Headtorch recommendations

[sully]

push up a bit on the bandwagon i'm jumping on silva lx all the way had a bucket of cheap ones before i got it no problems since.
i've the energiser as a back up in the box never had to use it though.
the silva is a fantastic piece of kit doesnt take ages to charge cost a bit but think of all the times you forgot the batteries
and ended up getting stung at the petrol station for extra ones!
well worth the money cant praise it highly enough.
4 light settings the dim is perfect for when your wading out no spoooking the fish, the powerful setting gives off plenty light.
theres even a flashing light to go clubbing wit/dazzle fellow anglers

[wayne riley]

as shampoo says, ive done a bit of research on the princeton-tec apex and it does look the dogs beep,
ill av 2 wait and see wat sham thinks of his new toy before i buy 1 but from wat i read im impressed

[samo]

silva lx its the best on the market.

[dbrock]

the only problem with the silva lx is the cabling is pretty crap ive had 1 that broke and have fixed many others for people, its usually at the battery connection

[alannelson]

Have a silva its a good headlamp recently got a samalite have to say the silva is just used as a spare now

[eric]

, forgot to mention have a speleo nova 1, was the bee knees for 5 years till a bit of salt got in the cable housing and now it turning on and off when it feels like it?

[shamoo0804]

silva lx its the best on the market.

samo, for the purpose of partylikeits1969's original post, I'd be interested to know the foundation of your comment, ie how do you know its the best on the market?!

Do you test headlamps, if so, what criteria do you assess each unit on and how is that relevant to angling?

If not, it might be wise to comment on your own personal experience of that particular product rather than comment....this one is the best.

Atleast that way partylikeits1969 can get a fair and reasonable cross section of opinions on headlamps

[JOHN1]

silva lx its the best on the market.

samo, for the purpose of partylikeits1969's original post, I'd be interested to know the foundation of your comment, ie how do you know its the best on the market?!

Do you test headlamps, if so, what criteria do you assess each unit on and how is that relevant to angling?

If not, it might be wise to comment on your own personal experience of that particular product rather than comment....this one is the best.

Atleast that way partylikeits1969 can get a fair and reasonable cross section of opinions on headlamps

samo has been around the block quite a few times and im sure he has seen a lot of headlamps in his day both his own and very serious anglers he would be aquainted to so i would take his word for it and would not start looking for foundations. anyway SILVA say it is the best 5watt luxon lamp on the market im sure its the only one at the moment what more do you want hope your not dissapointed with your princeton.
sorry for speaking for you samo.

john.....

[shamoo0804]

JOHN1,

Your comments have been duly noted, and please forgive my ignorance.. I should maybe add that I dont know samo personally, and dont wish to to be derisary towards his knowledge of angling/angling equipment.

I only started sea fishing in march of this year so my saltwater experience is rather limited, however I have noticed a distinct clique with regards to a section of anglers you guys would call tackle tarts, and there being a designer label element to fishing tackle..for example, I know a few lads who say zzippy rods are simply the best on the market....sure they may well be top quality, but its impossible to say they are absolutely the BEST rods available.

If you compare it to cars/vehicles for example ( a subject I'm extremely educated on), how could you say xxxxx is the best car/vehicle in the world...its simply impossible to make such a bold statement , you need to judge each individual item on a wide variety of points.

Sorry to sound like I'm bitching a bit here, thats not my intention, however, I thinks its only fair to anybody who posts a question in this section about a particular piece of kit, that if we recommend something, we substantial it with some foundation/personal experience.

I'm sure you'll agree JOHN1, to simply say something is the best, is rather unhelpful unless backed up with some explanatory info.

BTW I have absolutely no affinity to the Princeton Tec Apex headlamp at all, never owned one, I've only ordered one because it came highly recommended by a guy in the USA on a mountainbiker forum....this guy incidently tests biker equipment as his gameful employment (thats not to say his opinion isnt biased however, but its an honest, general public orientated forum like SAI).

I will obviously write a review (good or bad), one I receive it, and have put it through its paces.

Even then, I'll certainly not be saying its the best/worts headlamp money can buy, but at least I can give a bit of positive/negative input regarding a piece of gear I own.


Mark

[shamoo0804]

anyway SILVA say it is the best 5watt luxon lamp on the market

Carlsberg also say its probably the best lager in the world.....

