Customer Reviews

Petzl E89 PD Tactikka XP Headlamp, Desert

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an electronics tech who has spent the better part of seven years working nights, I have gone through many different flashlights. This is the best one yet. I don't recommend flashlights to my co-workers because I always believe they may be able to find something better than what I have if they do some searching. This light is the exception! It is not the brightest I have ever used, but it is very bright. The long battery life more than makes up for the brightness. The only lights I have used that were brighter than this one were from two particular manufacturers and the batteries on each of those lasted less than a half hour continuosly. This light runs for eight hours with little noticable dimming and then does it all over again the next day. If you rely heavily on a hands free flashlight, this is the best one out there.

This really is an outstanding headlamp. It is exceedingly bright, and outshines and outlasts my other headlamps (both LED and incandescent).
It comes with minimal instructions, and while you really don't need them, there are a few things that took me a second or thirty to figure out.

1) The battery indicator LED -- it will start flashing a few seconds after you turn the headlamp on. I thought mine didn't work at first because I didn't wait long enough with the lamp on.
2) There is a nice little clip on the strap that will hold one extra lens - to remove the lens, you'll probably need to use your thumbnail to push it out from the back until it clicks, then you can use the slide tab to pull it out the rest of the way.
3) Multiple light modes -- when you initially turn the light on, you can hit the switch multiple times to change light modes. If you wait too long, the light will turn off the next time you hit the button, rather than switch to the next mode -- this is, in fact, good, so that if you want to kill the light quickly once you've been using it, you don't have to cycle through the other modes until it goes off.

Finally, the desert color is very nice -- it's sort of in between khaki and olive drab.

Wow, this is a fantastic headlamp, in fact I still have sunspots flashing across my retinas from playing with this earlier. The Tactikka XP is probably the brightest headlamp I have discovered for this size package. Structurally, the unit appears to be identical to the Tikka XP Headlamp, yet is in a nice khaki drab color. The headlamp is very robust, simple to operate, and seemingly very water resistant.

I am an active member of the U.S. Army currently deployed in Afghanistan. I first bought this item 6 months ago and I am very impressed with its durability and battery life. AAA batteries aren't exactly in ample supply here but it hasn't been an issue. This headlamp will use the same 3 AAA batteries for longer than a month if you use it on the lowest light setting and don't leave the light on full-time. I had to ultimately throw away batteries that just wouldn't seem to die as long as I left it on the lowest light setting. Even on full-time use, it will last for a good 8 hours straight use on the brightest setting and then still have juice left for the next mission on medium or low. There are three options of brightness for full-time use and also a blinking option good for signaling. It's great for keeping around my neck at night (or on my helmet thanks to the adjustable elastic band) to find where I'm going on a base with no lights or underneath a vehicle, in a cave, climbing a mountain, reading a map, etc. It also has a temporary extra bright button good for blinding friends at night or for the times where you just need a quick, bright beam of light. The only con that I could come up with is that the extra colored lens covers are wide angle covers which means they spread the light out and it leaves a dimmer effect of light, whereas I would prefer an option to have the same intensity light , which is very bright, while using the red or other colored lenses. Overall I like it so much I bought one each for my mother and brother who are avid fishers and mushroom hunters and have a habit of losing flashlights unless they are attached to them.

This was a bit of an impulse buy while I was at Cabella's, with no previous knowledge of Petzl or reading any reviews. On the way home I thought, "I can't believe I just spent fifty bucks on a flashlight. I'm sure I'll be disappointed." Boy was I wrong! This thing is awesome. Example: After two days of using it camping and thinking it was great I tried what I thought was the clear "protective" lens, realized it was a wide-angle diffuser lens(!), and the flashlight I didn't think could be any better increased its usefulness 10x. I love the ratcheting up/down aim feature, the super bright light via the momentary "power" button, the battery level indicator, comfortable head band, light weight, extra lens holder, etc. In fact, the whole unit works so well all around I use it almost everywhere I would have used a hand held flashlight previously - working on my car/bike, late night cookouts, hooking up cables on the back of the TV, etc. Bright, WHITE (not blue), long lasting light in a durable, easy to use package. If you're reading this, and still wondering about a $50 flashlight, just buy it. You won't regret it.

I have owned many Petzl headlamps, but this one is by far the best I have owned & used. Three easily found AAA batteries power this "lite" (weighs only 95g [3.35oz] including the batteries!) light and there is a nifty Green Orange Red indicator light on the side to help you determine how much battery life is left. New/fresh batteries & the indicator blinks green. After about 70% used/discharged the indicator turns orange. Finally, Red when 90% used and they need to be replaced. As an additional alert, the headlamp's beam will blink momentarily when the indicator changes color. Speaking of batteries, I checked out Petzl USA Homepage and there is now a warning not to use Lithium batteries (especially their higher output during discharge) because they may cause the lamp to overheat and possibly damage the LEDs. There is a very functional light diffuser that allows the light to be spread; perfect for walking at night through the woods with a full pack on, or with the diffuser moved to the side, a pin point beam can be directed where you need the brightest of lighting. Battery life for the 3 lighting levels: maximum [60 hours], optimum [80 hours], economic, [120 hours] Water resistant for all-weather use. Buy this headlamp & you will not be disappointed.

Although it's not clear from the product description, you can only have one of the lenses inserted at a time. The default of the lamp is to produce a narrow spot, with wider-angle illumination provided by using one of the removable lenses as a diffuser. This means that, while you're wearing the lamp, you can't switch between wide-angle white lighting and red light, since red is also provided by a filter.

If, like me, red is the only color you need, you might do better with the Petzl Tactikka Plus, which has a somewhat wider default beam and the red filter built in. I also bought the Petzl e+LITE Emergency Headlamp, which is quite an amazing piece of work, perfect for Burning Man btw.

What a difference a few years of technological progress makes in the world of LED headlamps. While my old Petzl headlamp provided a nice, useful beam, this thing is on a different level altogether, carving a path through the thickest darkness. Including the "boost" mode that is activated by holding down the corresponding button, there are four brightness settings. There is also a flashing mode that will be handy for cyclists, and an attached red shutter you can slide over the lens for preserving your night vision. Like all of Petzl's headlamps that I have seen, the Tactikka is rugged and made to stand up to the elements. An awesomely capable piece of equipment.

EDIT: The included batteries lasted maybe 10 hours, tops, on the high setting. Then the light dimmed very rapidly. Granted, this was in 25-40 degree weather, but 10 hours is only a fraction of the figure given by the manufacturer. Petzl is a great brand, but it would appear that even they are not immune to telling some tall tales with their specs. Get a pack of NiMH rechargables if you plan on using this thing a lot.

EDIT #2: As of 12.10.11, this is still my headlamp of choice. It's been dropped more than once and drenched by rain many times without showing any appreciable wear. LED technology has moved on but there are still very few "military-grade" headlamps like this one.

I stumbled across this headlamp one night in the north GA mountains during Ranger school. After a few nights of exceptional use we had enough time off for me to realize the owner had written his name on it. My Ranger buddy got it back but I went out and bought one right after graduation. My headlamp has last me through Iraq and AFG and I wouldn't trade it for anything! This "upgrade" on the typical petzl is worth the extra five-ten bucks.

This light is great for running at night, camping, hunting or anytime you need hands free light. The filtered lenses are great for the military or anyone who needs to maintain their night vision. Battery life is excellent and the light is powerful enough for it's intended use.

This is my second Tactikka light and I will always have one.