Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Apex > Ralph Ditton > Initial Report

PRINCETON TEC APEX LED HEADLAMP
INITIAL REPORT BY RALPH DITTON
REPORT DATE : 12TH MARCH, 2006

the business end of the headlamp

Personal Information

I have been walking the Bibbulmun Track in sections over four years. My goal is to complete the 964 km (603 mi) and become an end to end walker. So far I have completed approximately two-thirds of the Track from North to South, and a quarter in the opposite direction. I have evolved from carrying a heavyweight load -- approximately 28 kg (62 lb) including food and water--to being a midweight backpacker, averaging 18 kg (38 lb) at the start of a trip. My trips are usually between three to five days duration.

Product Information
Manufacturer: Princeton Tec
Manufacturer's web site: www.princetontec.com
Assembled in: United States of America
Year of Manufacturer: 2005
Model: Apex
Colour: Black/Silver Grey
Lamp: 3 Watt Maxbright Led, 4 Ultra Bright LED's
Brightness: 60 Lumens
Beam Distance of 3 Watt on High: 56 m (184 ft)
Beam Distance of 3 Watt on Low: 38 m (125 ft)
Beam Distance of 4 Ultrabright LED's on High and Flash: 23 m (75 ft)
Beam Distance of 4 Ultrabtight Led's on Low: 13 m (43 ft)
Burn Time range: 72-150 hrs (see note below)
Batteries: 4 AA Alkaline (LR6), Lithium (L91) and Rechargeable Nicad or NiHM
Weight with batteries: 278 g (9.8 oz)
Weight without batteries: 181 g (6.4 oz)
Waterproof Rating: Level 2 (up to 1 m [3.3 ft] for 30 minutes)
Impact resistant: yes
Battery Power Meter: yes
Warranty: Lifetime only in the USA. 10 years only outside the USA
MSRP: AUS$169.95, US$79.95

My Measurements
Weight without central headband, with batteries:266 g (9.4 oz)
Weight with central headband and batteries: 280 g (9.9 oz)
Weight without central headband and batteries: 167 g (5.9 oz)
Weight with central headband and without batteries: 181 g (6.4 oz)
Weight of central headband: 14 g (0.5 oz)

Burn Time Range
The manufacturer advises that the burn time is the  total time that the light source produces a  minimum of 0.25 lux at 2 m (6.6 ft). This lux reading is about equivalent to the light reflected by a full moon on a clear night.

Expectations from the Web site
Under product views there is a selection of photos of the headlamp. The model I received had all of the features shown. I did not twig to  the second last photo showing a tool being used on a lock until I received the headlamp and realized that both of the buckles on the headbands double up as a tool to open the battery case.
The battery power meter was a surprise in that I mentally expected a colour range from blue being the full charge to red being flat, along the lines of a Duracell Battery that has a meter on the side . The web site makes no mention of what it looks like. The battery power meter turns out to be a pin prick of light that flashes every three seconds. (I counted it). According to the manufacturer, there are three colours indicating the state of the batteries. Green colour represents > 40% of Battery capacity, Yellow represents < 40% of Battery capacity and Red indicates less than twenty minutes of run time remaining.
I was curious as to how I could switch the various lights on and the web page gave no informed indication as to how this would be achieved.

operation pads
The answer is in two photos under product review, number one and three. However, there is no caption to mention what they are. I found the answer in the information sheet provided by the manufacturer. It comes packaged with the headlamp. There is a picture with two lines, one to each pad, explaining how many times that I need to press each pad to operate the various configurations of the headlamp. The four raised surfaces indicate the switch for the four Ultrabright LED's.  The raised circle with a pin point of material that can be felt by my finger indicates the switch for the 3 Watt Maxbright LED.

Product Description
The Princeton Tec Apex Led Headlamp (hereinafter known as headlamp)  is a 3 Watt Maxbright LED and 4 Ultra Bright LED headlamp. The 3 Watt Maxbright LED is positioned in the centre of the unit with the 4 Ultra Bright LED bulbs being split  into two on each side of the central light. The 2 Ultra Bright LED bulbs on each side are in a vertical position above each other.
There is a wraparound headband that can be adjusted to fit the cranium. In addition, there is an optional central headband that goes over the top of the cranium, back to front, or vice  versa.
On the right hand side of the the wraparound headband, there is the power cable that runs from the top of the battery pack to the side of the light unit. The power cable is held in position by two clips that can slide along the  right hand side length of the headband.
The forehead base plate is made out of plastic and there is no padding present. My skin is against the plastic base plate. At the rear of my head, the battery pack has the headband passing through the strap gates on the inside and this rests against the head. In addition, there are five vertical rubberized pads spread across the battery pack surface that rests against the back of my head.  Their purpose is designed to give some padding to the rear of the head.
To adjust the angle of light source, the headlamp works on a pivot at the base of the light unit. The above photo shows the hinged swivel area. To operate, I push forward the light unit to the desired angle that I want. There is no clicking sound as the headlamp is adjusted and it does not move on its own accord when put into a new position. The tension in the adjusting swivel section must be just right to prevent any unauthorized movement.
The maximum angle that the headlamp can be adjusted is approximately 90 degrees.

maximum angle of adjustment

Initial Impressions
After removing the clear moulded packaging containing the headlamp and batteries from the cardboard box, I was stumped as to how to open the packaging without taking a knife to it. By dint of pulling at anything that looked promising, I finally succeeded in opening the packaging. It took around two minutes. The opening is located at the top of the packaging where the two dimples that lock the two sections together are.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that four AA alkaline batteries were included. The batteries were not flat.
Using the buckle as a tool by inserting it into the groove of the locking knob, I was able to twist the knob to the open position. There is no indication on the battery pack where the "open" and "closed" positions are. There is a card in the packaging material that  indicates the direction to turn the knob to unlock the battery pack and the direction on how to remove the battery tray.

