Quirky British-made headtorch with distinctive post-industrial looks and versatile light output makes a good partner for night time running.
‘The quirky-looking UK-made Exposure Verso makes an ideal running light for medium difficulty terrain, but needs the optional Support Cell battery for anything but shorter outings.’
Outdoors Magic: Beautifully made with a metal body, good beam pattern for running, multi-programmable, glove friendly, ‘Fuel Gauge’, Support Cell can be added or removed. Neat mounting. Made in the UK.
Outdoors Tragic: Expensive particularly with Support Cell, needs double charging, basic headband.
Outdoors Grabbit? Bike and marine light specialist Exposure also produces this beautifully-made and effective headtorch. Plenty of light for medium difficulty trails and a good beam pattern, but it needs the optional 1700ah Support Cell for longer outings which adds weight and also means you need to charge two batteries rather than just the one. Cool design adds an additional layer of attractiveness as does the UK manufacturing, but there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s expensive for a 250-lumen light. A unique-looking and highly effective light for nighttime running just the same.
Full Specification
DoublePower LED with 150 lumen max output / lithium ion rechargeable battery with Micro USB port / full-power, dimming and strobe settings / three-level power meter / lock-out feature / IPX4 certified splash protection from any angle.
Full Review Below
The floody 250-lumen beam doesn't have vast throw, but the wide-ish pool of light works well for off road running in the dark. Cones are spaced at approximate 5m intervals. Note the broad beam spread - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Quirky looks are quite unlike anything else out there though the basic Velcro-fastened headband didn't impress some testers - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Exposure Verso Headtorch – Performance
Exposure has taken the advanced features developed for its excellent self-contained bike lights and applied them to a quirky, jewel-like headtorch. On its own, the light with headband weighs 68 grammes – less than a Petzl Tikka – but in this mode, where it’s powered by an internal CR123 cell, it has a burn time of just one hour on max.
Big, easy to use button is glove friendly and also allows you to switch programmes on the move – Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
All of which means it makes sense to add an optional 1700 amp hour ‘Support Cell’ which clips onto the back of the headband and plugs into the charging point to triple burn times, but also ups the weight to 121g.
New Programme!
The light’s programmable too. Using the press switch you can easily select one of four different programmes giving you a choice of two or three light levels and two brightness modes. In practice we found the brightest option made sense for us, but if you need low light and extended burn times, it’s nice to know the choice is there.
The optional Support Cell sits on the rear of the headband and triples burn times in any mode – Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
The downside of the Support Cell is that you then need to charge two batteries. We found the best way of dealing with the CR123 was to use a separate USB charger for it, while the cell worked either with Exposure’s custom mains charger or via a bespoke USB cable. Not the end of the world, but it adds an extra layer of minor hassle.
On The Move
The Verso’s maximum 25-lumen output can’t compete with the latest Petzl Nao or similar, but the broad, floody beam works well for general running use on anything except full-pelt technical descents. Mostly we found ‘just about right’ and with the Support Cell in place, you can leave it on full for up to three hours.
What it doesn’t have is a piercing long-distance spot for picking out distant gates or stiles or for spotting belays on a climb, something that Silva and Petzl get round by using a mix of spot and spread LEDs.
At lower levels it’s fine for flat terrain and walking use plus you can dial things right down for pottering about camp or map reading use. It’s comfortable enough too, thought the Velcro headband is a little basic and the two brackets aren’t padded at all and the big, waterproof button is easy to use even with gloves. The light-head stayed at the chosen angle of dangle too, which is always useful.
The light needs a quick double-press to switch on, which means it’s pretty resistant to accidental ignition in your pack or pocket. And the handy ‘fuel gauge’ tells you how much burn you have left, though obviously, being on your head, you can’t see it without taking the light off first.
Metal housing gives a quirky, industrial feel that marks the Verso out from other lights - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Support Cell back-up connects to the light-head power port with a sell-sealed connector - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Power port doubles as a connection for a Support Cell or in situ charging port, though we found a separate USB charger worked better - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Exposure Verso Headtorch – Verdict
For sheer blinding power, the Verso can’t compete with the likes of the latest Petzl Nao+ or Silva’s higher output lights like the Exceed or the Trail Speed 2XT, but for general running use it works really well and has a quirky, post-industrial charm.
That and the fact that it’s a beautifully-machined, British product manufactured in the UK give it a distinctive charm that’ll either appeal to you or not. Downsides are the need for the back-up Support Cell for longer outings – without it the light costs £126 and the added hassle of then having to charge two batteries instead of one.
If you can live with that and the price-tag, it’s an unusual, but effective little light.
The floody 250-lumen beam doesn't have vast throw, but the wide-ish pool of light works well for off road running in the dark. Cones are spaced at approximate 5m intervals. Note the broad beam spread - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Quirky looks are quite unlike anything else out there though the basic Velcro-fastened headband didn't impress some testers - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Metal housing gives a quirky, industrial feel that marks the Verso out from other lights - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Big, easy to use button is glove friendly and also allows you to switch programmes on the move - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Support Cell back-up connects to the light-head power port with a sell-sealed connector - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Power port doubles as a connection for a Support Cell or in situ charging port, though we found a separate USB charger worked better - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
The optional Support Cell sits on the rear of the headband and triples burn times in any mode - Photo: Lukasz Warzecha (lwimages.co.uk)
Please enter your email so we can keep you updated with news, features and the latest offers. If you are not interested you can unsubscribe at any time. We will never sell your data and you'll only get messages from us and our partners whose products and services we think you'll enjoy.
