Princeton Tec Apex Headlamp

The Apex (and the upcoming Apex pro) are the top of the line headlamps from Priceton Tech. The headlamp has a Luxeon III LED as the main illumination source and four 5mm LEDs surrounding the luxeon, two on each side.

Both the luxeon and the 4mm leds have 2 levels of brightness, high and low, the 4mm leds have a third mode for blinking. The idea is to use the 4mm leds for close works and long runtime and the luxeon led for distance. The leds are regulated offering flat light output regardless of the battery status.

The batteries are 4AA batteries located in a carrier at the back of the straps. It can use akaline, rechargeable or lithium batteries indistinctly. Using alkaline batteries the Apex can run for 24 hours (1 hour of regulation) in its brightest mode and up to 108 hours (5o of regulation) using the 4mm leds in low mode. There is a battery life indicator to know the status of the batteries.

To activate the leds there are two independant switches in the headlamp, turning one set of leds on will turn the other off, so it is not possible to use the luxeon and the 4mm leds at the same time, you have to choose depending on what you need. The luxeon throws really nicely and can reach long distances, the 4mm leds are fine for operation indoors or for close inspections.

The light is waterproof and impact resistant, it is a little heavy and bulky for every day carry but can be packed in a bag or backpack for outdoor activities. If you need a dependable headlamp powerful enough to rival incandescent headlamps with the versatility and durability of leds the Apex is a great option.

Available in black, olive green and orange. More information in the product page. You can get it for $64 from Lighthound.