Princeton Tec Apex LED Headlamp

[NZcaver]

One of the key advantages of the Apex for me is the spaced LEDs. Stenlight has the right idea, unfortunately Fenix does not. Multiple LEDs spaced horizontally seem to really help with depth perception for moving through uneven terrain. It's a kind of binocular vision eye-foot coordination thing. I have "normal" 20/20 vision, but those extra LEDs make moving through a cave much easier for me - especially in breakdown and vertical fissures etc.

Personally, I don't think I could go back to a headlamp with a single LED.

[Chads93GT]

tonight i pressure washed my apex at the car wash. I proved beyond a doubt that the method of sealing the apex i posted about some posts ago, will 100% seal the apex from leaking ;)

[Tenzin Beck]

Can you link to the post?

[Chads93GT]

its 2 pages back.

[Chads93GT]

Shocking find, and I am more shocked no one has ever posted anything about this here, or on the candle power forum. This weekend a friends apex went bad from pulling the battery case apart by the wiring. Basically the power wire (blue) snapped in half inside the housing, causing the power wire to lose continuity. Anyway, I didn't realize the power wire was bad till i completely diassembled the apex. I had the circuit board off of the housing and the wires removed, as well as the wires unsoldered from the battery pack. I noticed that where the wires go into the housings is a plastic grommit that screws in. Upon removing it, I noted compression fittings similar to copper plumbing compression fittings, only made of plastic. Long story short. I put the apex back together after fixing the wire, shoved the wires into the housing, and before I screwed the caps back down, locking the wires in place, I squirted black RTV silicone into the area, then screwed the caps down. some oozed out, some oozed in, but it is now sealed completely.

I then removed the screw in caps from MY apex which floods out all the time, and noted something interesting. The area under the cap was full of mud. The compression fitting on this was very loose and obviously wasnt sealing very well. I cleaned out the dirt, filled it full of silicone, screwed it together and wiped off the excess. I did this to all 3 of my apex's, as they are modified anyway. I also removed the screws from all 3 of my battery packs, filled them with silicone and put them back together. since i removed the rubber O ring gasket from all of the housings and siliconed the housings shut, I should now have 3 100% waterproof apex's.

this
I can't believe no one has done this before, especially those who take the apex's apart, mod them, fix them, etc.

[Tenzin Beck]

Thanks!

[werewolf]

Excellent, Chads! That should do it! I never had trouble with my Apex (hasn't gotten too wet) so I haven't messed with it much, and now I'm using the Fenix as primary, but that's just the kind of fixes I like to hear about.

[werewolf]

Plastic melt glue gun might work, too.

[Chads93GT]

Yeah whatever you got, silicone is cheap though. on a side note. I blasted the fenix hp10 with the pressure washer at the car wash too and it didn't leak either.

[Rick Brinkman]

An update....

I have an old 60 lumen Apex and the 'new' 130 lumen Apex. I've had the 130 for just over a year and it has never been on my helmet yet. Why? The 4 flood leds are REALLY blue on the 130. I like the 'whiter' led color on the 60 much better for caving...even though it isn't quite as bright.

The 130 has been my whatever/take everywhere/everyday light.

(doing my part to keep the Apex thread alive )

[Chads93GT]

you can modify the 60 lumen apex to be brighter than the 130 lumen apex for 15 bucks dude.

[NZcaver]

you can modify the 60 lumen apex to be brighter than the 130 lumen apex for 15 bucks dude.

I should really do that mod one of these days. But I don't use the spot much, so I guess it's not a priority.

[Chads93GT]

Don't blame you. The spot really coems in handy when you want to see in big passages. ITs amazing how much you use it when you can actually see with it. I tend to use it a LOT, fenix now, simply because i carry LOTS of batteries and I don't mind changing them out. id rather see bright stuff.

[Rick Brinkman]

you can modify the 60 lumen apex to be brighter than the 130 lumen apex for 15 bucks dude.

I should really do that mod one of these days. But I don't use the spot much, so I guess it's not a priority.

I know...me too. I've been working on other projects that are more important than changing out an led.

I wonder if I got a bad 130(the blue tinge on the flood leds). No one else has complained about it.

[Chads93GT]

Nah, they are all that way.........i simply dont care, lol. Maybe i would care if it gave me headaches, but it doesnt.