Princeton Tec VIZZ Headlamp
Tester
Information
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Name:
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David
Wilkes |
E-Mail:
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amatbrewer@yahoo.com
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Age:
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49 |
Location:
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Yakima
Washington USA |
Gender:
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M |
Height:
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5'11"
(1.80 m) |
Weight:
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200 lb (90.7 kg) |
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Biography:
I started
backpacking
in 1995 when I moved to Washington State. Since then, I have
backpacked in all seasons and conditions the Northwest has to
offer. I prefer trips on
rugged trails with plenty of elevation gain. While I continuously
strive to lighten my load, comfort and safety are most important to me.
I have finally managed to get my basic cold weather pack weight, not
including consumables, to under 30 lb (14 kg).
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Product
Information
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Manufacturer:
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Princeton Tec |
Year
of Manufacture:
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2015 |
Manufacturer’s
Website:
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http://www.princetontec.com/ |
MSRP:
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MSRP not available from the manufacturer
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Listed Weight:
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92 g (3.25 oz)
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Measured Weight:
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Light 44 g (1.6oz) /w strap 62 g (2.2 oz) / w strap and batteries 95 g (3.3 oz)
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Listed Specifications:
| Power 205 Lumens Burn time 150 hrs 3X AAA batteries (Alkaline, Lithium, or rechargeable) Waterproof "level 2" - IPX7 standard
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Product
Description:The
Princeton Tec “VIZZ” headlamp is part of Princeton Tec’s Professional
Series outdoor headlamps. It is an updated version of what appears to
be a popular product they have offered for a while not (I am not sure
when the VIZZ it first came out, maybe around 2013). It has 3 modes of operation red, white bright,
and white dimmable, operated by one switch, in a waterproof case.
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Initial
Report
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June 26 2015
The lamp arrived in what is commonly called a blister pack with
the headlamp separate from the headband and the batteries, and also had
a small instruction sheet in 3 languages (English, French, and Dutch).
The
headband is a rather standard item: adjustable elastic material with a
decorative design and the Princeton Tec logo along with the text “PTEC”.
Out of the box the band was too tight and needed to be let out to
almost its maximum size. There appears to be enough adjustment to allow
me to wear this over a hood and enough stretch to get it over a helmet.
NOTE when purchasing hats, I am normally on the low end of needing a
size Large. It also adjusts down to a size that looks suitable to a
small child. Attaching the headband to the lamp was quite simple and
intuitive. I simply slipped the band into the slots on either side of
the lamp base.
The
lamp itself consists of the main housing, connected to a mounting plate
with a hinge allowing the lamp to be angled down to almost 90 deg. I
can’t tell for sure but the hinge pin looks to be a plastic rod flared
at the ends to keep it in place. The headband attachment plate side of
this hinge has what appears to be a rubber like insert that catches
ridges on the plastic side of the hinge. This forms a kind of ratchet
holding the lamp at the desired angle. I assume using the rubber
is to reduce the wear, vs. plastic on plastic, giving it longer life
and allowing it to be adjusted easily while still firmly holding it in
place. I have found this to be a weak point of many similar mechanisms
and will be paying attention to how this wears with use. The main
housing has a streamline rounded look with no corners or straight
lines. On the top back there is a knurled knob for accessing the
battery compartment. I found this easy to operate with my bare hands,
but it is also slotted so a tool could be used. Note; the slot looks
wide enough to accommodate an object like a small coin, and the tab on
the headband adjustment fits the slot like it was designed to be used
for this purpose. Another feature I would mention is that this screw
has no retainer, so when accessing the batteries the screw can come
out, but not easily. I will be keeping an eye on this to see if there
is a chance of losing the screw. The main housing splits open by way of
a second hinge. This hinge while made of the same plastic as the
housing looks to have a metal pin as a pivot. I would like to note that
an old Princeton headlamp that I have of similar design, the pin in
this hinge has worked its way out a few times and needed to be pushed
back into place, but this occurred only after years of hard use (maybe
a bit of abuse), so while it is something I will be watching, is not
really a concern. The battery compartment accommodates 3 AAA size
batteries. It arrived with 3 brand name alkaline batteries, but the
documentation says it will also work with lithium or rechargeable
batteries. Inside of the battery compartment I noticed an exposed heat
sink to dissipate heat from the LED’s. I can’t decide if I like the
design or not. I could see how having it located inside the battery
compartment could heat and thereby lower the life of the batteries, or
if it could help warm the batteries in cold weather, and/or if the
batteries might act as additional thermal mass and thereby make the
heat sink more effective. (To answer the obvious questions: Yes, I am
an engineer, and yes I am that much of a geek to think about this…as
will be obvious later when I use a light logging computer I made
specifically to measure the battery life and light levels). Inside the
battery compartment are molded "+" & "-" marks to indicate the
placement of the batteries. I found the batteries very easy to insert
and remove.
