broken APEX extreme

So...I purchased a new 8AA Apex extreme a few months ago. I really like the light but the cord is complete junk when it goes below zero degrees (F). I had a dead headlamp around the cabin with a nice arctic cord so i figured I could swap them out. Snip, Snip, Twist, twist...uh oh...
When I got it all back together the Apex would blink a green light at me telling me that it had power, but would not turn on. When I wired the factory wire back in same thing. Green indicator light but no "real light".

A bit more info. I just snipped the wires coming out of the lamp and the battery pack and wired the arctic cord in between the two. I did make sure to not get my wires crossed when doing this so that was not the problem. The Arctic cord is a bit larger gauge wire than the factory Apex cord

It is almost like all the bulbs went dead.

Anyways, its dark most of the day up here (AK), and feeding and running my dogs has become a bit more difficult without my new headlamp!

Any suggestions or advice (besides get a new one) would be greatly appreciated.

Double-check that you didn't cross the wires and get the polarity screwed up. Double-check that your electrical connections are secure; twisting wires together is shoddy work, at least use crimp connectors or preferably solder and heat-shrink. Double-check that your connections are well insulated, and not shorting out on each other.

Are your batteries any good? Are you certain? Maybe you drained the pack with an accidental short.

I can't imagine running dogs without a good, working headlamp. Yikes.

the "twist" technique was not permanent, just wanted to make sure it worked before i put heat shrink on it. Did not see the point of continuing if it was not working. I will try to do it right tonight. Thanks for the advise.

New batteries first...
I'll ditto the need for solid connections. Solder 'em. The voltage regulation
chips could be sensing the high resistance of wires twisted together and not letting it come on.
A reason smart lights may not be always smart.

DJLa said:

the "twist" technique was not permanent, just wanted to make sure it worked before i put heat shrink on it. Did not see the point of continuing if it was not working. I will try to do it right tonight. Thanks for the advise.

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Wire nuts would be great for temporary diagnostic use, but they'd get caught on stuff if you kept them for real outdoor use.