By: Blonde Two
A couple of weeks ago we Blondes were sent 2 Ledlenser torches to test and review for them. The MH10 Headlamp was the first of these and was particularly exciting because we are already big Ledlenser headlamp fans. I first bought mine original one after a recommendation by a Mountain Rescue contact, B1 made her purchase soon after and we have both been pleased with their performance ever since.
The Ledlenser MH10 Headlamp claims to be the ‘lightest Ledlenser headlamp of its brightness levels’ and it certainly did its best to justify this claim during the 2 night walks we have done with it up on Dartmoor. The numbers are impressive and worth checking out but here is the Blonde version of them for those of you who are considering a purchase:
The MH10 weighs a mere 158g (the same as 3 boiled eggs but less fragile) and sits snuggly on the head despite a slightly larger than average battery pack at the back.
The maximum light level from the MH10 is 600 lumens (1100 lumens would be an ample replacement for a 60W light bulb). On one of our Dartmoor night walks, this did a good job of lighting up a small quarry and our campsite (which was not in the small quarry).
The minimum light level from the MH10 is 10 lumens, which was a great level for map reading without losing too much night vision.
The beam range of the MH10 (how far ahead the light will illuminate something) was between 20m (great for track junction spotting or frog admiration) and 150m (excellent for looking for more distant night navigation features such as cairns).
The length of time the MH10’s USB rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (inside which ions jump around in an orderly manner) will last before needing a recharge is between 10 and 120 hours (dependent on how bright and how far away you need your light to be).
Night navigation and, to some similar extent, wild camping are serious undertakings. Take our second walk as an example of why a decent head torch is a vital piece of equipment; if you haven’t read your map properly (using your headlamp) and spotted the word ‘quarry’ or the little hash lines that denote a drop-off, there is a chance that you will walk over the hash lines and drop yourself off into the quarry. If you don’t have enough light available, there is a chance that you and the quarry floor might have an unwanted meeting anyway because you can’t see where the edge is (just behind the fella below).
Night adventures are great but the outside can be a very dark place and you need a few important items with you to ensure your safety. A decent head torch (leaving your hands free for your map and compass) is one of these. If you undertake regular night activities, lead groups or are likely to be on the hills overnight, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Ledlenser MH10 to you, despite its hefty circa £90 price tag. If this is too much for you to contemplate then take a look at the rest of the Ledlenser headlamp range.
From time to time we Blondes are sent free outdoor products to field test and promote on social media. We will always be honest about our findings and any products we don’t keep for ourselves find their way into our expedition stores. Great for us, great for you and great for our youngsters!
