# Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…



## Szemhazai (Dec 22, 2008)

Some days ago I get in my hands two headlamps : *Silva Alpha 6* (about 349 € / 500 $ ) and *Petzl Ultra Blet 4* (about 299 € / 499$) :santa:

Here you can see what came out from that meeting 






Heads are similar in size, but it is easy to see that ultra is beating the alpha in led’s quantity .

*3x Luxeon K2 TFFC* vs *6x Seoul Semiconductors SSC P4*

But the claimed output doesn't show that:
*540 lumens* vs *350 lumens*





*Alloy *vs. *composite*, what will be lighter ? Alphas head weight only *183 g* instead *213 g *of ultra 

*Power source* – both are using 7,2V Li-Ion packs but they have totally opposite approach to that case.




Silva is using heat shrinking tube and neoprene - battery pack weights *326g* and have *6,9 Ah* capacity.





Petzl instead is using hard composite case - battery pack weights *270g* and have only *4.0 Ah* capacity.

*Additional equipment.*
No extras from petzl, but Alpha is very universal headlamp, in addition to head strap you are getting a clip on helmet mount and a handlebar mount. You can easily convert yours alpha into a bike or a helmet light.





*Light output*
I was wondering why Petzl is getting only 350 lumens from the Ultra for some time, only 350 lumens from 6 emitters :huh2: After seeing it for the first time in catalogue I was betting that this lamp is overheating and I was right. 





On the left, Ultra on high right after turning on, it is giving about 450 lumens - compared it to my quad Cree - then about 10 minutes later… Everything is clear :thumbsdow.

*Power consumption and burn time:*
Alpha 6

```
mode  V-in   I-In     P-In  Calculated burn time.
high   6,8   2,060   14,01    3,64
mid    7,1   1,506   10,69    4,77
low    7,1   0,093    0,66   77,32
flood  7,1   0,572    4,06   12,57
```
Petzl Ultra Belt 4

```
mode  V-in   I-In     P-In  Calculated burn time.
high  7,3    1,250   9,175   3,13
mid   7,6    0,432   3,292   8,74
low   7,7    0,117   0,903  31,88
```
So, claimed runtimes are ok, then... :naughty:

*Let’s take it outdoor*, there was about 2 Celsius degree outside so both headlamps were pretty well cooled .

On high :twothumbs





On mid





On low





And alpha’s flood (only led is burning) vs ultra low.





Reflective markers are set in a 5 m distance - the light is pointed on 10 m marker.


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## ifor powell (Dec 23, 2008)

*Re: Silva Alfa vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Nice but which one would you choose?

Are you actualy saying that the ultra dimms down when it gets hot?

Ifor


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## Szemhazai (Dec 23, 2008)

*Re: Silva Alfa vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Isn't it obvious ? Silva Alpha of course :twothumbs

Yes, ultra dims when it gets hot, when you are running or biking your eyes will adapt to smaller amount of the light. The change take some time and you actualy won't realize that fact. :duh2:


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## polkovodets (Jan 2, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

According to Silva's engineers (yes, I have spoken to them in person) the Silva also dims down when it gets too hot, but they claim that it only overheats if you are standing still indoors. If you walk around, the airflow is enough to keep it cooled. It seems all high power led headlamps behave in the same way: Mila's Nova and Lupine Tesla X also dim down when they get too hot. 

After a lot of comparing and thinking, I decided to by a Tesla and I am happy so far. It seems lighter and brighter than the Silva and Petzl at roughly the same price.


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## 276 (Jan 2, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Cool beamshots i was hoping someone would show the Ultra!!


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## Offroad'Bent (Jan 5, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Is this a normal ratio of lumens for a Luxeon K2 TFFC vs a P4?

I have some lights with P4s. Am I likely to get 70% more light if I change to the K2?


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## Jagge (Jan 5, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*



Offroad'Bent said:


> Is this a normal ratio of lumens for a Luxeon K2 TFFC vs a P4?
> 
> I have some lights with P4s. Am I likely to get 70% more light if I change to the K2?



No, I guess you may get less light.

Petzl has lots of leds but underdrives them to get better efficiency and less heat. Less heat means smaller/mor lightweight heatsink and better efficiency means more lightweight battery. For me Petzls approach looks more intelligent than Silvas, and petzls beam looks better too, hotspot is bigger ans it has smoother edges. 

