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Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Apex > Greg Mehojah > Long Term ReportPrinceton
Tec©
Apex
LED Headlamp Long Term Report July 26, 2006
Product Information
Product Description (from the manufacturer's website): The Apex is the pinnacle of waterproof LED headlamp design, boasting up to 60 lumens of output. With its four light levels, safety flash mode, and impact-resistant design, the Apex is an ideal headlamp for any hardcore adventure. The Apex combines a regulated three-watt Maxbright LED with four regulated Ultrabright LEDs, for Constant Brightness on all modes. Switching modes has never been easier. The dual switch system allows you to independently control the intense, smooth, long-range lighting from the Maxbright LED, and the wide-angle, close-range lighting from the four Ultrabright LEDs. Proprietary heatsink technology allows the LEDs to burn brighter and longer. The Apex is compatible with alkaline, lithium, and rechargeable batteries. My description of the Princeton Tec Apex can be found in my Initial Report. Field Conditions: During the long term phase of this reporting period, I have used the Princeton Tec Apex on one additional overnight and multiple day hikes and mountain bike rides. While I was not able to utilize the Apex during the day hikes or the mountain bike rides, I was able to answer some of my initial questions regarding the durability of the lamp after being carried around in my various packs for some time. More on that below. Additionally, I was able to do two night hikes, but because the National Forest areas near my home were closed due to drought and extreme fire danger, I was relegated to the City of Albuquerque open space areas that are easier to hike, and not nearly as strenuous. Due to the drought conditions, I was not able to test the Apex in any measurable precipitation though I did dunk it in water a few times to determine whether the lamp housings would fog up, or whether the battery box would show any signs of leakage. Neither appeared to be the case, but that aspect of the testing was pretty limited. I recently finished an overnight with the Apex on a scouting trip to the San Pedro Parks Wilderness in the Santa Fe National Forest. This trip involved temperatures ranging from between 65 and 85 F (18 C and 29 C) during the day and between 45 and 50 F (7 C and 10 C) during the evenings (if not a bit cooler). The San Pedro Parks wilderness is made up of high-altitude alpine meadows with generally flat trails which makes the hiking easy and really enjoyable. The elevation is pretty steady at about 10,000 feet (3048 m) above sea level. I hiked in from the trail head in mid morning and hiked 9 miles (15 km) to where the main trail intersects with the CDT. Primarily I was scouting out a place for my wife to accompany me on her first backpacking trip (and I want it to go as smoothly as possible). I do not backpack solo very often, but as the sun set I was able to scan large areas of the meadows where I was camped to assuage my fears that animals were all around waiting to pounce! The Apex again worked wonderfully when I needed to make nighttime bathroom trips from camp, and for all of my chores around the camp after the sun had set. I had learned of a cache hidden in an old ranching cabin from a geocaching website, so after making camp and getting everything in order, I made my way to where I believed the cache to be hidden. The cache was hidden in the chimney area which I was able to explore extensively using the Apex, and the additional light was much appreciated. I made my way back to camp as the sun began to set, and I felt very comfortable knowing that I had the Apex on hand had I needed it. I have taken two night hikes during the long term phase of this test series. Both hikes took place in the Albuquerque City open space area at the base of the Sandia mountains. Unfortunately due to the drought and fire restrictions, the National Forests located near Albuquerque have been closed to hikers, which prevented me from doing some of the night hikes that I would have rather done. Regardless, it has been so hot here these past few weeks, that an evening hike was a nice escape from the scorching sun. My hikes began around 7:00 pm in the evening and ended around 9pm. The temperatures at the trail head when I began ranged from 95-103 F (35 C and 39 C) and came down to a comfortable 88-90 F(31 C and 32 C) by the time I returned to the car. The altitude ranges from about 6,000 feet (1829 m) at the trial head to 6,500 feet (1981 m) at the highest range of the open space area. The hikes ranged from between 6 and 8 miles (10 km and 13 km) each, with the last two miles completed after the sun had set. I was able to use the Apex during the last part of these two hikes to illuminate the trail, which is a fairly wide and well established hiking trail. I primarily used the low setting of the Ultrabright LEDS unless I wanted to see whether there were any coyotes or bobcats lurking nearby, then I would switch over to the 3 Watt Maxbright LED for a short time. With this light setting I found the hiking to be relatively easy and the Apex on the lowest Ultrabright LED setting to provide more than adequate light for these purposes. During one of the hikes, I was accompanied by my son, who also had a headlamp of his own (little boys love headlamps!), but he rarely used it because, with me walking behind him, I was able to illuminate the trail so brightly that his headlamp provided no real usable light. While he was a bit disappointed, I felt very comfortable knowing that we had enough light should an emergency arise that required us to either move quicker or to take care of other unexpected occurrences. I made an effort to always take my Apex along with me on my day hikes and in my hydration pack on mountain bike rides because I often hike and bike alone in the evenings and I like to be prepared. While I never used the Apex during these day hikes and bike rides, I was able to determine the general durability of the Apex as it rode around in my pack unprotected from the other gear. Generally, the gear in my hydration pack takes quite a pounding given the fairly rough nature of the mountain bike trails I frequent. The same can be said somewhat for my day hiking pack. I found that after multiple trips in my respective packs the Apex still looked new. The lens housings had minor abrasions on their surfaces, but nothing like I feared. The battery box, head straps, and the lamp body are all still in good repair. I did not find the tilt mechanism of the lamp body to have come loose at all during the test series either despite both rough treatment in my packs and frequent adjustment while in use. Final Thoughts: The Princeton Tec Apex is a solid headlamp that throws a lot of light with very few drawbacks. During the night hikes I took, and when hanging around camp at night with my hiking buddy, no other sources of light were necessary due to the amount of light that is available from the Apex. In fact, I can barely imagine a night time activity where this headlamp would not come in handy. I am no adventure racer, but I do like to have more light on hand if necessary, which the Apex readily provides. I found the Apex to be very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time, it is easily adjusted in the dark, and the headlamp stays where you place it on your head. I have found the battery duration to be longer than I have needed for each of the activities during the test series, and did not have an experience where the light dimmed while in use, nor did the batteries completely drain. I was somewhat concerned at the outset of this test series that the headlamp heat sink would throw off too much warmth making the headlamp uncomfortable to wear, but that did not materialize as a problem for me. Additionally, the Apex does not show any signs of undue wear or use, despite having been thrown unceremoniously into my backpack, day pack, and hydration pack. I had been concerned, given past experience with other headlamps, that the Apex lens housings would scratch or crack. Again, this was an unfounded fear that did not prove to be a problem for me in this test. With that said, this lamp is not lightweight, and at 10 ounces (283 g) with alkaline batteries, there are many other options available to those who do not want a heavier headlamp. I found, as did those I was with when using the Apex, that the blinking battery meter was quite annoying, and would have preferred that it was either manually activated, or did not blink for 24 hours continuously after being activated. Some might also find that this headlamp is overkill for routine activities around camp. I did experience some substantial infringement on my night vision after using the Apex either for camp chores, or for late evening bathroom walks. Regardless, these are small matters and not issues that I feel detract substantially from the overall performance and value of this headlamp. I would like to thank Princeton Tec and Backpackgeartest.org for allowing me the opportunity to participate in this test. Read more reviews of Princeton Tec gear Read more gear reviews by Greg Mehojah Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Apex > Greg Mehojah > Long Term Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
