Customer Reviews

Petzl E43P Tikka LED Headlamp

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have worked at an outdoor store, where we sold this headlamp along with between 10-15 others, depending on the season. And after seeing many of these as well as it's counterpart, the Zipka, pour out of the store, this is what I have to say.

In theory, this is the perfect little light, besides its sister, the Zipka.

In fact, the Zipka is the exact same light with a different strap. So that's why my review applies to both these lights.

However, I have a couple caveats.

Via months of experience, I have found multiple customers returning their lamps because they would intermittently turn on and off when they were bumped. In fact, mine does that...and nothing can be worse at night than you bumping into something, and finding that you no longer have any light!

Also, the light loses out on some of its functionality because of its compactness.

It has only two settings - on and off. And it only has one position. Approximately 45 degress below the horizon.

And it's not waterproof at all - they don't even include a little rubber seal!

There are other lights on the market, depending on your purpose- specifically, the PRINCETON TEC Aurora & the BLACK DIAMOND AURORA - which I also own and LOVE - which can serve you better.

For slight added weight, the Aurora has a high, low, and emergency blinking function which are useful. It also can tilt to any position. And it is also waterproof.

For the SUPER lightest weight headlamp, nothing beats the Ion. I have it in my pocket right now for a pockect flashlight. It uses hearing aid batteries which last for hours, it has two bulbs, and is SOOOO small, you won't believe it.

The Zipka and Tikka are good...but from my experience, and myself owning 5 different headlamps, there are better ones out there.

This is a great little headlamp that throws out quite a powerful beam, and has a very soft, comfortable head strap. It works well as an after-dark navigational light or as a working-around-the-campsite light. It's a tiny bit too bright for me to use comfortably as a reading light, but that may just be my thing. It's a darned compact size, and according to their literature, can give up to an amazing 150 hours of light with its three AAA batteries. The comfy adjustable strap holds the lamp in place, and there's a bit of cushy padding so that it doesn't hurt your forehead. Very functional, nothing really horribly wrong with it.

That said, however, there are some things I don't like about it. While the angle of the beam is a good one, it's not adjustable like the Black Diamond Ion is (however, it is more comfortable to wear than the Ion.) This is my main complaint, though; the batteries are a bit tricky to get changed, and there is often not a good, solid contact with the batteries and the terminals, which leads to a slightly flickering light, which I find really irritating. There are also smaller lamps to be had now, and when every inch of space is a consideration, that's important. However, that 150-hour burn time is hard to beat!

But really, the Tikka is a perfectly fine piece of equipment, and it does its job well. The folks at Backpacker magazine just loved it, so it's obviously got some good things going for it.

I've owned a Tikka for about two years, often using it several times a day. It has been used as an auxilliary light for bike riding, for doing car repair and working on appliances, for map reading in the car and even for reading for hours. Batteries last for many hours and will give useful light even when very run down (although light output does get reduced). The light pattern is very broad, making the light most useful for close work but it still puts out enough light to see a fair distance.

After two years of rough use, the switch got hard to work but working in some silicone grease eased the action. Also, it is important to close the case carefully after replacing batteries, being sure to fully engage the the hinge hooks before closing.
The elastic headband has held up well and is very secure while still allowing some angle adjustment.
Lots of long lasting light in a small, durable package.

Petzl's Tikka series lamps are hard to beat for function, price, and practicality. Sure, there are lighter weight LED-type lights out there that use watch batteries, but standard AAA batteries are much easier to come by when you're camping/trekking in out of the way places than a specific type of watch battery. The burn time is phenomenal, compared to conventional incandescent lamps, and the Zipka lamp is a very ingenious little headlamp, with its retracting strap and tiny size. They both put out a good field of usable light, and it stays bright for most of the battery life (usually 100-150 hours). As for the criticism that the Tikka line does not have a multiple intensity or flashing setting, or an adjustable angle, Petzl has introduced "Tikka Plus" and "Zipka Plus" lines which offer all of those features, though at a slightly higher price, with slightly more weight and a little bit shorter burn times. They've improved the switch too, for the plus models to allow for the multiple function settings, eliminating the original less-than-perfect slide switch, and the possibility of the lamp turning itself on by mistake. I own several lights in this series, the Tikka, the Zipka, and recently, a Zipka Plus, and I use them constantly whether bicycling, reading in my tent, hiking down a trail at night, or running tv cable in my crawlspace and have nothing but praise for each light.

The Petzl Tikka came to my rescue last year when I had a little trouble with rodents in our basement. My girlfriend and I lost our pet mouse one saturday night, when it slipped out of her hand. A few weeks later we heard a lot of scrabbling coming from under the stairs and decided the little fellow must have found a friend and started a family. Hence the need for some powerful lighting that would still allow me to keep both hands free!

We purchased a Petzl Tikka and were initially very suprised by the comfort and ease with which the item could be fitted. It sat snugly on my head and remained there despite some quite violent movement on my part. Even when swinging a spade above my head the Tikka stayed firmly in place. And as for the quality of the light I can only say that it is superb. The beam was clear and sharp enough to light every corner of our very large basement. Its power at close range was such that the mice were transfixed like rabbits in headlights which helped my task no end. In fact we even tested it on a camping trip this fall, and the beam was visible even when I was stood on top of a hill around a mile away! In short if you are looking for a lamp which is practical and extremely durable then I can do no more than recommend the Tikka.

OK... This review is for you guys and gals who are thinking about this light on the job, rather than walking dogs or camping.I got this light at Christmas and has been in semi-constant use since then doing electrical and plumbing work. The light is great for close-in work such as electrical panels, junction boxes and puting together pipe in dark areas and crawl spaces, but don't expect it to beat your Dewalt or Milwaukee flashlight. It won't light a large area, but you can use it as your only light under a house to safely navigate if you don't feel like dragging the rechargeable with you.(You just won't see the rodents and snakes until they're close!)The light is almost unnoticeable while wearing it. It is extremely small and light weight and the fully adjustable strap is padded and comfortable. It doesn't get in the way.Battery life is absolutely awesome! I've got a total of 36 on hours so far with no loss of brightness. The switch does get a a bit tight with use, as stated in another reveiw, but hasn't caused a problem so far even with the dusty conditions encountered. To protect it, I just place a piece of elec tape over the lens and switch prior to stuffing it in my tool bag.Buy it. A Good price for the light you get.

It's true (as many before me have said) that the switch is pure hell. Flickering everytime I turn it on. Sometimes the light seems very dim until I mess with the switch and realize it's just not 'contacting' well.

The problem is I LOVE the light. I'm too stupid and cheap to throw it away. So I continue on and suffer every night (since I usually use it as a reading light).

Go ahead and buy it. It's nice. It's blue and the light it great. But you've been warned about that darn switch...

I got my Tikka for Backpacking purposes. I needed a small lightweight light that allows for hiking/cooking in the dark. The Tikka is perfect. Unlike other lights it does not interfere with my night vision. I can still see outside of the light which is a must. I have used other LED lights and they are too bright. I have also found myself using the Tikka for odd jobs around the house and car. This is a must have. Every Camper or handyman should have one. Save your money and get the Tikka over an overpriced Headlamp!

This thing is great. The benefit when camping or hiking is obvious, good light right where you look and both hands free. I use it at home all the time, home improvement projects, working on the car, reading in bed, amazing how many times you will use this handy light. The light is bright enough to walk a trail at night or to read by, can be set on a table to light a small room for simple tasks. Very comfortable to wear, small and light to keep in a pocket. I've had it for about a year now and never changed the batteries, they seem to last forever, I have 80 hours or so on them now and it's still bright enough to be useful.

Get one, you won't regret it.

While the light and form factor is easily rated at 5 stars, the on/off switch is extremely intermittent and deserving nada. Mine lasted only 5 power cycles before the switch had to be persuaded to work. This is really too bad for this product due to the excellent illumination. The cost is just not worth any warranty bother.....it belongs in a drawer with the rest of my great expectations.