User Review: Petzl Zipka Plus 2

Summary

A quality and innovative headlamp with both red and white light settings as well as a low-battery indicator.

I have owned many headlamps but now will only go with Petzl. The main reason for buying this one was that it has a red light...a must for me, since I work on a ship and need to preserve my night vision during watches.

I have been using this light every night for several weeks now (plus on numerous past camping trips) and it has performed very well. The high intensity white light is very strong, shedding light a good 40 ft out. Like many LED lights, the light has a bluish tinge and is not as 'warm' as the old halogen lights. The low intensity is good for reading and very close-in functions.

The red light is rather dim compared to the white light but is ample for my needs. It gives a good 15 feet of visibility once your eyes adjust, but a pretty narrow focus. There are also flashing settings for both.

Cycling through the modes is easy. The battery indicator light is also great plus. Battery life is excellent I would say...using this for about an hour every night for 3 weeks and still going strong!

The zipka feature is something I have always admired in Petzl's line, but it is not for everyone. You can't adjust the angle of the beam very easily with this design but somehow it just works for me. I like the compactness of not having a band and I find the zip-cord to be versatile in that you can wear the light on your arm, wrist, etc. Some have complained about the zip-cord getting fouled with dirt and sand but I am meticulous about how I treat my stuff and have not had this problem

Overall a quality product and now my go-to lamp.