PT EOS for hunting or ???

[_Shawn_]

Narrowed it down to the PT EOS or the PT EOS Tactical. (I think)


Advice?

Before I pull the trigger I figured I would get opinions on the two and I'm leaning towards the EOS because of availability.

The Princeton Tec EOS tactical comes with a red, green, and blue filter. But is rated at 45 lumens. Also has a slightly different UI but that is not an issue.

The largest (only) problem with the EOS tactical is the fact there are no reviews on it and I have no idea what type of LED it uses.

These were the requirements that I had when narrowing it down to the two in order of importance.

• Must be able to take lithium batteries. (AAA, AA or 123 ok; lighter & for cold)
• Must have low and high settings.
• Must be small and light.
• Must have good beam for headlight, balance for close up and distance.
• Good run time.
• Under $50. Lower the better as equipment gets lost sometimes.
• Prefer to have option to use red filter or have red LED. But not at the expense of the first 5. ( A red key fob led can fill this role if needed)

 

[_Shawn_]

Just found this thread:

PT EOS or EOS Tactical : http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=233467&highlight=EOS+Tactical

And found this:

I had a couple tacticals before and was trying to mod them.

I don't have the measurements on me (they are in a thread somewhere!) but the optic is quite a bit shorter than the stock one and no reasonably priced reflector could be found (an IMS17 is way too long).


The Tactical is slightly diffferent internally (circuitwise) and no longer has the thermal diode attached to the led star.

I never ended up keeping them so can't comment too much further.


EDIT: also the tactical starts on low first, and I think the strobe was slightly different.
If the beam is narrower, it's because the extended housing blocks the edges of the lense, not because of a more focused optic. I was not impressed.

Should I care about the shorter optic and, that thermal diode is not attached to the led star? Also I think that he was talking about the older 25lm version not the new 45lm version. So it may be the same as the EOS?


.

 

[Pacecar]

The EOS is great for hunting spiders and seeing their eyes shine.
But not that powerful for other hunting uses.... except to walk to your hunting stand.

 

[_Shawn_]

The EOS is great for hunting spiders and seeing their eyes shine.
But not that powerful for other hunting uses.... except to walk to your hunting stand.

Probably should have said for use when hunting.

The primary use would be for the hike to the stand before the sun comes up. Fiddling with stuff in the stand with two hands (reason red would be nice). And, can't forget the hike back to camp after sundown.

Other info if anyone cares: I usually also pack a hand held. Something for distance, a surfire G3. Other times a single AA Fenix or surefire L1. Depends on the terrain. But always have at least one key-chain button light just in case the headlamp dies.

 

[vtunderground]

I use an EOS for hunting (hiking in and out of the woods, and finding/cleaning deer after dark). It's plenty bright - I usually leave it on "medium".

Have you considered the Princeton Tec Remix? It's available with red 5mm LEDs in addition to the white spot beam. In my opinion, the EOS is a nicer headlamp, but the red beam from the Remix will be a lot brighter than the filtered red beam from the EOS Tactical.

 

[defloyd77]

Have you considered the Princeton Tec Remix? It's available with red 5mm LEDs in addition to the white spot beam. In my opinion, the EOS is a nicer headlamp, but the red beam from the Remix will be a lot brighter than the filtered red beam from the EOS Tactical.

This came to my mind too, there's also a green LED version. The Remix however is not regulated, this may or may not be a bad thing depending on how you look at it.

 

[woodentsick]

Also the Remix's long distance beam is narrower than EOS...

That being said, the Remix's short-distance beam is wider than EOS... If you're using the 5mm LEDs on the Remix

 

[woodentsick]

This came to my mind too, there's also a green LED version. The Remix however is not regulated, this may or may not be a bad thing depending on how you look at it.

I like the EOS as it is regulated for only 1 hour on high, with 112 hours of non-regulation to go, so the beam doesn't just suddenly die

 

[fishx65]

Been using an EOS for years on my hunting adventures. I bowhunt about 75 days a year and the EOS has been awesome. The Rebel was a big improvement over the old Lux version. I also carry a bored 6P running a R2 and an extra 18650. Both nice and small so easy to pocket.

 

[_Shawn_]

Have you considered the Princeton Tec Remix? It's available with red 5mm LEDs in addition to the white spot beam. In my opinion, the EOS is a nicer headlamp, but the red beam from the Remix will be a lot brighter than the filtered red beam from the EOS Tactical.

I did not realize that the Remix could be ordered with red 5mm leds. Have only seen the version with the white 5mm leds.

It looks good except it is only IPX4 where the EOS is IPX7. Quick dunks only with IPX4, one meter under water is okay with IPX7.

I know a red LED is more efficient than the filter. I wonder if I should opt for better water resistance or opt for better 'red'.

Now I have something to think about. Thanks.

I have already ordered the EOS and a EOS tactical from RIE. They have a great return policy and in this case it is worth the extra few $$ to take a look at each (in the package) and decide. I'll have to look at the Remix again and imagine what it would be like with the red leds. Maybe order one of those also. :thinking:

 

[Old Farmer]

Do you need a red filter, when walking to the stand, so as not to spook the deer?

 

[Buck91]

I did not realize that the Remix could be ordered with red 5mm leds. Have only seen the version with the white 5mm leds.

It looks good except it is only IPX4 where the EOS is IPX7. Quick dunks only with IPX4, one meter under water is okay with IPX7.

I know a red LED is more efficient than the filter. I wonder if I should opt for better water resistance or opt for better 'red'.

Now I have something to think about. Thanks.

I have already ordered the EOS and a EOS tactical from RIE. They have a great return policy and in this case it is worth the extra few $$ to take a look at each (in the package) and decide. I'll have to look at the Remix again and imagine what it would be like with the red leds. Maybe order one of those also. :thinking:

I wouldn't expect to need an overwhelming amount of light if your using red, so the less effecient filter should be ok. I'd like to see an option for a white diffuser though.

