Club lamps

[D.Snaith]

Hi all,
Im after a little advice. Our club was founded at the end of last year and over the past few weeks requests to come out with us and potentially join have been flooding in. We have just purchased a few helmets for the club but are a little stuck on what lamps to go for. Bare in mind we are newly established so club funds are a bit of an issue regarding this, so the cheaper the better, but obviously they have to be reliable and pretty waterproof...
Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[tamarmole]

Assuming these guys are novices I take it you won't be doing anything more adventurous than walk ins such as Old Gunni, Virtuous and Bedford Consols.  if this is the case you could probably get away with cheap and cheerful ebay specials for a few quid a pop.  I really wouldn't spend a lot.

By the time people are getting onto more serious stuff where a better quality lamp is a must, arguably your new members ought to be prepared to demonstrate some sort of financial commitment  and buy their own kit.  After all by this stage they ought to know whether mine exploration is for them or not.  If people aren't prepared to make that sort of basic commitment do you really want them in your club?

If you decide not to go down the el cheapo ebay route and want to spend a little bit more the Fenix headlights seem well made and good value.

 

[tamarmole]

Just to add.....

Whatever lamps you do go for get something that does not require you to drill or modify your club helmets in any way to fit them.  If someone does have an accident and a club modified helmet  fails or could  be construed to have contributed to the accident  you and your mates could find yourselves in a world of legal unpleasantness.  (This is from a man whose last helmet had seventeen holes drilled in it!)

 

[tim.rose2]

https://clulite.cluson.co.uk/headlights/287-super-beam-led-headalite-with-cree-technology.html

These are cheap and pretty descent.  I've never used one myself, however have been on trips through sump 1 in Swildons with other people using them and I've not seen or heard of one failing.

Tim

 

[paul]

Because the lights are being loaned to newcomers, it is easier to ensure the lights all run off the same readily available batteries such as AA cells and either have a supply available or ask the newcomers to come prepared with how ever many are required, rather than rely on club lights with rechargeable batteries which inevitably do not have their batteries charged when needed. We find this works well.

 

[PeteHall]

I have been using a Petzl Pixa1 as a back-up light for a while now and despite the fact that it's not very bright, I have been very impressed with it and figured it would make the ideal club light, here's why:

Runs on 2 x AA batteries - many small lights run on 3 x AAA's which is inconvinient for charging
Completely waterproof
Comes with helmet bracket or headband
Long battery life
Not too bright - you need some incentive for people to buy their own gear soon enough
Single unit, tough design - so far, it seems pretty indestructable, no wires to break or glands to leak.
Cheap enough (?35)

Full spec here: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Professional/Compact-rugged-headlamps/PIXA-1

Another benefit when using as a backup is that the lamp rotates back on itself, protecting the lens and also preventing it accidentally turning on in a tackle bag.

I know 60 lumens is not very bright, but I've tried caving on mine and it's fine, in fact it's much beter than lights I used to use as my main light!

 

[D.Snaith]

I have recently been lending out my normal helmet, which puts me back on my carbide lamp 

 

[Leclused]

I have been using a Petzl Pixa1 as a back-up light for a while now and despite the fact that it's not very bright, I have been very impressed with it and figured it would make the ideal club light, here's why:

Runs on 2 x AA batteries - many small lights run on 3 x AAA's which is inconvinient for charging
Completely waterproof
Comes with helmet bracket or headband
Long battery life
Not too bright - you need some incentive for people to buy their own gear soon enough
Single unit, tough design - so far, it seems pretty indestructable, no wires to break or glands to leak.
Cheap enough (?35)

Full spec here: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Professional/Compact-rugged-headlamps/PIXA-1

Another benefit when using as a backup is that the lamp rotates back on itself, protecting the lens and also preventing it accidentally turning on in a tackle bag.

I know 60 lumens is not very bright, but I've tried caving on mine and it's fine, in fact it's much beter than lights I used to use as my main light!

We use the Pixa 2 (80lm) which is a bit better then Pixa 1 as club lights.

Sample photo of mounted pixa-2

 

[PeteHall]

We use the Pixa 2 (80lm) which is a bit better then Pixa 1 as club lights.

