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The Product...
Petzl Tikka Headlamp
Weight: 70g including batteries
Light Source: 3 LED lights
Power Supply: 3 AAA batteries (included with headlamp)
Burn Time: 150 hours
Additional: on/off switch
MSRP: $35
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The Product Tester...
Martin Strasser
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 180 (before the expedition)
Build: Lean & Mean
Style: Definitely Telemark Style
Background: High altitude mountaineer/telemarker. Currently studying industrial engineering in Germany. Also ski instructor, endurance athlete, rock climber...
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The Completely Biased Review...
Category: Accessories
Photos: Kyle Amstadter
This summer my team members and I had the privelege of using the Petzl Tikka headlamp on a ski expedition in Peru. The Tikka headlamp uses LED lights, which is a technology that has been around for a long time but has only been used for headlamps within the last couple of years. As opposed to other light sources, the LEDs radiate almost no heat, which makes the batteries last for an incredibly long time. The Petzl Tikka uses white LEDs, which give off a very bright white light. In short, the Tikka added to the safety and comfort of our expedition. The times of trying to eat dinner inside a dark tent in order to save batteries are over.
One remarkable characteristic about the Tikka headlamp is its small size and weight. Weighing in at only 70 grams, there is really no reason not to have it in your pack at all times. I learned my lesson on an acclimatizing climb in the first week of the expedition. It was only supposed to be a 7-hour round trip, so I thought there was no reason to take a headlamp. Well, it ended up being a 13-hour round trip. Luckily, another team member packed his Tikka, which ended up being absolutely essential for the rappel in the dark. Now all three of us always keep the Tikka in the top compartment of our packs whether we go for a multi-pitch rock climb or just a day hike.
Despite the brightness of the Tikka, the length of the light beam is much shorter than that of a halogen headlamp like the Petzl Zoom or Duo. Therefore, its use is limited. As a team, we used the Tikka in combination with the Petzl Duobelt headlamp (halogen). We had the leader of the group take the Duobelt headlamp for route finding, and the rest of the team followed with the Tikkas.  This setup had two main advantages: One, the Tikkas weighed significantly less, and two, we could keep our Tikkas turned on the whole time in the dark at high camp because we didn't have to worry about the batteries running out.
As far as ruggedness, on the four-week expedition the three of us used the Tikkas extensively and found that they are pretty bombproof. Since they are so small and have a robust plastic housing, they are not very prone to being crushed by anything in your backpack. We didn't have much of a chance to test their water resistance since there was almost no precipitation in the Peruvian Andes when we were there. But, the few times it did rain when we were wearing the headlamps there didn't seem to be any problems. I used the Petzl Tikka headlamp in temperatures as low as -20°C, and the light was always strong enough for following on a climb. However, if the batteries are exposed to temperatures that low, they will naturally not have the same output as they do in tent temperature. I strongly recommend carrying a spare set of batteries somewhere close to your body when it gets really cold so that you can exchange the cold batteries for warm, fresh ones.
The three of us tested the first generation of the Tikkas, and noticed that the light started flickering slightly after several nights of use. Another problem that we encountered was that the angle of the light beam illuminated the tip of our noses and made our eyes dilate. We had to wear the headlamps a little higher on our head for the time being. We talked to the Petzl Headlamp representative as soon as we got back to town, and he said that this problem had already been fixed for the new generation of Tikkas. I recently bought one for my sister for her birthday, and I found that these two minor problems have indeed been fixed.
Basically, the Petzl Tikka will do for any activities that don't require a very long beam, such as trekking, cross country skiing, running, camp life, reading, working on your car, etc. In fact, the Tikkas are more pleasant for reading and any close-up work than regular headlamps due to their extended burn time. When you're staying out in the mountains for 8 days at a time, it's very nice to be able to read a book or write in your journal at night without feeling guilty about wasting batteries.
More Biased Reviews Of This Product...
Name: Simon Kennell
Email: s.kennell@totalise.co.uk
Location: UK
Build: Short but fit(ish)
Style: Mountain biker
Review:
I bought my petzl tikka about a year ago and I use it for almost everything I do at night. Camping, reading on buses, fixing my bike, map reading and fixing trucks.
I'm an army driver and always keep it in the top of my bergan for when the truck needs checking over or whatever. If you don't need to be able to see further than the ends of your arms where you are working, it is ideal, and it is small enough to get your head into more confined areas. It's useless for riding a bike as the beam is too short, but I still take it with me for those inevitabe punctures!
I am still on the first set of batteries. The bulbs don't look like they'll ever go. It may cost a bit more than a normal halogen bulbed lamp but it is cheap to run, and you're more likely to use it, because you'll always have it with you.
On the down side, I have had problems with the fixing of the lamp to the strap. It is only held on by two relatively skinny bits of plastic which I've managed to break. i'm so dissappointed about this as it is otherwise perfect!
As it puts out more of a glow than a beam, you get so used to being able to see that you almost don't realise it's there.
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Name: Simon Kennell
Email: s.kennell@totalise.co.uk
Location: UK
Build: Short but fit(ish)
Style: Mountain biker
Review:
I bought my petzl tikka about a year ago and I use it for almost everything I do at night. Camping, reading on buses, fixing my bike, map reading and fixing trucks.
I'm an army driver and always keep it in the top of my bergan for when the truck needs checking over or whatever. If you don't need to be able to see further than the ends of your arms where you are working, it is ideal, and it is small enough to get your head into more confined areas. It's useless for riding a bike as the beam is too short, but I still take it with me for those inevitabe punctures!
I am still on the first set of batteries. The bulbs don't look like they'll ever go. It may cost a bit more than a normal halogen bulbed lamp but it is cheap to run, and you're more likely to use it, because you'll have it with you.
On the down side, I have had problems with the fixing of the lamp to the strap. It is only held on by two relatively skinny bits of plastic which I've managed to break. i'm so dissappointed about this as it is otherwise perfect!
As it puts out more of a glow than a beam, you get so used to being able to see that you almost don't realise it's there.
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