by Woodsbum
Gunguy sent me a link to a Princeton Tec headlamp on Amazon that he had run across and was really loving. This prompted me to go ahead and grab one for myself. This is the Tec Quad 4 LED. Although I already have several and use my Black Diamond Storm for most of my non-grease related activities, this seemed like it would be a great second headlamp to toss into the truck or even use for tracking.
It really blew my mind to some degree that this came with red, blue, and green lens covers. This makes the light WELL worth the purchase. Here is why: depending on the lighting situation and ground color/environment you can use different colored light to find tracks much easier. If you don’t believe me, go try it. Sometimes white light works well, but if you put a green or blue light on the track it will suddenly materialize where you could only see little outlines previously.
One thing you should know is that this model is not too unlike those issued to our Army personnel in their field gear. My son-in-law uses his all the time in the field and in garrison. This one is just slightly different than the issued model, but his supply will take these as replacement items if the soldier has to replace one.Now mine seems to work very well although the ratchet thing that allows it to pivot does seem like it will wear out quite quickly. I have other lights that have done this and this Princeton is well on its way to becoming a flopping light rather than headlamp that can be adjusted. Only time will tell, but I do have that concern regarding the hinge.
Other than just messing around with it I have not had an opportunity to test it on a hunt or while tracking game. An upcoming hunt around Bumping Lake for elk will be its first, true test more than day trips. I am excited about the colored lenses, though. This feature may make this my new “favorite headlamp.”
All said and done, I can’t complain. It seems to repel water effectively, it is bright and has some beam adjustment. Like with all seals, I do recommend you use some sort of jelly or waterproofing on the seal of the battery compartment. Mine was really dry and I didn’t trust it without some lube. Overall, it is well worth the money paid for it and it seems to be a good “hunting” light that my Black Diamond just isn’t.
If I had to put a label of recommended or not, I would recommend it at this point.