Primus Primelite A

This was a phenomenal headlamp, and I wish there were something comparable on the market today. I finally pulled the cord out of the casing after about 5 years of abuse in Search and Rescue service.

The red lights were great in the tent at night when you don't want to blind yourself. The little bag that came with it also made a great diffuser; I used it often to keep from blinding my patients when working. The detachable battery case is key in the winter when cold batteries can be a big problem. The strap was adjustable enough to go back and forth between my head and helmet with no problems.

Overall I say this was a great light and I'm still looking for a new model with the same feature set.

I purchased three of these from Steep and Cheap at Backcountry.com.

I installed the batteries in the first one and it did not work. I then set up the second one and it worked properly.

I returned to check the first one and removed the batteries. The batteries were RED HOT. I was glad I went back because if I had not checked them there would have been combustion.

In light of what we have seen with laptop computers and cell phone battery recalls there should definitely be a recall on these lamps. I have written my concerns to Primus in Sweden.

I have had this lamp on monthly campouts for about two years with no problems. Used many times in the rain and for a 3 week motorcycle camping tour across northern Europe (also raining). A great value for the price. Will buy another Primus when it needs replacement.