a while ago i did a review of a new headlamp i had bought, a cheap Energizer one. i have had it for a while, but i have grown tired of its bulk and weight, so i decided since i had some $$ burning a whole in my pocket, i would poke around at some better quality ones.
i ended up at Dick's sporting goods, looking at their isle cap display of Princeton Tec headlamps, among others. the Scout model caught my eye as being small and light, with good run times and pretty good throws.
it cost me all of $22, only about $7 more than the cheapie.
so...
the cheapie weighs just shy of 5 oz. the Scout weighs just shy of 2 oz. 3 oz doesn't really sound like too much, but in something this size, it makes a huge difference.
the mechanism that allows the light to pivot on the Scout seems fairly unique based on my observations of the headlamps on display with it (including the other Princeton models). it is a simple pivot made from the plastic casings of the two parts, but it has a small screw that allows the tension to be adjusted. it came fairly tight, so that it takes a grip with two hands to rotate the light. i like that, the cheapie has a simple ratchet style adjustment. it never took much for the ratchet to let go and drop the light to point at my feet, because the plastic wouldn't hold terribly well. this made it a hassle to wear running, which the Scout should do well for.
the Scout takes two watch batteries, which are not as readily available as the AAA that the cheapie takes, but i'm willing to put up with that for the drastic difference in size and weight. interestingly enough, the Princeton AAA model (that takes the same number of batteries as the cheapie) is about half the size of the cheapie, which is a nice feature if you want to go for the slightly greater light output and availability of batteries.
the general construction is something worth mentioning on its own. the screw that holds the whole thing together is designed so that it cannot fall out once it is loosened, a very handy feature. the screw is a slot style designed to be screwed with one of the plastic adjustments on the strap, but will also fit all of the USA coins in circulation now, if carried without the strap. everything is very solid looking and simple on the inside, the batteries being on the same level as the two LED bulbs, with easy access for changing.
the Scout also features an integral clip, that allows the light to be clipped to the brim of a hat or cap in leiu of using the head strap, another nice feature.
operation is a bit tricky to figure out at first with the Scout, but i had it in about 5 minutes of playing. its actually really neat. if you hit the power button several times in quick succession, it will click through the different power modes (bright, less bright, even less bright, and blink). if you hit it once, pause for a couple of seconds, and hit it again, it will simply turn off instead of going through the further power modes.
overall, i'm very happy with this purchase, and i wish i had made it sooner. this will reduce weight and volume in the pack without reducing actual light output, which is a good thing in my book. it will also be more comfortable to wear, and be less bouncy when i'm moving around.
a couple of pics:
the Scout on the right in all cases.
the batteries in the Scout are those that came with it, and the batteries in the cheapie are pretty fresh, to give you an idea about light output. both feature two LED bulbs here, the cheapie being in the "flood" mode and the Scout being in "full power" mode.
any questions etc don't hesitate to ask!
i ended up at Dick's sporting goods, looking at their isle cap display of Princeton Tec headlamps, among others. the Scout model caught my eye as being small and light, with good run times and pretty good throws.
it cost me all of $22, only about $7 more than the cheapie.
so...
the cheapie weighs just shy of 5 oz. the Scout weighs just shy of 2 oz. 3 oz doesn't really sound like too much, but in something this size, it makes a huge difference.
the mechanism that allows the light to pivot on the Scout seems fairly unique based on my observations of the headlamps on display with it (including the other Princeton models). it is a simple pivot made from the plastic casings of the two parts, but it has a small screw that allows the tension to be adjusted. it came fairly tight, so that it takes a grip with two hands to rotate the light. i like that, the cheapie has a simple ratchet style adjustment. it never took much for the ratchet to let go and drop the light to point at my feet, because the plastic wouldn't hold terribly well. this made it a hassle to wear running, which the Scout should do well for.
the Scout takes two watch batteries, which are not as readily available as the AAA that the cheapie takes, but i'm willing to put up with that for the drastic difference in size and weight. interestingly enough, the Princeton AAA model (that takes the same number of batteries as the cheapie) is about half the size of the cheapie, which is a nice feature if you want to go for the slightly greater light output and availability of batteries.
the general construction is something worth mentioning on its own. the screw that holds the whole thing together is designed so that it cannot fall out once it is loosened, a very handy feature. the screw is a slot style designed to be screwed with one of the plastic adjustments on the strap, but will also fit all of the USA coins in circulation now, if carried without the strap. everything is very solid looking and simple on the inside, the batteries being on the same level as the two LED bulbs, with easy access for changing.
the Scout also features an integral clip, that allows the light to be clipped to the brim of a hat or cap in leiu of using the head strap, another nice feature.
operation is a bit tricky to figure out at first with the Scout, but i had it in about 5 minutes of playing. its actually really neat. if you hit the power button several times in quick succession, it will click through the different power modes (bright, less bright, even less bright, and blink). if you hit it once, pause for a couple of seconds, and hit it again, it will simply turn off instead of going through the further power modes.
overall, i'm very happy with this purchase, and i wish i had made it sooner. this will reduce weight and volume in the pack without reducing actual light output, which is a good thing in my book. it will also be more comfortable to wear, and be less bouncy when i'm moving around.
a couple of pics:
the Scout on the right in all cases.
the batteries in the Scout are those that came with it, and the batteries in the cheapie are pretty fresh, to give you an idea about light output. both feature two LED bulbs here, the cheapie being in the "flood" mode and the Scout being in "full power" mode.
any questions etc don't hesitate to ask!
