Customer Reviews

Petzl E48 PBY Zipka Plus 4-LED Headlamp, Black and Yellow

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought three of these with the intention of giving them out as presents. I ended up keeping one and giving away the other two. It's the handiest little tool I own!

I have used it while grilling outdoors at night, for extra light to help reorganize the wiring behind my entertainment center, for sweating fittings onto my water heater in the attic, you name it. You just can't beat the compact design.

The tension on the retractable headband is just right - tight enough to keep it on even when active, but not so tight that it hurts even when wearing it for long periods of time.

The size and weight is so minimal when retracted that you can just put it in your pocket and forget it's there. Sure, people will make fun of you when you wear it, but you'll have both hands free to attend to your task.

This light makes a great gift, because most people don't realize they need this until they use it. However, if you do buy one as a gift, get two. Trust me, you'll use it.

This thing is so small and light you can have one with you for any outdoor activity where you could get caught in the dark if things don't go perfectly.

It works on your bare head, though not as well as one with straps, but it also works over helmets and hats with instant adjustments (stays on some helmets better than others), and it fits in any pocket. Beyond that, the zipka loops brilliantly around a handlebar and over itself to make a bike headlight; you could make another into a taillight if you got one of the lens kits. It also loops around a branch and over itself for an overhead light, or around a ski pole or tent pole. It's also great for reading in a hotel room when your partner is asleep, or for rooting through a dark closet. I realize this is starting to sound like an infomercial but this thing is that useful, I have a couple and I use them regularly in all these ways (well, except the taillight). It's versatile in ways you only wish a headlamp with a strap could be.

I have already bought 6 of them for myself, friends and family. It is the most convenient, effective light for any kind of outdoors stuff. My brother gave me the best feedback. Climbing in the Karakoram Mountains above 20,000 ft altitude, he found the Zipka worked like charm in the coldest weather, for 18 nights with only one change of 3 small AAA batteries. It even worked for lighting the trail ahead when they would start marching at 3 am, and it worked at night when he was preparing meals and writing his notes. In contrast, all the big fancy headlights he has tried, either were too heavy (wt is a killer in the high mountain treks and most of them are atleast 3-4 times as heavy as one zipka), or required 5 or 6 times 4 AA battery pack changes (which requires you carry that much extra weight) or couldn't stand the cold. Zipka (because its batteries are close to your forehead and keeps warm - our own assessment) didn't go dead on him like other batteries did.
All the high altitude guides were eager to have the zipka as they found it amazing. Zipka is the best gift for them.
I have two, with one permanently in my shell jacket sleeve pocket and one in my car.
It should be awarded an OSCAR of lights.

I love this headlamp, but as with one other reveiwer, after a few months of flawless use, it started shutting off on me in the middle of active use. This can be quite dangerous depending on what you are using it for. At the very least it is aggrivating. It is usually difficult to get it to come back on without adjusting the batteries in various ways. I like the headlamp itself so much that I have continued to use it even with this large fault, but I am becoming less tolerant and am likely to purchase a new head lamp soon, but will not buy this one again unless this issue is resolved with the product.

coolest strap system I've seen. fits easily in your pocket.

at first I didn't think the angle was adjustable - but you effectively can by moving it up and down on your forehead.

also - it can sit flat on the floor / ground with the light at a 45 degree angle. useful for a small area light.

the light is bright and highly defused. favors lighting up a large area close to you as opposed to spotting at a distance.

previously owned a princeton aurora - which was good, but I like this one a lot better.

The day after this little jewel came, I had to repair the drain stop in the quest bath. I, as always, could not seem to get the flash lite in the right position to see up behind the sink. Then I thought of my new little lite. I put it on my forhead and kaboom, it lit up the area that I wanted to see like daylight. I also found it very handy handy when I'm doing work on my lathe or mill. The light goes right where I'm looking and you don't even know it's there. One of the few products that I have purchased in recent years that really exceeded my expectations.

I purchased the light for a very reasonable price ($29?) and free shipping! The light works GREAT. It is much brighter than the original one that had only 3 bulbs. I like the less restrictive elastic cord and zinger over the more cumbersome bands. A great item at a GREAT price.

I bought the item because the Starbucks, where I have coffee every afternoon, is not well illuminated. As I am almost an octegenarian, this interferes with my reading the Wall Street Journal. I became acquainted with the above item because my son gave a cheaper version, at Christmas, to all the grandchildren. I was intrigued and when I told him of the problem, he recommended the above version as being better suited. He was correct, though at times, when in use, it shuts down when it should stay on. I was able to diagnose the problem as due to my head movements, or general vibrations in the area, slightly shifting of one or more of the batteries so they loose contact. It's annoying, but could be easily corrected by the manufacturer.

Joseph Findling

This is a great little light. It's so small, light, and convenient I even find myself using it in stituations where I'd thought about using a flashlight in the past but didn't want to bother. Here are a few examples of when I've used it:

- I've used it when I'm working in the attic so I don't have to lug a flashlight with me while I'm crawling around. (I have a very low attic. You either crawl or walk like a duck when you're up there, so carrying things is very inconvenient.) There are three brightness settings, and I found that even the dimmest was sufficient for use in the attic at night, with the only other light source being a bulb at the other end of the house, and its light is blocked by ventilation ducts where I was working.

- I've used it when fiddling around the back side of my audio system so I can see the connectors on the backs of components. It's pretty dark back there between the shelves.

- It's handy when you need to peer into a small opening and want the light shining along the same line as your line of sight. It's so small you can actually hold it between your eyes for the most direct light possible. (Try it the next time you want to look in your kid's ear. ;-)

- It's great for cleaning. I found when using it to do some other things, like making changes to my audio system, that I could see dust and dirt that I normally couldn't see, so after I was done with the original job I used it to help me do some thorough cleaning. You'd be surprised how much dirt hides in the shadows.

- As a handheld flashlight. With the "headband" retracted, the whole thing is no bigger than a very small flashlight and it's easy to hold.

This thing is useful pretty much any place there isn't a lot of light and your eyes are open. ;-)

My only real complaints:

- The beam is angled down. Either the makers expect you to be looking down with your eyes all the time or it's apparently designed to be worn at the top of your forehead. In the middle of my forehead, where I'd prefer to wear it, the light point downs about 45 degrees. To get the beam to go out closer to my normal line of sight I have to wear it up at my hairline, which feels a bit odd. The Tikka Plus has a tilt feature, but I haven't tried it so I can't comment on how useful that would be. The tradeoff there, of course, is that you give up the retractable cord for a full fledged headband.

- I think it's overpriced. $39.95 just seems like a lot for what's here, even though it's nice. I'm thinking it should be $20 tops given that you can buy a 9-LED flashlight with an aluminum housing for $5: Super-Bright 9 LED Heavy-Duty Compact Aluminum Flashlight - Jet Black.

Oh, and although I ordered this item, the one that came was black and red, not black and yellow.

I got this headlamp as a birthday present and it's really quite nice for doing fine detail work where I need extra light. However, sometimes the 4 lights show up as 4 bright spots on the work if the work surface is shiny. It would be nice if the face was a diffuser instead of a clear plastic for my use. However, looking at the price, I would never have bought it for myself. It makes a great gift for someone who needs to do close up work like model building, etc.