Princeton Tec: Rage vs Attitude

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Just wondering if anyone has compared the Tec 40 (Rage) to the Attitude? As far as light distance and quality.
 

louie

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The Tec 40 is not the Rage. The Tec 40 uses 4AA and a PR base lamp. The Rage is 4AAA and uses a custom lamp/reflector module.

The Rage is quite bright for a small light (it kills a MiniMag), but not focused, so throw is not great. The beam in mine is not bad, but has blotches, with a central hot spot The Attitude has much less output, but runs much longer and has a smoother, bluish beam with a mild central hot spot.

Do a search for the Tec 40 mods and you learn all about it. It's nice, too, and you can use rechargeable AAs and brighter lamps.

All 3 are nice lights and I have them all. Buy them both, er, all 3!
 
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**DONOTDELETE**

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Sorry about that still learning about all these lights. But by the searches that I have done, the general opinion seems to be that the Tec 40 is the best all round 4AA. Is this safe to say, or is there a better 4AA or 4AAA out there?
 

louie

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Oh, that's all a matter of endless debate! The Tec 40 is an excellent light, and inexpensive. It has some flaws that are well documented in CPF (odd battery contacts that deform some rechargeables, not enough depth for all bulbs, no place for a spare bulb). Many people prefer the Streamlight or UKE 4AA models.

I'd say the 4AA units have a little more battery power than the 4AAA units, and you can get AA lithiums for the most power, especially in the cold. The Tec 40's big plus is it takes standard PR bulbs, although not all will fit in the depth available. You may have discovered, the consenus is that the KPR103 with NiMH rechargeable batts is a great combination if you use the light a lot. I had the Radio Shack KPR103 blow pretty fast, so I am trying Maglite 3 cell bulbs, then RayoVac and see if they are any better. If they all blow too fast, I'll go back to the OEM lamp, the HMP20. And I personally much prefer the textured reflector, which is now standard, although the old ones came with the smooth reflector.
 

pec50

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Since the Attitude and Rage share the same body, you might want to consider puchasing the Attitude and the Rage lamp assembly; interchange the head assembly as desired between bright incandescent vs LED long battery life. Depending upon your needs, the AAA Attitude is quite small and "pocketable" in comparison to the Tec40. Note also that the Tec40 may be purchased with a smooth reflector for longer throw or stipled orange peal reflector for a smoother wider throw. Many threads on these lights.
 

ikendu

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Originally posted by New Guy:
...Tec 40 is the best all round 4AA. Is this safe to say, or is there a better 4AA or 4AAA out there?
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I had a Tec 40...and returned it.
It did deform my NiMH AAs (ruined a set of 4) and, I found I didn't like the "turn on by twist" head.

You may find that at Tec 40 is perfect for you, however, before you get one. I recommend you try the Ray-O-Vac 4AA Camper. $3 at Walmart. It still allows you use 4 NiMH AAs (really inexpensive to operate), try different bulbs (K3 KPR103, two for $1.60 at Walmart...REALLY bright) and has a slide switch to boot.

If you don't like it, you're only out $3.

Anything else you buy (NiMH, bulbs, whatever) you can always use later in a Tec 40 if you want to.

I have the 4AA Camper, use it every day, and love it!
 

lemlux

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Louie:

As a contributor to many prior threads concerning the PT40 let me compliment you on your clear and concise summary of many of the issues that a prospective PT40 owner should consider. I haven't seen a better summary on all the posts I've read.

I will add one new observation. The small custom Carley 3.5 V 2.30 A T-1 1/2 bulb ceramically potted into a PR base driven by NiMH's in the PT40 with the smooth reflector works quite well. This is probably because the narrow glass envelope has a very compact filament that doesn't generate many artifacts on the reflector. It can be adjusted for a relatively narrow beam and long throw.
 

louie

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Lemlux said:
let me compliment you on your clear and concise summary...
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Thank you. My observations come from EDC-ing a 40 since 1998, plus of course, CPF.

Perhaps we should have FAQs?

BTW, I have used Nexcell, Radio Shack and RayoVac NiMH AA in the light and never had a problem with deformation. I do believe the inner battery contacts are a design that has been superceded. Also, my black plastic bezel grip comes off sometimes. But is is rugged and waterproof.
 

lemlux

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My newer PT40's (I have 4 plus extra bezels and reflectors) have a fabric mesh connector strip on the bottom as compared to the metal strip on the bottom of earlier models (circa 1990). This new design may be more battery friendly than the earlier design. The conductive mesh probably does a better job of contacting the center of the negative battery terminal because it appears to have some local compressability.

Nonetheless, I still use a thin foil wad on the bottom negative terminal that makes the other battery a little looser than I'd like with NiMHs.
 
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