Petzl  Actik Core Headlamp

I bought this similar product years ago hower i lost it and had to replace it. The older model i believe did not have the option to place normal batteries in it although i could be mistaken as i never need to use them. When i had 2 small issues Petzl customer service was wonderful they replaced the parts free and helped me fit them over the phone. I use this lamp on low to read just about every night for years and had the same rechargeable battery for 0ver 3 years. I found that the light would run for 4 days about 4 days on one charge and would charge fully quickly. I can not praise this company enough for the quality of their product and the tremendous customer service .

I've been using this headlamp for a couple years. Geat features. However, one problem I've run into several times is that one of the clips manages to fall off the band while carried in its bag. Figuring out how to reloop it often requires looking up the instructions. I have solved this problem by using twist tie around the band when it is in the bag.

Aweful. And that’s coming from a petzl user for 15yrs. Rechargeable batteries suck and the headlamp has stopped working on 2 out of the 3 that I have bought. Horrible cold weather performance on both AAA and the rechargeable, if you’re doing anything near 0* count on this thing not working. Finally if you have the rechargeable battery if you leave it in the headlamp it will deplete the battery over time so have to flip the battery until you actually need it. My 10yr old tolls is more reliable than the core has been.

I am a daily wearer of my headlamps. Petzl has been the only major vendor with durable headbands that last many seasons with daily use. My latest purchase of the Actik had the reliable headlamp, but the headband had changed and can be described as flimsy compared with my old ones. I cannot foresee this headband lasting through the winter season without stretching out. I hope I am wrong and can retract this review at a later date.

Bought as an upgrade to an older Petzl. The rotation mechanism is a disaster. It supposedly rotates 360 degrees along an axis, but routinely the lamp part gets solidly stuck into the "casing" in almost every position, so stuck it won't budge sitting in the living room trying to fix it. Forget about rotating it in the wilderness, much less while wearing it. There is a "track" that the lamp part can slide on away from the headband-mounted "casing" and you'd think getting it into that track and pulling it away from the band would allow enough space for the lamp to rotate, but the lamp doesn't rotate clear of the casing/holder. There is simply no making sense of what the designers were thinking? The rotation design is non-functional beta amateur-hour and doesn't work at all. Simply a deal breaker for an otherwise acceptable headlamp. There is no information on this terrible rotation bug anywhere from Petzl or online.

This lamp offers 4 battery (625 lumens) in a 3 battery configuration; comes with proprietary battery or use 3 AAA. Light, reliable, and BRIGHT.

Excellent Light very brite and adjustable - great that it is rechargeable. Would buy again,

Great light over all. Super easy to use and to go through the various light functions. One annoyance is when adjusting the light angle, the one power button gets in the way. When you want to adjust the lights angle while wearing, you have to be careful not to turn the light off. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of. Also, at first glance, the headband feels like it will stretch out at some point, but since the light is new, I am not able to confirm. It may be fine in the long run, but it does make me pay attention when taking it on and off to make sure I don’t over stretch it. All in all. Great light. Wait for the 20% discount then pull the trigger. None of the issues listed above are enough to not enjoy how bright this light is. The rechargeable battery is a game changer and has great life when on the medium setting.

I bought an earlier version of this lamp in 2020. Not long after buying it--or maybe it was more than a year--the plastic casing cracked. I think it was too late to return, but I don't think it was my fault, either. I repaired it by using a hot piece of metal to remelt the plastic together and taping it with electricians tape. It continued to function very well until recently, when my repair job failed. It still works, but obviously is susceptible to any moisture and won't stay in the bracket very well. That said, I still like the light. The recharging feature is great. And being able to drop batteries in instead is a great option in case recharging isn't an option. I've been satisfied with the brightness and the options. I'm going to buy another one, but I hope it's more durable and I won't face any problems with the strap that others seem to have had. .