woodfluter
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2005
- Messages
- 142
I've been kind of cool on headlamps for a while. Yeah, I had two and used them when I absolutely had to have my hands free. Way way back, I did a lot of caving and used a carbide lamp...but that's another story.
Recently, I've re-thought the options and came to different conclusions.
My headlamp objections were:
1. Poor terrain illumination. The high position is good in some respects, but a lower position, down around my waist or lower, showed the dips and rises much better. More helpful shadows are cast.
2. Crappy atmospherics. With the light above the eyes, every water droplet and dust particle and pollen grain between my eyes and what I want to see is brightly illuminated. On cold nights, vapor rises and almost completely blanks out my vision with every breath.
3. Inconvenience. Oh yes, hands free, but I'm a hat and cap guy. Watch caps and pile beanies will sort of work, but when the elastic headband is put on over them, the whole thing rides up and eventually slips off unless I tighten it up to headache-producing levels. And I like to slip headgear off and scratch my head sometimes. PITA.
I already had a Black Diamond Moonlight for general close-up use and a PT Apex for versatile heavy duty. Recently I got both the PT Quad and PT Eos. The two of them together weigh less than the Apex. Both take alkalines, NiMH, lithium primaries. So here is where I have been going with this:
I wear the Quad upside down, around my neck. Stays put, angle adjusts as much as I need that way, good flood to illuminate nearby path on lowest setting, higher flood for trickier passages, no interference from atmospherics and improved (but not ideal) terrain perception. No headgear issues. I don't really care if the button is on the bottom. Fine position for reading.
When needed, I wear the Eos on my head as God and PT intended. Generally for occasional use. The spot is better suited to pointing where you are looking. With the Quad flood, not an issue. The Eos does a great job of reaching out and touching something. On low, good for moving around inconspicously.
This combination is more versatile for my typical uses, if less elegant than one unit. If I find batteries declining in the Quad, I could raid the Eos, probably.
Any thoughts?
- Bill
Recently, I've re-thought the options and came to different conclusions.
My headlamp objections were:
1. Poor terrain illumination. The high position is good in some respects, but a lower position, down around my waist or lower, showed the dips and rises much better. More helpful shadows are cast.
2. Crappy atmospherics. With the light above the eyes, every water droplet and dust particle and pollen grain between my eyes and what I want to see is brightly illuminated. On cold nights, vapor rises and almost completely blanks out my vision with every breath.
3. Inconvenience. Oh yes, hands free, but I'm a hat and cap guy. Watch caps and pile beanies will sort of work, but when the elastic headband is put on over them, the whole thing rides up and eventually slips off unless I tighten it up to headache-producing levels. And I like to slip headgear off and scratch my head sometimes. PITA.
I already had a Black Diamond Moonlight for general close-up use and a PT Apex for versatile heavy duty. Recently I got both the PT Quad and PT Eos. The two of them together weigh less than the Apex. Both take alkalines, NiMH, lithium primaries. So here is where I have been going with this:
I wear the Quad upside down, around my neck. Stays put, angle adjusts as much as I need that way, good flood to illuminate nearby path on lowest setting, higher flood for trickier passages, no interference from atmospherics and improved (but not ideal) terrain perception. No headgear issues. I don't really care if the button is on the bottom. Fine position for reading.
When needed, I wear the Eos on my head as God and PT intended. Generally for occasional use. The spot is better suited to pointing where you are looking. With the Quad flood, not an issue. The Eos does a great job of reaching out and touching something. On low, good for moving around inconspicously.
This combination is more versatile for my typical uses, if less elegant than one unit. If I find batteries declining in the Quad, I could raid the Eos, probably.
Any thoughts?
- Bill