like to have light green!

8)”

“Got the colored covers for my Tikka yesterday, and checked them out in the dark of my basement last night.

The red cuts out alot of light and makes everything look...well...red.

The green gives off alot of light and makes everything look...well...green.

To make a long story short, I prefer the look of the clear.”

“The nice thing about red lenses is that you have a little light, but your eyes don't have to re-adjust (or quicker) to the dark. (For retaining nightvision)”

“That cats are terrified of people crawling around on all fours after them while wearing the Petzl Tikka? Tis true! Sophie jumped three feet in the air, did a flip, and tore out like mad. Here kitty, kitty!”

“For the money, you can't beat the Ray-O-Vac headlamp sold at Home Depot for $15. It's not the smallest thing in the world, and at almost 4.5oz (batteries in) its probably not the lightest. It does, however, have settings for blue led, red led, and a focusable incandescent flashlight. All of this comes without changing any lenses. Oh, yeah, it's also waterproof.”