Quote Originally Posted by nippersmith View Post
Oh WD. there is no need to apologise, please, I started it with my snobby observation on the disposability of Primark underwear; I will own up to being a fan of 'middle of the road' M & S, and then we can move on

I ordered a head torch recommended on this thread, but had to send it back as it was faulty, so I am scouting around for another.
Dear Nippersmith, I tend to use my bike light, which came complete with an optional head harness. It's a Hope Vision 2, beautifully crafted in Barnoldswick, Lancashire and a very useful 400 lumens output. Beam pattern is just wide enough, but it has ample range. I use it on ouput level 1 ( of 1 to 4 ) most of the time. A bit pricey at £160 but I only bought it as I received £100 worth of vouchers for Wheelbase at Staveley, as a birthday present, and the only thing that I then needed for the audax bike was a really good front light.
My backup headtorch is my old Black Diamond 'Icon'. The main beam is a tightly focussed 3 watt hyperbright L.E.D. ( pretty much like a Petzl Myo XP ) but unlike the Myo XP (which uses a flip-up diffuser for localised lighting; you are still burning 3 watts worth of battery and the diffuser saps so much of the light output that the light is nigh on useless ) the Icon is also equipped with 4x low wattage superbright L.E.D.s that provide ample output for localised lighting and running ascents; plus a huge increase in battery life. A very versatile headtorch for £50 - £60. I bought mine from Ultimate Outdoors, if you have a branch locally, and they give a 10% discount if you can show a current FRA or YHA membership card.
Ian.