- Joined
- Dec 4, 2005
- Messages
- 955
For a long time, it seems that headlamps have lagged behind flashlights in their level of sophistication/development for some reason. This I find disappointing. The good news is, finally, things seem to be changing for the better!
In the continuing quest to find the perfect light for hiking/camping/working on my cars, I recently bought a Princeton Tec Apex Pro from REI.
This light uses a regulated circuit for all it's power levels, 2 CR123 cells for power, and has 4 power levels. Following are my thoughts on this light.
THE GOOD:
This light is bright! It has two different LED's, for a total of four light levels. The lower ones would be pretty good for around camp, and the two higher levels (the highest of which puts out 130 lumens) would be great for trail running.
Because the high levels shine a fairly small spot of light, it throws really well. I haven't tried it on my bike yet, but I think it could do decently as a mountain bike light in the deep woods.
I compared this light to my Jetbeam Jet II IBS (220 lumen max), and was surprised at how well it did on the 130 lumen setting. The Apex Pro doesn't have quite as much throw as the Jet II IBS, but it does very well, and of course would be a lot easier to wear for long hikes. Plus, on the 130 lumen setting the Apex Pro will run for 1.5 hours regulated, and 15 hours overall. The Jet II IBS will run for 30 minutes on it's max setting, and about an hour at 110 lumens. On the Apex Pro, the 2nd setting puts out a lot of light too, and will last for 7 hours regulated. This would be a terrific light for all night hikes, seems to me.
THE BAD:
The light is a little heavy on the head, and may be uncomfortable for extended wearing. When I get a chance to do a night hike, I'll update on this.
The lower settings, while bright enough for around camp, have a lot of artifacts around the edges, which are distracting. My previous headlamp was a Black Diamond Moonlight LED, which had a very even, broad wash of light. This light has much more of a center spot than a flood of light, which isn't as useful around the house/garage/car/camp.
The light uses CR123 cells, which are not readily available on short notice at a reasonable price. I bought 50 cells for $48 from Batteryjunction, but I've seen them for as much as $9 apiece in stores.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
This is a nice light, and definitely an upgrade in output and usefulness over my Moonlight. I used my REI rebate and a gift card, and only had to come up with about $20 for the light, so the price was definitely right. If the output is good enough for mountain biking at night, I may pony up the $100 or so for the remote battery pack version (Apex Extreme) that lasts much longer, with about the same output.
I would wish for a wider range of lighting options (flood vs. spot), but I believe this light is better than any other headlamp on the market in a comparable price range.
Action shots from my little helper:
In the continuing quest to find the perfect light for hiking/camping/working on my cars, I recently bought a Princeton Tec Apex Pro from REI.
This light uses a regulated circuit for all it's power levels, 2 CR123 cells for power, and has 4 power levels. Following are my thoughts on this light.
THE GOOD:
This light is bright! It has two different LED's, for a total of four light levels. The lower ones would be pretty good for around camp, and the two higher levels (the highest of which puts out 130 lumens) would be great for trail running.
Because the high levels shine a fairly small spot of light, it throws really well. I haven't tried it on my bike yet, but I think it could do decently as a mountain bike light in the deep woods.
I compared this light to my Jetbeam Jet II IBS (220 lumen max), and was surprised at how well it did on the 130 lumen setting. The Apex Pro doesn't have quite as much throw as the Jet II IBS, but it does very well, and of course would be a lot easier to wear for long hikes. Plus, on the 130 lumen setting the Apex Pro will run for 1.5 hours regulated, and 15 hours overall. The Jet II IBS will run for 30 minutes on it's max setting, and about an hour at 110 lumens. On the Apex Pro, the 2nd setting puts out a lot of light too, and will last for 7 hours regulated. This would be a terrific light for all night hikes, seems to me.
THE BAD:
The light is a little heavy on the head, and may be uncomfortable for extended wearing. When I get a chance to do a night hike, I'll update on this.
The lower settings, while bright enough for around camp, have a lot of artifacts around the edges, which are distracting. My previous headlamp was a Black Diamond Moonlight LED, which had a very even, broad wash of light. This light has much more of a center spot than a flood of light, which isn't as useful around the house/garage/car/camp.
The light uses CR123 cells, which are not readily available on short notice at a reasonable price. I bought 50 cells for $48 from Batteryjunction, but I've seen them for as much as $9 apiece in stores.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
This is a nice light, and definitely an upgrade in output and usefulness over my Moonlight. I used my REI rebate and a gift card, and only had to come up with about $20 for the light, so the price was definitely right. If the output is good enough for mountain biking at night, I may pony up the $100 or so for the remote battery pack version (Apex Extreme) that lasts much longer, with about the same output.
I would wish for a wider range of lighting options (flood vs. spot), but I believe this light is better than any other headlamp on the market in a comparable price range.
Action shots from my little helper: