User Review: Princeton Tec Apex

Princeton Tec Apex
Above: The current Apex, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed January 21, 2009 by Outings Comittee

Rating:
Price Paid: $65

I bought this headlamp for night bicycle commuting. A good portion of my winter commute is on a very dark trail. I found that the single bike-mounted light (a Dinotte 200L) was not bright enough. I figured that a helmet mounted headlamp would be a good addition, so I got a Princeton Tec Apex.

Wow - this headlamp pumps out some serious light. It is at least 25-50% brighter than the Dinotte, and Dinotte claims that they output 200 lumens. The Apex easily outshines it, and it also lasts longer on identical 2600 mA-hr NiMh AA batteries. Has Princeton Tec broken the laws of physics? They must have higher efficiency LEDS.

The only con is that it took a bit of fiddling to get the Apex to sit nicely on my helmet. I had to remove the elastic headband, and fasten the two parts of the headlamp directly to my helmet with some webbing.

I think I might jig up a connector system and an extension cord so that I can stuff the battery pack in my back pocket to keep it warm and get the weight off my helmet. It would be nice if Princeton Tec would offer a model with longer wires, just like Dinotte does.

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