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 Petzl Zipka Plus Headlamp (3 Color Choices) By: Petzl Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 8 More Information I live where the electricity is very eratic.  On: 2008-05-08I was the only one in the house who did not use a headlamp when the electricity went off. I finally gave in & bought a lamp & am delighted. Only problem I have, I live in the tropics, is that where it contacts my forehead it irritates in the humidity. Best flashlight out there  On: 2008-03-03Im in the army and in Dec 2002 I bought the Petzl Zipka after seeing some Special Forces soldiers using it. I originally wanted a more standard, strappy headlamp so I could look like a coal miner, but when I saw the Zipka I knew it was the one I wanted because of its portability and compactness. I took the little light to Iraq and every other field environment I was forced to. I used it constantly and it has great battery life, its durable and bright. People complain about how tough it is to put the batteries in these headlamps. The design is so meticulous on this light that it is a very tight, but secure fit once you learn the trick to get batts in and out. I religously took care of the light: kept debris and sand out of it and always stored it in its case and I had no problems. I put this in a pack many a times and rough handled my luggage and never damaged the light. You cant let the cord snap back or youll break it, I never did that, but I can imagine. I break almost everything I buy, but when you get this light, its so neat and useful that youll really want take care of it. I finished what I believe is the las training excercise of my army career in May of last year and I gave the light to my dad who is a plumber. He still calls every time he uses it and tells me how its the greatest gift hes ever received. I probably used this light approximately 1000 hours and I am going to buy another one because I regret giving my dad that one. Every time I pulled the light out of my pack when I was in the field with my fellow soldiers theyd say, "thats a cool light" or "can I borrow it?" or "Whered you get it?". One of the coolest pieces of kit for a soldier and now that they make a red filter for it, its perfect. Alot of guys like those 70 dollar aluminium xenon and led hand flashlights, but theyre no where near as practical as this especially for 35bucks with the battery life it has. -Bob Great light On: 2008-02-15The best headlamp Ive had the pleasure to use. Super bright & super light. Great little headlamp, but broke too quickly On: 2008-01-26I like using a headlamp when working on my computer, trying to wire up my home stereo system, etc. and this little compact light is just perfect. I hate the headlamps with all the straps that are bulky and a pain to wear, this design with the little pull-out elastic strap is quite elegant works quite nicely. The light itself is very powerful and the battery life is just superb. I did find it really hard to open up to put the batteries in the first time, but finally got it open and its not been a problem since. I really have only one complaint and that is that my light broke after only a month of use. Ive used it maybe a dozen times and now, when you press the button it turns on, but additional button presses have no effect so you cant change the light intensity...or turn it off! So when I am done using it I have to pull the battery out to shut it off. I will be returning it to Petzl on a warranty repair/exchange since it has a 3-year warranty so luckily its not a very expensive device to mail! Great little headlamp, but broke quickly On: 2008-01-26I like using a headlamp when working on my computer, trying to wire up my home stereo system, etc. and this little compact light is just perfect. I hate the headlamps with all the straps that are bulky and a pain to wear, this design with the little pull-out elastic strap is quite elegant and works nicely. The light itself is very powerful and the battery life is just superb. I did find it really hard to open up to put the batteries in the first time, but finally got it open and its not been a problem since. I really have only one complaint and that is that my light broke after only a month of use. I used it maybe a dozen times and then it would only respond to the first button press to turn on, after pressing it again nothing happens! So when I am done using it I had to pull the battery out to shut it off. With the 3-year warranty I was able to send it back to Petzl and they sent me a brand-new replacement one in just over a week. So great support on their part, hopefully the second one will last longer. I did have the same problem getting the battery compartment open on the replacement, so definitely you have to be pretty persistent to get that open. At least it wont pop open accidentally! Nearly perfect On: 2007-11-08This is a nearly perfect headlamp. I reviewed the previous version, four years ago, and this has added three important improvements. Positive points: 1) Best battery life of any headlamp that Ive seen. LED lamps, low power consumption, etc. mean that it easily gets 100 hours per set of batteries. 2) Lightest, most comfortable headlamp on the market, especially for daily use and/or "in your pocket, when I need it" use. 3) Terrific as a "go put the dog out" or "reading in bed" light. 4) Excellent for that emergency "need a little light for working on/behind something". Mine goes with me everywhere in my briefcase. The new selectable light levels, improved brightness, and strobe mode make it ideal for safety, as well. Bottom line: its really cool; works great, can be packed away, and used as a head lamp, HAND lamp, emergency bike lamp...get one. Youll love it. Minor caveats: 1) Theres a little warning slip in the package, but in case you miss that: to avoid unpleasant surprises, DO use two hands to take it off, so the rear pad doesnt jump off the back of your head and hit your hand. Likewise, be careful putting it on. This is the price you pay for compactness...I have strap-on lights that I like, too, typically in toolkits or cars, but this one goes *everywhere* with me. 2) Its not waterproof, but this model has improved water resistance compared to the previous model, and its not as secure as some of the higher-end sport headlamps. Therefore, when pursuing physically vigorous activities, you may want a headlamp that is a little more secure. This is fine, however, for walking, biking, reading in bed, road bicycling, etc. The Perfect Flashlight ... Or Perfect Headlamp On: 2007-06-06This is an excellent product. We lose power constantly in NH and Ive used one of these Zipka headlamps for about 5-6 years. You cant beat it - 150 hours before you have to replace the batteries?? Thats tough to beat. Also, this weighs about 65 grams. Thats right. You cant even tell youre wearing it. My wife finds the pressure on the forehead a little annoying so she wears hers on top of a baseball cap. - great for walking around inside or outside - throws off plenty of light - keeps your hands free - white light makes it much easier to perform tasks like reading - batteries last forever (150 hours?) - so light you cant tell youre wearing it - so small and light, I bring it with me in my backpack wherever I go - solid construction - never had any problems My favorite part has to be the clever design of the headband and how it retracts into the back of the light for storage. Very well done! Amazing Lights On: 2007-05-20These things blow away regular light bulb flashlights. I used them in Costa Rica and they were very handy, bright, and dont run out of batteries for a very long time. All purpose light... On: 2007-04-29I had one of these, Im ordering my second one now. I used this mostly because I worked night shift while in the AirForce. At night sometimes you need a flashing light when your on the flightline just so that people know where you are, so you dont get run over. Other times you need a light to work inside a plane wiithout any lights on. The light can be seen from far away, but it can be toned down if needed. Zip it onto your forehead, and you can use both your hands an not worry about it falling off. This light will stay on even if your running on uneven ground. If you dont want it on your head zip it to your wrist and itll show light exactly what your working on. Then when you get home and you need to get into places that have no lights reaching that area, like the cramped spot behind your table to get to the rear end of your computer, this is purfect. For me I was on night shift for a good 8 months, and during that time I only put one set of duracell bataries in there. I give this product five stars because of the power, versatility, and because of its compactness. The outiside will take basic wear and tear, but I wouldnt be through this at a wall or anything, or put it at the bottom of your luggage when you pack it. It can handle some abuse, but not much. Take care of it, and itll last forever. Im buying me second one because I learned the hard way not to pack it at the bottom of the suitcase or on the side. Our luggage gets throughn around when you check it in at the airport... pack it in the center and its all good... treat it like an electronic equipment. But otherwise a very good product. |