Petzl MYO 5

Though heavy by today's standards, this headlamp lasts forever and never breaks.

I have been using this lamp for 4 years now. I have a lighter lamp but I keep going back to the Myo. The 5 LED setting lasts an extremely long time. I change the batteries out maybe 3 times a year and use it for night hikes at least once a month and I use it at home all the time.

The 4 AA batteries can power the small LEDs forever. The halogen setting draws a lot of energy and is only good for about 4 hours or so. I'm guessing you get approximately 10 times the amount of on-time with the LEDs. The specs say 30-100 LED hours. Cold weather does dim the lumens a bit but you still get plenty of light even in sub-zero.

Range: LED's 15 ft. Halogen 20 yards

Beam: LED's non adjustable. Halogen=adjustable.

Burn time: see above

Power Source: 4 AA. These make the lamp heavy.

Ease of Use: Very easy

Weather: Water resistant. Performs well in the cold.

Features: Backup bulb

Durability: Has held up very well

Conditions: General trail hiking, camping, etc.

Best for: I wouldn't recommend this lamp for night trail running. It's just too heavy and would flop around. 

This is a torch you'd want if you're likely to be on the go at night. If you're just sitting around camp cooking or reading in your tent then go with something smaller and lighter, with just LEDs.

Petzl has put a lot of thought into the design of the MYOs. I really like the twist on/off with the simple 'locking' feature that stops it being turned on accidentally. You get 3 light levels from the LEDs, so you can conserve batteries while sitting around the camp or put it on full blast if you're running down a trail. The LEDs have a power regulator (unlike the MYO 3?) so that you get constant light output. The halogen beam is plenty bright and is great if it's used sparingly for route finding and nav (it sucks the batteries dry pretty quickly...unless you've got the belt mounted version which has 4xC cells).

Problems? hmm...I'd really like it if they were waterproof. Mine got filled with water while canyoning. Also, the spare halogen bulb is on the outside of the headband. Would have been better if they could have fitted somewhere in one of the casings. But these are minor gripes for a great torch.

All in all a great torch.

This is a really nice piece of gear. Its two light sources are great. The five LEDs are good enough for most hiking apps. and the Xenon buld comes in handy for technical areas. This really is a great do-all headlamp.

I HATE THE TWISTING ON/OFF funtion. Wish it had a button. If it had a button I would give it Five Stars.

Not to focus on the negative but these are the areas for improvement. The great thing is that batteries last forever with the LEDs. The bad thing is the Xenon is only really bright for the first fraction of battery run time. I find myself switching to LEDs all of the time because the Xenon is almost gone. Granted the energy saving technology allows for this super long run time but the Xenon is gone by the end.

I bought my girlfriend the Yukon HL from Princeton Tech. It is really the best headlamp that I have seen. It's all LEDs and just as bright as the MYO 5. The Xenon on the MYO 5 is a little brighter but there are no bulbs to break and burn out in the Yukon HL and it is button operated. Granted the twist opperation is more bomber, but it sucks to twist it on your forehead with one hand and tough to do with gloves on or cold fingers.

If Petzl offers an all LED upgrade for this headlamp I would say the MYO 5 is the Best on the market.

I've had several versions of headlamps and this one rates really high. I've not noticed the degradation in the Xenon lighting, but I also try not to use it very often when around the campsite. My son has the Tekka and we like it for around the camp as well, but when on the trail at night, the LEDs don't reach out like the Xenon bulb.