GP Xplor PHR15 £35
■ Power ra■ge 300 lumens for 5 hours, 150 lumens for 8 hours, 5 lumens for 69 hours ■ Beam dista■ce 157m ■ Batteries 3x AAA (alkaline or rechargeable) ■ Weight 110g
GP’s Explor PHR15 offers all the power you need for most walking situations, and at a great price. The automatic distance sensor is brilliant for reducing power use, as the torch simply turns up the power when you look into the distance. The PHR15 uses 3x rechargeable batteries (recharged via the onboard USB socket) but will also accept AAA alkalines. The singlebutton operation is easy to use, allowing you
to switch between power settings and turn the auto sensing option on or off. One slight niggle is that you can’t lock-off the operation button to prevent accidentally turning it on when it’s in your rucksack. Battery life is also a little shorter than others here, and the times GP quotes are for alkaline batteries (5-69 hours), with rechargeables providing a lesser 3-42 hours.
PROS Price, weight, rechargeable and alkaline options, ease of use, decent power and burn times
CONS No means of locking the button to prevent accidental operation when stored in a rucksack,
BUY IT IF You want a low-priced but great general-purpose hillwalking headtorch with a good practical power output and the option of standard or rechargeable batteries