Stoots

As well as world-class vineyards, Burgundy is also home to brilliant biking trails, complex cave systems and dense, ancient forest. Back in the 2010s, this is where a small group of friends – all R&D engineers at a sports equipment manufacturer – spent their spare time. Soon enough, all those hours in the dark produced a solution: the first prototype STOOTS head torches, machined by hand in a makeshift workshop.

Fifteen years on, STOOTS still designs its own optics and electronics, controls production from start to finish, and assembles every light in Coublanc, France. The product range balances weight, power and battery life, whilst incorporating unique tech – such as ‘Mixing Focus’, which narrows the beam as you turn the power up, allowing you to pinpoint landscape features without blinding you at close-range. Regulated circuitry stops power dimming as the battery drains.

Best of all, a modular easyLock system keeps lamp, battery, strap and mount as separate elements, so one light can move quickly from your head to a climbing helmet or your handlebars. This makes for perhaps the most versatile headtorches on the market, whether you’re running trails, navigating by night or leaving at dawn for an alpine start.