I have worked at an outdoor store, where we sold this headlamp along with between 10-15 others, depending on the season. And after seeing many of these as well as it's counterpart, the Tikka, pour out of the store, this is what I have to say.pIn theory, this is the perfect little light. It's great because you can use the elastic strap to strap it to the back of your hand like a futuristic flashlight, or to keep it on your head. The wire that wraps around your head is surprisingly VERY comfortable to almost all people. pHowever, I have a couple caveats. pVia months of experience, I have found multiple customers returning their lamps because they would intermittently turn on and off when they were bumped. In fact, mine does that...and nothing can be worse at night than you bumping into something, and finding that you no longer have any light! pAlso, the light loses out on some of its functionality because of its compactness. pIt has only two settings - on and off. And it only has one position. Approximately 45 degress below the horizon. pAnd it's not waterproof at all - they don't even include a little rubber seal!pThere are other lights on the market, depending on your purpose- specifically, the PRINCETON TEC Aurora the BLACK DIAMOND AURORA - which I also own and LOVE - which can serve you better.pFor slight added weight, the Aurora has a high, low, and emergency blinking function which are useful. It also can tilt to any position. And it is also waterproof. pFor the SUPER lightest weight headlamp, nothing beats the Ion. I have it in my pocket right now for a pockect flashlight. It uses hearing aid batteries which last for hours, it has two bulbs, and is SOOOO small, you won't believe it.pThe Zipka and Tikka are good...but from my experience, and myself owning 5 different headlamps, there are better ones out there.

I bought three of these and after having them in service nightly for two months by differant family members, we're all a bit disappointed with the design.pFirst, they flicker, sometimes just go out intermittantly even with fresh batteries... Also, they drain power much more rapidly than advertised... after about 20 hours you'll see about a 50% drop in output that drops off rapidly after that. after 35 hours, the light has almost no throw. Even reading a paperback six incnes in front of your eyes is difficult.pThey are light and so far the retraction mechanisms have held up, but the negatives are disconcerting.

This is basically the same headlamp as its sister lamp the Tikka, only its headstrap is more like a annoying rubberband than a headband, not comfortable. It was purchased for the same reason as the Tikka, to go my helmet that I wear when in or around a cave. The strap did not fit well in the notches on the helmet, seemed like they would move around and it slipped out alot. I ended up using duct tape to make it stay put.pIt has the same problem as the Tikka, the light goes off when bumped or jarred. This obviously will happen often in a cave, especially when belly crawling. pIt is also not waterproof. My helmet became mud covered and I had to rinse it off in the river. The lamp does not have a seal to save it from moisture, hence I had a dead light and now lampless helmet. I would have purchased a seal for the lamp had I known it was without one.pIt seems to work well for others who do not use it in harsher enviroments, but rather for reading, late night walks or working on cars. If your purpose in purchasing this lamp is for anything that could bump it or cause jarring, hiking or even biking you would be best to do research, as I will, before your purchase.

My husband bought this great light, and I have wanted to "steal" it many times! It's lightweight, very comfortable to wear, and aims the beam of light down at a good angle for walking or working at night. I've found the light to be adequate for many things, from reading to walking the dog. The pad on the back of the light, combined with the expandable cord, keeps it comfortably in place on your forehead without getting too tight around your head. I recommend it highly if you want to see and have your hands free while working in the dark.

I received this headlamp as a gift last December. Since then, I've only changed the batteries once (not all my runs are in the dark). I use it for running and have found that it stays in place wonderfully, and I barely notice it's there. Larger, heavier models tend to bounce and slide, but the Zipka doesn't. The springloaded cord makes it easy to strap it on over a headband or hat for cold-weather runs. It's also plenty bright.

A point not mentioned in the other reviews is that fact that LED's consume next to nothing powerwise and so batteries last darn near forever! Secondly, it is so light that you can take it along for hanging around camp and save your big headlamp for those alpine starts.

This is a nearly perfect headlamp. It has now been obsoleted by an improved version:Petzl Zipka Plus Headlamp (3 Color Choices)
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br /Positive points:
br /1) Best battery life of any headlamp that I've seen. LED lamps, low power consumption, etc. mean that it easily gets 100 hours per set of batteries.
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br /2) Lightest, most comfortable headlamp on the market, especially for daily use and/or "in your pocket, when I need it" use.
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br /3) Terrific as a "go put the dog out" or "reading in bed" light.
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br /4) Excellent for that emergency "need a little light for working on/behind something". Mine goes with me everywhere in my briefcase.
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br /Bottom line: it's really cool; works great, can be packed away, and used as a head lamp, HAND lamp, emergency bike lamp...get one. You'll love it.
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br /Minor caveats:
br /1) There's a little warning slip in the package, but in case you miss that: to avoid unpleasant surprises, DO use two hands to take it off, so the rear pad doesn't jump off the back of your head and hit your hand. Likewise, be careful putting it on. This is the price you pay for compactness...I have strap-on lights that I like, too, but this one goes *everywhere* with me.
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br /2) It's not waterproof, and not as secure as some of the higher-end sport headlamps. Therefore, when pursuing physically vigorous activities, you may want a headlamp that is a little more secure. This is fine, however, for walking, biking, reading in bed, etc.
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br /I have now had mine for four years, and still love it. [March 2003 - November 2007]

