Huh, their web site doesn't list that one on the main page - only the sale page. I wonder if they are dumping the EOS (Trailblazer) in favor of the Quad (Trailblazer II).

Folks should grab the EOS while they can.

Ken K.

I have had the same Ray-o-vac headlamp for a couple of years now. It is cheap and it does work, but the light output is fairly weak. It is OK for close work, but not too good for distance. Better than nothing, though, and affordable at the price.

I also have two Black Diamond Xenix lamps (purchased for $25 each from www.steepandcheap.com), and one Princeton Tec Eos ($40 regular price). Of those, the Eos is my favorite because of the multiple light levels, and the Xenix is a close second.

After owning some "real" head lamps, the Ray-o-vac is something that I will just let the kids use.

princeton aurora one of there first but still durable and bright

Hi, I just came across this post.

There are a lot of good LED lights out there. There's also a fair amount of junk.

What is your intended use? Is brightness more of an issue than battery life? Do you want a focused, long-throw spot or a wide, diffused spill for general illumination? What about compactness and weight? These factors will influence your choices a lot.

I have had excellent luck (brightness and reliability) with both Princeton Tec and Streamlight products.

The Princeton Tec flashlights are quite bright, but not as blindingly bright as others. I believe this is on purpose. PT lights are tuned for wilderness use, giving them impressive battery life. They're also tough, surviving 6-foot drops with barely a scratch (generally accompanied by a booming cuss word on the way down). I agree that the Impact II is probably the best of the bunch, balancing weight, throw, brightness and battery life quite nicely. If I go backpacking and can only take one light, this is it. I also have an Impact XL. Again, a solid and durable light, but it's heavier (4AA) and the reflector tends to give a "doughnut" effect to the beam as power goes down.

The Streamlights also survive 6-foot drops without complaint (also followed down by that cuss word). They tend to be brighter than the Princeton Tecs, though that naturally reduces battery life somewhat. They are extremely popular in industrial settings, which is why safety supply stores carry them as well as sporting goods outlets. The propolymer 7 LED is a good general-purpose choice, though some say they run hot causing some of the LEDs to fail prematurely (I haven't had a problem). I suspect the propolymer luxeon will be even more impressive, though there will be a noticeable reduction in run time. The TaskLight luxeon 3AA is a sturdy powerhouse, but I find it a bit big to be handy for everyday carry, and I'm pretty sure it's more than $30 anyway.

Both the Princeton Tecs and Streamlights thrive on rechargeable batteries. If you're a frequent user, this saves you a lot of money. (And that in turn encourages you to be a frequent user.)

My favourite Streamlight is the 2AA TaskLight. Very tough and sturdy, fits in my pocket, and has a decent, bright beam. I would estimate the output to be somewhere around half a watt or so. Much brighter than the multiple-LED arrangements used in lights of similar size. It also has a high/low mode, so you can really conserve battery power if you need to.

The other 2AA light I use a lot is the MiniMagLED. It's perhaps 25% brighter than the TaskLight 2AA, and has a combination of a "spot" plus a wide "spill" that I find quite satisfying to use.

There is one big issue with the MMLED that everyone needs to be aware of: when the batteries drain to a certain point, it shuts off completely. No warning, no moonglow mode, just sudden darkness. It will give you a momentary flash when you turn it off and on, but that's it. This makes it a dicey choice for any critical situation, since you must carry a backup of some sort. Or, you must have spare batteries that you can get at immediately and change in the dark (without accidentally reversing polarity, which will fry the MMLED). This is a dismal and annoying flaw in an otherwise decent light.

Rather a long post. Sorry about that. Hope this is helpful.

Welcome, Doug. Nice post. Thanks for your thoughts.

I recently bought the 2 AA LED Maglite and have had no problems with it. I put it to good use when I was hunting about a week ago and got my car stuck on a dirt road out in the woods. It gave me plenty of light to work in. I'm glad I decided to take it along! (By the way, Trans Ams aren't really the best vehicles to take out hunting...lol)

Arney, thanks for the welcome. This is a great forum. I'm a new/old/recycled member -- I've been around here since at least 2001, but my username expired. Since then, I've been lurking.

Buckshot13, you're right, the 2AA MagLED has a lot going for it. It's handy and gives lots of light. I'm glad to have it with me, as long as I remember to put in fresh batteries before I go. (The sudden shut-off isn't a flaw with an individual unit; it's inherent to the design of the LED regulation circuit. All the AA MagLEDs act this way.)