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Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Quad > Coy Starnes > Initial ReportPrinceton
Tec Quad Headlamp
Initial Report August 30, 2006  Now there is one handsome...headlamp
Tester Bio I live in North East Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities but backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3-season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length. Product Information
Product Description The Princeton Tec Quad is a very compact and low weight headlamp suitable for backpacking and anytime a bright but adjustable light is needed (think power outage or crawling under the house). As with most LED lights, long battery life and almost indestructible bulb(s) are a part of the deal. It has four beam settings (low, medium, high and flash) but all put out a wide beam. It uses 4 Ultrabright LED's, and regulated power to help maintain a steady beam throughout the batteries life. Princeton Tec has this to say about the Quad. "At a mere 96 grams, the Quad is the lightest in Princeton Tec's line of regulated-LED headlamps. Four Ultrabright LEDs power through the darkest conditions. The LEDs are safe forever inside a tough waterproof housing that will survive severe impacts and water submersions up to one meter. The wide beam of the Quad is perfect for tasks around camp and is bright enough for technical scrambles and brisk runs on dark trails. Weight conscious users will love the Quad's sophisticated circuitry that allows the use of lithium AAA batteries. They reduce the Quad's weight to 82 grams, perform in extremely cold temperatures, and significantly increase regulated burn times on all modes. Equipped with regulated LEDs that maintain constant brightness and a battery power meter, this light just may be smarter than you are."
Initial Impressions My first impression is very good. Without even opening the packaging I could readily see a lot of information about this headlamp. I especially liked the back side which has a visual diagram of the light output in the different modes as well as burn time for each mode. My only complaint is that there is so much information (and in 3 languages) that some of the print was smaller then I could read. The instruction sheet is also very detailed.  After opening it and installing the supplied batteries I
took the time to read the instructions. I had opened the battery
compartment with my knife but the instructions show that a protrusion
on the headlamp strap adjustment device is designed to do this.
After dark I took the headlamp outside for a quick test. I will
have to say that when on high beam the Quad puts out some serious
light. Working through the various beam settings is also
simple. A click of the power button turns the light on at
the high beam setting. To activate the rest of the beam settings
a click within 1.5 seconds is required. This works out to on at
high, then medium, then low and finally flash. To turn the light
off, just wait at least 2 seconds before mashing the power
button. Simple but efficient.Test Plan I don't mind saying up front that I like testing lights and especially headlamps. For one, I use them a lot, even when not backpacking. For another, it is just cool (literally in the summer) to go out for a walk after dark with a headlamp. And while I am a bit insulted, I am no doubt a prime candidate for a smart headlamp... "Equipped with regulated LEDs that maintain constant brightness and a battery power meter, this light just may be smarter than you are." As I use the Quad I hope to answer such questions as what is the battery life for the different beam settings? I will see how well the light performs for different tasks. For instance I will see what beam works best for different applications and then report on how each one works out in practical situations. The brightest beam will be used for times when I need to see as far off as possible. A good example is looking up into a tall tree. Can I spot dead limbs overhead when picking a campsite after dark? Is the high beam bright enough to use as a bike riding light? Without going into detail I can already report that it is. At other times a wider and/or dimmer light is needed. This is usually in camp or on trails I know well enough to not need a lot of light. Can I see well enough to cook supper with the low beam setting? When walking on trails or around camp can I see roots and rocks well enough to avoid tripping? On unfamiliar trails I would most likely use the medium setting just to be on the safe side. I don't see myself using the strobe function very often but it is a nice feature. I could need it if I ever become lost or injured. I plan to test such things as how comfortable I am when wearing the headlamp when reading in my hammock. I will note how the tilt function works. I will try to not get the Quad in water over 1 meter (about 3 ft) as it is not rated for more than that but I will see if rain or sweat hurts the Quad. I will try to document all aspects of my testing and include pictures of use if possible. I have never had much luck with headlamp photography though, so don't expect a lot here. I am quite impressed with the listed 150 hour max burn time, even though it is for the flashing light and low beam. However, the medium beam claims 70 hours of useful light and even 50 hours for the high beam is a pretty respectable lasting light considering the light uses 3 AAAs. However, keeping up with which beam and for how many hours can sometimes get to be a chore. Which is why I am excited to test the usefulness of the battery life indicator. This is a new feature I have not seen on headlamps though I am familiar with the ones on cameras. This one appears to be a small red light that comes on or blinks when the batteries need to be replaced. How much lead time does it give me? In other words, if it starts blinking on the first night of a multi-day trip, how long can I continue using the headlamp on the low beam? Proposed Testing Locations and Conditions I will be testing in the Southeastern US with trips into the local mountains of Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina. However, most testing would be done in northeast Alabama. Elevations will generally be less than 4000 ft (1200 m). I generally see some rain when hiking. Temperatures will be warm and yes, even hot but I may get some cold weather testing opportunities towards the end of the test. I will be making several short overnight hikes and a few longer hikes when testing the Quad. I also plan to use it for some night time bike riding as I have already found it suitable for such. I will also use it around the house as needed. As always, I will do my best to give the Quad headlamp a good workout and faithfully report all my findings. I would like to thank BackpackGearTest.org and Princeton Tec for the opportunity to test this headlamp. Read more reviews of Princeton Tec gear Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Quad > Coy Starnes > Initial Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
