>My new MYO XP makes me very happy, and retails for around $70 >dollars, actually. I haven't seen a 3watt light for less than that
True. The Myo XP is the cheapest 3-watt light I've seen. I'm sure there is a Chinese rip-off out there somewhere that is, but Petzl's 3- year warranty makes that not a viable comparison. >I like it better than the Apex by Princeton Tec because I found the >Apex to have dark rings in the light, and the Petzl Myo XP has a >nice even light. The Myo XP does have a smoother beam (esp. with the diffuser), and may appear to be brighter (initially), but that's because the Myo is not regulated and the light will therefore dim as the batteries go down. The Apex, OTOH, *is* regulated, which means that though the light may initially be slightly inferior, it will not change; 10-20 hours later, the Apex will be way brighter than the Myo. And, it has those 4 5mm LEDs to use for close-up work, saving LOTS of power when you don't need a laser pointer beam. >I don't like the heat sink casing on the Apex, seems like it will trap >mud. Hey, we're talking about the *back* of the headpiece here. You'd have to work pretty hard to pack mud back there unless you were mudbog diving or just being careless. The heat sink is a good thing; it means the Apex will run more efficiently and therefore longer. And remember that it has a *lifetime* warranty from Princeton Tec. You screw it up, they replace it, period. >the Apex retails for $10 more... Probably more like $5 more, for which you get those 4 extra LEDs, and an extra (4th) battery which jumps in to lengthen those long burntimes. >I do like the battery indicator on the MyoXP... The Apex has one, too. >...while the booster button [XP] seems like a fancy feature, I'm >unconvinced it actually provides a brighter light for enough extra >time to be useful. With fresh batteries, the Boost will give you 25% more light. But the farther down your batteries are, the less difference you'll get with Boost. And use of Boost is limited to 20 seconds by the electronics (since it doesn't have a *heat sink* to dissispate the heat generated by Boost). >The switch on this light is protected when the lamp is positioned in >the neutral... position.... Both lights have well-protected switches. The Apex's switches are recessed rubberized pushbuttons which are unlikely to be activated except by a thumb-size object that would fit into the switch well. Just wrap the headband around it, and it's totally safe in your pack. >Also, this light takes AA's and is very small and lightweight. Both do, which puts them way out front of most LED lights, which use AAAs for the weight and bulk savings they offer, but at a severe power penalty. Most cavers want to standardize on one kind of batteries for all their lights. AA's are the choice, for both power and price, and the weight penalty is negligible in caving. Just trying to keep the playing field level... But it is neither fair nor reasonable to compare either of these to the Stenlight. First off, the Sten is more than the equal of TWO of either of these. It's rechargeable and has a fast, smart charger. For the price of 10 sets of AA batteries (say maybe 20 cave trips), you could have the rechargeable and never buy batteries again. The Sten is lighter, more durable (all metal, no plastic), more waterproof, and more versatile than any primary (battery) system out here. The Sten is a solid value for the money, but is in an entirely different realm than any primary system. Alex -- Alex Sproul, NSS 8086RL/FE INNER MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS Caving, Climbing & Rescue Equipment 540.377.2690 | www.caves.org/imo _______________________________________________ Texascavers mailing list [email protected] http://texascavers.com/mailman/listinfo/texascavers_texascavers.com