I've read a few of the negative reviews. A few things to keep in mind.br 1) You are buying a headlamp with a retractable cord...of course it is going to be a little more difficult to get around your head...BUT find me a headlamp that wraps around your wrist, or arm, or heck, your screwdriver!br 2) The "button switching off" issue can be a problem if you don't turn the switch on ALL the way. It's got a pretty stiff detent and if you don't actually switch the thing all the way on, then it 'bumps off'. I imagine this is to keep it from accidentally turning itself on while it's in your pocket. NEVER A PROBLEM!br 3) This thing is *small*. Great for backpacking (light, small space) and great for carrying around everywhere.br 4) It lasts almost forever. The AAA batteries just keep on chugging.pTry one out in a store....know what your buying and you won't be dissapointed.

I purchased my first Zipka as a stocking stuffer for my husband, HOPING he would use it. It gets used all the time! Taking out the trash, in the workshop, as a book light, around the house and of course Camping! My whole family has since purchased them. The battery lasts forever and its a great way to tend the fire or cook without having to set up a lantern or other light source. Its light weight and durable too. Even my small cousins have them and they work great!

This light never dies due to its LED technology. It is not extremely bright but definitely bright enough for illuminating your path at night. It is great for power outages or camping. I feel much safer walking or jogging at night in my neighborhood. Light-weight, very good attachment mechanism. This product is a major improvement compared to the standard head lamp, to the point that everybody should have one. It is a perfect gift in that it is (1) reasonable price, (2) usable by anybody, (3) sufficiently different that people are unlikely to already have it, (4) truly useful/safety feature as opposed to worthless junk that is most gifts.

A friend of mine had one of these on a kayaking trip I was on last year and I was surprised at the amount of light emitted from this small package. I bought one... then another... and another. And then I gave some as stocking stuffers to family members this Xmas.pI use this all the time from working on the car (directs light right where I'm looking), bbq'ing, taking out the garbage, etc. I put an extra one in my wife's glove box just in case.pAnd, the batteries last a long time - much longer than with a standard flashlight.

It's great for reading in a tent and pitching a tent in the dark but it does flicker on and off and does not seem bright enought for hiking out in the dark. It seemed brighter when I first got it, but now it seems to eat batteries and it not bright enough for night hiking.
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br /The cord gets tangled in my long hair and the pad on the back of the lamp fell off.

I've used this little head lamp for camping and hunting and love the light output, how comfortable it is to wear and the fact that I've only changed the batteries once. Some have said it is not waterproof... I've worn for hours in light rain and snow and have never experienced any problems. For the price it's an excellent headlamp.

I own 5 camping headlamps and have gone through at least that many booklights.
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br /This is a light, long-lasting camping light. It throws a lot of light close up. Its shortcoming is that the light does not illuminate distant objects as well.
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br /However, I bought this as a booklight (my wife cannot sleep with lights on) after going through many traditional booklights. This one works well. It is small, light. Only shortcoming. It throws off too much light! But I am keeping it!

The best thing about this is the lack of a band makes it a lot less cumbersome for travel, in a pocket, or even storage in a drawer. No other lamps but the zipka are so compact which makes you want to use more than something that take 4 X the space. The duration of the light is good. Although the switch is a little sticky and I wish they had one with 4 LED's and the option of a halogen bulb or something really bright when you need more juice. That's nit picking as this is much better than the other headlamps and WAY superior to conventional flashlights. Awesome size shape, stamina, function.

Since I have aquired this headlamp, it is always with me. It is powerfull and it is really worth the expense. The power of the beam is fantastic. Since power consumption is very low, the batteries last very long. I am working very often in theatres (being member of a thatrical amateur society) and quite a few backstage and lighting team members have purchased it. How was life before it?

I run outside during the winter when it's mostly dark when I get home from work. When this little light works, it's great. But shortly into the run, it starts flickering and sometimes goes completely out for a few seconds. Seeing as how it's new and it has new batteries, I am disappointed.

This is a nice little light. My main reason for the purchase was for a night reading light but I have found it much more useful. It is a clever design and it is comfortable and easy to carry around.

The switch broke the second time I used it. The workmanship just isn't there. Don't waste your time.

The title tells it all. My wife reads in bed with this rather than turning on the lamp. So far, over two weeks of use and the light is as bright as new! LED's are the future of light.

I was very excited to have my Zipka at first, for all the reasons others mention here. Then I noted, as another reviewer did, that it seemed to eat batteries faster than advertised - but I still loved it. Then it began to misbehave. It began flashing and not turning on at various times - really cut my enjoyment. But still tolerable. Then one day I had it mounted on my bike helmet and it flipped off, falling to the ground and breaking in an unfixable way. I won't buy another - if they make one that's more robust and functions consistently, I'd be delighted. I'm going to try the Princeton Tec Aurora now. Hope this helps.