The Petzl Bindi headtorch is light and bright; a good backup for any hillgoer, says Peter Macfarlane.
A headtorch is always vital equipment in the outdoors but carrying a spare is a sensible option. The Petzl Bindi headtorch is a rechargeable headtorch with a 200 lumen brightness at only 34g.
Peter Macfarlane’s verdict
The Bindi is aimed at night time runners but the features and small size also make it work as a hillgoer’s backup- light
- bright
- adaptable
- bezel is a little loose
| Quick specs |
|---|
| Price: £37.99 |
| Weight: 34g |
| Materials: Lithiun Ion rechargeable battery, elastic headband, plastic housing |
| Features: small packsize with stuff sack, flood beam pattern, reflective headband |
| Sizes: adjustable |
| www.petzl.com |
The Bindi is aimed at night time runners but the features and small size also make it work as a hillgoer’s backup. The lamp body is plastic with the white LED lens, small red LED, a rubberised switch and the charging port which is exposed but on the bottom facing edge. The body is IPX4 rated which is splash resistant, not waterproof which is worth bearing in mind for both storage and your potential uses.
The lamp body is held in a plastic cradle within which it can revolve through 360°. This gives very good flexibility in wearing options for the Bindi beyond the standard forehead placement; I’ve worn it on the top of my head with the strap fastened under my chin, around my neck and also around my wrist.
The cradle has a locking notch in its rotation which keeps the switch covered to help prevent accidentally switching the light on in storage. The general rotation is quite free though and it is possible to knock the light beam away from its set position quite easily.
The headband is reflective elastic which is very adjustable and the Bindi is comfortable to wear on my bare head. The main beam has three settings, low has an excellent 50 hour burn time but a small 6m range where the full 200 lumen output has a 2 hour burn time. The small red LED is excellent for camp living as it retains your night vision with a 33 hour burn time and the red strobe setting has 400m visibility and a 200 hour burn time.
The performance of the Bindi has many good points when compared to Petzl’s e+LITE which has been my backup headtorch for many years. The brightness is far superior for an acceptable drop in burn time.
I have appreciated the rechargeable battery on the Bindi as I have been topping it up rather than wondering how the replaceable battery life is. The IPX4 rating is acceptable in most situations, but for complete confidence I’d like to have seen it fully waterproof.
Testing conditions
Peter carried and used items from the review on all of his hill trips throughout 2023 from one winter into the next. This ranged from Munro days to low level trails and he also used the gear multiple times on ranger duties in the Kilpatrick Hills. All weights are from the reviewer’s digital scales.
This comparative review was first published in the December 2024 issue of The Great Outdoors.
