I have been looking for a small torch to suppliment the 3 LED headtorch I often use while stalking.

I was looking for something relatively small, with a bright, even beam, and not too expensive.

I wanted something in which the batteries would last more than a couple of hours should I be looking for a beast after dark..I also wanted it to to be waterproof and *not* camo/black/OD coloured in case it was dropped.

I had looked at the various Surefire's but they had a very short battery life, typically just 40 minutes, and were very expensive for somebody who is as prone to loosing stuff as I am!

I have tried the 2 AA mini maglites previously and was not particularly impressed with them, apart from their size.

The latest LED torches looked promising but are generally quite expensive.

Then I saw Ring Cybalite 1 watt LED Torch on sale in a local branch of Millets. Usual price is £29:99, on sale at £26, and mine was further reduced to £22 due to damaged packaging.

There are various models in the range, but I got the single 1 watt LED model which is just a bit bigger/chunkier than a 2AA mini maglite.

It runs on two small lithium batteries which give it an 8 hour regulated run time.

The torch itself is plain aluminium, waterproof and comes with a 10 year guarrenty. It has a slightly resessed push botton which should not be prone to accidental switching. The build quality seemed on par with the Maglite and other similar torches.

After using this thing a few times, I am still surprised just how bright it is and how good a beam it throws.

Forget comparing it to a Mini Maglite, this thing is much brighter; in fact it gives a blushish tinged white beam of light which is brighter, more even, than conventional torches 2 or 3 times its size and with a much longer run time as well.

I don't know how it compares to other (far more expensive) 1 watt LED torches of a similar size, but for the price I think its a very good buy.

I am quite confident it throws more than enough light to look for a lost beast after dark and possibly save a long walk back to my vehicle to get my large rechargable Lazerlite..

I can see only two negatives to it:

it comes with a belt pouch which is pretty crappy, and the lithium batteries work out a lot more expensive than even Duracell AA batteries.

On the whole, I think its a worthwhile addition to my stalking kit and one which will see quite a bit of use...

Regards,

Pete

Hi Pete.

Been using a 3led headlamp by Petzl - very small, has an extendable nylon headcord - stowed within the body of the unit. Takes a couple standard AAA batteries and lasts for ever. Has totally replaced all other torches I have been using - also has the benefit of leaving both hands free for the gralloch once you have located your beast after dark! Not as bright as a Surefire - but more than adequate.

Like you, I went looking through torch options for something light and small enough to vanish into the jacket until needed. With one important requirement - that it should not need clamping in your teeth for 15 minutes while gralloching!! U know the pain in the jaw muscles I refer to?

The Madjak range are also worth a look - the beam is more than bright enough for opportune lamping out to about 80/90 yards - with very low bulk and a realistic price. Poor mans Surefire?

Rgds Ian

Ian,

I carry and use exactly the same model Petzl..I was initially worried that the extendable nylon headcord would not last, but it has worked really well. It makes gralloching after dark a breeze and it has helped me walk down off the hill more than a few times. One of the outdoor shops in Chester is now doing unbranded copies which look exactly the same for £9! I have no idea if the quality is the same, but for outward appearences I can't see any difference. Its one of the few bit of kit I would replace straight away if I lost it....

The only place I found it lacking a bit is in trying to search an area, especially say under thick Sitka Spruce forestry...

I had a look at the Madjak range and as you say they look like an affordable "Surefire"...The only reason I did not buy one is there run time; like the Surefires its very short, typically well under an hour...

Most of these type of torches list their light output as 60 lumens...the 1 Watt Cybalite is supposedly 30 lumens which I think is damn good considering you get 8 hour run time...

I am wondering how long it will before we see LED lamp units for rifles. Cabelas list a torch with 2 x 3 Watt LEDs giving 120 lumen output and running forever on 3 D cell batteries...If the same technology were applied to rifle lamps, gone would be the days of carry heavy 12V batteries or having bulbs blow in the middle of a lamping session...

regards,

Pete

I really like the surefire. I think they make a LED that's a little longer lasting in the battery than really bright one.

I know that you want a little longer lasting batteries, but try it and see if it will work with you.

The surefire LED heads give excellent battery life. I can't remember the last time I changed the batteries in my E2E with the LED head on it. Well worth the extra $50. The regular lamp it came with was impressive but too bright for most jobs and very hard on batteries. For hands free I just clip it onto the bill of my cap.

Streamlight also has a decent range of LED flashlights and they're a bit cheaper than equivalent Surefires.

One thing I found with cheaper LED's is that the color rendering sucked.

Pete E

I have several head lamps.

From simple ones taking standard globes and batteries to one with three LED globes. The best to date is a Black Diamond which has a LED lamp and a xenon globe.

The light can be switched between the two and also three different levels of intensity.

The xenon light only lasts about 2 hours but I believe the LED light lasts about 16 hours.

I wanted a really bright xenon light similar to a surefire or mil-tech but it doesn't quite make it. Close but not quite bright enough for the purpose.

The 3x LED model I was very disappointed with.

Maybe a combination LED / xenon headlamp might be a good idea?

Nixtro,

I actually have a headlamp with 6 leds and one xeon blulb, but because it uses a seperate battery box on the back of the head harness and the harness itself is made of quite wide/thick elastics, I find it takes up quite a bit of room in your pocket compared to the petzl..On the plus side it is far,far brighter as you say.

The small petzle takes up virtually no room in the pocket and I find its bright enough to go a gralloch or other close up stuff and even to walk off the hill once your eyes have adjusted...

The other problem I have come across with most headlamps is when trying to push through thick cover ie young Sitka spruce plantation..In a lot of cases your on your hands and knees pushing under the lower branches and the headlamp keeps getting hooked off your head..This is when I prefer a small hand held torch..

All in all I am quite happy with the compromise of using these two torches although the Surefires and similar torches look very appealing to someone who likes gadgets as much as I!

regards,

Pete