June 5th, 2009 A caver can now purchase an excellent headlamp at a department store that is suitable for all kinds of caving.
Energizer has a new headlamp that rocks. Target is selling it for $ 40 along with a similar line of flashlights that I will talk about later. This headlamp is unique. It is as good as the Princeton Tec Apex and in some ways far better. Not only does this headlamp have 3 very bright light settings, but has an additional boost feature better than any other LED product I have tested. And in addition to that it features, 2 tiny 5 mm LEDS for emergency use. It also has an excellent light pattern and the light is focusable and this works very well. Another unique feature is the battery pack is removable without taking the headlamp off your helmet. This will work great if you can get your hands on additional battery packs. I suspect that Energizer's plan is to sell Lithium-ion battery packs for this light, as they seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to add the removable battery pack feature. The headlamp appears to be well constructed, and much more durable than any other retail headlamp I have seen. The lamp is water resistant and has o-rings in the battery pack. However, there is a water issue with this light. The removable battery pack has 2 electrodes that match 2 electodes on the headlamp. These are exposed. I suspect you will have to turn off the lamp when going underwater. And then you will need to dry off the connectors before turning the lamp back on. That might be kind of hard to do in Honeycreek. However, some duct-tape might resolve the issue, and you are unlikely going to need to change the batteries on a your average caving trip. I will be talking about this headlamp again soon, as I can't find any info on it on the web. In the meantime, go get one. This is a historical moment in caving history. Just like when the Jumar first appeared, or Kernmantel rope, and granola bars. Although, the Stenlight is a better headlamp. This headlamp is something that a newbie or 1st time caver can just run out and get without having to put any thought into the buying decision. The price includes 3 AA lithium batteries, so the headlamp can be used right out of the box. This headlamp features all of the things I have been fantasizing about. The only ways I can see to improve it, is with a lithium-ion battery pack, and exchanging the plastic helmet bracket with stainless steel. This may not be good news for companies selling $ 300 caving headlamps or the vendors that sell them. David Locklear caver in Fort Bend County, Texas --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
