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Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Quad > Karl Fuderer > Field ReportField Report: Princeton Tec Quad
Over the last few months, the Princeton Tec Quad has been a vitally important item on my list of essential gear for whenever I go backpacking, hiking, trekking or climbing, to name a few among a long list of other times it has helped me when nothing else could have. I have done more outdoor recreational travel on foot in the last 3 months than in the prior 8 months. All of my travels have been in the South Western areas of Western Australia, spending a considerable amount of time in and around Albany. The Stirling Range Ridge Walk, an extremely challenging mountainous 2-3 day trail / climb is included in my recent achievements. Introduction: After having possessed this device for what feels like a long time, I feel I have gotten to know it quite well. I am well aware of it's functions and abilities, after having used it in a wide variety of situations, utilizing all its functions, assisting me to achieve my goals when no other lights that I own could have done an equal or better job. The most noticeably helpful feature I can announce is, as briefly mentioned in my initial report, the face of the housing glows in the dark. This means that when the unit is turned off and I don't know exactly where it is from memory, it is not difficult to find in a completely dark environment. This has helped me considerably on several occasions. Firstly, I often wait till after the sun has disappeared before I get out my headlamp. Perhaps I am lazy, or I get absorbed in the environment and forget to keep the path well lit until I am reminded by the fact that I can't see it any more. Either way, rummaging through a bag full of electronic devices for my headlamp has always been time consuming and annoying. Now I can look in the bag for the subtle glow, spot it and grab it in seconds. Secondly, I often need to create light at a time after turning the lamp off and going to sleep at night. This could include being woken up by the need to urinate, or my alarm clock waking me so I can get started before dawn, or some kind of emergency, or if I remember I need to prepare something for tomorrow morning that I forgot to do before retiring. Whatever the reason, I often forget where I place the lamp once I've turned it off, and other times it's not where I left it, having moved it in my sleep. Being able to see it in total darkness is of great benefit in all these situations. My other headlamps do not have this feature, so the Quad is my preferred traveling device to light the way. Treatment Received: After a very complete and thorough initial report on my part, I did not conduct as many focused, intended tests on the Quad in this period. I concentrated more on using it as I would use a headlamp, rather than determine the product's limitations. Overall I am quite satisfied with the design, functionality and appearance of the Princeton Tec Quad. It has proven durable enough to take a few knocks without failing, the elastic band is adjustable enough to be comfortable around my large skull, and it is competitively small and light relative to other headlamps in it's class. Critically speaking, the device has few faults. There is one rather considerable fault that I'd like to reveal however: The reliability of the Quad to continue creating light when the batteries are low. The device has a small red light that comes on when the device's power supply is low, however the position of the red light is, as you can see from the photo, directly below the LEDs and facing the same direction. The red light is not lit when the headlamp is off, so the only way to know if the battery is low is the turn it on and point the light in your eyes. Not a very good design in that respect, but that is not where the bulk of my criticism lies. When the power level falls to a certain point, an unknown but small amount of time after the little red light begins to glow, the headlamp's ability to create light, any light at all, stops temporarily. This would probably be a good thing since it would mean that the Quad drains the batteries down to the dregs before it stops functioning, however if I turn off the headlamp then turn it back on I can get a few more minutes of uninterrupted, full beam light out of the batteries before it stops functioning again. If repeated again, the amount of burn time is slightly less again, gradually reducing to complete lack of function. I believe this feature has been intentionally programmed to allow the user to change the batteries using the light from the headlamp to see, for users that do not carry a backup for weight reasons, which I have done and was grateful to discover the feature. However, I believe the feature is excessive, because in my test I was able to use the dying batteries in the failing light conditions for many hours, and when it began failing every few seconds I tested the batteries and found they still had enough power to run the LED in my backup torch. These circumstances led me to deduce that either the little red light is not coming on early enough to be of any use as a warning, or the failing light feature is engaging too early in the dying stages of the batteries, or both. I can no longer rely on the headlamp to provide uninterrupted light at