Princeton Tec headlamp quality lacking. The search continues...

As an airline mechanic that works graveyard there are 2 tools I rely on daily (er...nightly)... my headlamp and my flashlight. I have gone through many different brands and types of headlamps over the years and for some reason out of all the lamps I have had the Princeton Tec lamps ALWAYS break on me. They usually break in the area around the battery cover hinge or the clip that hold the battery cover in place. Most of the websites that have reviews on the PT lamps seem to always have negative reviews with customers with the same problems. I am posting this to maybe drum up some info from some fellow flashaholics on headlamps that have been sturdy for them. I am in need of yet another headlamp so I figured maybe I could find out some information on some solid headlamps.

I need a small light that I can put in my pocket, has good flood and won't break in a week.
So far I am thinking of:

Petzl Tikka HP 2 ( I have had good experience with my Petzl headlamps )
Mammut Lucido TXLite ( Never had a Mammut lamp but they seem to have good reviews )

It might help if you tell us which specific PT headlamps you have had fail.

Princeton Tech is cutting costs by
using a cheaper type of plastic.
Was it an Apex that broke?

Petzl uses a tougher formula
which makes them cost more.

+1 for a Petzl. If that isn't tough enough, try the fenix headlight or a zebralight (both are aluminum).

Well the latest model I had fail was a PT Fuel. The one before that was an PT Aurora. Before that were a couple Incan models but they are long gone and I can't remember the models. I will look into Fenix and Zebralight. Thanks

Edit:
WHOA where have I been? Those Zebralights are exactly what I need. I have never even heard of them. Can you recommend one over the other? I read about every one but man talk about a tough decision. Maybe I will just buy one of everything! Thanks for the tip on those. Time for some research!

I am new to this section of the forum and wow I have been missing out. The threads on Zebralights are great and as usual very informative. I have managed to skim through most of the info and think I have narrowed it down to a Zebralight H60 or H60w. Can someone tell me the difference exactly? Is the "w" for warm maybe, or white? Which would be better for close in floody illumination? I typically like a whiter light and can't really see well with the blue tints.

The w is for warm tinted Q3-5A LED. I have a H501w and like the warm glow. No angry blue or **** green which can be the case for some LEDs.

I find headlamps with diffusers to be most useful as you can change the light pattern from a distance-viewing spot beam to a close-range flood beam with the flip of a finger. All of the following headlamps have this feature, conveniently implemented (read: diffuser is attached so not something else to keep up with or loose).

Listed in order of price, which also usually also equates to brightness, runtime, and features:

Rayovac Sportsman Extreme ≈ $20, 1xAA

Petzl Tikka XP ≈ $45 (discontinued, but still available), 3xAAA

Remington/Rayovac ≈ $50, 4xAA

Petzl Tikka-2 XP ≈ $55 (2009 version of discontinued light), 3xAAA

Petzl Myo XP ≈ $90, 3xAA

With 3-4 sets of rechargeable batteries and a charger and you should be set.

Zebralight's advantages are its small size, light weight and excellent runtime from a single battery. Another advantage is the availability of a warm white model which equates to better depth perception and color rendition, as compared to cooler white lights.

The single beam pattern has always been the small weak point and kept me from purchasing a Zebra as the diffused beam of the lights listed earlier serve this purpose and are therefore more versatile for my uses.

Good Luck!

EDIT: 737mech, just be aware that the H60 series Zebralights run with such impressive specs because they use a bigger, more powerful battery, the 18650. These are not something you will find at a local B&M store so you will have to buy a supply of them along with a specialized charger. For a mechanic and one of his tools this is no big deal, but for the less hands on types out there it can be a problem as these cells carry some inherent dangers.

The other models of Zebra can use more standard sized batteries, or the rechargeable Li-Ion equivalent of the 18650 sized to their battery compartment.

Get a neutral white headlamp and you'll never go back. Zebralight is the only one who makes them that way as most other manufacturers are 2-3 years behind in LED technology.

I also have had a couple lousy Princeton Tec headlamps.

737mech said:

I am new to this section of the forum and wow I have been missing out. The threads on Zebralights are great and as usual very informative. I have managed to skim through most of the info and think I have narrowed it down to a Zebralight H60 or H60w. Can someone tell me the difference exactly? Is the "w" for warm maybe, or white? Which would be better for close in floody illumination? I typically like a whiter light and can't really see well with the blue tints.

Click to expand...

