Princeton Tec Apex LED Headlamp

[Stelios Zacharias]

Ladies and Gentlemen - welcome to this issue of the Apex testing and torture report!


Most disturbing was that although the black headlamp continued to function fine, the orange one had issues. I could turn it on, but it would repeatedly shut off again after anything from a couple of seconds to a minute later. Occasionally it would do a funky flashing thing, alternating between 3W and the 4 LEDs for a few seconds and even switching itself back on a few times. I swapped out the batteries for newly-charged ones, and got the same result - the moisture was clearly causing havoc with the switch/electronics.

I would just like to confirm for the record that this is the exact behaviour I noticed when I wrote about my apex playing up- only it happened without immersion but in a rain of drips over the course of 8-10 hours. The playing up was on rope with about 300ft of an 800ft pitch left to go. I came out with my tikka in the end

[NZcaver]

Welcome back. Here we have the next installment of the Apex testing and torture report. Bwa ha ha...


In response to suggestions from fuzzy-hair-man, I decided to see if cooling the headlamp before dunking it made any difference to it's hydroscopic properties. My intention was to simulate use in fairly constant (cold) cave temperatures, with the headlamp being subjected to moving in and out of the water. Again I used two test headlamps, one black version modified per my previous description and the other orange version not. It should be noted I opened up the orange one for the first time recently, to dry it out after it somehow got moisture inside during my last experiment. I carefully reassembled it with a jewelers screwdriver, being careful to snug the screws without over-tightening.

For this experiment, both headlamps were turned on (4 LED high mode) and placed in the refrigerator (dry) for 1 hour. They were then moved into a container of chilled water (also in the refrigerator). After 30 minutes I removed them from the water. At that time I noticed the orange Apex had switched off, and there was water visible inside. The black Apex appeared dry inside, and unfogged. I switched the orange Apex back on, and placed both headlamps on a towel (still in the refrigerator). There they stayed for approximately 3 hours (I had to run some errands).

Upon removing the headlamps from the refrigerator, I noticed the orange one felt slightly warm to the touch whereas the black one did not. (This could be related to the low battery warning showing on the black one, but not the orange.) Both headlamps were still lit. The orange one had clearly leaked again, and I opened it up to dry. There was some water inside, but noticeably less than with the previous testing. The black Apex was unfogged, and did not require opening. Unlike last time, neither battery box showed any sign of moisture inside.



Conclusion? Modifying your Apex as previously discussed is good. Allowing it to acclimate to cave temperature BEFORE (and if possible after) submersion is a bonus, and should help reduce/avoid problems due to moisture and fogging.

[NZcaver]

Postscript - Apex plastic fatigue.

I have cracks in both my Apex models. Some have been evident for a while, and others have just appeared recently. They are consistent with some of those described on the candlepowerforums discussion board. In fact it has been noted that a small number of Apex headlamps have come new from the factory with these types of defects already evident. Most common are straight and ring-shaped cracks and stress marks around where the 3 screws are anchored into the front piece of the light housing. (Being outside of the O-ring seal, these should not affect the "waterproofness" of the Apex.) Note most of the marks on the black Apex are actually caving scratches - not cracks!



It's logical to assume that the more one assembles and disassembles ones Apex (to dry it out, for example) - the more likely it will be to develop this type of plastic fatigue. But even if you never touch a screwdriver to your Apex, or take it caving, or abuse it in any way - this can still happen. I give you exhibit A:



Just something for you to be aware of, that's all. Perhaps Princeton Tec should have made the molding a little thicker to start with? Meanwhile, a tube of superglue should make a quick and dirty repair/protective layer over cracks.

[fuzzy-hair-man]

Hey, thanks for the additional testing NZ!

My first thought about this cracking was that it was a result of the screws being too long, a few club members with Apexes have this cracking and thier Apexes have not been to pieces, which I figure means the screws were done up tighter than usual at the factory.

I could be wrong in this though

[graveleye]

my wifes Apex has now failed twice while caving. It was only temporary, and we got it working again, but that's not right. We bought them from REI about 9 months ago and no longer have the credit card receipt. Do you think they will still replace it?
_________________
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[JoeyS]

probably. They have records too, especially if you are a member. They should make it right. If not, Princeton Tec will fix it (although a bigger hassle).

[graveleye]

yea, I think Princeton has a pretty good warranty. Either way, its going back.

Its a funny story, the last light failure - could have been a nightmare though of course. I had been warning my wife that she needed to mount one of her secondary lights on her helmet and she wouldnt do it. So caving Saturday, and we had sort of split up in a very large room, and she left her pack and light and went down a small side passage.
I was about 40' feet away and I here this meek little "Kevin...help?"
I came running and the poor woman was sitting there in the dark. I got a good "told ya so" out of it. It gave her an educational scare.
She will from now on have her secondary light sources on her helmet and on her person. Nothing like a little shock of reality to learn ya!!

