Review of the Petzl E+Lite and Signal from British Red
I was chatting to Lurch at Lakeland Bushcraft recently and he offered me a Petzl E+Lite to review. Chance to play with some shiny kit (albeit used shiny kit [used by me in the office! Lurch])? Sure!What turned up? A weird red plastic pill box!
The magic Pillbox!
The lid is secured with a black rubber cord that keeps the contents safe. It also sports a belt clip if you want to look like a Technicolor Batman. Inside was the smallest, lightest head torch I have ever seen. The torch weighs less than an ounce and isn’t much wider than a 10p piece.
The smallest, lightest head torch in the world?
The torch consists of 3 white LEDs and one red (central) one. The red bar you can see is a rotating lever switch to select your mode of choice. The settings are:
Off
Dim White
Bright White
Off
Flashing White
Flashing Red
Steady Red
Off
I really like the multiple off positions. It means you can find an off next to your favourite mode and not do all that tiresome pressy clicky mode selection stuff that hacks me right off with torches – I just want it to turn on! Did I mention it was small? Here it is next to my Petzl Myo XP.
Smaller can be better
So small and dinky in a box. But does it work? Well yes, it does. I tried it on a night walk and either white mode gives enough light not to break your neck and the brighter mode a comfortable “area” light. There is no focus so the light is quite diffuse but I like that anyway. The headband is basic – an elastic strap with a sprung toggle but it works. What I do like is the ability to adjust the point of aim like in a “proper” head torch – although this has all sorts of adjustment in the form of a universal joint
The magic pill box - opened
The red bulge intruding on the black area is a “ball and socket” type joint that allow you to point the light wherever you want. The headband passes through the red area but can be removed (as in the photo). The black wire over the read support material is a spring clip – more on this later. So far so good. Would I buy this as a head torch? Maybe. But with the headband removed all sorts of possibilities present themselves. Freestanding reading light for your basha?
And then there was light!
Frightened of losing it? Clip it to your book.
Clip it to your book
Now I had a moment of inspiration…would it clip to a map for night walks? Well of course!
...or your map
Then of course in red mode for night use. Suddenly the possibilities of this little light became clear – from clipped to a ridge line to read by to attached to the brim of my flat cap to avoid the head band. So what do I think? I think I will buy one! It will never replace my Myo for extended use but I can see it slipped in a pocket of my smock for those walks where I stay out past dark or for lightweight camping. A very versatile and well thought out item weighing nothing at all.
A choice of steady single red or three flashing red LEDs. This is half the price at around a tenner whereas the E+ light is about £20. It lacks the white use and has a simple sprung clip and head band. I personally find this of highly limited use. Too dim to replace a headlight, too dim as a real rescue beacon (try the latest issue firefly to see the difference. I was going to say “avoid”. Then I saw one in use tonight driving home. A guy running at night had one on the back of his conventional head torch head band as a warning to vehicles behind him (narrow country lane). Clever. So a conventional head torch? No. A distress beacon? No. But on the back of the pack of the guy you are following at night or when running at night or even to find you camp? Perhaps.For me though – pay the extra and get a truly flexible bit of kit in the E+Lite – lots more uses.
Red
