REVIEWER INFORMATION
Name:  Thomas Lindemuth
Age:  39
Gender:  Male
Email address:  tlindemu(at)ix(dot)netcom(dot)com
Location: Oakland, California  USA

 

Backpacking experience:  I've camped my whole life, and backpacked occasionally starting at age 12.  After a break, I've picked it up again starting about three years ago, and I am currently introducing my sons to the joys of camping.  When not backpacking I enjoy day hikes, and make a regular practice of hiking the trails near my home.  I tend towards heavyweight backpacking (tent rather than tarp, for example), but I am experimenting with ways of lightening my load.  I generally camp in the mountainous regions of California.  I am a destination backpacker, not a through-hiker.  I enjoy hiking in, setting up base camp, and exploring what is nearby.

 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Product Name:  Princeton Tec Corona LED Headlamp
Year of Manufacture:  2004
Manufacturer:  Princeton Tec
Manufacturer's Website:  http://www.princetontec.com

 

 

Light Source (manufacturer's spec):
•  8 Super Bright White L.E.D.'s

 

Weight (manufacturer's spec):
•  8 oz (227 g) with alkaline batteries

 

Weight (as measured):
•  8.2 oz (232 g) with alkaline batteries

 

Size (as measured):
•  Battery pack:  2-3/4 in (7 cm) x 2-3/4 in (7 cm) x 1 in (2.5 cm)
•  Lamp housing:  2 in (5 cm) ovoid x 1-1/4 in (3 cm) thick
•  Straps: 1 in (2.5 cm) wide elastic webbing; approx. 25 in (64 cm) maximum circumference (unstretched)

 

Batteries:
•  3 AA Alkaline or Lithium (3 Duracell alkalines supplied in package)

 

Battery Life (manufacturer's spec):
•  8 LEDs: High 30 hours, Low 36 hours
•  5 LEDs: High 38 hours, Low 45 hours
•  3 LEDs: High 46 hours, Low 55 hours
•  1 LED:  High 55 hours, Low 70 hours

 

Features (from box):
•  Current Regulated For Maximum Brightness and Run Time
•  Designed To Work With Alkaline or Lithium Batteries
•  8 Super Bright White L.E.D.s
•  Select betweeen 4 Brightness Levels (8, 5, 3, or 1 L.E.D.)
•  Lifetime Warranty
•  Water Resistant 1

 

MSRP: $49.99 US 

 

FIELD INFORMATION
During the six-month evaluation period of this test, I have used the Princeton Tec Corona in the following ways:

 

•  A 3 day trip during mid-August to Del Valle Reservoir in Livermore, California, USA.  Temperatures were 70 F (21 C) to 90 F (32 C).  This was during the new moon, which I took advantage of for evaluating the light output.
•  A weekend in the Santa Cruz mountains of California (under coastal redwoods). Temperatures were 80F (27 C), clear skies, no wind to speak of.
•  Many hikes on trails near home, at and after sunset.  Weather was variable depending on the season, including some rain.
•  A 5-day trip in the snow near Lake Tahoe, California, USA.  Elevation approx 7000 ft (2100 m); pine-covered (and snow-covered) mountain slopes. Temperatures ranged from 35 F (2 C) in the evenings to 17 F (-8 C) in the early mornings.  Weather was clear with light wind. 
•  Practically constant use around the house for reading in bed, household repairs, and general use.

 

The Princeton Tec Corona headlamp is easy to use, bright, durable, and has a terrific battery life.  On the downside, it is perhaps a bit heavy, but considering that it is both sturdily built and uses AA batteries, that is to be expected.  I use it with great regularity, and it is always a pleasure to use.

 

During the recent winter months I have had the opportunity to use the light in rainy weather a number of times, the most memorable of which consisted of 3 hours in the dark, in the rain...in the wind...two stories up an extension ladder, trying to unclog a raingutter.  That was not an episode that I'd care to repeat, but the Corona played its part just fine.  The light showed no signs of water entry, the straps stayed securely on my head despite being wet, and the light aimed wherever I looked, leaving both hands free to go after the gutter and steady the ladder, white-knuckled and cursing profusely -- without having to juggle a flashlight to boot.  Hands-free operation may seem like a highly specialized application, but the more extreme the conditions, the more appreciated that trait becomes.

 

The other two rainy-night uses consisted of (considerably more relaxing) trail walks in the San Francisco Bay Area:  temperatures in the range of 50 F (10 C) to 60 F (16 C), winds light to none.  The Corona, as far as I can tell, completely ignored the rain.

