The beams are virtually the same on both modes, so once it’s switched on, you don’t really know which you’re in. We've already run through the various modes in Brightness and Burn Time, so I'll avoid repeating myself on that front. Casting 1100 lumens at a weight of only 100 g, SWIFT® RL is the ultimate multi-sport headlamp for all your outdoor activities. So I am pretty blind/clumsy and having a nice bright head torch has done wonders for me. I have had a SWIFT RL for about a year and I thought it was brilliant. However, the battery life was not the best which I found out whilst descending off the Cuillin ridgeafter getting rather lost.I have unfortunately somehow misplaced my SWIFT RL and before I bought a replacement I thought perhaps the NAO+ might be a better fit for me because of the better battery life. I was wondering if anyone had/used both and couuld compare them for me? Is the NAO+ about as bright SWIFT RL (I know on paper SWIFT RL is brighter) in reality, is the beam pattern similar and the colour of light? I should also say that I normally use it in the reactive mode which I have found very useful.

Petzl Swift RL 2024 - Compact, rechargeable 1100 lumen headlamp

However, this is all detail – the fact is, the Petzl Swift RL headtorch delivers impressive performance in lighting stuff up when you want it lit up, which is the job at hand. We liked the reactive setting, which does indeed conserve battery power, but it's easy to see how it could be annoying for some applications. Petzl Swift RL head torch review: verdict When cycling from dark moors into towns, or running from woodlands to well-lit roads, it’s a really useful feature. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t think to change the brightness level, and so it does mean you get a much longer burn time.And if you are worried about the torch running out of battery charge, you might want to take an extra battery with you rather than relying on the reactive technology to give you extended hours. The reactive sensor also reacts to what you are looking at, whether a map close up or into the distance.

Petzl Swift RL Headlamp | Review - Outdoors Magic Petzl Swift RL Headlamp | Review - Outdoors Magic

It also means you don’t need to switch between modes on the move, instead the head torch does it for you. The switch between brightness levels isn’t drastic or distracting, but it is sensitive enough to adapt to small changes in surrounding light.Yes, the NAO+ is more expensive, bulkier, heavier, and has less output; however, what it has in abundance is battery life - something that is not to be underestimated! This is a crucial factor, especially when you compare the various burn times to how long the night can actually be. In midwinter, depending on where you are in the UK (and how grey a day it is), you can realistically get a good 18hrs of darkness. Whilst the ACTIK and the SWIFT can indeed cope with this through reducing their output, that - some may say - would defeat the object of carrying such a bright headtorch. With the NAO+ there is no need to compromise, with a highly respectable 350 lumens being possible over a time frame of 15-25hrs. That's a get out of jail card on the winter mountains! I’ve noticed this most when cycling and the headlight crosses beams with bike lights. Or, when the lights illuminate road signs. I prefer the standard light beam outputs. The max standard lumens is 550 and this is actually fine for most night running situations. I could be greedy and ask for more lumens bit this would require a larger battery and that would make the lamp heavier.

Petzl Swift RL head torch review: a bewilderingly bright - T3

For example, if you were running across dark fields, it would automatically use a higher-powered light. This would immediately drop if you ran into a well-lit area. This helps you conserve battery.Visual comfort enhanced by the mixed beam, which provides high-performance lighting for outdoor activities: proximity vision, movement and distance vision Whether you like the reactive settings or not, the Petzl Swift RL headtorch is a premium item of lighting hardware, and – importantly – deceptively simple to use. Performance is off the charts: even at the slightly-gimped standard settings, 550 lumens, 100g, 2 hours is a pretty solid set of numbers, and a 900 lumen max output from a compact headtorch is just silly. The beam itself is worth focussing on for a moment. Much though lumens are useful in establishing how bright a torch is, it is just as critical to know how the headtorch uses that light. The SWIFT RL balances the requirements of the climber, runner, skiier and mountaineer, with a good blend of flooding in the foreground and a strong, focussed beam giving you the distance too. Any customer information held on our computers complies with the rules and laws contained within the Data Protection Act 2018. I’ve been putting the Swift RL from Petzl to the test, which is hotly tipped as one of the best outdoor headlamps on the market.