PETZL Swift RL Headlamp - SS21

Product Information

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.

The best head torches for runners 2023 The best head torches for runners 2023

The Nao and Nao+ were the first head torches I saw with this technology and a few friends have them. So let's look at two other models in the Petzl range that will be familiar to many: the Actik Core and the NAO+. The admittedly small flies in the ointment are that the small button is hard to feel through gloves, so you can accidentally switch up and off without really meaning to.

I have been told by the brand that I must be mistaken but I tested this several times and I found that the 900 lumens brightness I was hoping didn’t always seem that bright.

Petzl SWIFT RL - One Headtorch to Rule Them All? REVIEW: Petzl SWIFT RL - One Headtorch to Rule Them All?

The switch itself ingeniously slides from side-to side to lock the torch on or off, vastly handy for transport as well as locking in a specific mode for a long continuous period, such as a night hike or summit attempt.

SWIFT RL is intuitive to use, with a single button that easily controls all functions: ON/OFF, lighting modes, brightness, and locking. It's comfortable and lightweight, has enough range for urban street runners, and the battery life, on medium to low range, should be enough to see you through a week of night running. Its split construction gives you excellent stability during dynamic and intense activities such as mountaineering, trail running, and skiing. Compact, comfy and bounce-free, the NEO 5R is an excellent midweight, mid-power torch for night running, says Dan Bailey. Perfect if you’re running/biking/hiking between different environments and don’t want to keep having to change the brightness.

SWIFT® RL - High-performance-headlamps | Petzl United Kingdom

The reactive lighting technology itself has received some updates since its debut, making it adapt more quickly and accurately. If you are running or walking on your own there are far fewer variables for the reactive technology to be influenced by. The reactive sensor also reacts to what you are looking at, whether a map close up or into the distance. 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 NAO+ is Petzl's flagship headlamp, hence it is strange to see them side by side on the shelves with the NAO+ in its larger packaging quoting 750 lumens, compared to the SWIFT's more modest box quoting 900.

This is built for serious runners who plan to spend hours on dark off-road trails, maybe even running all through the night. Any sort of red light front or rear-facing – bear in mind the headband is reflective – any programmability, which I honestly didn’t miss given that I had as much or as little light as I wanted at all times. Since then there have been leaps and bounds of development, and we now have more choice of torches than ever before.

Petzl Swift RL head torch for runners and walkers Review: Petzl Swift RL head torch for runners and walkers

The headband is reflective for nighttime visibility and its split construction gives you excellent stability during dynamic and intense activities such as mountaineering, trail running, and skiing. The switch between brightness levels isn’t drastic or distracting, but it is sensitive enough to adapt to small changes in surrounding light. Finally it’s powered by a lithium ion battery that’s charged via a Micro USB port and can be swapped out for a spare if needed. The battery is charged via a micro USB in the underside, and is removable so a second battery can be charged separately and swapped in, if more capacity is needed.For example, the 2-hour minimum battery life listed for the highest setting on the Swift has the highest burn setting that is 2-3x brighter than the highest setting on the REACTIK+, which has the same 2-hour battery life on high. But the biggest selling point is the Reactive Lightning (hence the Petzl Swift RL) which adapts the headlamp brightness to the lighting in your surroundings. The Petzl Swift RL is a compact head torch that sits at the top of Petzl’s compact range, and it's the one of the very best head lamps on the market right now. The Nao was hailed a game changer at the time because it can be “programmed” for light output and synced with a smartphone to see burn time left etc. The removable battery pack is housed on the rear of unit with a heat-sink for the LED sandwiched in between.