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Just did my first nighttime 5k off road and realised my headtorch isn't really that good. Apart from that though it was great fun!
So what do you recommend? Ideally under £70 I only really run for 45 mins or so so don't need huge runtime.
Petzl bindi
I use a LED Lenser H7. I like the very adjustable beam - brightness, flood and angle.
I've not long got back from a run, my first in ages due to the parks being so busy all summer. The amount of really powerful torches about was quite annoying. Never really noticed it before so it must be a relatively new thing. Handheld, on bikes, on heads... it wasn't even that dark if you just let your eyes get used to it. Kind of disrupted my run due to getting blinded by these things and having to stop. Not moaning at you OP, just an observation and your post reminded me.
Knog Bilby - I tend to run with just the red light on unless i fear traffic.
I use a Petzl reactive one, Swift RL, plenty bright* etc but the main improvement over the Decathlon one it replaced was weight/stability. It doesn’t nod up and down like the old one did (unless it was done up tight enough to give me a headache).
*for my use which is running 10k back from work along mainly farm tracks.
I use one of these from Decathlon. Makes you look like iron man. Use it in the park, in the woods when running. Think of it like a bar light for running, points where your going rather than where you're looking.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/run-light-250-running-light/_/R-p-121065
I got a great ultralight headtorch from Lidl the other day. £6. They often have stuff left over in the middle if you look.
If I’m properly off road, as opposed to in the park, I use 2.
A head torch, this one.
And a chest light like the one linked above.
Works well.
For off road I tend to hold my exposure joystick in my hand.. great bit of bit
Exposure Joystick with the head band is brilliant. Added bonus that you can use it on the bike. I’ve done steady off road 5k’s to 12 hour night time ultras with it and it’s faultless.
Petzl Swift RL might be available for that much. I've got used to using it on lowest power for most terrain off road, middle power for anything a bit more techy then full power for super tech or scoping out the Landscape. Other than that the LED lenser range is good. Alpkit Quark is a decent budget option.
+1 for Exposure Joystick and the headband.
Use mine for night time trail running up to marathons, on the bars of the gravel bike for the off-road bits of commuting, helmet light for MTB and handheld torch for camping and general use.
It is generally bright enough on the low setting for trail running and the battery lasts an age.
Very very good for the money. Lots of our running club use them
Nearly as good as Petzl Nao
So it was just me that found the exposure joystick and headband combo to be crap in fog as it's effectively behind your eye line
The headband also drops down onto your ears unless you always wear a hat.
I abandoned that idea quite quickly and have 2 15 quid 1000lumen 18650 jobs off Amazon. They have been truely faultless.
- they sell under the brand "kingtop" now.
Thanks guys I'll check the suggestions out. There's no lights at all on the loops i do, and the tracks are sometimes a bit vague on the grass (as I discovered tonight), plus a few rooty and rocky bits so I'm erring towards more lumens, I can always dim it down for the easier bits.
What's the reactive lighting like on the Petzl Swift RL, Pieface? Been looking at that (£70) Vs the Petzl Aktic core 450 (£42)
Anything in fog will be crap, hand held torch at waist height is marginally better but when the clags down the fog is the same affect as it does in daylight
I've only had it a few weeks, seems to work fine and only notice the transition when inside. I had the Actik core previously and it will probably cover all your needs, though I did manage to short circuit it by putting the battery in the wrong way round. Option to use AAA batteries on Actik is useful but less charge
I have been using an Alpkit Quark for about a year. I do a lot of 5-15km runs at night across footpaths, fields, bridalways, forest tracks and country lanes. It has been great and proven a good choice.
I was a bit worried it would be too big but it's not been an issue. I don't notice it being there when running. It is super comfortable, bright as i need, rechargeable but can take AAAs if needed. Can't go wrong in my opinion really.
I've got one of the Ironman style Decathlon lights. It's a good option.
2 brightness levels, good run time and the light unit can be angled easily, so you can dip it down in congested areas and raise it up for more throw when there's no one about.
