Hey guys, I'm in the military and I'm looking for a new headlamp. I currently have a crappy Energizer that requires me to click through three levels of white light to get the red and that just isn't acceptable. I really need a good red light for night land navigation and need a lamp that won't accidentally discharge.
I'm mostly looking at Princeton Tec's MLPS line because I like the idea of a headlamp that will attach to molle webbing. The Remix Pro ( http://princetontec.com/?q=remix-pro-mpls ) is the one I'm most interested in cause it uses red LEDs instead of a diffuser. Not crazy about the CR123 battery requirement but I could live with that.
Anyone used any of the Princeton Tec headlamps? Any idea what kind of red LEDs they use (ie: are they true red, or red-orange)? How does the Remix Pro compare the to EOS Tactical or Quad Tactical (especially in terms of red light brightness)? Any other suggestions for a head lamp that would suit my needs?
I have a regular Remix Pro headlight, the updated 100 lumen model. Looks like the MLPS version is only 70 lumens. Mine has a nice balanced beam on high with plenty of spot and flood light. That's to be expected with a Cree XP-G. The MLPS model probably has a Cree XP-E or possibly a Luxeon Rebel. In either case, those l.e.d.s will throw more but be at least 30% less efficient with the same runtimes. My Remix Pro has white l.e.d.s so unfortunetly, I can't comment on the red l.e.d.s. There are plenty of places to find reviews though. Try www.rei.com and look at the reviews of the regular Remix. The l.e.d.s will be the same. Runtime on low is 40 hours, on medium/low was 5 hours, on medium/high was 7 hours, and on high was 3.6 hours. Brightness for all white l.e.d.s was under 5 lumens on low, 30 lumens on medium/low, 60 lumens on medium high, and 100 lumens on high. The MLPS version will have the same runtimes but will be 30% dimmer.
Be aware that this headlight has no lockout feature and can be turned on accidentally. The PT EOS headlight is better from that standpoint. If you want a light with a red l.e.d. and a lockout feature and don't want to use lithiums, take a look at the Black Diamond Storm. The red l.e.d. won't be as bright (it only has one), but it has a lockout feature, is more waterproof, and takes regular batteries.
Last edited by Hooked on Fenix; 07-07-2012 at 04:09 PM.
I have a few PT headlamps...to be specific I use the EOS-bike, the Apex-extreme, and the Byte. I'm pleased with all of them. My only concern is my byte lacks an O-ring in the battery compartment access door, so I question how waterproof it would be in a hard rain......Light rain, I'm not worried at all. But to date it has not failed me. I am not specifically familiar with the Military models. But if you are using a..as you put it...a crappy energizer, then you will be very pleased when you make the jump up to a decent name brand headlamp. Even if it does not sport the latest and greatest in LED emitters. As CR123 batteries go, you can find good sources if you buy in bulk quantities. Usually for around 1 USD each. Just watch the shipping. They sometimes hit you with the same rate if you order one, or fifty. I usually order mine in quantities of 50. That amount lasts me for usually a year, to a year and a half.
I fly a 747 for a company that has military contracts and I have made more than one trip into Central Asia. On one of those trips one of the soldiers that was working with my flight expressed an interest in my flashlight, a surefire A2. After a short talk with him I came to find out he had a flashlight that uses CR123 and he was in need of batteries. I gave him the four spares that I had. He was very appreciative.
They used Princeton Tec Quad MLPS and Point MLPS in the Avengers movie. I guess that is not really relevant to this thread, but I thought it was interesting anyway.
Princeton Tec MLPS headlamps
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