Customer Reviews

Petzl E97 PP Tikka Plus 2 Headlamp, Pistachio

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Length:: 2:02 Mins

As a work light this thing is great. It's comfortable and has a beam that is bright and not so focused that you have to keep moving your head to light up different spots of where you are working. The memory feature means the light turns on the the last-used setting with a single button push. The small size and light weight means it is easy to wear.

Then, I discovered that in addition to being an excellent work light that it's also great for reading in bed. The tilt feature allows me to sit/lie comfortably and have the light stay on the page. Having a red light means I can easily read at night without disturbing my wife, our daughter, or the dog (depending on who's in bed with me at the time). Also, I've found that, for me at least, it improves the contrast of what I'm reading.

The thing is light, comfortable, doesn't get in the way when I'm lying down, and illuminates the entire page I'm looking at without having to keep juggling the book or something attached to it.

I got tired of carrying it between my tool box and nightstand so the next time it went on sale I bought a second one.

Four stars instead of five because it's a tad pricey. (Wait for it to come available as a Lightning Deal.)

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews, accompanied by detailed videos, can take the place of first-hand experiences that are often lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've received from other reviewers and try to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and the video at least entertaining. If there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.

I want to start off by saying, I researched the h*** out of headlamps before deciding upon the tikka plus 2. This is the first headlamp I had bought in over 8 years, I am very impressed with the advancements in technology and how well they were applied in making the tikka plus 2. It weighs almost nothing and has a great click system for angling the lamp in a certain direction. The red light is awesome for not disturbing others at night. For $30, you can't find a better headlamp.

I had previously owned a Princton Tec Quad and never had a Petzl lamp but this is well made with some style if that matters to you. The three modes for white light, high, low and flashing. The red light only has two modes of consistent and flashing.

It is very sturdy offers a great beam of light for the white light with only one bulb. I have had it for just 3 weeks so no experiences with it running low yet but I am using it sparingly.

This light has everything I need. 2 different light outputs, a flashing mode, red LED, battery life indicator... I really like the red LED for reading at night in bed, it does not keep my wife awake. It is light and compact for backpacking, but it is useful for so much more. It is bright enough for just about any use and the batteries seem to last forever...

When I first ordered the headlamp, I was very worried about the clear case because I read some review saying that it spills out light onto the face and is distracting. I wear glasses, and another review site suggested that it would be a real problem.
I would like to confirm that this is totally not the case. The clear housing of the headlamp does spill out some light, but it is very very minimal. I used my hand to block the bottom of the housing to compare and it really makes no difference. I also have have the Energizer 6 LED headlamp and that one spills out a lot of light onto my glasses making things hard to see.
Overall, I am very happy with the purchase. An upgrade to the Tikka XP 2 can be made for $5 by switching out the LED. Search for SSC P4 (which is the LED installed in Tikka XP 2) in google. Soldering skills are required for the upgrade.

Great buy!

I use the brighter hundred dollar 80 and 140 lumen Petzl headlamp models so didn't expect this 50 lumen model to compare. Amazon had it for $25 on Deal Of The Day, so I tried it. Now it is my favorite. It is plenty bright enough for night walking or night working such as fixing a flat bicycle tire. The three AAA batts fit into the headlamp unit instead of three AA batts in a separate compartment around back. More convenient batt changing plus the AAA size make the whole thing seemingly weightless. The beam pattern is wide enough for good area lighting with no narrow spotlighting up ahead. I never remove mine from my hat at all now. The perfect gift as well -- whenever there's a sub-$30 sale, I buy five of them and pass them out to friends and family. Everyone loves them and I get lots of credit for a super-useful WOW-factor present.

I absolutely love this lamp. I needed something to illuminate my running path at night when the autumn season shortened my days and this was by far what I needed. It's lightweight and it was comfortable on my big noggin on runs of at least 7-8 miles.

I ordered this after sitting with a disabled hiker for hours waiting for SaR, well past dark. Of course SaR had their headlamps, and I had my trusty flashlight. Decided on the way out that night that I wanted a headlamp as well, for the ease of use, and hands-free capabilities.

After looking through all the different headlamps, I settled on this one for a couple reasons- it's LED based, so no bulb to break, and lots of battery life, it's light, the light unit is self-contained, with no wire from the light to the battery pack. The price isn't too bad compared to some, so if I lose or damage/destroy it, it's not a big deal.

I've used this light extensively since I received it almost a year ago, and it continues to impress me. There are brighter headlamps out there, so if brightness is your prime concern, you may want to look elsewhere. Personally, though, I do not feel the light output lacking, both around the house and for performing tasks around camp after dark.

Operation is as easy as installing the batteries (a single clip, which might be trouble for those with impaired dexterity in the fingers), and pushing the button. The button is recessed enough that I don't worry about it turning on in my pack, but still easy to operate, even with gloves on. At first I was concerned with the click-stop adjustment for angling the headlamp downward, but even after all the use I've given it, the stops are still just as tight as new.

An appreciated feature is that the light remembers if you last used it for white or red lighting, so, for example, you don't blind everyone at a star-gazing event- just set your light to red before you arrive (as easy as holding the switch for a few seconds) and then, until you set it back, every time you turn it on it will activate the red LED.

Battery life seems excellent. I typically run NiMH batteries in the headlamp, and they last quite a while. The light brightness does diminish as the batteries run down, but it's easy to pop them into the charger for a few hours and everything's back at full again. Running on the low power white light, I typically charge the batteries once a month, with a few hours of use every night. Batteries, especially the small AAA's that this lamp uses, do lose efficiency as they get cold. Keeping the lamp in your pocket until you need it helps, but if it's below freezing I try bring an extra set of batteries, just for insurance.

Also, I'm not entirely certain, but I believe the lamp is slightly dimmer with fully charged NiMH batteries than with alkaline, possibly due to NiMH being nominally 1.2 volts. If brightness and runtime are critical, throw a fresh set of alkaline in and you shouldn't have a problem. The light is small enough that it's easy to carry an extra set of batteries, just in case.

This headlamp is easy to use and exceeded my expectations. I have used it a variety of ways: hiking, reading, camping, walking the dog, night runs, and it adapts to every situation. Definitely buy!

This will be short and to the point.
You will love this headlamp.
- It is a high quality white l.e.d. bulb that produces 50 lumens. (about 100ft. of distance for light)
- As has a high quality red l.e.d. bulb producing light for reading maps and such at night. (Red is important for not losing your night vision so great thinking behind its intent)
- Has an indicator for low battery power so you know when your light has reached its half life. (this is good to know because no way wants to be left in the dark unexpectedly)
- Its water proof. (everyone at some point will have an accident with water, nice to know you are covered)
- Has 140 hour battery life. (uses 3 AAA batteries, that shows it is using quality led's)
- Very comfortable headband. (soft to the touch and very adjustable, it can be worn for hours with no problem)
- Adjustable light throw for looking forward or down. (why hold your neck down, just adjust the light position)

In the end with all products, you get what you pay for! I've bought other cheaper ones and always regret it. Just buy the good stuff once and save money not having to rebuy crappy stuff over and over.

Hope this helps those on the fence!