opening battery pack
I tried to use my fingers to open the battery pack. I found it difficult to open as the knob is relatively stiff to turn. In addition, I had a cut that was healing on my index finger. It split open again.
After opening the battery pack and removing the battery tray, the locking knob fell out of the housing. I had some difficulty in putting it back into place. In addition, the  band that acts as a gasket on the top of the battery pack between the two components of the battery pack also dislodged from its groove. It was relatively easy to put back into position.
The centre head band appears to be an optional extra as it was not attached to the headlamp. It was folded up separately in the packaging box.
Pulling apart the battery pack to install the batteries was difficult due to the very tight fit of the lid. This is a good indication of an excellent seal against moisture.
The battery tray has moulded into it the outline of the batteries, indicating the "+" and "-" symbols. In addition, it shows the direction of how the batteries should be installed.

batteries installed
The batteries were very easy to install into the battery tray. To change batteries in the dark should not be difficult as I would feel for the springs which indicates the "-" end of the battery.
The battery contacts appear to be stainless steel.
I had to adjust the headband that wraps around my head as it was very tight when it came straight out of the box. I had to make a number of adjustments to line up the battery pack to the headlamp so that the battery pack sat comfortably on the back of my head. Conversely I had to ensure that the headlamp was also in the centre of my forehead. Walking around without the central head band in place did not cause the headlamp to slip down over my eyes.

3 Watt Maxbright LED on. No central headband
The collimator/reflector is smooth. The focused beam is controlled by a funnel shape in front of the 3 Watt Maxbright LED that is anchored to the front lens. The front lens has the feel of "Lexan".  When I tapped the lens with my finger, it also sounded like "Lexan", a very tough form of Perspex.

The headlamp does not carry, nor have provision for, any spare globes, should any fail.
There is no means of locking the on/off pads to prevent accidental switching on when packed into a backpack. I will experiment with carrying it inside an empty cut down plastic milk carton for protection.

I mastered the operation of switching between the various modes of lighting very quickly. The operating instructions included with the headlamp are very  informative on how to switch between the various modes and how to turn the headlamp off.
There is even a "Trouble Shooting" section if the headlamp fails to light or does not seem to change brightness levels.

As a simple test, I used the headlamp to illuminate the numbers on my combination lock that is used to lock my work shed. Normal torchlight is inefficient as the brass tumblers with the numbers recessed into it reflect back too much glare and make it extremely difficult to read the numbers. The best settings for the headlamp were the low settings for both lights as there was next to no rebound glare. At the higher settings, especially the 3 Watt Maxbright LED I did have some difficulty in trying to read the numbers. I also need glasses to read the numbers at night.
I made the mistake of looking into the 3 Watt Maxbright LED when it was switched on and it temporarily blinded me. This was during daylight hours. So beware.

There appears to be an excess of power cable that runs from the battery pack to the headlamp. My suspicion is that the length  would be used up if the headlamp was used on a helmet. A helmet would demand a larger circumference. As I do not use a helmet, I will just have to live with the excess power cable bowing out from my headband.

power cable on headlamp

Test Plan

•  Can I read comfortably when sitting on my self-inflating mat inside my sleeping bag.
• How comfortable is the ergonomic elastic headband.
• Is the headband easy to adjust to fit my head with and without head gear on.
• Is the weight evenly distributed at the front and back of the head.
• How long do the batteries really last as opposed to the manufacturers claim of 150 hours as stated on their web site.
• Are the battery contacts susceptible to rust/corrosion.
• Is the battery life indicator really necessary. Does it indeed provide accurate continuous feedback on the condition of the batteries indicating high, medium or low battery life. Normally I can tell when my battery power is running low just by the distance the LED light is projected and if the spiders eyes light up like dew drops.
• Are the five beam settings easy to switch to when the headlamp is on my head, or do I have to take it off to make the change to whatever setting I want, such as Maxbright High, Maxbright Low, Ultrabright High, Ultrabright Low or Ultrabright Flash.
• Are the switch, connections and battery compartment simple and rugged.
• In its Maxibright High and Low modes, are there shadows and/or dark rings around the central beam.
• Is the collimator/reflector smooth or textured. If textured, it should give an even light distribution and the impression of a clean unbroken beam.
• When attending to the call of nature during the night, or being the last one to bed, when other hikers are asleep in the hut, will all the light beam settings be too bright and wide to disturb the sleeping people. If not, what is the best setting so as not to disturb people. 
• What will be the maximum distance for track markers to reflect light from the headlamp in its various settings. Will they match the advertised ranges on the web site. 
• Will I have any trouble distinguishing between sticks and snakes on the track from around 5 m to 25 m (16.4 ft to 82 ft) when night walking or going to the toilet . 
• What are the best settings for outside camp activities, eg. cooking, collecting firewood, going to the toilet, finding my way to and from the tent site to the hut .
• How waterproof is the headlamp? Will moisture/condensation enter the battery compartment and/or reflector unit.
• Extremely important. Will there be an abundance of light to play Yahtzee with a group of four people for many hours at night time, and in turn, keep the scorer honest in that we can see what is being recorded against each player. If yes, what is the optimum setting.

• Very impressed with the 3 Watt Maxbright LED focused light beam and the distance it covers.
• Like the ability to power up/down the various lights.
• Aesthetically pleasing unit.
• Can do away with the central headband.

• Battery compartment locking knob falling out of housing when in open position.
• Battery compartment gasket seal coming out of its seating groove.
• Unable to lock on/off pads.

Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Apex > Ralph Ditton > Initial Report