I have been giving thought to what lamp would I purchase if I were not producing lamps myself. I suppose that this could be the recommendation of all recommendations, so I have given it a lot of thought.
My thinking is to keep to suppliers who have been around for a while and are noted for good after service, and preferably UK based. By this I mean retailer rather than manufacturer which is irrelevant.
So I ran a process of elimination on everything available.
Lighting for a start can be roughly divided into three categories, Mining Lamps (intended for use in working mines), headtorches, and lamps produced for the intended purpose of recreational underground exploration.
The first category of lamp is generally producing a very narrow intense beam, I personally dislike this as it’s like a ‘stab in the dark’ to me. Also belt mounted batteries I now think belong in the past. Many have a cable that is actually heavier than the battery!
Remember as well that with the more expensive you are paying in part for coal mine safety certification which is irrelevant to recreational use.
The cheap Chinese ones are indeed very good value as has been commented. I would avoid any that have a rubber covered switch as this part will fail, go for one with an Oldham type switch, these are bombproof. Also beware of poor waterproof integrity on some, generally easily fixed though by silicone sealing the cable gland.
Of the second category, I am seeing more and more of these in use, and think that this type of lamp will probably account for an increasing proportion of underground lighting. Beware as these can be very cheap and nasty, I would advise paying more for say a Fenix.
The third category is from where I would choose without hesitation. By a process of elimination I narrow it down to Sten, Scurrion or Rude Nora. El Spelio looks attractive as does the new Greek lamp but unsure about after service as there is not a UK agent that I know of. Pulsar is another but I wont have a flashy mode at any price and again, no UK agent that I know of.
After even more deliberation I think my money would go to Mr Bif for a Rude Nora. At £395 it’s not overpriced and one knows that one is getting something with high build quality that will last; buying cheaper can be false economy.
Of course there are the conversions as well. The only one I have experience with is Mikes Retro which I thoroughly endorse having owned one myself way back.
I just hope that all this is helpful to someone.
My avatar is a poor likeness.