cheap led < $50 reccomendation?

[dsergison]

anyway, having thoughts about upgrading my piece of crap headlamp which is a rayovac super-cheapy. to get some sort of mediun cheapy like a princetec eos for $40.
http://www.basegear.com/princetoneos.html

i generally use a lowish intensity headlamp for walking and carry a second light in hand for distance. (and a few spares) well because my headlamp IS dim, not because I want it that way. I'm a 1 to 3 times a year caver

wondering what you guys recommend?

I've been reading
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... p?t=185217
which is about led vs carbide.

i would have thought carbide has long since gone the way of the dodo. mostly because of the black soot smoking up the cave. is that really not a problem?
I've met Near Normal Grotto Illinois guys, and other from IKC Indiana, I've never even seen a carbide lamp.

[YuccaPatrol]

I have not actually seen the beast in person, but a new lamp offered by Remington Arms has a lot of people excited over at candlepowerforums

Check out this review here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... p?t=217942

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... =remington

It appears that it is decently well built, has a nice sized heatsink for the emitter and is cheaper than the PT Apex with claims of 150 lumens from a Cree emitter. The only drawback I see are the goofy red and blue LED's for "night vision" and "blood tracking".

$40 at Lowes. I was just at Lowes today and forgot to take a look at it in person.

Probably the best bang for the buck out there at the moment. . . .

[Dane]

I have absolutely no doubt that there will be some who disagree, but.....
I like the EOS for the money. A nice little 1-watt for less than $40.
I have a Sten, an 80 lumen Apex, and the EOS, and I use them at all from time to time.

The reason? Most folks only cave on the side-LED's on the Apex, and they don't cave on "Turbo" on the Sten either.
Yes, they can both be amazingly bright, but not for long. Granted, they are great when you walk into a huge room, or big bore, but for 85% of your caving, they are just idling.

I admit that I do not know what is out there right now from EveryReady, RayOVac, etc, but the EOS is well constructed, has held up well to a great deal of caving, and gives plenty of light.

A more serious consideration - If you do decide to go the inexpensive route, be very careful until you can determine how well such a light will hold up. Many such lights are really only suitable as a "camp light", and aren't designed to handle the moisture, hard knocks, and other extreme conditions that a more expensive light will readily withstand. It isn't just "brand" - the more expensive lights really are constructed more ruggedly. And that isn't something you want to realize 3 hrs into a cave!
And I don't mean to preach to the choir, but I do recommend a second helmet light, whether it be another EOS or a cheaper off-brand. That is in addition to a third light source (hand-held, etc)
And make sure you have back-up batteries for all three.

[dsergison]

thank you, i'll check it out.

[JoeNurse]

I use a Coleman Max from WalMart. $24.95 for 115 lumens at 3 watts. I have had good luck with it. It is as powerful as an old apex, and drains 3 AAA's slowly (I have about 12 hours on this set of batteries, combo of high and low settings). It was briefly reviewed here in cavechat when it came out. I can't however comment on its ability to shed water as I have yet to immerse it.

[Squirrel Girl]

I have not actually seen the beast in person, but a new lamp offered by Remington Arms has a lot of people excited over at candlepowerforums

Check out this review here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... p?t=217942

Ohhhhhh, and you get red and purple beams, too. Man, it's like the old fashioned show caves with their colored lights!


Humor aside, if it's durable and water resistant enough, it looks like a good deal.

[YuccaPatrol]

If I didn't already have enough headlamps, I'd be running to Lowe's and snatching up one of these Remingtons.

Personally, I shy away from devices using AAA batteries because they just don't have enough capacity for me and one of your caving buddies is more likely to have some spare AA's than AAA's in a pinch. But they do have an advantage that the batteries can fit in the lamp itself without the need for a cable and separate battery box, and if you bring enough extra batteries or are conservative with your brightness settings the low capacity might not be a problem for many people.

My gear-head nature sometimes makes me want to get a carbide lamp. . . . .

[ek]

For a <$50 primary caving light, I'd recommend the Princeton Tec Corona ($45 on Inner Mountain Outfitters). While it's only manufacturer-certified to be resistant to splashing and quick dunking in water, practically speaking the light appears to be as waterproof as the most waterproof caving lights. SUOC has several Coronas and while they're not as bright as some of the new caving lights, they're quite solid, last a long time, and take only 3 AA batteries (so they're lighter and more compact than many primary lights...though of course not as much so as the Eos).

[hoosiercaver1]

Id say get a carbide!!! I love mine and I got it for 10 bucks off ebay!!! I also have a pt apex. It is not much more than your price range, and you probably wont need to upgrade again later. Id say get a light you will keep for a while. But I use the carbide more than the apex!!!

[shadow745]

Yeah I agree with the $40 Remington headlamp at Lowe's. It has alot to offer for the $$$. Looks to be really well built, has a great heatsink design and IMO the best thing going for the price. I bought it instead of an 80 lumen PT Apex. Later!

[JoeNurse]

OK...
I still like AAA lights, but after reading these posts, I went out and biought the Remington. I haven't been underground yet, but after some crawlspace "caving" I am really impressed with the light output...especially with the diffuser in place. Nice round even light without any halos. I will post a more thorough review after taking it underground and abusing it a bit. Might even try to figure out how to post photos

[dsergison]

thanks everyone.

I bought a new model princtek eos and a princtek quad for my wife and I. because the store had one of each. actually two different stores each only had one. the quad has a nice spread. the eos has tighter beam. would have liked both options on both lights, but hey, both were good enough alone.

i like them both much better than my previous. spent about 7 hours in sullivan cave IN. very happy with battery life.

[hoosiercaver1]

Thats cool, I didnt know you caved in Indiana. I could see how you could easily spend 7 hrs in sullivan. Theres alot of cave to see!!! Id the lights work well in some of the larger rooms, like the mountain room. I know my carbide wont light up a room that big, and I have to bust out the apex to really see the whole room at once!

[OpenTrackRacer]

I've used flashlights by a company called Essential Gear for years. They are an OEM that also sells products under their own name. I use their lithium LED tactical lights in mines and they're durable and bright. Our group recently purchased their Headstream headlamps and so far we've been very pleased. It's very bright and lasts a long time on AA batteries. It also has a "taillight" that has proven helpful to our group.

http://www.essentialgear.com/store/p/24-K2-Luxeon-Headstream-Headlamp.html

We are usually in dry environments so I can't vouch for how well this light will hold up in wet conditions.

[Biggimo1]

My vote is for the eos. I have put mine through some bad stuff and it has held up fine. Open it up and lube the o-ring for improved water resistance. It,s also upgradable. Mine is as bright as the apex's mainbeam. As stated by others, its not great for large open area's.