I ended up on a number of occasions “sharing” the beams of the dimmed Swift RL and the lower lumen output of a friend’s head torch. Note, too, that while the Nao had the option to swap the reachargeable battery for AAA batteries, the Swift does not. You need to buy a spare rechargeable battery if you plan to use the head torch for many hours. Its compact and ultra-lightweight SHELL LT storage bag can also transform the headlamp into a lantern. I'm a massive fan of both the NAO+ and the SWIFT RL, but were I to own a single one, I'd choose the NAO+. I love how it's weighted, love how it fits, love how bombproof it feels, and love that extra battery life. This isn't to say I dislike the SWIFT, because it's similarly amazing, but I think I've historically favoured battery light over brightness (and the difference between the two in terms of their brightness is - in spite of what the figures suggest - relatively subtle).

SWIFT® RL - Headlamps | Petzl United Kingdom

The Petzl Swift RL is claimed to be an improved and simplified – head torch. It includes three standard light beams output up to a maximum of 550 lumens and three “reactive” beams up to 900 lumens. Time and resources being finite, we generally make detailed comparisons between products only in our Group Tests; but it makes sense to do so here. This is not a cheap head torch and I think I’d rather have less technology and a lighter price tag. A possible alternative could be the Petzl IKO Core. Yes, the NAO+ is more expensive, bulkier, heavier, and has less output; however, what it has in abundance is battery life - something that is not to be underestimated! This is a crucial factor, especially when you compare the various burn times to how long the night can actually be. In midwinter, depending on where you are in the UK (and how grey a day it is), you can realistically get a good 18hrs of darkness. Whilst the ACTIK and the SWIFT can indeed cope with this through reducing their output, that - some may say - would defeat the object of carrying such a bright headtorch. With the NAO+ there is no need to compromise, with a highly respectable 350 lumens being possible over a time frame of 15-25hrs. That's a get out of jail card on the winter mountains!Montane Women’s Tucana Pants are a wardrobe staple for year-round comfort whilst walking and exploring Petzl has solved this by creating a second set of ‘standard’ settings too, which cut out the sensor and 'just' give you low/med/high beam as you’ve selected, like a normal, dumb headtorch. The hitch with the standard settings is that this drops full beam to a mere 550 lumens, presumably as the full 900 lumens will melt through steel like a superman eye laser - and the battery - if left constantly on for the entire 2 hour burn time. About GO Outdoors Job Opportunities JD Sports Fashion PLC Modern Slavery Report GO Outdoors Partners Discover Freedom

Petzl Swift RL Headlamp | GO Outdoors

Whether you like the reactive settings or not, the Petzl Swift RL headtorch is a premium item of lighting hardware, and – importantly – deceptively simple to use. Performance is off the charts: even at the slightly-gimped standard settings, 550 lumens, 100g, 2 hours is a pretty solid set of numbers, and a 900 lumen max output from a compact headtorch is just silly. I prefer the standard light beam outputs. The max standard lumens is 550 and this is actually fine for most night running situations. I could be greedy and ask for more lumens bit this would require a larger battery and that would make the lamp heavier. you appreciate the content we offer then you can help us by becoming an official UKC Supporter. This can be a one-off With an ergonomic adjustable headband, with two-part Petzl patent construction, this has a really comfortable fit and will stay fixed on your head even when you’re really moving about. Speaking of the headband, it’s reflective for heightened night-time visibility.Longer burn time, greater visual comfort and less manual operation with REACTIVE LIGHTING® mode, which allows the light sensor to automatically adjust brightness and beam pattern, optimizing battery usage Lighting performance Lighting Performance Lighting performance as defined by the ANSI/PLATO FL 1 protocol I’ve noticed this most when cycling and the headlight crosses beams with bike lights. Or, when the lights illuminate road signs. Mostly, I tend to keep the torch in reactive mode, and switched between the three levels. With this, I found the battery life to be very impressive. The Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery is powerful and helps to stop single-use batteries from being wasted. Elite Mountain Supplies (Head Office), Maida Vale Business Centre, Mead Road, Cheltenham, GL53 7ER, United Kingdom.

Headlamps - Petzl United Kingdom | Sport

This is one of Petzl’s most powerful compact headlamps. With Reactive Lighting technology it will analyses the ambient light and automatically adjusts the brightness. This Head Torch is intuitive, with a single button for easy control over all torch functions. We’ll start off the ‘Features’ section where we ended the previous one. The Swift RL’s ‘Reactive Lighting’ technology results in a longer burn time (or battery life), and requires less manual adjustment. The light sensor automatically adjusts brightness and beam pattern depending on the current level of light in the environment. This optimises battery usage and keeps the head torch going for longer. If you’d prefer something a bit more traditional, you can switch to a ‘Standard Lighting’ mode.

Features

The Swift RL is a compact and powerful 900-lumen headlight, with rechargeable batteries and REACTIVE LIGHTING technology (more info on this below).