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Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Quad > Karl Fuderer > Initial ReportInitial Report: Princeton Tec Quad
This purpose of this review is to provide my first impressions of the product, and although I have only had possession of the headlamp for 2 days it has already seen action in a hiking environment. The headlamp arrived in the afternoon on the day I had planned to walk 2.5 km (1.5 mi) from the highway to a campsite on the Bibbulmun Track in SW Western Australia. I used it all night with supplemental light emanating from the campfire and other peoples' headlamps. I also compared it to the light coming from my other headlamp with surprising results. Introduction: My first impressions of this product came when I learned of their existence, after reading the call for testers and viewing the website on June 16, 2006. I was initially intrigued and impressed by the quad. It's burn time is excellent, it's waterproof, has a battery power indicator, and is relatively small and light. Upon receiving the headlamp, I was rushed for time due to my being late for getting on the track to test it, so I spent little time looking at the product and forming first impressions. The elastic headband feels thicker, softer and stronger than expected. The housing felt a little bit larger than my other headlamp of similar features, but lighter. The clips and folds that allow the headband to be adjusted for different head sizes seemed overdone, as if the manufacturer wanted to ensure that it would be wearable long after it stopped functioning. I then quickly stuffed it into my sack and began to drive to the intersection with a friend, then hike to the campsite. At night came the big surprise for me: The brightness. I was expecting something similar to my other headlamp and found the Quad much brighter on the same relative setting and with new batteries in both. Upon further examination, every setting was brighter than the same relative setting on my other headlamp. While being worn, the large clips on the band were initially annoying, digging into my skull but I knew from experience that it was a temporary sensation and quickly subsided as predicted. Treatment Received: In attempting to determine the effectiveness of the lamp, I went for a short evening walk in the bush around the campsite to look for firewood. I felt it would be efficient use of time to multitask camp duties with testing, so I ventured further than I normally would and the wide scope of lightened area in my field of vision helped me to spot ideal lengths of branch. It was my belief that if any activity was good at testing the effectiveness of a headlamp it would be scavenging. There was no rain or water courses in the area around the campsite, so I had no way of testing the waterproofing of the housing, and with summer around the corner in this area of the world I may not get a chance to test it in rainy conditions. I do not want to test it by submerging it for any length of time incase I exceed it's safe working limit before I've had the chance to test it's other features. I may choose to conduct this test for reporting in the long term review. The Quad received small amounts of pressure in the pack en route to the campsite, but the greater test for pressure tolerance was in shipping the Quad to my address. The Quad was packaged extremely well, with the product in it's standard shelf plastic case wrapped very tightly in bubble wrap, held down by sticky tape and enveloped in a second layer of shipping packaging with the postal information printed on it. Additional pressure was applied by me while vainly attempting to open it without a knife by tearing the packaging and failing. The wide scope of the bright field of vision is far superior to my other headlamp, and all the other headlamps that were at the campsite that night, but the projected beam was not as focused as a hand held torch that another hiker had brought that night. When looking at objects about 1 to 2 m (3.2 - 6.5 ft) away, I found the beam to illuminate everything I could see, even those out of the very corner of my eye. This increased peripheral vision allowed me to see many fascinating insects on the ground. This field of vision was a new and foreign experience that I have never had at night in a campsite before. I thank Princeton Tec for that. Test Plan: 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: Are they really as good as the website indicates? A: Possibly. The evidence is stacking up in their favour, but there's a long way to go. Q: Which feature makes the Quad stand out above all others? A: So far the best feature I've experienced is the brightness to weight ratio. 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. Q: What actually happens when too much pressure is applied to the housing? A: Unknown as yet. Q: Is the band durable enough to withstand tearing, thrashing and pull tension attempts? A: Unknown as yet. 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. 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: Unknown as yet. 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. Q: How easy is it to change the downward directional angle of the housing? A: Yes. I found the adjustment feature to be slightly easier to change from one downward angle to another. Q: Does it stay in position when being used? A: Slightly less solid in holding my selected position. 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: Unknown as yet. 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 colour, 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. This answer is a last minute addition to this report, after a breathtaking discovery. The L.E.D.s in the housing have been altered somehow to be visible in a completely dark environment. The minimalistic 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. Accurate measurements of size when wrapped to follow in next review. 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.
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 promising characteristics of durable, versatile, easy and simple to use, functional and well designed. I see some initial trends presenting, including the increased peripheral vision and battery power indicator that may help considerably in the future. The Quad is also lighter than other headlamps of similar design, but the shape and size could be redeveloped. 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 Battery Power 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
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