Only slight annoyance is the swaying of the light with your body, but not really a problem.
I haven't really used it in fog or rain but I imagine it would work better than a head mounted one in those conditions, as it's not at the same height as your eyes.
Anything in fog will be crap,
Indeed but many things are less crap than a light that's held next to and behind your eye.
A center top mounted torch has proven better for me in fog than my joystick
A headtorch can be held in your hands. On big night runs i take both.
People mentioning those Decathlon chest ones. If you are doing proper off road don’t bother. They are ok for flat straight terrain, but useless for steep up/down, left or right as the light doesn’t follow the direction you are going.
Agree with trail rat, pish on foggy/rainy nights.
Lumenator 800 from MTB Batteries.
Mark modified one for my daughter...shortened the cable so there isn't loads of excess flapping about. She's an ultra runner, so needs a good light. When she lived in the Lakes, there were a few folk with s****y Hope and similarly expensive headlights. Hers performed as well, if not better. She's delighted with it, and his customer service.
Sorry....should have said.... it's within your budget, but maybe a slight wait for stock.
Lumenator lol!
I've got a Decathlon model, uses AAA batteries which is handy for ultras as it makes changing them easy. (Assuming you've got someone else near to illuminate what you're doing or a back up light of course!)
If you're planning on heading out at night regularly a rechargeable model would clearly be a better bet, I'd get the model FunkyDunc linked to above.
I recently picked up a petzl Iko Core.
super bright at 500 lumen and 2.5hr run time. USB rechareable. overall really good (a bit funky in comparison with a traditional band)
I've just pre-ordered an Alpkit Qark for just this reason, I really can't be bothered changing batteries in my current Viper headtorch so wanted something rechargeable. Good to read a positive review djambo.
The biolite head torches are very good for running as they are low profile and have a wide strap, so very stable. Pick the one with the output / runtime you need.
I've found my current LED Lenser is great in terms of light output, but wobbles around a lot and isn't very comfortable unless I wear a headband / hat.
As I run almost exclusively in the dark during the winter, my head torch gets a lot of use. I sew the mount onto the front of a cap to make it more comfortable and less likely to get lost.
On the right is my original, an Exposure Verso which is great, on a waterproof Ronhill cap. On the left of the more recent lighter weight Petzl Bindi on a Buff cap. Verso has a more focused beam and is brighter, the Bindi is much lighter with a more of a flood beam. I rarely use either on full power. Fog or misty rain aren't great, you are mainly illuminating the patch of air directly ahead of the light and not much else, but I don't see many great solutions around.
Bindi is a good shout as runtime is perfect for what you need and it's REALLY light for the weight
I'm a bit of a headtorch fan, for a nighttime run I'd be using my Bindi or my Zebralight if I needed lots of power
But, you might find something mounted on your waist or chest gives you shadows to help see the lumps and bumps more easily
Olight H1R or similar
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olight%C2%AE-Rechargeable-Compact-illumination-Headlamp/dp/B01MS130ZZ
Rechargeable, can take spare batteries, can get a bar mount for bike use, can use it as a normal torch, stands up on a flat surface, has sensible beam options that don't have to be scrolled through everytime, etc.
Bindi is a good shout as runtime is perfect for what you need and it’s REALLY light for the weight
I've used a Bindi off road and unless it's very smooth, ime it's not really bright enough. Good back-up torch to stick in a bum-bag though and fine on smooth stuff like converted railroad trails. I get that 'enough' is subjective and depend on you, the terrain you're on and how fast you want to go.
The Swift RL's decent. Ime the reactive lighting works really well and, if you don't like it, you can just stick it on constant. The beam pattern's floody enough to work pretty well for proprioception too. My take is that you want a big, floody beam otherwise your brain doesn't have a wider visual context for reference and you feel off balance.
If you can find one cheap, the Petzl Nao+ is brilliant. Not outright much brighter - it might even be less - than the Swift RL, but separate battery box means it's more balanced on the head and the beam pattern is just a huge pool of light. Great on proper off-road.