 

Regarding the Lake Tahoe snow camping trip, a few aspects of using the light in cold weather are worth mentioning.  I elected to wear the light under my balaclava, rather than over it, in the belief that doing so would help keep the battery pack warm.  Maybe my theory was right, or maybe the Corona just imposes a small enough draw on the batteries, but in any case I did not notice any problems whatsoever with the cold-weather operation of the light.  I did put in fresh batteries at the start of the trip, to be on the safe side.  The other thing is that I confirmed that it is fairly easy to use the switches on the Corona with winter gloves on, similar to my previous tests at home.

 

The aforementioned new batteries are only the third set that have gone into the Corona, in six months of fairly constant use -- and that's including the set that I just let run 24 hours a day for a battery life test.  Considering that the third set of batteries just went in 2 weeks ago as a precaution for the snow trip (meaning the second set hadn't actually run down completely), I'd say that works out to one set of batteries for the entire six months.  The long battery life is particularly pleasing to me, because my two-year-old has a tendency to find the flashlights around the house and leave them on.  Recently I had need of a flashlight at home, and surprise! all of my incandescent lights had dead batteries.  I ended up grabbing the Corona and using it as a hand-held light.  I really like the fact that the probability of finding the Corona with drained batteries is remote, much more so than with incandescent flashlights.

 

Pretty much everything I said in my Initial Report and Field Report regarding fit, comfort, and ease of operation still applies.  Rather than repeat those comments, I refer you to those reports.  The short answer is that it all works great.

 

Light Output
This is the one area where I have changed my opinion since writing the earlier reports.  In my Field Report for this headlamp, I had complained a bit about the ability of the Corona to throw light a long distance.  Over time I have found it not to be much of a problem after all.  In camp, I actually prefer the broad flood pattern cast by the Corona.  Other lights may cast light farther, but the narrower beam feels like tunnel-vision to me.  I am also finding that I don't need long-distance projection very often.  Although it won't illuminate, say, a deer at 100 feet (30 m), the Corona produces more than enough light in my immediate path to allow for secure walking.

 

I did continue to run into the very minor irritant that particulate matter tends to flash into the beam of light, obscuring vision.  This can be dust, rain, or in the case of cold weather, clouds of breath rising.  Note that this is intrinsic to all headlamps, though there are some differences depending on the beam pattern of the light.  A flood-pattern light like the Corona tends to light up a lot of rain, or the entire plume of icy breath, whereas a narrow-beam light illuminates a smaller patch of whatever is in the air.

 

Contrary to prior comments, I have at last found a use for the flashing mode: namely, as a road signal.  On one recent evening hike, my family and I were descending a trail while dark was falling.  We reached the bottom of the trail, which dropped us out on the road about a half mile (0.8 km) downstream of our car. We had to walk up the road into oncoming traffic in the dark.  The flashing light made it easier for cars to notice us on the edge of the road.  When the kids ran out of steam halfway there, I left the light with my wife and the kids, and I went the rest of the way alone to retrieve the car.  On the way back down the hill, the flashing light made it very easy to spot where they were waiting off the side of the road.  My wife now wants us to have at least one more light with a flashing mode, so that if we separate, neither group is without a safety beacon.

 

Durability
I am wholly pleased with the durability of the Corona.  After six months of constant use the Corona looks almost brand-new.  There are no signs of fraying, stitches pulling out, abrasion on the lens, cracks, or any other signs of wear or damage.  The buttons still work correctly, the rubber covers over them are intact, and all LEDs still light.  The pivot joint for aiming the light up or down is still good and stiff (it has a friction nut which can be tightened if necessary, but I haven't needed to adjust it).  There is a small amount of scuffing on the back of the battery case (from leaning my head against the wall while reading in bed), but that is about the only sign of wear evident on the whole thing.  All the components of the Corona are made of substantial materials -- thick strap material, relatively thick wire with heavy insulation, sturdy plastic moldings -- which explains the 8 oz (227 g) weight, but which also explains why everything remains in perfect working order.  I tend to be fairly careful with my equipment (though my kids have dropped the Corona on the ground or the floor 3 or 4 times, and I've dropped it on asphalt once), but it appears that the Corona is built tough.

 

I have found the Princeton Tec Corona to be an incredibly handy tool, not only on the trail, but for constant use at home. The fact that it does not sit idle in my pack for weeks at a time between trips is a bonus, easing any guilt over buying toys (er, I mean, specialized sporting gear) for my hobby, too.  This thing is a genuine tool.

 

Things I like about the Princeton Tec Corona:
1)  Bright, broad flood pattern is great for camp chores and close range, and quite adequate for most of my night hiking.
2)  Hands-free light is a great luxury, and in some cases an absolute necessity!
3)  Tremendous battery life.
4)  Very well-built; strong components; rainproof.

 

Things I don't like:
1)  Not lightweight (which is to say, if it were half the weight in addition to everything else that it is, it would be the Holy Grail of headlamps).