I purchased my Petzl Mega many, many years ago, probably in the '80s and still use it almost 30 years later.
I originally purchased it for skiing at night. Nothing matched it for casting a bright beam far out in front of me while moving at speed. I still use it for that job and any other that requires free hands. I've never seen a LED that matches it for brightness and distance. I'll never turn loose of it and am taking it to the afterlife with me. I am a "gear head" and it has been one of the best purchases I've ever made.

This is one serious headlamp! I bought it for the ultra cold weather trips that suck battery life and have been blown away by its performance. I hardly use it anymore because I have a Myobelt now that is more versatile, but for a just plain bright performer, the mega belt is hard to beat. It is outdated by newer combo lights that are a much better deal and that makes buying a fossil like this a tough act to swallow.

Customer Service

Never needed it

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Princeton Tec (garbage!), Myobelt 3, BD Gemini, Tikka Plus

I am a caver and love this light. I bought this light and a Petzl helmet and did the proper thing and bolted this thing to my helmet. It gives adequate light for both the hike out of the cave if I stay in too long and for the cave while inside. I think this is a great light because it has survived everything I have thrown at it including swiming in a cave with the battery pack underwater. There is only one thing that is annoying about this light and that is that every time you bang the lens on a rock it goes out until you get it off the rock and that is tough sometimes when you are in extremly tight passage. I credit my good luck with this light to how well I clean and care for this light when I get out of the cave. I have recently retired this still working light in favor of a $300.00 Spe-Lu 26 LED light that works much better but I would still go into a cave with a Petzl.

Customer Service

The parts are a little pricey but you get what you pay for.

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If you are a caver that really wants a great light get a Spe-Lu LED. They specialize in caving only lights. They are the best lights out there for caving, period.

Dependable under adverse conditions.
Excellent light coverage.
Great for general hiking but a bit heavy to be carrying around on expeditions because of the battery drain. (batteries are heavy)

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None

This is a good headtorch, powerful beam and pretty durable. The belt clip is excellent as in cold conditions you can stow it in your jacket as for the artic one to keep the batteries alive. To the caver below, why did you buy a climbing/walking head torch and then moan about it when you could have bought a more durable caving head lamp? If you pass through Bristol stop into Quip-U they also specialize in caving gear and stock head torches (for caving).

Customer Service

No need

Similar Products Used:

No.

I had to submit a review after I saw a caver had been on here. I use my Petzl Mega-belt mostly for caving, but also anytime I need a headlamp for hiking or backpacking. I would consider it to be moderately cheaply made. Most parts are molded plastic, including the headpiece. However, it does what it is supposed to do. I haven't had a real problem with my mega-belt in 2 years of use. I even submerged it a few times. However, I have had slight flickering, due to Petzl's design of the contacts in the headpiece. This light is essentially a Petzl Zoom with a choice of AA or C batteries as well as a choice of two different bulbs. You can get 8.5 hrs of light with the halogen bulb and C batteries, or around 30 hours with the standard bulb and C batteries.

Until I can afford a gel-cell Tag-lite, I will continue to have confidence in this light, even for caving.

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Petzl Zoom
Mini-maglite

I got this to use as a helmet light for my bicycle while commuting in the winter. The detachable battery case makes the headlamp light. I simply clip the case to my jacket. A slightly longer cable would be nice. It provides plenty of light to ride by and since it is on my helmet I can aim it directly at drivers if I feel they don't see me. I also use it for backpacking. The halogen bulb provides more than enough light to navigate the woods and set up camp. I use the regular bulb for reading, but that is still a bit too bright for that purpose. I like the ability to use C or AA's. I start off with C's in it and if I'm not sure how much power they have left, I'll take along some AA for backup. I thought it a bit expensive, but I'm more than happy with it.

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This is my only headlamp. I looked at others made for bikers and found the prices obscene. I have tried many other lights & prefered the Maglights, but now I mainly use the Petzl. I got a LED Photon MicroLight to read by. It is actually bright enough to light up trails and is perfect for cooking.

I have been reading nothing but rave reviews on the Petzl headlamps. This is no suprise when you look at those doing the reviews. They are hikers and the like. These guys generally put the lights through moderate tests of durability.
I am a caver. These lights have proven, on the whole,unreliable,high maintenance,and expensive. The cheaply made housing does little to nothing in protecting the cheaper contacts on the inside.I am not impressed with this light in the least.
Now bear in mind I am a caver,and cavers have special needs when it comes to lighting. Our lives depend on durability,and long life. Petzl offers neither.
If you do not intend on putting this light through extreme conditions IE mud,fine grit,water,and general banging around, it will probably be just fine.
Just dont use it for caving.

Customer Service

Petzl's customer service is second to none. I will forever use their ascenders,helmets ,and other climbing type equipment.
I have the Ariane generator which was replaced,no questions asked, because of a small leak.
Bulbs for their lighting products are too high. More than twice the price of the flange type bulbs.

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Koeler Wheat lamp
Princeton Tech 20
Princeton Tec Matrix
Underwater Kinetics
Justrite