I don't think ultra has any heat issues. Of course it dims if you burn it at high indoors for 15 minutes. It would be quite bad idea to heatsink a high power headlamp so well i would not have to dim - all the exta weight just to be able to stay on high indoors without airflow...


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## Yucca Patrol (Jan 5, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Thanks for posting those photos! The picture of the Silva's battery pack gave me a great idea for protecting similar battery packs I'll be using on my caving helmet.

Neat headlamps too. . . .


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## Outdoors Fanatic (Jan 6, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Let me guess... The Petzl is not regulated as usual?


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## msxtr (Jan 8, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alfa vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Ignore


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## MorpheusT1 (Feb 3, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

:twothumbs

Thanks for the review.


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## zemmo (Mar 7, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Is anyone selling the Alpha in the USA?


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## bebe (Aug 27, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Thanks for the test, I was in the shop yesterday and drewled on both of them.

I like the Petzl hardware better, maybe mostly because of the powerswitch which is faster to turn on and easier to dim fast. I hate that one button idea that you have to click around in some sort of light-menu-cycle

I might go for the Petzl one of theese days

UNLESS anyone has a very good point in why not


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## transalp67 (Nov 5, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Nice headlamp,
thank you for the beamshot, everything is clear


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## psychbeat (Nov 5, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

whoa - what if you stuck p4s in the ALPHA?
would they be driven too hard you think?


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## yellow (Nov 7, 2009)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*



> whoa - what if you stuck p4s in the ALPHA?
> would they be driven too hard you think?


newer led --> less heat --> better overall
(but in reality there wont be too much difference. Better to change only, when there was a "step" in led. Like Luxeon <-> XR-E/P4, or like XR-E/P4 <-> XP-G, which is on atm)



> Nice but which one would you choose?


easy: at those ridiculus prices, search a light housing from metal and build one's own headlamp. One emitter alone, but drive it hard


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## KarstGhost (Jan 3, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

My friend recently bought an Ultra. We went caving together and it was impressively bright compared to my older model PT Apex. I now have the Fenix HP10 so I'm gonna see how that stacks up to his considering the price and weight differences.


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## mossyoak (Jan 3, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*



KarstGhost said:


> My friend recently bought an Ultra. We went caving together and it was impressively bright compared to my older model PT Apex. I now have the Fenix HP10 so I'm gonna see how that stacks up to his considering the price and weight differences.



itll get smoked, that Ultra is a monster of a headlamp.


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## johnny0000 (Jan 11, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Hello,

Somewhat of a newb to headlamps and had a couple questions. I recently picked up an Ultra for trailrunning, caving, mountain resuce, etc. 

I was wondering if the Silva provides more throw vs. the Ultra? For the original poster, how do each compare to each other from a comfort standpoint? Anyone know where in the United States I could pick up an Silva? I see a bunch on Ebay, but they're located in the UK.

Thanks in advance!:twothumbs


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## Szemhazai (Jan 16, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

The useful range of Ultra is about 40 meters, Alfa still gives you the nice spot at about 60-70m.

They are not „comfort lights” if you want a comfort buy the new Tikka XP . Booth Ultra and Alfa are much to heavy to be comfortable for me, the Alfa headband gives you a better weight distribution, but still you will fell that on your head.


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## Swedpat (Jan 16, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Hi Szemhazai,

I have a Fenix HP10 and have a bit hard to understand the values you mention in the codes. Do you know or have any idéa what's the practical difference between these headlamps and Fenix HP10? Are they considerable brighter?

Regards, Patric


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## Szemhazai (Jan 16, 2010)

LoL, nice comparison... 

Silva Alpha - much over 500 lumens, constantly for over 3 hours






Petzl Ultra - 350 lumens, constantly for over 3 hours





Fenix HP-10 - 220 lumens for 3 minutes


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## Swedpat (Jan 16, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Thanks for your pictures!

When I look at the pictures Fenix HP10 actually doesn't seem to be dimmer than the Petzl (and the true runtime is 2,5 hours and not 3 minutes)
Or do you experience the true difference to be bigger than the pictures will show?

Regards, Patric


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## johnny0000 (Jan 16, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Thank you very much for your input and reply. It sure looks like you get more of a hotspot with the Silva vs. the Ultra.

What I can say about the Ultra is that it provides more of a "flood spot" if that makes any sense at all. I kinda like it as a tight hot spot tends to make me car sick during trail running.

I've used the Petzl Myo RXP and other Black Diamond lights and the Ultra is sure non in the same weight class. I think I'm going to have to spring for the Silva and give it a go.


