Orienteering head torchesA buyer's guide
It’s the start of the night orienteering season, which makes it the best time of year for a proper adventure in the forest.
When it comes to head torches, it’s definitely not the case that you always get a brighter torch by spending more money. Over the last 10 years I have generally spent about £15 on a head torch set, though prices have increased recently and you may need to budget more like £20-£30. If you want to get something super posh, you could try Silva or Bright Bike Lights. My recommendation is to search ‘CREE bike light’ on Ebay and you will probably end up with a brighter unit. Here are some examples:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393308549670
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233715230241
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374093449305
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155125612187
The things to look out for are: (1) the Lumens (lm). The absolute minimum you need is 600lm, I normally aim for 2,000lm. However, I can see from the current product descriptions that they are suggesting far higher than this, and technology has moved forward, so perhaps they will be brighter. And (2) the location of the seller. All of the head torches are produced in China, but sometimes there may be a local reseller who has stock in the UK. I’ve bought from Manchester and China without problems over the years. China may take 2-3 weeks, whereas a UK supply is a few days.
Almost all bike lamps come with a headband, but check the photos to make sure they do.
I’m a big fan of night orienteering, so please don’t hesitate to drop me a note if you have any queries about head torches or the sport in general.
Rob.
Robert Lines, Coach