The
lamp contains 5 LED’s. 1 central spot light (or “MAXBRIGHT LED”) with
two red “ultrabright” LED’s on either side of it, and two dimmable
“ultrabright” white LED’s on either side, furthest away from the center.
On
Top of the lamp is the single operating button covered by a translucent
silicone covering. The button includes a red LED to indicate low
battery and the Lock/Unlock function (discussed below). The button
cover is flush with the outer housing making it difficult for the
button to be accidentally activated, but I had no trouble operating it
with my bare fingers. Gloves might make this more difficult.
The
company specifies the expected battery life as follows: “SPOT” (aka
MAXBRIGHT): 110 hours, dimmable white: 104 hrs; red: 150 hrs. The
packaging also appears to give some indication as to how the light will
dim over time. For example it appears shows the SPOT mode will retain
the same beam distance (brightness?) for 0.5 hours when it reduces
dramatically. The web site states the Maxbright LED gets 1 HR
“Regulated” burn time and 110 hrs total burn time. I did some initial
testing using a light sensor and microprocessor that I built
specifically for this test. The results are presented in the attached
graph. The light level was recorded every 5min starting about 1min
before the light was turned on. The light level remained relatively
constant for about 2.5 hrs (far exceeding the specifications I have
found) before beginning to dim. This change in light level was quite
noticeable when I looked into the test box. My experience with other
lamps of this type is that this dimming continues at a similar rate
until the batteries are completely depleted. I doubt I will get around
to measuring it for the entire 110+hrs but will try to measure the
other two modes if I can. Operation: A
single push of the power button activates the red LED’s. A double push
will switch the light to the MAXBRIGHT central LED (aka SPOT). And
holding down the power button will activate the outer dimmable lights;
these will cycle up/down through their range of illumination, flashing
at the high and low points, as long as the button is held. I found that
the double push, or holding the button down, will activate their
respective mode no matter what mode the light was previously in. For
example, with the red lights on, a double push will switch the light to
the MAXBRIGHT mode, while holding down the button will likewise switch
it to the dimmable mode. This even applies when already in the dimmable
setting and another light level is desired. Simply hold down the button
and it will again start to cycle up and down through the light levels.
I think this is its coolest feature. At any time a single press of the
button will turn the light off. A triple press of the button will
activate/deactivate the lockout mode. Activating/deactivating the lock
out is indicated by the red LED in the button flashing 3 times. When
the light is in lockout mode it will not turn on until the mode is
disabled by a second triple press. Lockout can be activated when the
light is off. The LED in the button also provides a low battery
indication. When the light is turned off and the battery life is below
about 20% (this will probably vary depending on the type of battery
used) the button LED will blink on and off. The documentation states
this will occur for about 12hrs but I suspect it will continue until
the batteries are unable to sustain this blinking any longer. It is
noted that this only operates when the light is turned off; there is no
low battery indication while the light is on. It also does not operate
if the light is in lock out mode. My test shows this blinking to be at
a rate of about once every 3 seconds, also that it will continue in
this manner even if the batteries are removed and reinserted or
replaced. Turning on/off the light with fresh batteries seems to reset
this.
The light is stated to be waterproof with an “IPX7”
rating. The graphic on the packaging shows “1m” but I learned the hard
way to look up what a manufacturer really means by “water proof” (I am
a slow learner, so it cost me 2 “waterproof” cameras to learn that
lesson). This rating means it is intended to withstand things like rain
and splashes and even a light dunking (up to 30min at a depth of up to
1m [3 feet]). So basically I can use it in the pouring rain and even if
I drop it into a puddle it should be fine, but I probably won’t be
using it for any midnight spear fishing trips (which I have not done
since I was a teenager so that should not be much of a problem).