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## Mr Bigglow (Apr 28, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Is there any more recent user feedback on the Petzl Ultra? For some reason the enormous thing intrigues me even though the size and rechargable battery pack mean it's probably not for me.


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## vaska (Apr 30, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alfa vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*



Szemhazai said:


> Isn't it obvious ? Silva Alpha of course :twothumbs



Not Magicshine?


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## Szemhazai (Apr 30, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alfa vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

*vaska*, as a headlamp magicshine su#^$^ - helmet mount pretending to be headband (no thanks), and I already broke up 3 magicshines .

They are very cheap and it is their only advantage.


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## vaska (May 1, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alfa vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*



Szemhazai said:


> They are very cheap and it is their only advantage.



Glad to know, that you are sharing my opinion on it  But recalling from ULTRA and MS I should probably choose MS, because ULTRA seems to be even poorer than the Chinese product.


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## spyros (Aug 29, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Szemhazai in the last 3 photos you posted, the Petzl looks brighter, although 150 lumens less.


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## Szemhazai (Aug 30, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Strange, because it's the same photo... For me it looks the same :duh2:


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## spyros (Aug 30, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

I think the headlamp photos on the right side give a more "natural" light while these on the left are more spot than flood.


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## pejjen (Sep 7, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

Hi! 

Thank you for some really nice reviews!!

I was wondering whether you have ever tested Ay-Up. I boght one myself for biking and caveing, and kind of fell in love with the simplicity of the design. 

Would be fun to see how it sticks up against Silva. One thing that strikes me as odd is the extreme difference in burn length to Ah ratio, with Silva at 3.64/6.9 and Ay-Up at 6/2.6. This gives a stunning 4.3 times better ratio for Ay-Up. Either they are lying, I am getting something very wrong or Silva should look at other LED technologies(or better cooling). Of course Silva is brighter, but not enough to explain the ratio difference...again unless Ay-Up are lying(but mine seems pretty bright for sure).

Would be fun if you who are an expert would comment on the facts above.

To prevent Silva fans from overheating, I might add that I am swedish, and of course would like to believe that Silva is the poop


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## Szemhazai (Sep 8, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

*pejjen*, you can find AyUp at the top of my comparison site :lovecpf


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## johnny0000 (Sep 18, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

I know I'm probably bring up this thread up from the dead, but anyone know of a Silva authorized dealer in the United States?


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## longliner (Sep 19, 2010)

*szemhazai---Need Your Opinion*

Thought I would start this by saying your "Light Test" webpage has been very helpful.:thumbsup:

Heres my Dilema.

I have a Petzl Ultra.I can`t say I am all that impressed with some aspects of it.
Weight,battery run time,overall bulkyness.

I noticed on your test,you have the Ay Up light.I live in the U.S. and have never seen one.

The comparison between the Ay Up and the Ultra,so far as the beam and Intensity`s looks to me,the Ay Up is quite a Bit Brighter.Is this correct ??

For use while in thick brushy terrain,walking,what would be the BEST configuration on the Ay Up.To me the Intermediate-Narrow combo ??
You mention a kit for that pattern.Would You Elaborate.

And if you would,since you own BOTH headlamps,and I have never seen the Ay Up,which Headlamp do you prefer for 50 feet and less primarily and then at a distance.Which do you feel is the brighter of the two,as this is a major factor for me.

Any and all insight is appreciated.Thanks !!


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## DM51 (Sep 19, 2010)

*Re: szemhazai---Need Your Opinion*

It was not necessary to start a new thread about this. You should have posted in his existing thread. I'm merging them.


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## Szemhazai (Sep 20, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

You have to keep in mind that Ultra gives much more light to the sides compared to AyUp Wide.

AyUp









Ultra









And this is more important for walking / running than a big throw.

Currently my preferable headlamp for walking / trekking is my modded Princeton Tec Apex (Neutral Cree XP-G and 4x18650 external battery pack).
It's weaker than Ultra and stronger than AyUp and you can actually see something on the sides.


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## longliner (Sep 20, 2010)

*Re: Silva Alpha vs Petzl Ultra - the ultimate challenge…*

szemhazai

From your experience,is the Ay Up in a medium beam,which is what they call there walking light,as bright close up as the ultra.

On your website you do not show the Ay Up in a medium beam.
There website does,and seems to be brighter than the ultra close up.
What are your findings with Ay Up medium compared to the ultra. Thanks


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