Also, a tad left field, but surprisingly good, is the Petzl IKO Core:
https://www.petzl.com/GB/en/Sport/PERFORMANCE-headlamps/IKO-CORE
Very, very light. Much brighter than the Bindi. Very comfortable and stable. Mad looks. Doesn't have much of a spot beam, but doesn't really need one for running unless you're trying to pick out gates in the distance or something.
Finally, Silva does some decent running torches with a mixed flood and spot beam that are also worth looking at. They've just launched a range of new off-road running torches that might be worth a look. I've not used one, but looks like similar technology / beam patterns to their older stuff:
Bindi fine here for hill running at night, I'm fortunate enough to have good eyesight, mibbe a factor.
Bindi fine here for hill running at night, I’m fortunate enough to have good eyesight, mibbe a factor.
It's relative as well I think. If you try a Nao then switch to a Bindi, there's a big difference. I love the Bindi as an all-round, lightweight torch, but for me, going fast on lumpy technical stuff on local trails in the Peak, it's not really bright enough. Good beam pattern for running through. The IKO Core thing's a good sort of mid-point between the two.
Just noticed that Lupine has brought out an 1100 lumen head torch...
Lumenator?....Sorry Ed...wrong torch. Lumen 800. Small head unit and battery back, easily light enough for a head torch. Currently £55.
Running 45 mins as the OP asks doesn't really justify a separate battery pack light like the Lumen 800, sod carrying a battery pack on a run.
Happy with my Alpkit qurk. Rechargeable but also takes AAAs, plenty light enough for fast (for me) off road running (580 lumens).
Another alpkit quark user here. Very bright on full and comfortable.
Only downer is it goes through white light before red, so you lose your night eyes every time!
I bought an planet-x copy of the decathlon torch on a whim ("jobsworth on me head 600-lumen"), it's not great. The rotational knob is a good idea (no looping through off or flashing modes) but executed very poorly, sometimes it seems to get stuck and needs an extra click, inconsistent. Build quality cheap but then it's only 15 bucks. On the other hand I have an olight hs2 which has been a good buy.
Holy thread ressurection Batman
My head torch died yesterday (switched it on with rechargeables in, hadn't been on since spring I think) and it blipped/does like an incandescent (worth taking apart to fix?*).
A colleague recommended a Qark and the spec knocks the pants off anything above for the price, AAA compatability is a plus also.
It's probably got the most recommendations so I'll probably get one, no need to reply, talked myself into it in typing this, bar*
Been looking for our 2 petzl bindis for a fortnight now. Bugger it, ordered 2 qarks.
Bindis will turn up soon.....
The beam adjustment bezel on the quark is very stiff, making it quite difficult, but you will probably settle on a setting and leave it at that. Also the headstrap is a bit crap but adequate.
Another qark user here, brilliant light, great flood, headstraps come loose every time you take it off.
Ability to take AAA batteries is a big plus.
Worth the money.
its just the same as picking a light for mtb night rides ie brighter for faster and/or more technical. i have a Petzl Nao and Silva for night time 'park runs', but these days i run singletrack which requires a brighter light so use an Exposure 1000 head torch
I got an iko core. Very comfortable indeed and an excellent even spread of light.
Qark has arrived, seems mint! Won't be trying it out till the storms are over tho...
I am happy with a petzl Nao for off road running, trails, woods and hills
First run with the Qark last night, it's fantastic!
Another Qark user here
Keep finding myself thinking 'wonder if they do any bike lights this good?'
Have bought one of their cheapest ones for my 7 year old to stop him stealing the Qark all the time!
Hope r4....
But a led lenzer is by pound by pound the daddy
Hope r4? Lol, I won't have a separate battery pack light on my bike never mind my heid!
Lot of our lot round here use them
Lenzers lighter by a long way
petzl iko core is half the weight and double the light of the lenser. bit more expensive though.