fenix headlamp and MYO XP vs Apex

[Cody JW]

I have the HP-10 and have noticed that since it does not illuminate around you feet well, I use it for pit bops and now since I have a cree spot bulb for my duo I use it for horizontal caves,the duo with the 14 led insert AND the cree spot bulb gives me the best of both worlds.I like the way the 14 led illuminates around the feet when going over breakdown when you need that area lit , but for doing pits I like the spot and do not care as much if it lights up around the feet so I use the fennix.I have each mounted on seperate ecrins.The duo has been a hard habit to break for me now there are bright bulbs for it.I also have the 120 lumen apex and cannot afford to keep batteries in that thing, other than that is is a good light.I still like the duo the best.

[Chads93GT]

I found this weekend that the most unwaterproof part of the Fenix is the battery case. I was at the Current River this weekend in Southern Missouri and I was showing my friends my headlamp at the river when it was dark. One took the helmet, turned it on and dove down into a 10' section of the river and resurfaced. while the headlamp its self retained its waterproof ability, I cracked open the battery case and there was a little water in it. My apex that i sealed was also on it and it filled up with water, again..............no suprise.

Anyway, just passing along that for the price the fenix is the best up to 10' of water.

[Marduke]

It also satisfies my personal rule of caving, always carry a light powered by an alternate battery format than your primary. This allows for more scavanging from buddies if the need arrose.

That's funny. I have the opposite rule. If it can't be powered by an AA cell, I don't like it. Actually I do make a few exceptions to that rule for specialized equipment, but that's the general idea. I'd also be happy to use a headlamp with a Li-Ion pack (like the Sten) so long as I can bring an additional holder for AA's. I try to cave with buddies who use AA's.

Well, my primary and backup are both AA, as is my handheld, but I do keep a Fenix E01 ziptied to the side. It is an indestructible backup with super long runtimes. I'll turn it on in small or wet passage to back up the primary to ensure I'm not suddenly without light.

The Gerber Infinity Ultra is also a good choice, as it will run on both AA and AAA power without modification.

In my experience the majority of cavers have some AAA light as one of their backups (usually a 3xAAA Energizer or Coleman). It makes me feel better knowing that I could scavenge from them for any of my light sources.

[rlboyce]

I know this thread is ridiculously old and these lights are so out of date that no one will care, but...

130 lumen PT Apex VS 225 lumen Fenix HP10

Apex 4 LED low



Apex 4 LED high



Apex Spot low



Apex Spot high



HP10 low



HP10 mid 1



HP10 mid 2



HP10 high



Some thoughts:

It is truly impressive that the HP10 manages 225 lumens for 2.5 hours where the Apex can only manage 130 for 1 hour.
The difference between 130 and 225 is easily seen in the pictures, and in person.
The four side LEDs of the Apex are embarrassingly bluish in tint. Ew...
The Apex's spot seems to have a much higher color rendering index than the HP10, perhaps the Apex's greatest redeeming performance quality.

In my opinion, the HP10's greatest (and arguably only) weakness is the high contrast between the spot and spill of the beam profile. The Apex, while still a good light, has many performance weaknesses. It comes down to which weaknesses you are willing to tolerate. I've proudly owned the Apex for over a year now and still like the light, but I'm anxious to acquire a lighter, brighter, more waterproof and more efficient headlamp.