A witty colleague said that with Kathmandu's 1W Luxeon headtorch on my head "you'll look like a small bald train".

You can make your own minds up about that. But with the aid of the torch I've also been able to see extremely well, and keep my hands free, whether camping on a beach in Oman, exploring a cave on Atiu in the Cook Islands or taking my grandsons through the tunnels on North Head.

Not only does it fit easily on even a bald head, the torch is easy to use, quickly switching from the high-powered LED to three smaller lamps, a flashing emergency light and various combinations in between. The grandson thought it was great.

It's also extremely light and compact and, if you only use the small lamp, has enough battery power for 80 hours.

* For more information see kathmandu.co.nz.