 

[_Shawn_]

Do you need a red filter, when walking to the stand, so as not to spook the deer?

I use it to keep night vision. I hear that it will not spook as much as white so yes that is a plus. I figure motion and noise is more of a concern when it comes to spooking animals.l

 

[Buck91]

EOS Tactical just arrived today, so of course I had to play with it a little...

Two things immediately stuck me
1. The hinge mechanism seems really flimsy, although it seems to work decently well... for now.
2. Does NOT have the frosted optic (packaging says 45lm and the led is clearly a Seoul). Still, the beam is a very nice balance of throw and flood- at least around the house.

In general its a very nice unit though. Rubust feel (except the hinge), comfortable and decently bright with decent throw- comparable to my L1Tv2 on high. The three modes are pointless as middle isn't different enough from either to be useful. Low is really rather bright, actually, and I would expect it to be used most often. I would expect water resistance to not be an issue unless it leaks around the lens. The push button switch is extremely stiff and I don't think I much care for it, although perhaps its a fair trade off to prevent accidental activation (eg. in your pack).

I'll try to post an update after I take it out for a run hopefully sunday evening. Like I said, these are just first/general impression and they are directly related to my impression of the H30b-Q5 I just got.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

EOS Tactical just arrived today, so of course I had to play with it a little...

Two things immediately stuck me
1. The hinge mechanism seems really flimsy, although it seems to work decently well... for now.
2. Does NOT have the frosted optic (packaging says 45lm and the led is clearly a Seoul). Still, the beam is a very nice balance of throw and flood- at least around the house.

In general its a very nice unit though. Rubust feel (except the hinge), comfortable and decently bright with decent throw- comparable to my L1Tv2 on high. The three modes are pointless as middle isn't different enough from either to be useful. Low is really rather bright, actually, and I would expect it to be used most often. I would expect water resistance to not be an issue unless it leaks around the lens. The push button switch is extremely stiff and I don't think I much care for it, although perhaps its a fair trade off to prevent accidental activation (eg. in your pack).

I'll try to post an update after I take it out for a run hopefully sunday evening. Like I said, these are just first/general impression and they are directly related to my impression of the H30b-Q5 I just got.

I wonder if they updated the tactical EOS to the 70 lumen version like the regular EOS without updating the packaging in time. They did the same thing in the last upgrade from 25 to 50 lumens for the EOS. You may be the first to have the most updated version of the EOS. If it has a SSC P4 l.e.d., I'd guess the tint is a little bluish/cool white. That would be a step back for tint if that's the case. However, the SSC P4 l.e.d. has a very good beam pattern with great throw and lots of spill with Cree XR-E efficiency and no Cree rings. I was hoping for Rebel 100s in the updated EOS and no change in it's perfect beam pattern. I'll have to wait and see now if this upgrade (if it is the upgrade) is actually an improvement for me or not. For all we know, they could use Rebel 100s for the EOS and SSC P4s in the tactical EOS. The SSC P4 with a smooth reflector and clear optic would work better with colored light filters versus a Rebel l.e.d. with a frosted optic. More throw translates to more light getting through the colored filter. We'll just have to wait and see. Pics would sure help.

 

[I Know Nothing]

...For all we know, they could use Rebel 100s for the EOS and SSC P4s in the tactical EOS...

Yeah, as a general point... surely one of the big selling points of the kind of lights people talk about on here (Fenix, Nitecore, Surefire etc) is that they give you all the specs regarding emitter types, output, run times etc. Why on earth would I buy a light that tells me it has a maximum so and so lumens, doesn't state what the low mode output is and gives run times that give no real indication of how long it's going to actually be usable for?

 

[Buck91]

Small update, still havent taken it out running or anything since I've been lazy.

As far as tint, its actually rather vanilla- I would compare it to my Victorinox modded with P4 U2SV0H- maybe a little more pleasant actually. Decent throw but a rather broad beam- would make a great all purpose light... If I trusted the hinge mount more (its really flimsey!). In fact, if anybody has come up with a more robust mount I would be very interested

Pic isn't much, but I think it shows the optic and LED decent enough.

 

[_Shawn_]

It's been a little while. I have an update.

I ordered the PT EOS (50lm) and the EOS tactical (45lm).

I compared the two and this is what I found.

1. The switch on the EOS was better for me than the tactical. The tactical was hard to operate and almost impossible when I put gloves on.
2. Beam on the EOS was smooth no rings, the tactical had some rings and a sharp cutoff around the edges due to the housing that holds the filters. Over all not a big deal but I liked the EOS better that the Tactiacl. The EOS had a little more flood and the tactical seamed to have a defined hot spot.
3. The EOS was noticeably brighter (to my eyes) on high than the tactical. I'm not sure why the difference was noticeable. I figure that there was more than 5lm difference. The hot spot (center of the beam) appeared to be about the same. The flood on the EOS mad it brighter than the tactical.
4. The EOS had a warmer color, the tactical was a white/almsot blue color. LED lotto?

In the end I kept the EOS and returned the tactical. The low on the EOS was low enough not to completely destroy night vision, figure that I can get by with out red. If I find that I really need a red light I'll find another solution. Maybe a key chain light or another headlamp to fill that roll.

 

[Buck91]

How does the regular EOS hinge/mount compare to the tactical?

 

[vtunderground]

How does the regular EOS hinge/mount compare to the tactical?

I believe they're the same.

I've used an Eos almost every day, ever since it was first released. I now own three of them. I haven't had any trouble with the hinge, even when using the Eos as a primary caving headlamp. I can't recall ever hearing of broken or damaged hinges either.