The Petzl Tikka Core battery life is hot garbage

I’ve used it only twice so far as a caving guide and it’s died about 40 minutes in using the brightest setting intermittently. Shit is supposed to last 2 hours according to their spec? Good thing I bring a back up headlamp on my tours cause that would suck ass…but either way I’m disappointed. It always seems to happen when I try to switch over to the red light setting. Does anyone else have this problem? Can’t buy another head lamp right now…I’m a tour guide, not a rollin-in-cash CEO.

I think you got a bad one, my rechargeable battery lasts about 3 hours on the medium setting reliably.

Similar experience. Currently the only way mine stays on is with cardboard to wedge in the battery.

I too will never purchase another Petzl light. 

I wonder if there’s a short half life on these Li-ion batteries and those of us with the bad ones bought headlamps that have been sitting in extended storage. In which case it would be great if they put a mfg date stamp on them.

Oh well. Who’s the CEO of Petzl????

…To the FBI agent tasked with reading the MP forums I’m joking.

Hopping on this thread, I’ve always kept mine on medium unless I really need it to keep battery and never had many issues. BUT! My battery randomly decided to stop working at 2:30AM when I tested it (after working for a few seconds) and despite giving the green light for a full charge it fully does not work now. Anyone else has this issue?

I have a 20 year old Tikka that still works great. The last few that I bought in recent years do not work as well. The quality of Petzl headlamps has gone way downhill. There are so many other options these days.  

We have four core batteries between us, each at least three years old. We get out overnight most weekends, plus I use one daily at the dog park. I go about two weeks between charging, so I’m guessing that there was a bad batch at some point?  

Well mines like 3 years old but alas I am a river guide not a CEO so here I am still using the piece of shit 

My next lamp will be from someone more caving minded. 

Fenix lamps all the way

Doesn’t Petzl have a 3 year warranty?  Never tried to use it but it would be worth a shot.

Evan Yorston wrote:

Fenix lamps all the way

My coworker has a 2700 lumen Fenix headlamp and that thing is badass. Here he is shining it through a solid calcite formation. In the context of climbing I have no idea if I even need that kind of power. Would absolutely wreck my nightvision lol

Been using mine for 3+ years with absolutely no complaints. 

J W wrote:

Sofirn HS20 from AliExpress, $28.
2700 Lumens.

Build quality is almost as good as Fenix or Zebra, but at a fraction of the price.

The lights Sofirn makes are decent enough, but their elastic headbands are hot garbage. If you want to wear it for extended periods (ie alpine starts/night hikes) spend the extra $10 to replace the headband.

curt86iroc wrote:

Been using mine for 3+ years with absolutely no complaints. 

Same here.  No issues with my Core batteries 

Get a sofirn and get some really high quality 18650's, not the most comfortable thing in the world but I use a band from my BD onsight headtorch. Buy two and bring the empty tube for an extra 28g if its a mission critical bit of kit. 

If you're looking for a 18650 headlamp check out the Skilhunt H04 series (got mine from oline vendor Kilzone Flashlights). Approx. $50. They're offered with different types of LEDs (for ex. cool vs. warm, CRI ratings, different brand of emitters, etc.) and in flood, spot, and a hybrid. Many claim it has the best headband design ever made for an 18650 flashlight (which is critically important if it will be living on your head as a headlamp vs. as a handheld flashlight which is how almost all 18650s are designed, i.e. as a flashlight); the 18650 format is typically the largest/heaviest format for a headlamp and a poor headband design - which unfortunately many have - will make daily life with it very frustrating. It punches well above its weight and mainly only a flashlight enthusiast/collector would require something more. Many design details which other brands ignore. I got mine on recommendation of flashlight enthusiasts and lived outside with it for 4+ months (plus used it daily for 2 years in the city for doing work and also bike riding) and it's the best light I've owned ... for my needs. All metal housing, taken a few falls and totally reliable.

However, I never climbed with it as I didn't have night missions during that trip and in my opinion the 18650 format is bulky and heavy for a casual climbing headlamp (anyone remember the Petzl Zoom and having to practice light discipline due to heavy expensive batteries and their short lifespan ... and the weight was a huge factor requiring critical decision making whether to bring a lamp at all or leave it behind?). For many many years I've always had a Petzl Zipka in my climbing pack due to convenience, compact size, and low weight, but frankly their build quality is only so-so as they do wear out (usually the switch would degrade or the plastic housing would break). 

If looking for an 18650 the Skilhunt headband is a great design (I have the older HB3 vs. newer HB4 headband; the latter allows the flashlight to rotate radially 360 degrees as well as axially which is generally overkill in my opinion, except if one were for ex. to remove the headband's mounting plate and attach it to a pack). Headband has an optional top strap (all 18650's are heavy due to the battery) and all straps have a bead of silicon around the interior to hold it's position on head or helmet. Straps have some reflective marking and some blue marking which is my one gripe but one could probably back it out (I like completely stealth gear).The flashlight can be mounted in the headband without removing it's metal clip (a rare headband design feature); flashlight is held securely and can axially rotate with ease and holds its position. It can be removed from the headband instantly to use as a flashlight; provided O-ring adds additional security as a backup to lock it into the headband for ex. if expecting it to get banged around super hard. The flashlight's base has a magnet to attach it to metal surfaces. Good waterproofing. Magnetic charging cord. 

Critical for me is the even beam (flood version). I do a lot of drawing at night and don't want hotspots on my paper at close distances, most headlights/flashlights suck terribly at this. 

Easy user interface that also has lots of options. Great moonlight stealth mode.

Get quality high capacity batteries (batteries have various specs). I was living on foot in Joshua Tree NP (no car) for months and infrequent resupply in town to re-charge and would spend up to 10 hours a day with my headlamp and hours of artwork into early morning hours in winter when cold impacts batteries. 2 batteries weekly were fine. Batteries can also be used as a power bank for computer etc. as 18650s have that versatility. 

Proviso: not sure I'd want it to be my daily carry climbing headlamp due to size/weight. 

https://www.skilhunt.com/?s=h04&post_type=product

https://www.killzoneflashlights.com/search?q=skilhunt+ho4

I have one that is about 10 years old and has served me well. Used quite a bit for climbs starting at zero dark thirty and plenty of general camping. I have backup batteries but have never once put them in. Seems like you either got a dud or quality has gone down if you purchased recently.

UPDATE: I uhhh…don’t really read manuals for a lot of things and in this case it’s a one button headlamp- how hard could that be to operate??

Turns out that every time I would try to switch to red light mode I was actually locking the power button on the headlamp. I thought the flashing red lights when I attempted to turn it back on meant the battery died. Just got it working and honestly the indicator reads the battery is still full. That locking mode is actually a good idea, to be fair.

So….yeah, yikes. My bad, Petzl…my bad. I’m just a dipshit.