You have made the right choice with the H60. I have the H501, but for a mechanic the extra lumens will come in handy I think. For an airline mechanic a powerful floody beam is what you want. As an owner you will find out that ZL lights are more than just headlamps. They are also task lights that can be used without a headband by attachment to shirt, belt, etc. 99% of the headlamps out there are just that -- headlamps. Those are not very useful without a headband. I can tell you that there are times you don't want to or can't wear a headlamp on your head. I use the H501 a majority of the time without a headband. Check out the H501 thread for ways you can use a ZL light without a headband.

I did a small experiment the other night switching between any of several cooler beamed headlamps and either of my two warm tinted handhelds (EZ-AAw & Inova T1), and the results were somewhat startling.

The cooler lights made things look sharp, but like a really good photograph of the scene in front of me. Switching to the warm lights and it was like putting on 3D glasses. I can not speak to the color rendition aspect as I did not have the daytime example to view side by side, thought there was a definite difference.

I know from doing punch-down block assemblies how subtle the differences between wire colors can be. I'd think it'd be the same situation in an aircraft, if not more so. This fact alone my perk the warm tinted Zebralights to the top of your selection list. As PhantomPhoton says, "you'll never go back" … at least unless you have to.

Thanks for all the great responses. The thing that appeals to me the most about the Zebralights is that they are made of aluminum. I am pretty tough on my lights, they tend to get dropped, banged around, and spend some not so quality time in my pocket or tool box. The plastic headlamps I have been using can only take so much of this. I figure the Zebralights would stand up to this a bit better, plus having such a nice headlamp I would probably take better care of it. I already have a handful of 18650 cells and a PILA charger for all of my modified P7 mags so no investment will need to be made for cells. On the recommendation of everyone here it seems the H60w is the model I should purchase because of the warm tint led for better depth perception, which I really need for what I use it for. Thanks so much for all your great responses!
:twothumbs

update: just ordered the H60w
so now its

update to the update: REI rocks! It pays to be a member. I took in my busted PT Fuel with no reciept or packaging and they gave me a full refund which I parlayed towards a Petzl Tikka HP. So now I have this new light to use until my H60w arrives and then it will be my backup.

Well so far I am happy with Zebralight, 6 hours after I placed my order I got an email saying my H60w is shipped and on its way.

Late to the thread, and didn't see it mentioned, but is this going on a hardhat?
The Zebralights come with an extra holder, a glow-in-the-dark one, and I made a hardhat strap from an inner tube, two 1" 3 bar sliders, and a 1" fastex buckle. Makes putting it on a hardhat a snap, and keeps the cloth headband free for regular wear instead of getting grease, oil, and other crap on it.
Guess you could do the same with a strap from one of those failed headlamps if you kept any of them. When I broke my old Petzl Tikka, its strap immediately got one of the extra holders for my H30s.

I work third shift, and use a H60W for about 2hrs. every night. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine:thumbsup:

No I don't wear a hardhat but that innertube idea sounds like a good one. Lucky for me I was smart enough to save the straps on my failed headlamps so I have a few extra in my toolbox at work. Its good to hear from another graveyarder that the H60w has met your needs. Thanks!

PT promptly replaced a bad headlight I returned, but wouldn't they be further ahead to add a little more plastic to the hinges? The cost of customer service, return postage, PLUS a whole new lamp has got to far exceed the cost of a few extra grams of material to beef up the weak parts.

Ordered on 11/04 and just got it 11/09. Wow that was fast. Sweet light!

You'll have to give us your review on the H60w. I purchased the H501, but have sold it. I loved how much light this sucker threw, but I couldn't see into an inspection mirror. There was so much flood it lit up the entire area, and not enough on the mirror around the corner where I needed it. Also, my co-workers were always blinded when I looked their way, and the runtime on those junk cells work provides just didn't cut it.

I guess I needed a smaller spot after all. I'm looking for a replacement.

I like the looks of the Led Lenser H14R regulated headlamp, may be a little big for me though.

Well so far I really like the light. Its quality is better than I expected, I just hope I don't run into problems with the UI. From my experience it seems that simplier is usually better so I hope that is not the case with this light. I was surprised with the kind of light this lamp produces. It is unlike any headlamp I have ever used before. This is not a spot light at all, it provides a generous amount of artifact free, smooth flood. I think I will really like this light for my day to day work duties. I just hope it holds up in the rain! As for the co-workers....oh well!