Petzl Tikkina - Review 2025

Brightness and Performance Quality

We’re used to grading budget items on a curve. Normally our testers wouldn’t have the same expectations for a 20 dollar headlamp as they would for a product that was twice as expensive, but we love being surprised. This isn’t to say the Petzl Tikkina can keep pace with more expensive models across every metric, but we found it to perform very well for the purposes of most campers.

When it came time to wind down at camp after sunset, the Tikkina delivered a dependable source of illumination for scouring the forest floor in search of stray tent stakes, picking out specific spices in our camp kitchen, and seeing the right dice pips for backgammon. Across the board, our testers seemed to think the Tikkina did its best work within the controlled confines of camp. 

Simple, Effective Settings

We love the consistent broad quality of light the Tikkina provides as a floodlight. This is very good news- because it’s the only type of beam the Tikkina is capable of emitting, that means no spotlight mode, red light, or strobe.

This performance gap is one of several consequences of the Tikkina’s price tag; and makes it particularly ill-suited for route finding, spotting bears perched on ridgelines, or any other situation where you want to spot things at a distance. What the Tikkina does have are three different white light settings dubbed Max Burn Time, Normal, and Max Power.

There’s no significant difference between these settings and the standard low, medium and high brightnesses found on other headlamps. While these modes give the impression Petzl may be trying to pad out a comparably sprint headlamp model, they’re definitely accurate.

With a maximum output of 300 lumens, our testers felt the Tikkina met non-technical demands of most outdoor recreators. As mentioned above, the Tikkina doesn’t have enough of a throw distance to be of much use on trail, but at max power it was more than enough to meet the needs of our testers at camp. Testers also report foregoing use of the normal setting unless as a means to conserve battery, while the low was used in lieu of a red light.

Another high point of the Tikkina was its working simplicity. One of the benefits of limited lighting modes is you’ll never have trouble cycling between them. The Tikkina has one button, and according to our testers, the design was foolproof. 

Battery Life and Burn Time

The Tikkina not only has a tremendous maximum burn time for a headlamp in its price range, it tracks with our expectations for much more expensive models; and in some cases, outperforms them. This was particularly true when combined with the Petzl Core lithium ion battery which we commandeered from Petzl’s premium headlamp model, the Actik Core.

With a rechargeable battery Petzl claims that users can expect a total of 120 hours of light at the “Max Burn Time” setting, and around 100 hours when using alkaline batteries. As always, our testers appreciate when a headlamp gives you options for power in the backcountry– and cross compatibility with other Petzl models makes a lot of sense if you’re planning on using the Tikkina as a backup.

As for how it actually performs under the stress and duress of real world use, our testers were impressed. To again draw comparisons to the Actik Core, the two headlamps have nearly identical burn times, and our testers couldn’t decisively say which ran longer in a side by side test. It’s rumored previous versions of the Tikkina boasted a runtime of over 220-hours, though that particular version of the headlamp was only half as powerful as our updated model.

With normal AAA batteries at “Standard” and “Max Power” Petzl says users can expect 10 and 2 hours of consistent light emission respectively, with an extra 20 hours of power left in reserve. The Core rechargeable battery offers 7 and 3 hours of use, with no reserve energy left after the fact.

While we’ve lauded the performance of the Tikkina thus far, it’s worth remembering that this headlamp is far less powerful and throws a beam a much shorter total distance than models like the Black Diamond Spot or other premium points of comparison. Keep this in mind if you’re looking for a headlamp that you can hike through the night with.

It took some of our team a little bit to figure out how to actually change the batteries in this headlamp. After some time with the instruction manual and using other Petzl headlamps for reference, we discovered the battery compartment is on the back of the light component, hidden from view by the mounting plate (more on that below). All we needed to do to change the batteries was give the light a spin flip around so we could access the secret compartment.

Special Features

In addition to featuring Petzl’s Hybrid Concept battery compatibility, the Tikkina comes with many of the same special features and addons that we love in more expensive models from Petzl.

Foremost among these is rooted is the plate mounted build that not only allows users to angle their headlamp upwards, but also gives us a much more robust hinge point. If you’re like us (i.e. hard on your gear) it’s much more reassuring to have your headlamp recessed into a sturdy plastic plate rather than dangling out in oblivion where it could snap off if you happened to sit on it.

The Tikkina also comes with a storage bag that converts into a lantern. Similar to popular camp popup lanterns, this gives you a great way to share a little soft light with some friends. Our testers said they liked using this feature in their tents- claiming that the diffuse light made it easier to get a comprehensive view of their tent’s interior and take care of the myriad little tasks required before tucking in for the night.

Not included but encouraged, the Tikkina is compatible with Petzl’s bike and helmet mounts. If you’re a multi-modal adventurer then it may be worth investing in these to squeeze a little extra use out of your headlamp.

Comfort and Durability

Comfort counts for a lot if you’re wearing something around your head for hours on end. Keeping with the well-established precedent that the Tikkina is better suited for campground activities than out-and-about excursions; our testers had no complaints in general about how the headlamp felt while using it. Our only caveat is we found it ill-suited for running. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise for a headlamp of this style, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re a dawn patrol jogger.

Our team didn’t have much to say in terms of durability. Again, the recessed plate mount was reassuring, but all-in-all the Tikkina feels about as tough as any headlamp produced by a major manufacturer. IPX4 rating means the headlamp is weatherproof but likely won’t hold up in typhoon season or if you happen to drop it in the lake.

Value

If you haven’t guessed by now, the Tikkina’s biggest appeal is its price tag. It’s currently listed for $25 but we’ve seen it as low as $20- this is a tremendous deal compared to the competition. It’s easy to focus on what you’re not getting from the Tikkina, the lack of a red light and a strobe is a major detracting factor for many. But at the same time it’s a very workable headlamp that will fit the needs of the vast majority of headlamp users.

Tested next to other, cheaper models, the Tikkina delivers a level of quality that models not made by niche outdoor manufacturers have a hard time matching.

We Recommend It!

The Tikkina is modestly priced, highly functional, and stands apart as our most highly recommended budget headlamp. At the end of the day, there’s a relatively small contingent of people who are going to be running trails all night, waking up before dawn to climb mountains, and getting themselves into situations with the potential to lose light. But for everyone else, the Tikkina is great for use around camp, in the basement, or as a spare for your high-powered primary light.