Looks like PIFCO is the short version of ‘Provincial Incandescent Fittings Co’ which began life back in 1900, brainchild of a guy called Joseph Webber. Back then it was gas lights and associated fittings, but as things progressed the company diversified into electrical goods, focusing particularly on torches and headlamps for bicycles. They shortened the original name to ‘Pifco’ in 1949.

We’re not sure when head torches first appeared on the UK market, though Pifco were one of the earliest and we reckon it must have been in the 1960s. The earliest advert we’ve seen is in the 1971 Ellis Brigham catalogue above, item L, though we also note that there is an Achil Headlamp for sale too, item E. Perhaps worth noting that the Achil has a plug in system that enables the headlamp to be separated, allowing it to become a handheld version.

Pifco seems to have faded from the headlamp scene in the 1980s, with the French company ‘Pile’ (pronounced ‘peelay’ capturing the market, along with the Swedish company Silva.