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Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Vizz headlamp > Test Report by Jamie DeBenedetto
Product Information Back to contents
Field Tests June thru August Back to contents Since receiving the Princeton Tec Vizz Headlamp back in June I've only been able to field test it on two night hikes, ranging between 2.5 and 4 hrs. Both hikes took place in the Sonoran Desert Preserve located in North Phoenix, Arizona. On both these outings I experienced clear weather with hot temperatures; the max being a toasty 102 F (39 C) at the start of my first hike. I have also used
the Vizz on half a dozen or so occasions around my house and garden,
total burn time doing these odd jobs was I'm sure no more than 1.5 hrs. Field Notes Back to contents On hike #1 I chose a nearly moonless night with the intent of evaluating the sufficiency of the Ultrabright White LEDs compared to the Maxbright Spot LED option. The former being the setting I figured I'd be using most for tasks at the trailhead, while walking and for rest stops along the way. The White LED option starts off at the dimmest level and progresses a few "clicks" brighter to its highest output. I discovered I preferred the brighter setting for walking, while the dimmer was fine at the trailhead and whenever I needed to retrieve things from my pack. My companions and I came across a little rattlesnake about halfway into our trek who decided the middle of the trail was a good place for an early evening nap. Upon approach I had no problem spotting the sleepy fella with the Ultrabright White LEDs but I chose to switch to the Maxbright option as we ventured off the path and into the desert shrubs to make our way around. Boy is that ever correctly named! Sometimes when you see little snakes, there are more little snakes so I was glad to have the brighter option and it worked great to get all of us around the road block and back onto the trial safely. On hike #2, I needed to use the Maxbright option several more times because we had a few issues with our four legged hiking companions stepping in cacti and being chewed on by fire ants. Yes, the desert is sometimes very inhospitable, don't judge! Again, it was more than bright enough for my needs. In the stop and go setting of this outing I found the rotation feature of the Vizz to be quite handy and totally doable one-handed. This was quite an asset because I was working in close quarters with another hiker (as we removed cholla cactus from doggie feet) who did not have a headlamp. The full downward rotation allowed me to keep the light on the area of focus without totally blinding him. I haven't had any
opportunities to test the waterproof claims of the Vizz yet, nor have
I needed to change out the batteries in the field. I will attempt to
get to both of these in the last two months of testing and report my
findings in my Long Term Report. Pros and Cons Thus Far Back to contents Pleasing Aspects
Underwhelming Aspects
Collective Use and Field Conditions Back to contents Over the course of the entire test period I was able to use the Princeton Tec Vizz Headlamp on six night hikes and for nearly a dozen other random tasks around my house, garden and garage. Here are the locations and conditions of my last four outings: Hike #3 - Short evening hike in the foothills near Cave Creek Regional Park in Phoenix, AZ, elevation around 2,000 ft (610 m). This was a 2.5 hour trek through Sonoran Desert terrain. Unfortunately temperatures were in the low 90's F (34 C) even after dark! I used the Vizz almost the entire hike on the highest setting of the Ultrabright White LEDs. At rest stops I typically switched to the Red option to spare my companions eyes. Hike #4 - Family night hike in Spur Cross Conservation Area in Cave Creek, AZ. The elevation in this desert/riparian area is around 2,200 ft (670 m). Again conditions were hot, low 90's (34 C) at least. Most of the 2.5 hr stroll was spent searching for scorpions while trying to avoid snakes and piles of horse poo. Like previous hikes, I used the Ultrabright White LEDs the most but had to switch over to the Maxbright Spot LED setting on several occasions for safety reasons. Hikes #5 & #6 - These two outings took place on back-to-back weekends up in Prescott, AZ, elevation 5,200 ft (1,600 m). Terrain in Prescott is a jumbled mess of high desert, chaparral scrub and woodland with temperatures in the low 70's (23 C) (which is a little slice of heaven by desert dweller standards). Both trips were short use situations where I needed light coming and going at the trailhead/picnic area. I used the Red LEDs several times and the Ultrabright White while walking. Use time on each night was about an hour. I don't have any
pics of me wearing the Vizz, I don't really do selfies, but I did capture
this handsome fella on one of my summer night treks and since he's cuter
than me I figured why not share him with you all. Wild Burros love having
their picture taken. Long Term Conclusions Back to contents It wouldn't really do the PTEC Vizz justice if I simply said, "It works great!", but honestly, that pretty well sums it up. This little headlamp performed beautifully for my needs throughout the summer and into the fall. With three LED choices and different degrees of illumination I always found the perfect one for my needs. Night-time hiking in the Southwest is a bit risky because we have to share the nocturnal hours with the rattlesnakes. Knowing I had a very bright spotlight option only one click away was really comforting. Several of my hiking companions were also impressed with the light output of the Maxbright Spot setting, especially when we ran into critters or more accurately when making an effort to NOT run into critters. The Vizz is still in very good shape, although to be fair I didn't abuse it much. When not on my head, it rode in the side pocket of my pack every day I hiked (which was about 80 times). Beyond that I only dropped it once from about a foot (30 cm) up as I tried to pull it out of my pack. Although it landed on a pebbly surface, it didn't have a scratch. The headband is also in very good shape. It's maintained its soft stretchy feel and hasn't picked up any odors from my sweaty head so far. Unfortunately, I didn't have any opportunities to verify the 3 ft (1 m) waterproof claims. I can, however, confirm light rain wasn't a problem for the Vizz. Changing the batteries in a well lit place was a cinch. As I pointed out in the beginning of this report, Princeton Tec's genius idea to integrate a screw tab into the headband buckle makes popping open the battery compartment nearly effortless. I found it a little more tedious to unseat each battery (especially since my fingernails are always super short) but the screw tab helps with that too. It only works on the connection point at the positive end of the battery, however. On the other hand, changing the batteries in the dark (because the Vizz was my light source remember) is a bit more challenging. Mainly I had trouble fitting the screw tab into the screw when I couldn't see it. On the positive side I didn't have to worry about dropping the screw tab or the screw because again, PTEC was clever and designed it so that the screw doesn't fall out when it's loosened. I also had a hard time remembering which direction each battery faced but I figure that will get easier with repetition. On the whole, the
Vizz is a well conceived product. The only improvement I can think of,
and may I say, I'm really having to dig deep to find something to be critical
about, would be to add a little strip under the batteries so they can
be popped out more quickly. Outside of that, I really found nothing disagreeable
about the Vizz. I know I'll be using this headlamp for many more trips
to come. My thanks for Backpackgeartest.org for hosting this test series and to Princeton Tec for providing the gear. J. DeBenedetto-2015
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