Owner’s Review—Princeton Tec Aurora LED Headlamp

Specifications

Product Type: Single-module, LED, water-resistant headlamp with single elastic band
Batteries: Three AAA cells
Number of LEDs: three
Focus Type: Fixed
Switch: Single pushbutton
Operating Modes: Five
Manufacturer Weight (with alkaline batteries): 2.7 oz (77 g)
Measured Weight: 2.4 oz (68 g)
Manufacturer Battery Life: 50 – 160 hours
Voltage Regulation: None
Manufacturer’s Warranty: lifetime
MSRP: $30
Manufacturer Website: www.princetontec.com

Year purchased: 2003

Reviewer Relevant Stats (bio at end)

Rick Dreher
Redbike64 (at) ziplip (dot) com
Male, 50
Head Size: large
Location: Northern California
Years backpacking experience: 36

Product Description and Design

The Aurora is a very compact three-LED headlamp that provides enough light for me to perform pretty much any non-technical nighttime task, including hiking well-defined trails after dark.

The Aurora comprises a combination light + battery module attached to an adjustable elastic headband. (Some headlamps use a separate battery compartment attached at the back of the headband and connected to the lamp module by a cable; some headlamps have a second “bucket” strap that passes over the head, back to front.) The plastic lamp module pivots vertically and contains three white LEDs arranged in a triangle and covered by a clear plastic protective lens. In back of the lamp module is a hinged battery cover protecting three AAA batteries (totaling 4.5 volts).

A rubber-covered pushbutton switch atop the lamp (on the right side) sequences through the Aurora’s five operating modes: steady high, medium and low beam, slow flash and rapid flash, then off. These modes are accessed by pressing the button multiple times until reaching the desired setting. A few seconds pause in any mode will mean that the next time the button’s pressed, the light will switch off (e.g., if it’s in the bright mode, it’s not necessary to press the button five times to switch the light off). Note that all three LEDs operate in all modes.

Some effort has gone into making the Aurora water-resistant, e.g., the rubber switch cover and the tight-fitting battery cover, but in my “torture” testing it is not truly waterproof. There are seams and joints where water intrudes when submerged for a time or when subjected to a water stream (in my torture tests). Fresh water that has sneaked into the casing (evidenced by droplets and fogging) hasn’t caused my Aurora to fail, but I made a point of drying it out as quickly as possible before battery or switch contacts have a chance to corrode. In the field, I’ve not used mine in driving rain nor dropped in into the drink, and I’ve not had any moisture problems. I’d recommend that those traveling in soggy climates gauge for yourselves whether you require a light that’s fully sealed against everything nature can throw at it or can use one like the Aurora that’s at least partially protected.

Brightness and Beam Quality

For such a small gizmo the Aurora is surprisingly bright, especially with fresh batteries. It’s somewhat of a floodlight with a brighter center spot. The beam isn’t distinctly shaped and doesn’t have a sharp edge. Like all inexpensive white LED lights I’ve used, it gives a cold-colored pool of white light with a purplish fringe around the edge. I suspect this is a product of the method most white LEDs use to create light: they’re actually blue LEDs coated with a phosphor that emits white light. New-generation 1- and 5‑watt LEDs that I’ve used give a warm and even white beam. In using the Aurora, this is an aesthetic issue at most and does not limit its usefulness.

In Use

The 1-inch (25 mm) wide elastic strap adjusts to an array of head sizes, the trick is to use enough tension to hold it in place without slipping or bouncing while not being too tight. Adjusting the Aurora to my head takes up most of the strap length (I generally have to wear a large-size hat). Once the strap is adjusted the Aurora fits comfortably and the lamp and buckles don’t dig uncomfortably into my scalp. The strap tends to stay in place but if I’m active, it can slip and require tightening. Fortunately the Aurora is light enough to not require an overhead strap—needed on heavier headlamps--and the fore-and-aft balance is reasonably good for a light without a separate battery pack in back. The lamp angle is adjustable and generally stays in place once set, although it can move if knocked. The pivot screw can be tightened if it becomes loose, and a drop of Loctite will help keep its setting (i.e., maintains the desired amount of friction so it can be adjusted and then stays where it’s been set). I’ve had to do this with countless bicycle headlights.

The Aurora’s small switch can be difficult to press, especially with cold hands. Gloved hands make it difficult to even find the switch, much less use it, so I usually take off a glove to operate the light. The good news is that I’ve never had the Aurora switch on inadvertently while in a pack or pocket. With six modes (five settings plus off) all the button pressing needed to operate the Aurora means that sometimes I skip past the setting I want and have to roll through all those modes again to get there. This is fairly common when I’m tired or have cold hands.

The battery compartment cover doesn’t necessarily require a tool but can be very difficult to open, nearly impossible with cold hands. I have to press hard on the small, hinged tab and find using a piece of metal such as a spoon handle helps a good deal. It’s a good thing I only have to do this once a year with the frugal Aurora!

The Aurora gives ample light for any nighttime camp chores on its brightest setting, including the always-amusing after-dark stringing of the bear bag line. (Note: reflective cord helps with this task.)  I don’t make a habit of hiking after dark but my nighttime wanderings with the Aurora show it to be adequately bright for following distinct trails. I sometimes find that a handheld light illuminates trail obstacles better than a headlamp, and don’t hesitate to hold the Aurora low, in my hand to light a rough path at a shallow angle. Held this way, the shadows are more distinct and there’s far less glare from the lamp hitting my eyes (troublesome while I’m wearing glasses). Automotive fog lamps use this same low-and-wide principle.

