The Actik Core has been around for a long time .It has the same hinge design as its lower-priced siblings the Petzl Tikkina, and unfortunately I had the same problems with this as i had with that. I must again stress that I tested a pre-production sample, and Petzl has promised these issues will be fixed in production units; but I still think the design is less user-friendly than the old one. The strap is identical in function to that of the Tikkina, and controls are similar: short press to cycle through brightness modes, with the addition of a long press to activate red mode. It’s an easy torch to get used to.
Brightness is exceptional: at 600lm it’s the brightest tested, although it’s only 450lm if you use AAAs. I like that it includes the Core battery in the price but also gives you the option to use lithium AAA (fab for winter). The battery compartment is better sealed than the old model, like the Tikkina, but it’s still only IPX4 rated for water resistance – competing models do much better than this at the same or better price. Battery life is fine but unspectacular, especially in high brightness, which drains the battery very quickly.
The Actik Core is a three-season torch that can do lightweight duty in winter thanks to a good boost mode. I think the price is high for the feature set offered, though.
Want to see more head torches? Check out our guide to the best head torches for hiking
