[pct-l] Re: Headlamps and Flashlights.

[mharnoldx at yahoo.com (Michael Helmut Arnold)]

I recently used a "Princeton Tec Aurora" on a late season, moonless, backpack in the Emmigrant
Wilderness.  I liked many things about it:  its compactness, light weight, ample brightness,
"nearly infinite" battery life, and the fact that it runs off of standard and inexpensive
AAA's rather than more expensive and harder to obtain camera or watch batteries.

A couple of things that I didn't like:
1.  The dimmest mode is still very bright.  Would be nice to have a truly dim mode.
2.  The salesrep at REI warned me that the friction "locked" hinge works loose over time,
    so I should carry a small screwdriver so I can retighten.  Havn't had this happen yet
    but seems plausible that it will.

What I REALLY didn't like:
The switch is VERY stiff, to the point of being really hard to operate,
particularly when wearing the thing.  I found myself leaving it on (and off) far longer than
I otherwise would, just to avoid the awkward task of cycling it on/off. 
Has anyone else had this problem?  I am wondering if my switch is defective, or if perhaps
it gets less stiff after a bit of use?

Michael Arnold. 
     




> ATTACHMENT part 3.5 message/rfc822 
> From: John Coyle <jcoyle@sanjuan.edu>
> Subject: [pct-l] RE: Headlamps and Flashlights
> Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 10:37:29 -0800
> To: "'pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net'" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> 
> For some reason I have become something of a gear head when it comes to
> headlamps and flashlights for hiking.  I have purchased so many lately that
> my wife thinks I need to attend the next FA(Flashlights Anonymous) meeting.
> The only reason I can get away with buying so many is that she spends at
> least as much on her aging 21 year old cat as I do on flashlights(How much
> longer can that thing last?--When it finally flies home no more
> flashlights!) I am particularly fascinated with the led models and one of my
> favorites is the Princeton Tec Aurora; however, I just purchased The new
> Black Diamond Zenix and I believe this will be my new favorite--for a while
> at least.  It is very bright for an LED, although a little heavier at 4.9 oz
> than the Aurora(2.8oz).  Sometimes I like a bright light to identify animals
> at night, and I try not to shine it in other hikers eyes to avoid blinding
> them and ruining their night vision.  I always take a small Pulsar II coin
> type(7 grams) for a backup and could use it for a main light if I was going
> ultralight. Does anybody use the colored led lights?  I prefer the white or
> slightly blue, but have heard that some people prefer the green or red ones.
> I would be interested in hearing what people are using out there and why.
> 


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