I'm a Stella Artois man myself


Sorry JOHN1....couldnt resist that one

[stevecrow74]

there are a couple of things people haven't mentioned....

batteries and battery life

if i'm correct in thinking the Silva LX comes with a battery pack

now when fully charged you can get a very good run on the battery pack (quite a few night sessions)

the same goes for the Silva L1 which uses 4XAA in the headband , also evenly spread in 2 compartments making it comfortable to wear on the head., i have got well over a week of night fishing out of one set of batteries (rechargable 2100mAh NiHM)

the added bonus comes with the Silva L1 in the way it also comes with a belt battery pack that takes 4X C batteries, which is always handy as a backup..

this is where having the S L1 has the upper advantage, there have been a few times i have put the headlight in my backpack and it has accidentally turned on by being pushed up against something, and then gone fishing to find out that the batteries are dead,but thankfully i carry the belt pack...

i know you're probably thinking that the S LX will be disconnected from the battery pack while in storage for the next trip , but what do you do if the battery pack does die out during a night session??? you cant replace the batteries?? it doesn't come with a second battery pack..
spare headlight time...

to summerise

Key features Silva LX

* Weight: 73 grams (battery on the belt)
* Max beam length: 75 metres
* Max illumination time: 45 hours (using light mode Power Save)

Key features Silva L1

* Weight: 226 grams including batteries
* Max beam length: 63 metres
* Max illumination time: 200 hours (using light mode Power Save)

the LX may be brighter, but the L1 is more reliable in my opinion

[shamoo0804]

the added bonus comes with the Silva L1 in the way it also comes with a belt battery pack that takes 4X C batteries, which is always handy as a backup..

That would certainly be a beneficial design feature that may perhaps be lacking from other headlamps.

(oh my god I'm agreeing with steve crow , there's no hope for me now )

[JOHN1]

i cant beleive stevecrow74 didnt post that in the first place
it would have saved a lot posters from having to post and PARTYLIKEITS1969 would of had his SILVA L1 by now .


JOHN.....

[kstaff]

The term tackle tart is loosly used on here and used for the purpose of humour, and has nothing to do with being in any clique. I'm sure lots of people do just fine without expensive tackle and it would in no way inhibit anyone from enjoying or going fishing!

Fishing for a great many years affords certain things, like knowledge of what you precieve to be the best available item you wish to use for your fishing. This knowledge only comes after years of trying many different brands and finding, number 1,something you like and can afford and number 2, something which has been used by like minded people you know and has a reputation as a quality piece of kit, hence the recomendations of the Silva. Whether it's the best or not is irrelevant.

A question was asked people gave answers, all the replies were based on actual use and that is far more beneficial to the person seeking the advise.

[dfella25]

I'm going to jump in and back up what Hardiman said about the Energizer LED headlight. That is if your looking for a light that wont cost the earth. It's less then €20 and the the battery life should be 50 hours. I have started using for work in the morning now too! I deliver papers to offices in the morning and the had a rechargeable lamp in the van. I don't always remember to recharge it though

So by using a light that takes 3 AAA batteries, you can easily carry spares. So for the affordable market and one I have tested I am very happy with the results.

DF

[dymic lt 14]

i have been using the standard tiga for a few years and i am sick and tired of buying bulbs and batteries how do the silva lamps do on light output compared thanks

[brianbru]

its terrible funny how some people get wound up over someone saying something like its the "best"
honestly lads come on

[fishinmidget]

I'm going to jump in and back up what Hardiman said about the Energizer LED headlight. That is if your looking for a light that wont cost the earth. It's less then €20 and the the battery life should be 50 hours. I have started using for work in the morning now too! I deliver papers to offices in the morning and the had a rechargeable lamp in the van. I don't always remember to recharge it though

So by using a light that takes 3 AAA batteries, you can easily carry spares. So for the affordable market and one I have tested I am very happy with the results.

DF

i would have agreed with you about a month ago before i got my silva L1. i still use the Energiser as a back up(whenever i get round to actually fishing) and while it is a handy little light, the silva is MILES better. more power, longer life. the silva is expensive though.

Sorry to sound like I'm bitching a bit here, thats not my intention, however, I thinks its only fair to anybody who posts a question in this section about a particular piece of kit, that if we recommend something, we substantial it with some foundation/personal experience.

I'm sure you'll agree JOHN1, to simply say something is the best, is rather unhelpful unless backed up with some explanatory info.

fair enough, ill back up what ive said. ive had/used about 6 headlamps, of these 5 of them didn't have the same output as the silva, despite having more leds. the 6th one(a tiga) was staggeringly bright but was heavier, more expensive and didn't last as long as the silva does.

thats why i feel fully justified in saying the silva is the best. also, if you look at the people who have recommended the silva so far, i wouldn't doubt any of them as people like steve, seanie and dennis have LOADS of experience with different products on the market.

[samo]

Shamoo,

im not a tackle tart by a long shot but i do believe you get what you pay for and you do have to pay for quality the silva range in my opinion and in the opinion of everyone i fish with is the best on the market so i dont think i would retract my statement i've gone through a load of head lamps from petzils to samulites and a few other makes as well bud so i supose you could say i try out head lamps for a living but dont get paid for it

just hope your princton tec apex works as good as the silva lx.

regards,

Samo.

[roger de dodger]

the lenser 1 watt led is the best ,most reliable ,and lightest headlamp in the universe it can be seen from space on a clear night, no messin one of my mates is an asstronort
so their!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!