- Brand: Kathmandu
- Model: Falcon 100
- Weight: 118 g (with batteries)
- RRP: $99.98 (no longer available)
My needs
I’ve had a number of cheap head lamps which don’t work any more, so I wanted something that just works. I don’t need anything too powerful, although the ability to set brightness levels is useful.
What I like
My wife chose this head torch and I was impressed with the features:
- Easy to recharge – uses 2 x AA NiMH batteries (charged with the Universal Charger)
- Simple operation:
- Left-hand switch cycles main beam through: high / medium (hold for flashing)
- Right-hand switch cycles wide angle LED through: low white / low red (hold for red SOS)
- Focus – can focus high & medium light (main beam) to flood or highlight a specific area
Usage
Initially I thought this was a great general-purpose head torch for use around the home or camp site:
- Around home – I had no sensor lights installed outside yet, so this stops me tripping up when going to my cars, outside office or shed
- Night time reading – low (wide angle LED) is a nice dim light for reading in bed
- Checking the animals – when I want to check on the chooks or see why the dog is barking, I had something to put some light on the situation
Extra considerations
- Battery drain – I noticed this torch drains the batteries while not being used, so I have to remove the batteries each time which is inconvenient; in fact, this hassle means I no longer use it except as a backup headlamp, since purchasing my Olight H2R
- Average brightness – while handy around the home or camp site, the Falcon 100 is not overly powerful (100 lumens max) so this won’t light up much more than 50 metres (e.g. hiking or nocturnal wildlife watching)
- Bulky – it would be difficult working in confined spaces with this head lamp (e.g. under a car or in a cave) so you’d probably use a head torch with a separate battery pack for this
Specifications
- Cree XP-C Q2 bulb producing up to 100 lumens (measured)
- Six lighting modes – high (main beam), medium (main beam), low (1 x wide angle LED), red lighting, red SOS signalling and white flashing
- Thermal control
- Regulated battery control
- Tilting head
- Water resistance
- Removable vertical strap
- Two x AA 1.5 V alkaline batteries included
On high
- Beam distance 55 metres
- Light intensity up to 100 lumens
- Battery life 6.75 hours
Overview
“The Falcon 100 Head Torch is the perfect hands-free torch for all your adventures. This water resistant head torch has up to 24 hours of battery life and six lighting modes: high, low, wide angle LED, red lighting, red SOS signalling and white flashing. The Cree XP-C bulb produces 100 lumens on high beam, illuminating the trail 55 metres in front of you. The tilting head allows personal control over the direction of the beam.”