The
light comes with a lifetime warranty (United States customers only. For
all others it is limited to 10 years) covering materials and
workmanship and excluding misuse, abuse, normal wear and tear, etc.
Use: I
found the headband easy to adjust and after a brief ~1hr of use,
comfortable. The lamp is lightweight (lighter that some of my older
lamps of similar design). The ratcheting tilt feature is easy to use,
appears to provide more than enough range of adjustment for anything I
might need, and seems to remain where I put it despite some exaggerated
head shaking.
I really like that the light defaults to the red
mode. Not only is this the most energy efficient therefore has the
longest predicted battery life, but is also the least disruptive, for
example should I turn it on while in a tent where someone else is
sleeping, or wish to retain my night vision.
The instructions
contained some simple to understand graphics as well as simple and easy
to understand text. But aside for how to switch modes the function of
the product is rather intuitive (as any well designed product should
be).
Initial testing in a darkened room was very promising. The
SPOT mode is surprisingly bright and casts a wide but well defined
beam. The red and dimmable white, while creating a less defined beam
than the SPOT still created a noticeable focal point both up close and
at a distance (which is surprising since it is created from two
separate LED's) with a nice wide scatter that should be useful for
general use. The dimmable mode has a very nice brightness range from
maximum to minimum, with the minimum being very dim, but quite usable.
I have found trying to read text in the dark by a white hand/head light
to often have too much contrast or glare to be comfortable, so I used
the red to read some labels and text in a darkened room at my office
and I am impressed at how readable the text was.
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Field
Report
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Due September 16 2015Usage - 3 days car camping Northern Cascades Washington
- 5 days car camping Salt Lake City Utah
- 1 night backpacking trip Deer Lake Central Cascades Washington
- 2 nights backpacking/fishing Dewy Lake Central Cascades Washington
- Assorted day hikes
- Assorted use at home
Review All
of my use of this lamp has been what I would consider short duration
such as walking around camp, looking for something in my tent, hammock,
pack, or needing additional light for some task (looking for something
under/behind furniture, etc. The Dewy Lake trip the temperature was
around 40 F (4 C), while the rest of the use was in warm (I would
describe as “shirt sleeve”) conditions. I have two seemingly
contradictory observations about Princeton Tec VIZZ Headlamp. As
mentioned in the Initial Review the light has good burn time for the
brightest setting. In my use so far I have not had any complaint about
the burn time of any of the modes; however I found that even limited
use of the MAXBRIGHT setting results in the battery indicator showing a
low battery condition which gives the impression of poor battery life.
While I know that when this indicator first starts the light will still
provide many hours of light, having this indicator active is kind of
disconcerting and annoys me until I replace the batteries. The result
is premature replacement of the batteries, which obviously is not very
environmentally friendly, nor is it friendly to my wallet. Note:
Being an engineer who has designed battery powered devices in the past
I can appreciate how difficult it is to create a simple and effective
battery level indication due to the way batteries work, the details of
which I will not get into here but suffice to say it can be quite
difficult to do. So I understand why the indicator functions as it does
even if I don’t like it. There is on the other hand one
beneficial aspect of the above. After discovering it, I have started
using the MAXBRIGHT setting only rarely, and use the dimmable white or
the red, except when I really wanted/needed a bright light. I am sure
this results in much more efficient use of my batteries, so I am really
vacillating on how I feel about this feature. While on one hand I find
it annoying, on the other I can appreciate that it has caused me to be
more judicious in my setting selection. When walking to/from the
bathroom or looking for something in my tent/hammock the red light has
been more than sufficient in providing the light I need. In fact a few
times I have been startled as to how bright the red light is when
turned on in very dark conditions. And while I have mostly used the
dimmable setting either at its maximum or minimum level I have no
complaints with its use or operation. As far as comfort goes I
really don’t have much to say. One morning I awoke in my hammock to
find I had fallen asleep with the headlamp on and was still wearing it.
So I would say it is comfortable. I don’t know how effective the
lock function has been in regards to preventing the lamp from being
turned on accidentally. The way the switch is recessed, I suspect it is
unlikely the light will get turned on accidently while being stored.
