Petzl  Actik Core Headlamp

I bought this headlamp for winter running. As far as a lamp it is great. Super bright and lights up the ground like daylight almost. If you use regular AAA batteries and use it on the brightest setting the lamp only lasts about an hour. The rechargeable lasts a little longer but not much- on the brightest setting. I am giving it 2 stars though as I used mine maybe 6-7 times and the pieces that hold the metal contact to the battery are plastic tabs. The battery is not easy to get in and out and one of the little Plastic tabs broke. So now due to a cheap plastic tab the battery doesn’t make contact so the lamp doesn’t work. I have emailed the company- hopefully they will back their product.

Very bright and low like work good to no bother people around you

I loved this headlamp when I first bought it. I like the rechargeable battery and the light output is better than other similarly priced headlamps that I have owned. However, it lacks any sort of water resistance. I have gone through two of them at this point after minimal contact with water. Most recently, a small amount of liquid leaked from my water bottle in my backpack and the headlamp stopped working. It is otherwise a great product, but this is a deal breaker for me in the PNW. It seems like the addition of a simple O-ring around the battery compartment would fix this major issue.

Bought this to replace a failing Black Diamond, and I wanted a rechargeable unit so I didn't have to keep throwing away AAA's (rechargables gave far far less light output and battery life with the BD). Does give very good light output, and the battery last well and is easy to charge (though requires micro USB, not yet a USB-C). My one gripe is the rubber button on the top - it's really hard to locate which point on it can be pushed by feel, and has no tactile feedback making it a frustrating thing to depress accurately to turn on or off. Even worse with gloves - almost unusable. Usually takes 2-3 fumbling tries. Overall a solid headlamp.

I am very disappointed in this product. I have owned it for a year and half and have used maybe five times. The light will no longer switch from red mode to white. I was using white light mode and I accidentally switched to red and I could not get it to switch back. You would think you would get more than 5 uses from a $70 headlamp. You buy from REI for quality and being able to make a return. In this case you get neither. I guess buying disposable junk at lower prices on Amazon is the way to go. I had always been a big fan of REI but wondering when the return policy changed.

This lightweight LED headlamp features a low, medium and (very) high-powered settings plus a red setting that minimizes interference with night vision, or serves as a red warning strobe. The low setting conserves battery power, while the medium and high settings gives darkness-penetrating power when you need it. It comes with a USB-rechargeable 1250 mAh power pack, but 3 AAA batteries can be used. My main reservation is that the unit is alarmingly devoid of any weather sealing. It appears that any amount of rain or immersion would immediately infliltrate the entire unit and probably render it inoperable.

Great headlamp! Been using it on my early morning runs for a few weeks now. Only bug is that it's not waterproof (and it doesn't claim to be). There's a slit at the top when you close it up after adding the battery and it's definitely big enough for water to get in there. The few times I go out when it's been raining, I've just used a piece of electrical tape to cover it up and didn't have any issue with the rain. Again, the light doesn't claim to be waterproof, but just something to watch out for. Very happy with it thus far.

I bought this Actik Core to replace a Tikka XP2 from 2013 which finally quit working. I considered getting the Black Diamond Storm 400, but after trying it in a dark room, I discovered the buttons were not easy to feel or press, and the display patterns were not what I expected, and that soured the deal. The Actik Core won the day because: 1. 450 lumens max 2. Simple one button operation 3. AAA battery option 4. Locking option (hold the button for 4 seconds) I've used it for two weeks now. Here's my impressions: PROS --My old Tikka started with the brightest setting (which I liked), but I now am okay with the Actik starting with the dimmest setting (which fellow campers appreciate). It is frustrating, however, when I need a bright light instantly, such as to find my dog (or a bear) in the dark. --The dim setting is surprisingly useful for doing things around camp, especially on a dark night. On a full battery, it is brighter than I expected. --The medium setting is more than adequate for almost all uses that require a bright light. (At 100 lumens, the medium is brighter than the Tikka's 80 lumen max setting.) --The high setting (450 lumens) will light up the entire width of a highway for a long distance (I haven't measured it). --I have used this every night for two weeks to walk the dogs for 45 minutes using low or medium, plus one night of camping in Utah, so I am confident a full charge would be sufficient for a multi-day backpack trip (but I'm still bringing replacement batteries for longer trips). --It is lightweight for a powerful lamp: 2.9 oz with the Core, 3.4 oz with AAA (the same weight as the Tikka XP2), measured on my scale. --The button is easy enough to depress, even with gloves. CONS --As others have noted, the headband is small. This is mystifying. I suspect Petzl was trying to shave fractions of ounces. I took a photo comparing the Actik and Tikka headbands. The latter is six inches longer! Yes, the Tikka band has stretched a little, but not six inches. The Actik fits my large head comfortably (I have a 23" head = XL = 7¼ or 7½) but it is a little tight when I am wearing a wool cap, and there is no slack left in the band. (By the way, yes, you can remove the headband, so I'm keeping my old headband in case I get tired of the tight Actik band.) --I can see the gap on the sides where the case intentionally is designed NOT to seal, for reasons that escape me (venting heat?). But Petzl only claims IPX4 (resists splashing water, not steady rain). --Unlike the Tikka XP2, the beam cannot be focused. I do find this frustrating because I'm used to focusing the beam on that bear at 100 yards! But it's not a deal breaker.

The Actik Core headlamp worked almost as good as promised. It claims 450 lumens. But when I compare it with my Petzl Tikkina which is only 250 lumen (both with new batteries) they seemed the same brightness. The headband is also suppose to detachable for washing but I could not see any way to remove the band from the headlamp, compared to my Black Diamond headlamps which was easy. The other features like locking / unlocking and Red light night vision worked very well. The CORE rechargeable battery works well with both the Actik and Tikkina headlamps. The nicest feature is just recharging the CORE and not having to fumble with little AAA batteries.

Overall, I like this light. Positives include the ergonomics, strong low power white light and hybrid power. The strong low power white light provides adequate illumination for most uses while providing an extended battery life. I really like the option of either recharging the battery or being able to use AAA batteries. My only negative was the weak "wimpy" red LED. Using red light is useful for preserving night vision - and an absolute must when you are around other people. The red LED is too weak for most applications - and the flashing red LED function is a complete waste. Perhaps the folks at Petzl will improve the light by dropping the flashing red and substituting a second higher power red setting.