by cptstormy » Apr 11, 2013 5:48 am
I've been one since December.
The reactive system works very well, adjusting nearly imperceptibly fast when moving from a wall to straight down a passage or looking up from a map/survey sheet. It does have a few drawbacks, however. Because of the reactive lighting, battery life can be very variable. On the same setting, the battery will last nearly twice as long in crawling or stooping tunnels than in wide open chambers or tunnels. Also on the subject of battery, while the ability to swap out AAAs for the rechargeable is convenient, it's pretty worthless as the lamp will burn through them ridiculously fast. You're better off just switching over to a backup. The other two problems I've had a related to the switch. When the battery is low, the switch will sometimes cease to operate-- it's works digitally, not mechanically. Twice I have been unable to turn the lamp off and have had to disconnect the battery to shut it down. The second drawback with the switch is that while its design makes it very easy to operate with gloves on, it also means that you need to be careful to remember to always lock the lamp in the off mode. If you forget to lock it there's a solid chance it will get switched on in a bag or pocket, where the LED will melt the lens with no airflow to cool it. As far as durability, I haven't yet gotten it too horribly wet, but it has put up well with the minor mud, heavy sand, and fair share of bumps it's seen so far.