Ledlenser MH8 £80

This headtorch looks reassuringly sturdy, with a comfy yet very secure threepoint headstrap, and a chunky, front-mounted headlamp with a single main white light LED and a secondary coloured LED.

This headlamp delivers powerful illumination, up to 600 lumens and 200m in the boost mode. A single rubberised button toggles between the main power levels (20, 170 and 400 lumens), as well as green and blue, strobe, and red night vision settings. The quoted burn times range is 7-60 hours, while the beam distance range is 40-180m.

A lithium-ion battery – rechargeable via a magnetic USB cable docking system – provides this output, or you can switch in two AA batteries.

Other features include a locking function (to avoid turning it on by accident), a focusing bezel (for switching between flood beam and pinpoint spotlight) and the constant current and energysaving modes.

IF WE’RE BEING FUSSY

It’s a tad on the bulky and heavy side, with most of the weight at the front, which feels a little unbalanced. The boost mode only lasts for about 10 seconds, which diminishes its usefulness. Toggling between modes is a little confusing at first and there is no dimming function.

■ MAX POWER 400 lumens for 7 hours (600 lumens in boost mode)

■ MAX BURN TIME 60 hours at 20 lumens

■ MAX BEAM DISTANCE 180m at 400 lumens (200m in boost mode)

■ BATTERIES 1550mAh rechargeable lithium-ion, or 2x AA

■ WEIGHT 142g (inc rechargeable battery)

■ INGRESS PROTECTION RATING IP54 (splashproof)

Verdict

A powerful, fully-featured headtorch at a good price – but it’s bulky and heavy.