PETZL Swift RL Headlamp - SS21

Product Information

In line with current health and safety guidelines, we reserve the right to refuse any items that are (for whatever reason) not returned to us in a clean and hygienic condition. Further advice from Petzl is that to extend burn time a bit further you can point the lamp at your feet slightly more than usual. The reactive technology dims the beam but then gives you the brightness if you look up a little. This does work well. A reactive light beam describes how the head torch reacts to light. So if the torch sensor detects a lot of light in the area already, it reduces the beam output. The theory is that where you require less light you save on battery use.

Petzl E092DA00 Rechargeable Battery for ACCU Swift RL Petzl E092DA00 Rechargeable Battery for ACCU Swift RL

The beam itself is worth focussing on for a moment. Much though lumens are useful in establishing how bright a torch is, it is just as critical to know how the headtorch uses that light. The SWIFT RL balances the requirements of the climber, runner, skiier and mountaineer, with a good blend of flooding in the foreground and a strong, focussed beam giving you the distance too. The REACTIVE LIGHTING® technology, uses a sensor to analyses the ambient light and automatically adjusts the brightness to your needs. Ergonomic and adjustable headband provides the ideal fit, with split construction (Petzl patent); the headband can also be detached and washedIt’s smart reactive lighting, which we’ll talk about more in the ‘Features’ section’, also makes it a nice bit of kit for twilight walkers and wild campers. Features The Swift’s battery has about 33% more capacity than the Reactik’s (1800 mAh vs 2350 mAh) and the LED bulb on the Swift is more efficient; it has greater “luminous efficacy,” which is the term used by geeks in the industry that indicates a lamp’s ability to convert energy from the battery into visible light. At similar lighting levels, the Swift outperforms the Reactik in all conditions, but it gets a bit confusing because the specified burn times don’t appear dramatically different. For example, the 2-hour minimum battery life listed for the highest setting on the Swift has the highest burn setting that is 2-3x brighter than the highest setting on the REACTIK+, which has the same 2-hour battery life on high. In practical terms, the Swift will always either be brighter for the same burn time or maintain a similar brightness level for longer than the Reactik. And if you are worried about the torch running out of battery charge, you might want to take an extra battery with you rather than relying on the reactive technology to give you extended hours.

SWIFT® RL - Headlamps | Petzl Other SWIFT® RL - Headlamps | Petzl Other

Visual comfort enhanced by the mixed beam, which provides high-performance lighting for outdoor activities: proximity vision, movement and distance vision The Swift RL is a compact and powerful 900-lumen headlight, with rechargeable batteries and REACTIVE LIGHTING technology (more info on this below). I was looking forward to a beam that was bright enough to run with for most of the time but I did not find this in the reactive mode. The beam brightness was too variable to be enjoyable and reliable. The Swfit is said to be “weather resistant”. This is not waterproof although I have taken the torch out in Scottish rain and it seems to remain operative.Trying to extend your outdoor activities into the dark hours can be quite a daunting task without proper lighting. Lumens: This is a measure of the output of a light in terms of brightness. The higher the number, the brighter the output. Spare battery available for long expeditions, or simply to switch out the battery when it dies (SWIFT RL rechargeable battery available as an accessory)

Petzl SWIFT RL - One Headtorch to Rule Them All? REVIEW: Petzl SWIFT RL - One Headtorch to Rule Them All?

When Petzl’s reactive lighting technology debuted several years ago, we considered it one of the coolest innovations ever, and the company’s Reactik and Reactik+ headlamps became our first choice for running through the night during 100-milers. So we had a bit of apprehension in learning the Reactik line is being replaced by the new Swift RL. When in reactive mode, for each press of the single button on the top of the torch you get a brighter beam. There are three brightness levels: 100, 300 and 900 lumens. Time and resources being finite, we generally make detailed comparisons between products only in our Group Tests; but it makes sense to do so here.This is not a cheap head torch and I think I’d rather have less technology and a lighter price tag. A possible alternative could be the Petzl IKO Core. Range: Brightness isn't the only factor that's important. You'll also want to consider the distance ahead that the light will illuminate, known as the range. Again, this is going to depend on where you're running and how far ahead you want to be able to see.

Headlamps - Petzl United Kingdom | Sport

In a nutshell, it uses a light sensor to automatically adjust the strength of light depending on how much light is around you. The review posted above is definitely worth reading (and not just because I wrote it); however, there's one caveat to this which hasn't been shouted about much yet, because it's not actually out, but the information is out there, so I don't think I'm releasing any embargoed information when I mention that the NAO+ is soon to be superseded by the NAO RL. I’ve been putting the Swift RL from Petzl to the test, which is hotly tipped as one of the best outdoor headlamps on the market. I will carry on testing the reactive part of the head torch and update if I find it any easier to use. More Petzl Swift RL features

A positive point about the reactive technology includes a good reaction to lighting up things in the near-distance (such as a map) and then in the far distance. Also, when you are looking at someone else who is also wearing a head torch, the reactive beam dims so it doesn’t blind the other person. But the biggest selling point is the Reactive Lightning (hence the Petzl Swift RL) which adapts the headlamp brightness to the lighting in your surroundings. Perfect if you’re running/biking/hiking between different environments and don’t want to keep having to change the brightness. It’s also key for maximising use from each charge. The Swift RL is home to a Lithium-Ion 2350 mAh battery, something that can be recharged via the type B micro USB port. You can also keep an eye on this via the product’s battery charge indicator. However, this is all detail – the fact is, the Petzl Swift RL headtorch delivers impressive performance in lighting stuff up when you want it lit up, which is the job at hand. We liked the reactive setting, which does indeed conserve battery power, but it's easy to see how it could be annoying for some applications. Petzl Swift RL head torch review: verdict For the fast-paced things like cycling and running, it’s been used in a mix of remote landscapes with few obstacles all the way to busy woodlands where avoiding low-hanging branches is crucial.