Agreed, it's a bit better for brightness, but more expensive; a compromise as always.

I specifically went for the pixa1 (as a backup) as it has the longest batery life and is still bright enough to cave on, but I suspect that is less of a consideration than cost for a club light (particularly for a new club with limited funds).

 

[D.Snaith]

I think the Pixa 1 will be ideal for us as newcomers wont be going off and exploring themselves. They will be around us and therfore the surrounding area will be illuminated anyway, so its mainly for if they want to look at something in detail. We can always add on a backup light cabletied through  the air vents on the helmet, which is about 300lm

 

[crickleymal]

I put one of these on my wife's helmet http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-elec/hs-5626/headtorch-1-led-3-x-aaa-6w/dp/LA05126 and so far it seems pretty good. They do 3 W versions as well and they run off AAA batteries.

 

[numb7rs]

Another vote for the Petzl Pixa range. They're reasonably tough, and come with both a strap and a blade mount. Our club bought some Pixa3s a while ago, and while they're not the brightest they're great for beginners.

 

[Spike]

If you're up to the ?30 range, I'd have a serious look at the Fenix options. I have an HL23 as a backup, but I've used it as a main light on several trips. 1AA, 150lm at full tilt, but has a nice mid mode at 50 lm (about the same as the Pixa 1) which lasts several hours - I normally get 4-5 although they claim 5+ and it's handily lighter than the Pixa...

 

[asw6]

I specifically went for the pixa1 (as a backup) as it has the longest batery life and is still bright enough to cave on, but I suspect that is less of a consideration than cost for a club light (particularly for a new club with limited funds).

Haven't messed with the torch, but does the Pixa 1 have the best battery life of the range? According to the Petzl website the latest generation are rated as: 60lm for 3.5hrs, plus a 10lm 6.5hr reserve. The Pixa 2 doesn't make much of an improvement: 80lm for 3.5hrs, plus a 10lm 13hr reverse. Says Pixa 3 manages a 60lm 6.5hr burn, plus a 10lm 13hr reserve. 3.5hr might not be enough for a good trip, granted that's just theoretical stats.

 

[Leclused]

I specifically went for the pixa1 (as a backup) as it has the longest batery life and is still bright enough to cave on, but I suspect that is less of a consideration than cost for a club light (particularly for a new club with limited funds).

Haven't messed with the torch, but does the Pixa 1 have the best battery life of the range? According to the Petzl website the latest generation are rated as: 60lm for 3.5hrs, plus a 10lm 6.5hr reserve. The Pixa 2 doesn't make much of an improvement: 80lm for 3.5hrs, plus a 10lm 13hr reverse. Says Pixa 3 manages a 60lm 6.5hr burn, plus a 10lm 13hr reserve. 3.5hr might not be enough for a good trip, granted that's just theoretical stats.

The trips I did with novices using our club helmets with a Pixa mostly take around 4hours and we never ran out of lights on them. However we always carry some spare AA batteries with us. These are quickly changed.

Dagobert

 

[asw6]

Petzl have actually updated the range, the original Pixa (E78BHB) was apparently 6hrs at 40lm, but the new (E78BHB 2) one only has the 3.5hrs at 80lm, so that many be where the confusion is coming from. So taking it on paper the Pixa 2 may no longer suit, unless you want to carry spare batteries.

 

[royfellows]

Petzl have actually updated the range, the original Pixa (E78BHB) was apparently 6hrs at 40lm, but the new (E78BHB 2) one only has the 3.5hrs at 80lm, so that many be where the confusion is coming from. So taking it on paper the Pixa 2 may no longer suit, unless you want to carry spare batteries.

Sounds an exciting lamp!

 

[Fulk]

Sounds an exciting lamp!

yeah!!!!!

 

[D.Snaith]

I think i have just come up with a good and cost effective sollution. I bought myself a video light on ebay (for my gopro) for ?12. Its 300lm and waterproof to 6m. It is also re-chargable via usb. It was tested out by a member last night and worked very well, a 4 hour trip with no signs of it dimming.