[SINGLAS Yves]

Hello,
I am a french caver and I have read your thread about the Princeton TEC APEX lamp.
It began to be sold in France and I would like to know how you consider it compared with carbide lamps, in term of lighting, autonomy and reliability ?
Did you use it with its original elastic straps or directly screwed on the helmet ?
How many AA packs did you carry for a 15 hours caving trip, for instance ?

Thanks in advance and I hope you a lot of marvellous caving.

I apologize for my poor english writing.

Yves.

[fuzzy-hair-man]

Hello,
I am a french caver and I have read your thread about the Princeton TEC APEX lamp.
It began to be sold in France and I would like to know how you consider it compared with carbide lamps, in term of lighting, autonomy and reliability ?

I haven't used or seen a carbide lamp being used in a cave so I can't really compare light outputs.

By the sounds of carbide the Apex is a lot less hassle and will be more reliable (provided you keep the water out). For the caving I do I find the Apex provides more than enough light.

Did you use it with its original elastic straps or directly screwed on the helmet ?

People have done both, I use the elastic but it's up to you.

How many AA packs did you carry for a 15 hours caving trip, for instance ?

Well it depends, I always carry a spare set of batteries, How long the light runs depends on what setting you have it on (high on the 4 LEDs is supposed to run for ~ 8hrs) but I cave using the low setting in which case I get far more battery life than I will ever need.
So the answer to your question is probably somewhere from 3 (1 set in the light and one as a spare, 1 set as a backup) and just the set in the headlamp and a backup set.

[Cheryl Jones]

my wifes Apex has now failed twice while caving. It was only temporary, and we got it working again, but that's not right. We bought them from REI about 9 months ago and no longer have the credit card receipt. Do you think they will still replace it?

If you're a co-op member they certainly will. And you won't need a receipt, for your purchase will be on their computer as part of your member record. They'll find it in their cash register computer at the store.

Or if you ordered the light on line, log onto the REI Web site and go to "my account/Review and track" to pull up your order, and print it off to include in the package. Then still on the REI page, go to "Help/returns and exchanges" and see the additional info they need for you to include (why, exchange/refund, etc). Easy!

What was the problem that caused the light to fail? Did you figure it out?

Cheryl

[JoeyS]

Hmmm... Maybe Hatch is reading this.. His Apex went kaput in Big Bone Cave last year and he continues to borrow my Eos backup everytime we go on a trip... He just needs to send it back to PT or REI (hint hint)

[graveleye]

Cheryl, I am not sure exactly the cause. She certainly hasn't rough-housed the light with the exception of Glory Hole, and even then it wasn't like she was banging it through the cave. I *think* it has something to do with the soft circuitry. The cable from the battery doesn't seem to be the culprit. Seems like the switch buttons have something to do with the problem.

[cob]

It began to be sold in France and I would like to know how you consider it compared with carbide lamps, in term of lighting, autonomy and reliability ?

Yves.

Yves, I still use carbide as my primary, with the Apex for my backup. In my limited experience with the Apex, it seems to compare favorably with carbide on all points. I prefer the carbide because of the quality of the light (less harsh on my eyes) and the fact that short of a cracked housing, there is nothing I can't fix on a carbide underground... can't say the same about electric lights.

As for the water problems others are experiencing, I can only say,
"not me... yet."

tom

[graveleye]

update - we returned my wifes Apex last night to REI and they took it right back. They no longer carry the rev A version, so we got the newer version that takes the funky lithium batteries. I am a bit leery, but it looks pretty sturdy and really throws out some light. I hope those batteries arent too expensive.

REI FTW!! I'm telling you they didnt even look at us sideways. He asked why we were returning it, and he was actually apologetic for the lights failure when we told him it failed way back in the back of a cave. Then, when he was fiddling with it, it performed just like we experienced, cutting on and off, staying off, coming back on... dont you hate when you take something back and it refuses to do or not do what you are complaining about?

So has anyone had any experiences with the newer version?


Oh, btw, we spent our dividend check on two Princeton EOS lights for use as backups. After that and the coupon, we got the whole kit and kaboodle for $16. I think I love REI

[YuccaPatrol]

It sounds like you got the Apex "Pro" when you did your exchange. I am a rechargeable battery nut and it would absolutely kill me to spend money on expensive batteries I had to throw away when I was done with them.

I would consider getting a full refund and buying the standard Apex elsewhere. The benefits of being able to use NiMH rechargeable batteries and the convenience of being able to buy AA alkaline batteries at the nearest gas station when in a pinch far outweighs the weight savings of the lithium CR123 batteries.

But if you stick with it, you should definitely mail order a bunch of batteries. Thomas Distributing sells high quality batteries for a good price. Other places sell lower quality batteries even cheaper. Otherwise you'll be shocked the first time you go to the store and find that it costs $13 to buy batteries for your flashlight.