The middle and low output settings are bright enough for in-close chores like cooking and washing and protect my night vision better than using the lamp on high. The low setting is okay for bedtime reading and without a rear battery pack jabbing me, it’s comfortable to lie on my back and read while wearing the Aurora. I’ve not found any colored lenses available to fit the Aurora; a red filter, for example, would be a boon for stargazing (one could be self-fashioned fairly easily, though, by wrapping the lamphead with red cellophane or a photographic gel filter such as a Kodak Wratten 25 or 29). I finally found a use for the flash setting this summer: I had my hammock strung in a stand of trees, a good distance from where we had camp set up. There was enough natural light to maneuver by after dark so I didn’t need the headlamp. I instead left the light in flash mode clipped to the hammock, which made it simple to find when it was time for bed. Too cool!

Battery Choices and Battery Life

LED lights offer vastly greater lamp and battery life than incandescent bulbs used in traditional flashlights, liberating me from lugging multiple battery sets and spare bulbs on every lengthy trip; I’ve coaxed two entire hiking seasons from two sets of cells in the Aurora.

I don’t have any idea whether Princeton Tec’s battery life estimates are correct and have not run any battery-life tests. The claimed 50 to 160 hours (more than six days, presumably on slow flash mode) is quite a range and there are too many variables on the trail to form any useful conclusions about how long a given AAA trio will last (such as how much time per use, what intensity is used and what is the ambient temperature).

Countering Princeton Tec’s claims somewhat, REI – which does its own product testing – gives the following Aurora battery life specifications (in hours): at 70 deg. F: 17:32 on high, 50:41 on low.

For 2003, the factory-supplied premium alkaline battery set lasted me the whole hiking season—perhaps twenty nights plus occasional non-hiking use. At least half a dozen times I used it while setting up camp and cooking dinner after dark—hours of use each time. Other, less-rushed evenings I might have used it as little as five minutes. I replaced these original cells more out of ceremony than necessity at the beginning of the second year (2004). The light still operated adequately on the old set but was noticeably brighter with the new cells. Because a spare alkaline battery set only weighs 1.2 oz (34.5 g), taking some along can provide peace of mind on longer trips at little weight penalty (I say this at the risk of upsetting gram-weenies everywhere). As an alternative, a rechargeable AAA NiMH battery set freshly charged before each trip eliminates qualms about leaving home with partially used batteries (an endless source of torment similar to what cartridge stove users go through).

I had the opportunity to compare Auroras last summer with a hiking buddy who still had his original batteries installed from the previous season. His light on high essentially matched mine on medium, and this comparison held for a week. My conclusion is that while the Aurora’s light output drops as the batteries age, it remains useful for an extended period. The output drop is to be expected because alkaline cell voltage drops as they age and the Aurora has no voltage or current stabilization circuitry to actively maintain beam strength over time.

Which Batteries?

The Aurora operates a good long while on typical premium-grade alkaline cells. As noted, one set a season seems to work for me at about 25 cents per battery (bought in bulk at a warehouse-type store). I have also used rechargeable NiMH cells in the Aurora and they work fine, despite their lower output voltage (1.2 V each) and somewhat lower intensity. Now there’s a third choice: AAA lithium cells. At first blush they’re an obvious backpacker’s choice: they’re lighter, hold their design voltage longer and last much longer in the cold. That said, I concluded the main compelling reason to choose them over alkaline or NiMH batteries is for cold weather because it is then that their vastly greater cost reward with much longer battery life. In my searches I found lithium AAAs to cost ten times what I pay for alkaline cells, at a minimum!

Here are the raw numbers (Eveready Corp.).

	Weight/AAA cell (g)	Weight 3x AAA (g/oz)	Capacity (mAh)
Energizer alkaline	11.5	34.5/1.2	1250
Energizer e2 alkaline	11.5	34.5/1.2	1375
Energizer e2 lithium	7.8	23.4/0.8	1250

I have a hard time rationalizing an extra ten bucks for less than a half-ounce of weight saved and an unknowable extended lifespan, but will certainly give lithium AAA a shot in cold-weather pursuits. Finally having the option after years of waiting is great!

The AAA triple-threat. It’s now possible to have nearly every backcountry gadget be AAA-powered. Flashlight, GPS, even a small radio or MP3 player can all use this common, light and cheap battery. This means that a single set of spares can serve several devices and one device can lend its cells to another, if needed. This is a better situation than having a different type for each gadget. For long-distance hikers with no resupply options, solar rechargers offer an intriguing possibility.

Conclusions

The Aurora has proven a useful and dependable light in more than two seasons of use. Its astonishing small size and weight belie its usefulness. Compared to flashlights and headlamps I once carried, the Aurora plus a button-cell backup are a tiny fraction of the pack weight and bulk. Ironically, this little headlamp is also more dependable than any incandescent light I’ve owned. In its own way, the LED flashlight represents one of the most significant technological breakthroughs ever in hiking gear.

Hits: Small size, light weight, useful output, long battery life, multiple modes, comfortable, adjustable angle, water-resistant.

Misses: Difficult switch, scratchable protective lens, not focusable, difficult battery cover, no voltage regulation.

Backpacking Bio and Experience with Similar Products

I learned camping and hiking in Boy Scouts, tramping the Washington Cascade foothills From these beginnings I eventually learned backpacking as a singular pursuit and found a home away from home in the Cascades and Olympics. Now living in northern California, most of my hiking is in the Sierra Nevada, the trips ranging from overnight to week-long excursions. I’ve been shedding pack weight the last few years for several reasons: I can travel farther and with less exertion, I free myself from more unnecessary trappings, and I’m extending my backpacking career. My total pack weight for three-day summer excursions, including food and water, is now roughly 25 pounds (12 kg), longer trips see pack weights ranging into the mid to upper 30s (17 kg) with water.

rtd 2.6.2005