Gamma Reviews

Got myself a Gamma as an emergency light when mountain biking at night (in case my main bar lamp fails and for use when fixing punctures in the dark).  Took it out last night and boy was I pleased I did.  This little light packs some punch for the money and the extra LEDs back and front are just great.  Last night I lost my rear bike light somewhere over the ruff stuff so pulled out the gamma and used the rear red LED bar to get me home safe on the roads.

Great light at a great price.

Bought my Gamma at last years Outdoor Show at NEC. Just had to replace the batteries as they did not have enough oomph to light the 1w LED. The smaller LED still worked well enough though. Not a bad considering the amount of use it gets - i’m a scout leader and spend about 20-30 nights a year camping.

Considering the Bulb II in replacement of my UKO backpacking candle. Anyone out there got any thoughts to share on it?

Before knowing of this product I recently purchased another brand at 3 times the price. Due to a fault I returned for a full refund and purchased a Gamma.  Very quick delivery and great product for the money. Lets see how it stands up over the coming months.

Would have liked the option of some kind of protective bag/case though.

This is ideal for cyclists too. Take the top strap off and weave the side straps through the helmet holes.

Hi Russell

As with any of our products, if something goes wrong and it’s our fault, we will do our best to help out.  We have emailed you directly regarding this issue but we should be able to sort out a replacement asap.

Thanks

Jenni

Fantastic bit of kit.I have been using the Gamma for just over a year and living by the sea it has seen a lot of bad weather. The only problem is the battery compartment lid seems to break easily. Just wandered if spares were available?

You have to see it to believe it. This little gem has a whole bundle of luminous stuff going on.
It’s nicely designed with fully adjustable straps, solid construction and positive/definitive switching.
I had to check it out so I popped into Spa cave on the Isle of skye (as you do). The only thing it couldn’t illuminate were the dark places in my soul.

As for value for money well, it’s Alpkit isn’t it. Nuff said!

Left my last Gamma in my blind friend’s house, and he never found it (or so he says), so have just bought a new one. This torch, like the last one, seems to suffer from not being reliable with rechargeable batteries. The Duracells supplied have a base shaped like an inverted pie dish, but all rechargeable NiMHs that I have seen are flat on the base. The middle contact in the lid is flush with the surrounding plastic lip, so the connection with rechargeables is marginal. This problem could easily be solved by dishing the contact more at the manufacturing stage, or putting a raised pip in the middle. Possible home-brew solutions I have considered are:
1) removing the contact and hitting it with a nail from behind whilst face down on some wood, to put a pip on it.
2) dropping a blob of solder on the contact
3) sliding something stiff and thin, like mylar sheet, behind the contact to push it outwards.

I’m not comfortable with any of these solutions, since solder tends to corrode, and removing the contact will involve melting or breaking the plastic rivet, and pushing something behind looks difficult and might not provide sufficient lift.
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On another subject, I also find the beam pattern from the low power LEDs is very uneven, and the red one in particular provides me with just two concentric rings, rather than a constant fill; this makes reading mildly awkward and a strain. Fitting a diffuser would help this, but I am contemplating roughening the surfaces of the LED capsules with an abrasive.

Other than this, the torch really is 1st class. It has the look and feel of a much more expensive torch, and when the cost of postage and the enclosed batteries is deducted, you are really only paying £9 or so for it.

I’ve tried a few budget priced headtorches and this is by far the best.  I was very surprised how well made and well thought out it is for the money.  £12.50 including batteries and shipping is just crazy cheap for what you get.  I will be recommending these to anyone looking for a headtorch, even if their budget is 3 times the price of these. 

Cheers,

Simon H

Hi Dino,

We’re aware this can cause some problems and are looking at ways of improving it….this could be similar to the double-click button currently used on the Bulb 2.

Tom (Alpkit)