Petzl Tikka Plus vs. Petzl Tikka XP

By nnylfa Ranked #1431 - Headlamps March 19, 2007

I had a hard time distinguishing these two headlights to determine which one was best for our family. I decided to get the slightly cheaper Tikka Plus for our son and purchased the XP for my husband and me.

What is the difference? The XP has a sliding cover that diffuses the light. The clear sliding cover can be slid open to have the light focused primarily on one spot so that the light is distributed evenly. When the light is diffused it is a medium-high brightness that sheds uniform clear light over the area.

The XP has a light booster that will shower the area with extremely bright light – and it IS a nice bright light. However, you must hold the small little button on the top of the body of the XP in order for it to work. I haven’t used it much because I am of the lazy sort and can’t be bothered to hold my hand up to my head for a few seconds. It would be much more helpful if the booster button can be activated for the 20 seconds with just one push.

Another addition to the XP is a battery charge indicator. It is a small little hole covered with a piece of plastic. Apparently, it is supposed to turn green, yellow or red according to the battery charge. Granted, I just bought these lights two days ago and may not be working them correctly, but. . . there are no lights coming on in the hole. I don’t miss it though.

The Tikka Plus seems brighter overall. It has an extremely bright center in the beam and a medium-high brightness surrounding the center so it seems to appear brighter than the XP. It doesn’t have the options that the XP has but does function well.

Both the Plus and the XP ratchet up and down on the housing. However, the XP can ratchet about twice as high or low as the Plus.

Overall, is the XP worth the extra dollars? In my opinion, yes, due to the additional ratcheting and the uniform brightness of the light in the XP. However, both these lights are good and I would be satisfied with either of them. If you want to save money, buy the Tikka Plus and you will be happy.

By the way – who needs a strobe? That is the most worthless “value-added” function on both the two lights.

View Details: Petzl Tikka XP Headlamp

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