I ran a short Bushcraft course yesterday, just a taster for those that are new to it really. I did it on behalf of another organisations, which decided to advertise it for between 17:00 and 21:00, which would have been fine last month, but this month the nights are drawing in. Anyway, I went ahead with it. We covered a few Wild Foods, some hidden uses of plants and trees, and then hurried off quickly back to camp to cover natural cordage, camp cooking, and fire lighting before the darkness set in.
There is something quite magical about sitting around a campfire, and it's also a good time to reflect on the techniques and subjects covered throughout the day. But of course on a short lesson (4 hours) we didn't really need the lack of light so soon. But as with all negatives, there's a positive - I got to try out a new headlamp that I had been planning to field test since last year.
As with all of my reviews, I won't be going into any technical speak, as I really don't see the point most of the time.
The product being tested was the Princeton Tec: Quad Head Torch (camo)
So first things first, the head lamp comes with the Duracell battries, which in my opinion is always a plus, as long as they are good ones and these were.
The lamp itself has a hinged bracket, which I found to be very helpful indeed. It allowed me to see directly in front of myself when walking around, and with a simple click, I could direct the light onto my hands when I was preparing things, such as the camp food, or sharpening a knife. I know this sounds like a standard feature, but I have had many head lamps where this was not included, and for me this is now a must.
The LEDs are VERY bright and powerful, but if the on/off switch is pressed quickly (within 1.5 seconds) the user can then choose three power settings or a flashing beam for emergency signaling. I used full power for pretty much two hours solid, and the light didn't fade a bit.
Another interesting feature is the battery power meter which looks good, but I couldn't test as the burn time for the torch far outweighs the time I was using it for (up to 150 hours).
The battery compartment is also hinged and fixes together with a large screw, which can be turned with your fingers. The hinged battery compartment was a help as I know of some other famous brands which don't have that, and once you have completed the 5th attempt at shutting the compartment the clip snaps (I won't name the brand here, but to be fair that feature may have since been fixed, I don't know).
I'm not usually a lover of the camo pattern, unless being used for a reason, but I did opt for the camo band option here as it's a little more fitting for the type of environment I will be using it in. The head band is actually very comfortable (as much as they can be), and easily adjustable.
So what do I score this little head torch? Well, my testing of the product has been very short, but I have found nothing but positives so far.
Build 10/10
Comfort 9/10
Price 10/10
Battery life 10/10
Performance 10/10
Overall 49/50
Conclusion - A very good bit of kit and great value for money. Sure, there are many to choose from out there, but this little gadget has enough to fulfill the needs of most users. I won't give it a perfect 50/50 just yet, as nothing in this world is perfect, although I feel the users of this torch could argue with that statement.
Catch you on the trail
Kris
