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Today we welcome @GrahamCarterGC to the site. Graham is an experienced runner who is set to become an ultramarathon runner in 2013 and he’s kindly agreed to review the Alpkit Gamma Head Torch…
Running in the dark. It’s not a whole lot of fun. Once the evenings become darker the joys of running through the countryside and rural roads are lost as I return to running along roads with street lights.
Until now.
Tonight I ran with my new Alpkit Gamma head torch and had a ball.
Firstly, a word of warning. It’s not a good idea to run a new, unfamiliar route in the dark with a head torch.
You will run more slowly. You will hear noises. You will need to concentrate more than when you run in daylight. You will also enjoy it. A lot.
The Gamma has a front headlight with 3 settings: bright light, not so bright light (that’s not the technical term but it’ll do) and strobe. It’s a cinch to use, you just click the button on the top to change the light type.
The battery pack is on the rear of the Gamma and although it holds 3 AAA batteries it sits comfortably on the head. This has 2 settings: a solid or a strobing red light. This adds reassurance that cars approaching from behind will be able to see you and give you a wide berth.
I found the Gamma comfortable to wear and didn’t find the weight intolerable. Despite reading lots of running magazines and reviews suggesting a torch with at least 100 lumens (a measure of brightness) was the minimum required I found the Gamma (said to be up to 88 lumens) lit the path ahead well enough. It’s harder to gain perspective on distance when running in the dark with a head torch but that just means you pay closer attention to the environment in which you’re running. An opportunity to see where you run, be where you run and feel where you run.
I loved it. I can see the benefit of a brighter head torch for longer runs but the Gamma suits my needs. It allows me to get out, experience familiar routes in an unfamiliar setting. I’d happily run for a couple of hours with it. I’d recommend the Gamma for anyone who wants to experience the freedom of running in the dark. Give it a go. It’s a blast.
They sell out fast!
Nice review of a lovely head torch. The gamma is astoundingly good value for money – I don’t think I’ll ever tire of singing its praises to anyone who’ll listen.
Couple of things I’d add to the review…
Battery life:
I don’t do tons of night running, but I’ve used my gamma at least 20 times over the last year and haven’t needed to change the batteries yet.
Settings:
The review mentions three front settings: bright, not-so-bright and flashing. However, there’s also a separate LED array at the front which can be white, red or green light. Great for map reading and looking like a dalek.
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