Yep it is a fine gizmo, free of batteries, has life-long bulbs, and it works.A big thanks to Zoe for her words: "The torch is really sturdy but as I tugged and tugged at it to get to the winding handle, I did worry I would damage it. The key is to slide it off rather than lift it up. The torch and strap separate, and you can then wind the torch up." Accessing the wind-up handle is not immediately obvious, and the lack of any fitting instructions means that one has to be confident that you have worked out the fitting from the pole fitting attachement. A quick study of it reveals how the lamp fits onto the headclip. But without Zoe's description it would have taken much longer, and I might have broken it by trying to push/slide at the wrong angle. Luckily all is well.

I foolishly didn't think about why, specifically, a head torch was on my packing list for Africa, and just took some normal hand held ones instead. Big mistake. So, when I subsequently saw this one in the January sales in Preston, I snapped it up, thinking it would be a good investment for the future, and it's already proving its money's worth. I always thought head torches were for miners or electricians. Why would normal, ordinary people ever need one? I soon found out when I was fiddling trying to fit a key in the door holding my regular torch in one hand, and when I was trying to read at night with said regular torch between my teeth as I turned the pages. ...  Read the complete review