night when I take it on long trips unless I put in brand new, long lasting batteries in before I go, or carry spares. This is something I believe I shouldn't have to do with a headlamp that it's manufacturers claim has a minimum burn time of 50 hours: more than enough for several trips on one set of batteries. Test Plan: This next section is not an exact copy of the text displayed in my initial report, but it's close to it. The opening statement is the same, as are all the questions posed, but some of the answers have been updated to reflect my new and improved awareness of the Princeton Tec Quad. Given that I currently own a headlamp of very similar design and functionality, I have a rather thorough point-by-point comparison to conduct from my point of view. My other headlamp is the first and only headlamp I have ever owned, and the first I have ever used, so although I don't have experience with an extensive range of similar products, my experience using my first headlamp for over 3 months continuously in the kinds of environments these lamps are designed for, gives me a broad base to conduct accurate, extensive tests on the Quad. My first role to engage in is to get a perspective of the variety of similar products available by window shopping. While doing this, I will be spending large amounts of time in the bush using and comparing both headlamps in every way I can. I intend to answer the questions below, while being used in rough, punishing environments including the South West subtropical forests and the Northern deserts of Western Australia, and intense humidity of the Northern Territory. Over the next 3 months I will be mostly in the South West of WA, on the Bibbulmun Track and other tracks in the south west. Conditions are expected to be between 100 and 600 m (300 to 2000 ft) above sea level, on well-defined tracks in SW Western Australia surrounded by sparse trees and semi-dense low-lying shrub. Temperatures range from –14 C (7 F) on the coldest night to 35 C (95 F) on the hottest day, with averages ranging from 0 C (32 F) at night to 23 C (73 F) in daylight. Test Questions and Answers: Q: Is the Quad really as good as the website indicates? A: Probably. As mentioned above, most of the contributing factors that make a headlamp good are present in this one. There is still testing to do, but I am confident that the Princeton Tec Quad will prove superior in most ways. Q: Which feature makes the Quad stand out above all others? A: So far the best features I've experienced is the brightness to weight ratio, and the glow in the dark housing feature. Q: Can they safely accept such high pressures without breaking, such as under water? A: So far I have managed to apply a medium amount of pressure to the housing, so it's looking good. I have not tested it under water yet. Q: What actually happens when too much pressure is applied to the housing? A: Unknown as yet. As it is made of a polymer, I would expect the housing to first crack, then shatter, if it were hit with a hammer, but I have no intention or desire to test my theory. Q: Is the band durable enough to withstand tearing, thrashing and pull tension attempts? A: The band is durable enough to withstand being stretched to its maximum elasticity, for an unknown amount of time, before the internal fibres of elastomer begin to fracture. This fracturing would be accelerated if it were stretched beyond its elastic boundaries. Again, I have no intention or desire to test my theory. Q: How easy is it to turn on and off, and change the brightness setting? A: Relatively easy. All functions are routed through a single button on the top of the housing, covered in bright orange/yellow rubber. To select a setting the user must cycle through the settings by repeatedly pressing the button. After a delay, pressing the button will only turn off the headlamp. Q: How much time does it take to select a desired setting? A: Any selection should take no more than 10 seconds to select. Q: How quickly can it be put on and taken off? A: It shouldn't take more than 2 seconds to wrap the band around one's head. Q: If the headlamp is worn for long periods in heat, the elastic band will absorb sweat and retain body odor. Given that the housing is waterproof to 1 m (3.2 ft) and impact resistant, can it be safely washed in a standard washing machine? If not, can the band be removed from the housing so the band can be washed? A: The impact the housing would suffer as a result of being washed in a washing machine would be too great I expect, potentially causing the cracks mentioned above. The band is secured to the housing by polymer extrusions that are part of the housing mould. There is a narrow channel between the ends of the two extrusions where the band can be squashed through to allow removal. There are 2 plastic clips on the band that cannot be removed, but they contain no electronics and appear to be of stronger shape and thickness to allow for more punishing treatment. I have not yet put it through the washing machine. Q: Are the instructions for safe use applicable, informative and relevant? A: The instructions for general use, including how to turn on and off, are printed in bold, simplified English on the back of the original shelf packaging. Once this is no longer available to the user, operation is relatively straight forward. Q: How easy are they to turn on in the dark, or