Teradacho Milestone

N: When I was exhibiting the Trail Master at the American exhibition OR (Outdoor Retailer Show), I had the opportunity to meet someone from Petzl.

From left: Petzl Jr., Mr. Petzl (President), Nishioka

Y: So your name is Petzl (laughs)

N: That's right (laughs). The group came to our booth. I'd seen the PETZL president's face in a magazine. I'm a Petzl fan (laughs), so I was happy. I shook his hand and told him it was an honor to meet him. He asked me what the concept was behind it and why it's incandescent light. Petzl said it was one of a kind, "Good job." I was glad I'd made something original. I sent him an email to thank him, and he replied. I wrote that I'd be happy to meet him at UTMB, and he said he couldn't go, but he'd tell his son to go and meet him. His son is also a Petzl employee (laughs). So I met him at UTMB.

Y: That's a good story.

N: That's what makes it so great overseas. The next day, the senior development director of BLAK DIAMOND came to our booth.

The world-famous BLAK DIAMOND. This one is at Milestone in Teradacho (lol). They had a huge booth over there. They told me about their new product, saying it was their creation. I think it was 2019. They were so impressed when they saw the Trail Master packaging that their eyes popped out (lol). They said we should do it too.

Y: If you pull slowly as it says, "PULL SLOWLY ENJOY!", the Japanese flag and runner will move.

N: The runner in the photo is Mr. Doi. As I said before, there's also a runtime graph. Normally, a manufacturer wouldn't want to show this, but we're confident, so we decided to reveal it as it is. Thanks to this Trail Master, I was able to enter the trail industry, and I'm really glad I did it. Assembling the package was really hard, though (laughs).

Y: It says "LIGHTING FOR YOUR WAY."

N: That's right. It was the era when "FOR" was still used. A customer at an American exhibition said to me, "Maybe you don't need the "FOR"?" So I removed the "FOR".

Y: Flexible (laughs). Brand taglines are usually three letters long. "LIGHTING YOUR WAY." It definitely sounds better without the "FOR."

N: It's good to keep updating it, and it sounds good, so I'm glad I changed it.

Y: Speaking of updates, the MS-i1 is positioned as a replacement for the Trail Master, with 1000 lumens.

N: It has four brightness levels, including 1000 lumens, and the brightness gradually decreases over two minutes. So much so that it is unnoticeable to the human eye. If you notice it is getting dark, just press the button once and it will go to the starting brightness level for the next level. When you are in danger, it suddenly becomes brighter. It shortens the amount of time it is unnecessarily bright, so I think it has become a sensible, energy-efficient model.

Y: I didn't notice the brightness going down for a while, and when I was going downhill at high speed, I noticed it was a little dark, so I started pressing the light. When I'm walking or going uphill, I don't need that much brightness.

N: I want to be smart and not have to carry two or three batteries, and I don't intend to hide the fact that the brightness drops after two minutes, so I want people to use it with that in mind. So far, there haven't been any complaints and people seem to be using it happily. I still don't think it's perfect, and there are still some things I'd like to improve, but I think I'm satisfied with the way it looks at the moment.

Y: I think it was only because of Trail Master that the MS-i1 was released. A lot of Japanese athletes were wearing it on the UTMB program on NHK.

N: It's a small manufacturer, but I'm happy that runners competing on the world stage are using headlamps from a Japanese manufacturer, and I think it's good that they're doing it.

Map and compass...

Y: Comparing the MS-i1 to the Trail Master, it seems like it's lighter, but according to the specs it's only 5g.

N: The Trail Master weighs 105g with a 75g battery, for a total of 180g. The MS-i1 weighs 125g with a 50g battery, for a total of 175g. The more spare batteries you carry, the bigger the difference becomes, including the weight.

Y: When it comes to long races, the total weight including spare batteries is important. I'm often asked, "Is the MS-i1 battery compatible with batteries from other manufacturers?"

N: The Trail Master uses cartridge batteries, which means you can't use batteries from other manufacturers. It ended up being bulky and heavy, so we couldn't make it in the end (laughs). The MS-i1 is simple and stripped down. I can't guarantee it, so I don't want you to use other batteries.

Y: Speaking of lightness, the MS-G2, which is often used by UL hikers, was out of stock, but it has arrived again at the end of the year.

N: The MS-G3 and MS-G4 *5, which are scheduled to be released around April, are models that can be used at minimum brightness while charging in an emergency. The USB has been changed from Type B to Type C, allowing for quick charging, and the hiking model has also been improved.

*5 We will introduce the MS-G3 and MS-G4 in detail at a later date. Please look forward to it.

Y: Come to think of it, when I first started mountain climbing, a senior colleague from work took me to Mt. Iwawaki. We went up with about five other people. We cooked and ate lunch at the top, and then took a nap. When I woke up, I thought, "Oh no, it's getting dark!" I wasn't told to bring a light, and I didn't have one. Then my senior colleague said, "I'll make sure I have one, so it'll be fine," so I started down the mountain with peace of mind, but it quickly got dark. My senior colleague turned on a light, but the battery didn't last even 30 minutes. So it was pitch black! In the end, we all managed to get down using the lights on our cell phones. He said, "These kinds of things happen in the mountains, so you should definitely bring first aid and lights," but the batteries ran out quickly. I was like, who the hell am I to say that (laughs). Lights are essential when you go mountain climbing.

N: At least a spare battery. A second light. A map and compass?

Y: No, headlights, lamps (laughs)

N: No, that's "Map, Compass and Milestones."

Y: Sorry about that (laughs).

*"Map, Compass, and Milestone" is milestone's catchphrase.

It's deep. This time, we learned about the endlessly profound world of headlamps. Looking back at the 100-year history of Fuji Lighting Co., Ltd., even though fuels have changed from carbide lamps to gas and batteries, it feels like the warm orange light has continued to shine and been passed down, building one milestone at a time.

From next time onwards, we will be introducing milestone products one by one. Please look forward to it.

Text and composition: Ken Hagiwara