You could say that French brand Petzl was born in the darkness. Their story began with founder Fernand Petzl’s passion for caving, back in the mid-1930s. Out of that passion, Petzl started to design innovative gear to help him move around underground – not just rope safety equipment, but also pioneering hiking headlamps. In time, Petzl kit was co-opted by alpine climbers, mountaineers and skiers.
Today, Petzl remains one of the leading technical brands in all these fields. The product range is now split into two core categories: lighting – which includes some of the world’s most advanced head torches; and verticality – highly technical equipment designed for those venturing into the world’s loftiest mountain ranges as well as the globe’s deepest, darkest places.
Pros
- Bright
- Lightweight and compact
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Hybrid battery compatibility
Cons
- Relatively low waterproof rating
- No dimming function
| Max power | 450lm (high) |
| Max burn time | 110 hours at 7 lumens |
| Max beam distance | 75m |
| Battery | Micro-USB rechargeable 1250mAh lithium-ion battery |
| Weight | 84g |
| Ingress protection rating | IPX4 |
The Tikka is an affordable stalwart of the Petzl lighting range that is well proven as one of the world’s best-selling headlamps. The latest generation, which was completely redesigned in 2022, boasts some important upgrades in terms of power, performance and functionality. But does it still lead the way when it comes to an affordable all-rounder for outdoor users?
Design and features
The latest version of the Tikka headtorch has sleeker and more angular looks compared to its predecessors, with an integrated rubberised bumper to help protect the LED array from impacts and scratches. A phosphorescent element inside the light unit also glows in the dark, making it easier to find your head torch in a dim tent. And a new bracket design enables it to swivel through 360 degrees, which not only gives a very wide range of angle adjustment (it can face upwards, as well as down) but also makes for easy access to the rear battery compartment. A wide elasticated headband with rear adjustment ensures a close fit.
Like other models in Petzl’s CORE range, the Tikka has hybrid compatibility. This means it can run off 3 x AAAs or Petzl’s own removable and rechargeable CORE Lithium-ion battery packs, which have a capacity of 1250mAh and are charged via a micro-USB port.
The Tikka puts out up to 450 lumens (or 350 lumens if powered by AAA batteries), with three brightness settings plus red light and strobe modes. There’s also a charge indicator and a lock function to prevent accidental operation.
A welcome added extra is that the Tikka is bundled with a translucent storage sack, which enables you to hang it as a lantern, creating a soft, diffuse light for your tent. But it’s also compatible with Petzl’s Noctilight accessory, sold separately. This is a protective zippered storage case that is fitted with a hanging cord and hook, which again can be used as a handy tent lantern.
Performance and comfort
In use, it’s light and comfortable, with a simple but effective headband. Indeed, the entire headtorch weighs in at just 84 grams, ensuring you hardly feel it on your head. The unit itself is nice and compact too. While we tested this mostly on night hikes, the Tikka CORE will also make an excellent running head torch.
Operation is very intuitive, since a single top button controls all operations. Press it once for a 7-lumen low light mode, which works well for simple in-tent illumination. Another press switches the Tikka to its 100-lumen medium setting, and a third press takes you to its maximum 450-lumen output. Meanwhile, a long press cycles to red light and strobe modes. We do wish there was an extra light setting in there though – switching from 100 to 450 lumens with nothing in between is a big step up.
Quoted burn times are two hours at full power, and 7 hours at medium power, both with an additional two-hour power reserve. You’ll get up to 110 hours on the 7-lumen low setting. The CORE battery pack generally ensures better burn times than headtorches powered by standard alkaline batteries, but at 1250mAh it isn’t the highest capacity rechargeable cell around. On the other hand, it’s quick and easy to swap in a fresh CORE battery (or 3 x AAAs). Petzl sells additional CORE batteries separately, which typically cost £25-30 each. They do use the slightly older micro-USB charging tech rather than more modern USB-C though, which limits charging speeds.
In addition, it’s worth noting that the Tikka’s white light settings all work off the same single LED – there’s no specialist spot or flood lighting modes to suit different scenarios, e.g. for proximity map-reading work or long-range navigation on the trail, when you might need a dedicated spot beam to identify key landmarks and terrain features.
Price and competition
The Tikka CORE now has a UK RRP of £58, but it is so widely distributed that you’ll probably find it on sale for much lower price than that. A quick Google search led us to a few reputable online retailers that were selling it for around £45.
That makes it decent value, even if some rivals slightly outperform the Tikka. For example, at high power, the Tikka casts its beam up to 75 metres. That’s decent, but not quite as powerful as similarly priced rivals like the Princeton Tec Vizz, the Silva Explore 4RC or the BioLite HeadLamp 425.
Other drawbacks? The Tikka lacks a dimming function, so you can run it at 7, 100 or 450 lumens, but nothing in between. It also has a lower water resistance than most of its rivals too, only being IPX4 rated (splashproof).
There’s still lots to like about the Petzl Tikka though. It is far from being the fanciest headtorch around, but it is nice and light, very compact, and simple and straightforward to use.
Verdict
A tried-and-tested performer with all the hallmarks of a Petzl headtorch: simplicity, durability and reliability – but you can get a bit more for your money from rival brands.
About the author
Matt Jones is a freelance journalist based in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, he’s a vastly experienced gear tester and self-confessed outdoor kit geek. Matt’s been one of our main gear testers for the last couple of years and is the first person we call with any complicated kit queries that need in-depth and forensic analysis.