PETZL, Ultra-Bright Headlamp, 2800 Lumens

I was surprised by its brightness compared to other headlamps that claim to have the same. I learned to use it in maybe 40 minutes of studying the manual. I like it a lot. Perhaps not many reviews because of the price.

I’ve been patiently waiting to buy this headlamp, having see the lamp on Petzl’s website months ago. I already have the high performance Duo S, which I love, so I was expecting this lamp to be almost identical but brighter (and a few more settings). Having said that…….You need to be a rocket scientist to comprehend all of its features!! The paper manual is over 3 feet long and ~1.5’ high. It is maddening how confusing and difficult it is to navigate through all of its lighting features.Now maybe if it had Bluetooth like their Nao+ - which I also have and use- to access all of the new lamp’s robust settings… but instead you are on your own with only 1 switch (bi-directional), and I hope you can remember and count to various numbers as accessing all of its modes requires precise holding times on the know (i.e. 2, 4, 8 and 12 seconds are all utilized).If it were to possess the insanely bright lighting modes, but with the functionality of the Duo S, I would’ve given it 10 stars if there was such an option. Alas, it’s far too complicated having studied the manual for the last week. Bright, sure but way too complicated and not remotely worth the cost.See the photos, a snapshot of the manual fully extended and side-by-side with the Duo S.Lastly, why doesn’t it have the Face-to-Face auto dimming option built for the entire Duo series headlamps?! Yes it has a reactive mode- but I’m not convinced it’s all that reactive (not as much as the Nao+ - by a long shot!). ~~~6-week update~~~It is getting easier to use the longer I’ve had it- I’d add another star to my rating. I still believe it’s unnecessarily complicated to find the right setting/mode but the more I use it, the more familiar I am becoming with it. It is super bright and clean!!! Great battery - just too many options to select with only a 2-way switch.

The manual is large in size but it is simpler to operate than it seems. You should spend about 20 minutes reading the manual, before that, I recommend playing with the lamp a bit to understand and feel that it is in sequential mode.I would have liked the 2,800 lumens in standard mode and not just in reactive mode.I also wish they would improve the front adapter for Vertex, it is not very solid.Despite the two previous points, it is the best lamp I have ever bought.