Petzl Megabelt

Review Date
March 16, 2004

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: cgailey ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $80.00 at Alaska Mountaineerin

Summary:
This is one serious headlamp! I bought it for the ultra cold weather trips that suck battery life and have been blown away by its performance. I hardly use it anymore because I have a Myobelt now that is more versatile, but for a just plain bright performer, the mega belt is hard to beat. It is outdated by newer combo lights that are a much better deal and that makes buying a fossil like this a tough act to swallow.

Customer Service:
Never needed it

Similar Products Used:
Princeton Tec (garbage!), Myobelt 3, BD Gemini, Tikka Plus

Review Date
September 19, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Andy Childs(Unregistered User) ,  Climber , from Millbrook Alabama USA

Price Paid:  $60.00 at Mall store in Tallah

Summary:
I am a caver and love this light. I bought this light and a Petzl helmet and did the proper thing and bolted this thing to my helmet. It gives adequate light for both the hike out of the cave if I stay in too long and for the cave while inside. I think this is a great light because it has survived everything I have thrown at it including swiming in a cave with the battery pack underwater. There is only one thing that is annoying about this light and that is that every time you bang the lens on a rock it goes out until you get it off the rock and that is tough sometimes when you are in extremly tight passage. I credit my good luck with this light to how well I clean and care for this light when I get out of the cave. I have recently retired this still working light in favor of a $300.00 Spe-Lu 26 LED light that works much better but I would still go into a cave with a Petzl.

Customer Service:
The parts are a little pricey but you get what you pay for.

Similar Products Used:
If you are a caver that really wants a great light get a Spe-Lu LED. They specialize in caving only lights. They are the best lights out there for caving, period.

Review Date
February 26, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Michael(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Sacramento, CA

Price Paid:  $39.00 at REI

Summary:
Dependable under adverse conditions.
Excellent light coverage.
Great for general hiking but a bit heavy to be carrying around on expeditions because of the battery drain. (batteries are heavy)

Similar Products Used:
None

Review Date
January 10, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Toby Whitley(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Bristol, UK

Price Paid:  $30.00 at Quip-U, Bristol

Summary:
This is a good headtorch, powerful beam and pretty durable. The belt clip is excellent as in cold conditions you can stow it in your jacket as for the artic one to keep the batteries alive. To the caver below, why did you buy a climbing/walking head torch and then moan about it when you could have bought a more durable caving head lamp? If you pass through Bristol stop into Quip-U they also specialize in caving gear and stock head torches (for caving).

Customer Service:
No need

Similar Products Used:
No.

Review Date
January 7, 2001

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: Jamie Winner(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Windfall, IN, USA

Price Paid:  $55.00 at Inner Mountain Outfitters

Summary:
I had to submit a review after I saw a caver had been on here. I use my Petzl Mega-belt mostly for caving, but also anytime I need a headlamp for hiking or backpacking. I would consider it to be moderately cheaply made. Most parts are molded plastic, including the headpiece. However, it does what it is supposed to do. I haven't had a real problem with my mega-belt in 2 years of use. I even submerged it a few times. However, I have had slight flickering, due to Petzl's design of the contacts in the headpiece. This light is essentially a Petzl Zoom with a choice of AA or C batteries as well as a choice of two different bulbs. You can get 8.5 hrs of light with the halogen bulb and C batteries, or around 30 hours with the standard bulb and C batteries.

Until I can afford a gel-cell Tag-lite, I will continue to have confidence in this light, even for caving.

Similar Products Used:
Petzl Zoom
Mini-maglite