LED Torch Range

Looks very good but I have tended to buy my LED torches from Bunnings at a fraction the price. So far they have met all my needs and work well in rain too.

Aurora AK-P7-4 SSC-P7-C-SXO 2-Mode 900-Lumen LED Flashlight (1*18650). $30ish including shipping from dealextreme.com. A very bright, very tough torch. Confirmed waterproof (as in bad weather, dropping in creeks, fording, not tried diving with it) too. Bulletproof (fuguratively) metal case, 100% servicable components. Buy 2 of them - one for handlebars and 1 for helmet and you can engage in any serious downhill / mountain-biking you could do in the daytime. Need to buy a charger and 18650 batteries if you don't have them already - but the battery life is so far superior to 3xAAA used by most NZ LED P7 torches, so it's worth it. Get about 1hr out of 3xAAA and just over 2 hrs on 18650 (full power). Somewhere around 40 hrs on low power. Only fault I have with them is I find it worthwhile opening them and checking everything has been tightened correctly when you get them, as screws seem to often be loose. Hand-torch range, mind. Not found a headtorch similar yet. Recommendations welcome.

LED lenser H7. Expensive yes, but brilliant for night walking. Powerful (170-lumens), light weight (117g), 3XAAA - use lithium batteries for long life. Only down side for me is irritating battery holder that sits on the back of the head - just where you lean when reading a book! I will put up with it for the ability to safely walk at night, when needed.

Yes. LED Lenser have a good reputation - I trialed one of their P7 hand-torches for mountain biking. It was only a fraction dimmer than the above Arora (which means someone's exaggerating given Led Lenser P7 state 200 Lumen and the Aroroa state 900!) The only reason I didn't go for the P7 was the limited life of the AAAs when on full power: ~45 mins on energizer rechargables, compared to about 2 hrs for the 18650. On another topic: I find head torches very hard to walk by at night. The fact that the resulting light is in the same plane as your eyes means you see no shadows and I find it very hard to pick out hollows / bumps and am forever stumbling. Whereas a hand-held torch being much lower than your eyes throws shadows and as such makes it easier see the details of the terrain. The problem comes when needing hands for scrambling, falling over in creeks, plucking possums. That's when I need a head torch - or even better a torch that can comfortably be either. Contemplate making an elastic loop to attach to a headband to hold the hand-torch when required ... or find a head-torch that is comfortable to hold in my hand. What I tend to catch myself doing at present is holding the torch im my teeth whilst plucking. There are obvious reasons that this is bad: the transfer of fur, blood & brains from hands to torch to mouth being just one of them!

Yes I agree, the hand torches do throw a better light for highlighting obstacles. However, when I walk at night, after photographing sunsets for example, I am usually alone, and use a pair of walking poles for increased safety. Hand held torch is then not an option and obstacles less of a concern!

I have a cute little pair of bike lights from Kathmundu. I fastened the front white-light green one onto my walking pole and it helped. They can be recharged from your pc via a USB port so you don't have to spend money on batteries. When the battery is nearly dead, a tiny red light comes on to let you know it needs charging.

I bought a LED light from Deal Extreme and found it unreliable; had to twist the battery cap every time to get full strength light out of it. I've fiddled with the contacts but I think it would need soldering work. I now own a Fenix TK-45 which cost $149 and is just bloody brilliant. You could send morse code to the International Space Station with it.

Talking about problems with headlamps. I was tramping at night once in winter on a very frosty night and upon descending into a river valley, walked into a wall of fog. All I could see was this great white cone protruding from my forehead. Similar problems in a torrential downpour.

I have this: http://www.mrpositive.co.nz/nitecore-t2s-edc-sport-series-cree-xp-e-aaa-led-torch/ , works well. Had Zero issues.