Tweet
For quite some time I have been using a Princeton Tec Apex Pro for mine exploring. It has worked without fail for the last two years. The light features a spot light with high and low settings. The light also has four 5mm leds for more flood and longer run times. The 5mm lights have high, low, and flashing settings. This particular light runs off of CR123A lithium batteries. Overall it's a nice light that I'm happy with. Well....until now!
Recently I had the opportunity to acquire a custom built light from a friend of mine in England. Tony (aka SpeedyCaver) uses Oldham mining headlamp shells and builds new "innards" using current LED technology. The original Oldham headlamp used a lead acid battery, and had two incandescent bulbs.
My version of his "Speedy Special" light is the "Flood" model. It uses two R5 emitters, one with a reflector to produce a spot beam, and one that is naked to provide a wide flood beam. Each of the emitters has three power levels. Additionally the light has two 5mm LEDs that are wired directly to the battery through the switch. In the event that the boards controlling the two primary emitters fail, the 5mm LEDs can be selected and will continue to run for many hours.
I have to say that the spot beam on this lamp is MUCH brighter and wider than the one on my Apex. Where this light really excels though is the flood beam!! The beam is close to 170 degrees wide so I can see everything around me rather than just having a spot of light in the direction that I am looking. The light spilling around my feet makes it so I don't have to look down to see where I'm walking. The flood makes it much more natural when I walk.
The light is powered by a battery pack containing three 18650 rechargeable cells. This pack provides approximately three times the run time of Apex Pro. From my limited experience with the light, I seem to be getting about 16 hours on medium power.
The light is controlled using a rotary switch on the right side of the light. Each light is selected sequentially as the switch is rotated through 360 degrees. Once either of the two primary emitters is selected, momentarily making and breaking the connection toggles the light through the three power settings. Each controller board has a memory so the light will return to the last power setting used. Neat eh?
Tony provides a second battery pack and a basic battery charger that plugs into the wall. I decided to purchase an intelligent battery charger that will run off of my vehicle battery so I can charge the battery packs out in the field. These chargers are microprocessor controlled and have an amazing array of charging options.
You can also see the difference between my battery pack and the two CR123A batteries.
This light is significantly heavier than the Apex, but it didn't take long at all for me to get used to the weight. What did surprise me is how much different my underground experience is with this light. The bright, wide angle light makes it easy to really see what is around me.
I am now absolutely spoiled by this light. I will keep my Apex lights for back ups, but I really don't see them getting used much. My Speedy Specials are just amazing lights.
Joanne
Recently I had the opportunity to acquire a custom built light from a friend of mine in England. Tony (aka SpeedyCaver) uses Oldham mining headlamp shells and builds new "innards" using current LED technology. The original Oldham headlamp used a lead acid battery, and had two incandescent bulbs.
My version of his "Speedy Special" light is the "Flood" model. It uses two R5 emitters, one with a reflector to produce a spot beam, and one that is naked to provide a wide flood beam. Each of the emitters has three power levels. Additionally the light has two 5mm LEDs that are wired directly to the battery through the switch. In the event that the boards controlling the two primary emitters fail, the 5mm LEDs can be selected and will continue to run for many hours.
I have to say that the spot beam on this lamp is MUCH brighter and wider than the one on my Apex. Where this light really excels though is the flood beam!! The beam is close to 170 degrees wide so I can see everything around me rather than just having a spot of light in the direction that I am looking. The light spilling around my feet makes it so I don't have to look down to see where I'm walking. The flood makes it much more natural when I walk.
The light is powered by a battery pack containing three 18650 rechargeable cells. This pack provides approximately three times the run time of Apex Pro. From my limited experience with the light, I seem to be getting about 16 hours on medium power.
The light is controlled using a rotary switch on the right side of the light. Each light is selected sequentially as the switch is rotated through 360 degrees. Once either of the two primary emitters is selected, momentarily making and breaking the connection toggles the light through the three power settings. Each controller board has a memory so the light will return to the last power setting used. Neat eh?
Tony provides a second battery pack and a basic battery charger that plugs into the wall. I decided to purchase an intelligent battery charger that will run off of my vehicle battery so I can charge the battery packs out in the field. These chargers are microprocessor controlled and have an amazing array of charging options.
You can also see the difference between my battery pack and the two CR123A batteries.
This light is significantly heavier than the Apex, but it didn't take long at all for me to get used to the weight. What did surprise me is how much different my underground experience is with this light. The bright, wide angle light makes it easy to really see what is around me.
I am now absolutely spoiled by this light. I will keep my Apex lights for back ups, but I really don't see them getting used much. My Speedy Specials are just amazing lights.
Joanne
Comment