Gamma Reviews

Matt there was no forcing of the lid going on. These broke of their own accord by the pressure exerted from the spring inside. The plastic lips on the outside are too thin and weak to sustain that pressure. Over time they fail.

I am trying to highlight a product defect that can be fixed. To infer that everyone forced them and broken them is rude and suggests we are clumsy and stupid.

Alpkit will ignore this problem at their peril as people will cease to buy them when the negative reviews build up.

Just had problems with my second head torch and battery cover breaking this time it happened when being transported in a suit case. The cover had come away from the body of the torch because one the two very weak plastic notches on the battery cover snapped.The problem can be resolved I have now two torches that the cover is held in place with a thin nylon cable tie. Once on it can be slipped down to change the batteries and it seems tight enough to make the unit water tight

I recieved one of these as a gift at christmas and I have been delighted with it. Brightness wise the Cree LED seems on a par with a Seoul P4 LED which is what Exposure put in a £80 overpriced “bike light”, Lenser are charging silly money for lights with the same output as well.

Used for cycling this has been enough light on it’s own for unlit riding on towpaths and off road sections, the strobe function is useful at night in the city as it makes all the reflective road signs flash as well, people certainly know you are coming.

Build quality, sure it’s fairly light but I have no problem at all with the battery housing, you simply have to make sure you firmly press the sealed cover in place properly and don’t try to force the cover shut unless it’s properly seated, if you don’t show a bit a patience then of course you will break it but this is true of lot’s of kit, I have seen people cross thread mag lights by forcing the end cap shut with thread not engaged propely.

In all for the money it’s a steal and it certainly performs as well as some very expensive units by Silva or Petzl.

I wish Alpkit offered a bar mount conversion kit for it as two together would make an ideal commuting set up.

I bought 3 of these head torches for family and friends because of the price, their functionality and because they are backed up by the Alpkit service. They have a lot of features and options that other head torches do not have. Sadly when it came to changing the battery the achilles heal of this torch is the battery cover. It is held on by two very weak plastic notches. There is a male lip on the battery housing that fits the female groove of the housing lid. You rotate the lid say 15 degrees sideways and it comes off. Inside the lid is a spring and this appears to exert a lot of pressure on the lid from the inside. Over time with this pressure and the action of taking the lid on or off results in the little female clips on the outside breaking off the lid thus rendering the torch useless.

They have not received any rough treatment or much use. certainly nothing like an Annapurna trek. The occasional use in the loft or for changing a tire at night. All 3 broke at different times to the various people I gave them to as presents.

To Alpkit’s credit they sent me a replacement lid but it was impossible to retro fit and was of the same design as the other 3. They are £12.50 because they are made in China and while a lot of good stuff comes out of China I have to say that it is false economy to be skimping on plastic or metal quality when it comes to mission critical parts.

Nice torch when it works but the battery housing is flawed.

Great head torch I was well pleased with it,until the third set of batteries,if the battery cover is not on streight when you turn it to lock it the catch will snap off.
This happend in poor light when changing batteries.

A truly superb lamp, the main led has a great range and intensity, the other led’s are great for map reading.
I have just ordered another.
Mark

This torch has seen me walking the Annapurna trek, working backstage in black out, night patrol with Street Angels and walking Salisbury Plain trail in the dark after over-staying the pub lunch.  But I was heartbroken to come across it one day with the battery lid fastener snapped; my temporary wired repair failed, so I am back to buy another - it is THAT good.

Amazing value headtorch - perfect for running along darkish roads in the winter. It even came with batteries included! All my friends have spent £100s on theirs! Haha.

Excellent little lamp, really good value.  I look forward to it illuminating the Nepalese night on my trek round the Annapurnas in April!

Arrived within a few days of putting in my order and it had it first outing tonight - brilliant, just what I need for running on those dark country roads.