I was frustrated with animals eyeing me at me at night, because I couldn't tell which monster wanted to eat me. So I upgraded to this little sunshine. I appreciate how both the battery pack and light housing are h20 tight, and mechanically fastened with screws and bolts, opposed to cheeezy plastic snaps. Durable construction. It utilizes two function buttons rather than one, which enables you to get to the light function your after, without cycling through all of them with one button.

two things:
-after using this product for an extended period of time, I thought I could learn how to push the buttons first try. I can't. Either I'm incompetent, or they are poorly designed, likely both, however they are only buttons, and I've been pushing them my whole life, so I will lean toward flaw of design. But when it's cold out and I can't feel much, I really struggle, thus the use of gloves is def. out.
Also,
-after the first or second day of use, the thread on the strap failed and the band came undone. I spoke with the guys at the Outdoor Retail show and they said they hadn't heard of it occuring before. So likely a fluke, considering the quality is bomb proof and sheds a whole lotta light. Although I have two gripes, I dig the headlamp and still recommend it. Even on low, my buddies are always mentioning how bright it is.
We managed to put a man on the moon, so i give 4 stars for their failure to provide quality buttons.

The Princeton website how lists 130 lumens output for both the apex pro and the standard apex headlamp.

Dose not have 100 hrs of burn time!! says only 35 hrs on box. this web sight lies!

This is the 3rd review of mine for this product. I broke the pivot which enables articulation of the light from the head strap. I still like the mechanical fastner, (Bolt and nut) however it is attached to a flimsy piece of plastic which broke. Their customer service is great. I would not get the unit with the cr123's unless you have some great love or reasoning. They don't last as long as the AAA's and only weigh (i think 100 grams more). I would be stoked to see some design changes, however it is a solid unit for the most part and puts out some great day light.

Having a solid headlamp is a needed item in any backcountry. If you want something far above the rest, then get this one. It is far brighter than anything I've seen, the bright settings could land a plane and the lower settings provide plenty of crisp light. The heatsink keeps everything running cool and the batteries last for a decent amount of time. Fantastic headlamp, quit being cheap and spend a little extra. It is well worth it.

the batteries in the pro does not last as long as the reg, and puts out slightly less light. I like them both for different reasons. Unless you have a solar charger for the cr 123 (pro) I'd take the regular apex on extended adventures, as it lasts much longer. Or snag the pro for a fast/light expedtion. The light output variance is not enough to steer me one way or another. