#petzlheadtorch #runningheadtorch #bestheadtorch Petzl Nao RL - Unboxing & tutorial. 1st impressions from opening the box, through to attaching the battery, attaching the top of the head strap & general thoughts on the lamp itself.
Impressive. A very thorough headlamp/head torch/headlight review! I do like your review style, to the point but not sacrificing the details. For trails and ultra the Nao RL is tough to beat. I'm still using an older Petzl compact style headlamp with Reactive Lighting, which as you stated is the go-to lighting mode. I've looked at upgrading. The Nao RL is on my list of possibilities, as is the Swift RL and the IKO Core. The Nao is the most powerful/best. The Swift is compact style. The IKO is a bit of a misfit but I do like the simple headband (and maybe the standard battery backup option is useful) but it lack Reactive Lighting. All 3 are inline in terms of with increasing lumens also comes increasing weight and price. It's a balancing act of what brightness/lumens you need (and maybe a few other features as well). Your conclusion of the Nao RL (designed for running, Reactive Lighting, rear red lighting, etc.) seems to be spot on. Well done! As an aside, there are several other lighting considerations. In winter, when I have the least daylight hours but there is snow on the ground that reflects light so I need fewer lumens. But last fall I did a race in the dark where I needed more lumens than I had. The vast majority of times it's on my head but the odd time I want it on my bike helmet so having that as an option would be brilliant. Even diehard trail runners like me end up on the road from time to time (getting to and from the trailhead, linking trails via tracks and tarmac, etc.) and for those times I was wondering about the flashing/pulsating/strobe modes of the cycling or biking lights to increase my visibility. Incidentally some of the cycling or biking lights also offer helmet mounts for their lights. Can one light do it all? Good to see you back producing high quality content.
Thanks Brian, Glad you liked the review. As for your choices, I’d still go for the NAO, Reactive is a must and as you mentioned, last year you did that race where the extra lumens were needed, better to have those extra lumens for those occasions, rather than wish you had them. I did try the NAO on my bike helmet (Giro) and it didn’t fit, so you may need that extra mount. It is difficult to get one thing for all purposes, but the NAO comes very close!
Thank you for the thorough review! Especially the top strap install, I could not figure out from the drawing in the instructions what the heck it wanted me to do!
Great review Martin. I've been using one a lot since before Christmas. It's probably the best headtorch I've had so far (had quite a few). A few things though that I have noticed. While on reactivate mode when it's cold the Vapour from breathing makes the light go up and down a lot. I never use that mode now as its a real distraction on technical terrain. It's not the easiest to figure out what mode it's in while running well until it starts dimming. The strap which goes over your head is a great little feature which I always use. The 2 little ends of the strap can very easily come out of the holes. I've fixed this with a small piece of duct tape over them. It's a brilliant bit of kit
Thanks Simon, aye, I have noticed in certain conditions the light can react to your breath if that does happen, as you say changing modes does the trick. It is a top piece of kit & should be the only headtorch I'll need for a long time to come 😀
Hey, Martin, I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed this clip and I'm happy to see you back on RU-vid creating content. Keep up the great work! Great review!👍
Thanks for the review. I would like to point out something, the 1500 lumen is only available in reactive mode, which is pretty much never since they claim the run time is the same as 900 lumen. So in essence this is a 900 lumen light and not a 1500 lumen light like they claim on the box. Its really upsetting that they are still allowed to mislead their customers like that, though I acknowledge that other companies do the same.
Thanks, I do like the reactive mode but would only click on 1500 lumen on short occasions to conserve the battery, you do get an extra 60m in distance using the 1500 over the 900 lumens & it is noticeable. I think most companies out there like to use big numbers to try & outdo each other, but at the end of the day, this is a great headtorch 🙂
Wow! That's bright! Twice as bright as my headlamp, but I suspect you have far greater need for light on the trails then I do on the roads! Great review Martin! Keep pushing my friend!
Thanks Michelle, there's so many head torches out there to choose from! Sounds like yours is on the roomy side 🔦 Thanks for watching & for your yoga practices 🧘♂️
Sounds like another quality torch from Petzl there Martin! Good to hear they have improved on what worked well. Those LEDs look insanely bright and I like the slimness of the design. Also the reserve charge from the battery is a brilliant thing to have in a pinch! 👍 Shame they still haven't sorted out the mode selection issues that I highlighted in my NAO+ review. Hate that it still plunges you into darkness when scrolling through the options. Maybe they can get that right next time around. Top videos as always bud! 😎🤘
Thanks Ben, it really is insanely bright, lights up the whole trail for a huge distance in front of you on the max setting! To be honest, the mode selection issue you mentioned hasn't really bothered me on this version or the older one, if needing to cycle through the modes on techy terrain, I'd usually slow to a walk anyway. Cheers for tuning in Ben 👍
@@TheDeterminedRunner I would love to give it a go 😊👍 Yeah agreed it's not a deal breaker but for something that designed to be used when moving at speed you shouldn't have to slow down just to change the setting safely. Surely it's an easy fix for them. Quick double press to switch between reactive and constant and a press and hold to turn off......easy 🤣👍
Thanks Harvey, yes you can remove it, though I’ve never needed to, I’d probably just wet it with a damp cloth, but if you wanted to, you could remove it 👍
Great review as ever Martin. The previous model of this head torch was definitely on my radar as a contender to replace my super heavy ledlenser model I currently use! I like the updates added to this new RL model. If I’m honest though, what stops me clicking on that buy button is the thought of all that rubber wiring getting tangled up in my hydration vest when it’s not in use. How do you deal with that if your out on the trails in the Scottish winter with your gloves on?
Hi Phil, those cables are pretty easy to sort if they do get tangled & most of the time they don't, so it's not really a problem. As for using them with gloves, as long as the gloves are dextrous, you'll be fine. Well worth hitting that buy button 😀
Martin I like the way you do unboxings and explain the features of the products. This lamp is crazy bright, it would be great in terms of brightness, also for the mtb. Is there any attack for the helmet as accessory? great B-roll btw 😅
Hi Ilkka, you turn it on by pressing the button, pressing 3 times toggles through brightness & if you press & hold the button, you switch between reactive & non-reactive modes 👍
I m really need this one... Im still not able to get it here en nz,.. so im thinking to import it from Finland where they do int. shipping. Its a bit tyring to flip the head torch backwards/front whenever traffic coming,... Plus,... Changing from red to white torch.... All that while you are running,... I hate to stop... This head light solve all that and more