with one hand? A: Very easy. Given that the product is designed for exactly that purpose, and while I am well accustomed to operating headlamps in the dark and with one hand, and that the difference to this one is negligible, I found it second nature. Q: Is it easy to load the housing with batteries? A: Yes. A lot easier than my other headlamp. The battery compartment is secured to the rest of the housing with a screw. The head of the screw is of flathead design, and extra wide groove, to allow for the unscrewing with any common pocket knife. The circumference of the head is also serrated, to allow the loader to unscrew with their fingertips. The entire loading process usually takes between 30 and 90 seconds. Q: How easy is it to change the downward directional angle of the housing? A: Easy. I found the adjustment feature to be slightly easier to change from one downward angle to another compared to my other headlamp. This is because the downward angle is held in place with grooves in the plastic of the housing, and the mount. Q: Does it stay in position when being used? A: Yes. When worn, the elastic band is tight enough to prevent lateral movement, and the grooves in the housing are still new enough to prevent unintended vertical movement. Q: Does the adjustment mechanism jam or clog up? A: Only when foreign objects are wedged into the mechanism, such as sand. Q: Can the sealing mechanism be safely cleaned? A: Yes, by rinsing with water, or if the object is securely stuck a pin or needle can be used to prick it out. Previous experience with this situation when cleaning housing mechanisms leads me to believe that submerging it in water can be done given it is waterproof, but it is more effective to clean under running water like a tap. Q: How well do the angle settings on the adjustment mechanism wear over time? A: Over time these grooves are wearing down, as with my other headlamp, and this is to be expected. The wear to date is noticeable, but very minimal. Q: Does headlamp light reflect off the lamp at close range to spot it among gear? A: Somewhat. A significant amount is absorbed by it's black/grey color, but if the on/off/setting button is in a visible position the orange rubber is quite visible. Also, the L.E.D. cavity is reflective silver with a clear plastic cover, both of which can be very reflective. Q: How easily are they to see in the dark from a distance? A: Reasonably Easy. The L.E.D.s in the housing have been altered somehow to be visible in a completely dark environment. The minimalist glow emitted is invisible in well lit environments, but makes an excellent addition to it's variety of features. My other headlamp has no such feature. Q: How small can the headlamp be compressed when not in use? A: Reasonably small. It is safe to fold the band at any place, including the clips and sewn seals, but is most effective when tightly rolled or wrapped around the housing. Refer to Product Specifics for accurate measurements of size. Q: How much does the general appearance of the headlamp change after the first few times it is used from the "new" look? A: When new, the housing material appears almost perfect black, with no blemishes or striations. After using them in the bush the appearance is very similar to new, with a few small scratches and a bit of dust and dirt on both the housing and the band. Just normal wear in my opinion. The polymer housing seems to resist blemishes, or at least reduces the significance of any blemishes.
Cleaning with running tap water and drip drying after the bush test brought it back to a like new conditions. Summary: The Quad shows some worthwhile characteristics which include that it is durable, versatile, easy and simple to use, functional and well designed, however some of the features previously thought to be beneficial have turned out to be more of a distraction, hindrance or annoyance, including the low battery indicator. The Quad is lighter than some other headlamps of similar design, but the shape and size could be redeveloped to be smaller, to function for longer, and to be able to reload the batteries easier. The extra clips on the band are a small inconvenience, but make it capable of catering for people with very large skull sizes. I am one of those people, and while my other headband does fit me ok, it needs to be extended to it's maximum band length to fit. This one I can adjust it so it is loosely on my head with band to spare. The angle adjustment mechanism will be watched closely in the coming months for it's wearing of the angle selection grooves. It is fortunate that my lifestyle allows for extended periods of traveling in harsh environments, which will thoroughly put the Quad through its paces. Pros: Easy to activate and deactivate Durable Waterproof housing Low battery indicator Long, easily adjustable band for big skulls Easy to put on and take off of my head Long burn time Ultra bright L.E.D.s for really lighting the way Wide beam for improving peripheral vision Lightweight Visible in total darkness Cons: Relatively larger housing Annoying having to cycle through brightness settings Clips on band are uncomfortable Angle selector positions less than solid Low battery indicator ineffective L.E.D. function stinted when nearing end of battery life Difficult to unscrew battery cavity for reload in dark
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