But I would say that when I put the lamp in my pack after locking it,
it gives me a level of comfort that it will not get turned on
accidentally and as a result be dead when I need it. I did have a bit
of frustration once when I was unable to get the light on only to
realize it was still locked. But upon realizing that, unlocking it was
quite intuitive so not a problem. One thing I was not sure of
with Princeton Tec VIZZ is if the inability to adjust the beam. Most of
the other head lamps have some sort of method of focusing or dispersing
the light either with a focus adjustment or lenses that spreads out the
beam when in place. So far I have not missed this sort of feature in
the least. The MAXBRIGHT setting provides a good spot of light and when
I need that level of concentrated light I also normally need the
maximum amount of light, so that is effective. At other times when I
don’t need such a concentrated beam I also don’t need it to be as
bright, so the wider spread of the dimmable or red setting works just
fine. So not having the adjustment is just one less thing to fidget
with or to fail. Aside for my little rant above about the
battery indicator I only have one minor complaint about the Princeton
Tec VIZZ and that is the screw that secures the battery compartment. As
mentioned in the Initial Report there is no retainer for the screw. One
time I opened the battery compartment, removed the batteries and then
walked to the garage to get another set, only to discover the screw was
missing. Retracing my steps I discovered the screw lying on the table
where I had opened it. Had this occurred in the field, in the dark,
losing the screw would have been very likely.
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Long
Term Report |
November 10 2015 | Usage
- Night hike White Pass Washington (Central Cascades)
- 2 short day hike/fishing trips near Yakima Wa (carried but did not use)
- Assorted use at home
Review With
snow in the forecast, temps just below freezing, I headed up to White
Pass for a hike around Leach Lake (following the cross country ski
trail). With low clouds and no moon upon getting out of my vehicle it
was as they say “dark as the inside of a cows stomach”. I had to use a
small flashlight I keep in the car in order to locate the Princeton
VIZZ which for some reason I had put inside my pack. After getting set
up I headed for the trailhead using the red light setting but quickly
found it was not enough light and quickly changed it to the brightest
setting of the dimmable mode. At the trail head I briefly
switched to the MAXBRIGHT setting but found that was unnecessary for my
needs so went back to the dimmable mode at its brightest setting. I
ended up leaving it that way for the entire walk (about 1.5hr) around
the lake. Normally for these conditions I would have worn a light pair
of knit gloves or glove liners, but in my haste to get out the door I
ended up grabbing a somewhat heaver pair. I found with these gloves I
was able to adjust the tilt of the light as needed but entirely unable
to operate the switch. With my thinner gloves I suspect I would
probably be able to operate the switch with no problems.
Upon
returning home from my hike, in preparation for this report I inspected
the entire light for any signs of wear of problems. The ratchet like
tilt shows no wear and still holds the light in position as well as
when I first received it. I attribute that to the rubber to plastic
constructions (vs plastic to plastic as I have seen other similar
lights use). The head band and housing also show no signs of
wear. I attempted to open the battery compartment but found it stuck.
Since the screw comes out completely when unscrewed it was of no help
in getting the battery compartment open. I finally managed to use my
finger nail to pry it open. After opening it once I was able to
close/open it again with no problem so it must have just been stuck to
the gasket from being closed for so long.
In conclusion there
are some things I really like about this light such as how it defaults
to the red light mode as well as the ease of operation despite having
only 1 switch. The tilt is easy to adjust and stays in place, and
appears like it will endure many adjustments before wearing loose. The
battery compartment screw coming all the way out is kind of an
annoyance as is the seemingly premature low battery indication, so I
would not consider it a rather minor fault. Overall, given the headlights
I currently have, while I would not call this one my favorite, I do
like it and would expect to use it in the future. For group
outings where I expect to be sharing accommodations with others (tent,
hotel room, etc) this will be the light I pack.
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Likes:
- Switch between modes without having to turn the light off
- Lockout feature
- Defaults to red light mode
- The fact that it has a battery indicator
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Opportunities:
- No retention for the battery compartment screw
- The battery indicator results in my replacing the batteries prematurely
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This
concludes
my Report. I would like to thank the folks at Princeton Tec and BackpackGearTest.org
for the opportunity to test this product.
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