Equipped To Survive's review of LED Flashlights is now available at<br><br>http://www.equipped.org/led_lights.htm<br><br>Enjoy!<br><br>Doug Ritter<br>Editor<br>Equipped To Survive

Now if only LRI would come out with a Photon 3 flashlight with 2 LEDs: one white and one in a night-vision color (with no increase in overall dimentions). That would be the ultimate pocket light.<br><br>

Thanks for a completely thorough and accurate article.<br><br>Incidentally, I have the Lightwave 2000, which you rated well. And I concur that the only fault I have with it is the rotary head switch. I put it away in the "off" position once and it powered itself back on again sometime later. It was still a new "toy" so I pulled it out of the sheath and the bulbs were glowing dimly. I think it was about 4 days later. I now make a practice of double checking it the next day just to be sure.<br><br>Also, unscrewing the head into the off position releases pressure from the “O” ring that seals the unit. I haven’t tested it, but I would assume that would leak if submerged. Once the head is in the “on” position, the head is tight against the seal. So the unit would be waterproof while in use. I use this as a general-purpose flashlight instead of a survival light, so I don’t perceive this as a problem.<br><br>I was truly amazed with its performance this winter when my son's Cub Scout pack went to Eagle Cave, WI for a weekend trip. Eagle Cave is a short (1/4 mile?) cave with a paved floor and a string of incandescent lights. But there were plenty of nooks and crannies and tunnels for the kids to explore and use flashlights, all weekend long - night and day. While other parents where constantly changing batteries for their sons', mine never stopped and showed no sign of diminishing. The bright white light also made it easier for me to track down my son compared to the yellow glow of the other, traditional flashlights.<br><br>I am very satisfied with the performance of this product and it's well worth the $30.<br><br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

Thanks for the feedback.<br><br>Doug Ritter<br>Editor<br>Equipped To Survive

Once again, Thanks for the great reviews! <br><br>I was interested since I just purchased 3 different LED lights. You reviewed two of the three. One you liked, one you dismissed due to no permanent off/on switch. I found the information about having to match the LEDs and the variable brightness very enlightening. <br><br>I compared the light output of my Pelican LI to my Princeton Tec MATRIX 3 LED headlamp. The single LED Pelican was brighter than the 3 LED Princeton Matrix. I had put this down to focus beam and diffused beam patterns. My test was simply to turn them both on and aim them at the wall 6 feet away. The LI created a white spot on top of the Matrix light spot.<br><br>The Matrix got my attention for several reasons. It claims to be waterproof to 2000 ft. It uses 2 AA batteries that are commonly available. (The store did a good job and put a two pack of lithium cells next to the flashlight.) It has an interchangeable light assembly. The 3 LED assembly is the same shape and size as their normal reflector and incandescent bulbs. The Matrix comes with the LED assembly installed in the flashlight and a normal reflector and bulb in the fleece carrying bag. You can easily exchange the LED assembly for the normal reflector and incandescent bulb in under a minute. The assemblies have a slot that fits a ridge in the body of the light to act as a key mechanism for proper alignment and polarity.<br><br>The 3 LED assembly is available as a replacement part for most of the Princeton Tec headlamps for about $32. Awfully pricey for a "bulb" but it allows you to upgrade your existing Princeton equipment from incandscent to LED technology.<br><br>The flashlight is hinged to the headband so the entire flashlight can be adjusted so the light shines where you want it. I bought this headlamp to replace my existing Petzel headlamp. I like the Princeton Tec LED Matrix because it is waterproof. As a member of a rescue team involved in water rescue and wilderness search, the durability, long battery life, light weight, and waterproofness were important features for me.<br><br>I had gone to the store to buy the Petzel Tikka but the store was out of stock. They encouraged me to buy the Petzel Zipka which is the same body but instead of an elastic band, it has a draw string cord. The selling point is it can be worn like bracelet or arm band as well as a head lamp. $35 for the Tikka and $45 for the Zipka. I could not understand the hard sell since they had neither in stock!<br><br>The Matrix is slightly heavier and bulkier than the Zipka/Tikka since it has a second band that goes over the top of the head, but it does allow me to switch back to incandescent lighting easily. There are times that I anticipate needing/wanting the brighter conventional lighting during SAR and night operations. I will be taking it out for a test this weekend during SAR/Survival training. Several other rescue team members have the Tikka so I will be interested to see how the two compare side by side.<br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by resqman on 06/14/01 08:18 AM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>

Thanks for the compliments.<br><br>Good review of the Matrix features, have one sitting here.<br><br>For logistical reasons I chose not to cover headlamps. LED and convertible headlamps have become a niche on their own and there's a lot happening in this area. There are many unique considerations for a headlamp that are totally separate from a flashlight, though obviously there is significant overlap.<br><br>Given your headstart here, perhaps you'd be interested in reviewing some of the others for us.<br><br>Doug Ritter<br>Editor<br>Equipped To Survive

Excellent article, Doug. Kudos for all the hard work you must have done.<br><br>Personally, I carry a PrincetonTec Blast keyringed to three Photon II's (white, red, and turquiose) on my person at all times. They are invaluable. I also have a AAA Mini-MagLite in my small bag, a AA Mini-MagLite in my briefcase, and a PrincetonTec Tec 20 in my jacket pocket.<br><br>In addition to the LEDs you reviewed, another LED about which I have heard good things is the Turtlelite, available in two versions, from LEDCORP (http://www.ledcorp.com/), both of which are reviewed on Craig Johnson's web site.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Craig<br><br>

Well, I got out into the woods and had a chance to play around a little with my Princeton Tec Matrix headlamp.<br><br>The 3 LED bulb assembly was fine for around camp activities. My buddy and I were able to setup a tarp shelter in the rain during the night. The LED assembly creates a ring of light probably about 10' in diameter. I could adjust the angle of the lamp to point about 3' in front of me which worked well for tieing up guy lines and making tent stakes from sticks. It worked well inside our A shaped tarp shelter to arrange my gear and get settled. <br><br>The next night I took it out in the woods to see how the LED would work at lighting up specific areas more than 10'. In a word, poorly. The LED technology is fine for areas you can reach out and touch. Plenty of light to do tasks and find objects in the dark within arm's reach. More than 5' away and it was just fadded away.<br><br>I switched to the conventional incandescent bulb and was very pleased with its ability to shine a bean of light at a distance. I use headlamps during wilderness searches to help me spot clues left behind by lost subjects. I normally end up scanning 15'-25' to either side of me for objects as small as cigarette butts and the like. The incandescent put out a strong focused beam that would easily illuminate trees at 50'.<br><br>I closed my eyes at night when trying to switch between the two different bulb assemblies to see how difficult it would be. Since the bulb assemblies and the lamp body are keyed, it was a simple matter to get the assemblies in the body correctly. <br><br>I liked the lighter weight of the Princeton Tec Matrix as compared to my Petzl Zoom. The Petzl has a battery pack on the back of the head band and the lamp body in the front to balance the weight while the Princeton Matrix has all the components together in the front. Even so, the Matrix was more comfortable due to an overall lower weight. The reflector is only about an 1" across while the Petzl is close to 2.5" across. <br><br>The Petzl does have the ability to adjust from a wide spread beam to a narrow focus beam. I find that I tend to use the focus beam most of the time. The Princeton does not have the ability to adjust the beam but I found the narrow focus to work well. <br><br>It does take two hands to turn on the Princteon Matrix. This is because the lens cover screws overtop of a rubber gasket. The gasket provides enough friction that you need to hold the lamp body with one hand the turn the lens cover with another. The rubber gasket provides the waterproof seal. I don't see this as a big problem since the beam does not change focus so once you have it turned on, you will not need to adjust it.<br><br>For around camp chores like setting up camp, building a fire, cooking, moving around, the LED works well and gives long battery life. For more intense light and long distance use, the incandescent wins hands down at the cost of battery life. The Matrix gives me both options with one product.<br><br>I am still trying to decide which to carry as my primary headlamp on searches. The Petzl can provide 17 hr burn time on a single special size battery and standard bulb. With halogen bulb, it drops to a shorter 7hr burn time. When I use it, I typically keep it on constantly for 4-6 hours. The Matrix could provide long burn time with the LED but without the focus beam I need. The Petzl is heavier but can provide the incandescent light for longer periods of time before battery replacement. The small size of the Matrix may win it a backup position in my pack.<br><br>I did try out two Petzl Tikkas and one Pelican headlamps as well that weekend. Another friend just recieved her Petzl Zipka which I did not try but is basically just a Tikka without out the elastic band. <br><br>

Craig,<br><br>Geeze, it's a rare person that makes me feel ill equipped. :-)<br><br>Was promised a Turtlelite, as I recall, but hadn't rec'd it. It's on my list. <br><br>Doug Ritter<br>Editor<br>Equipped To Survive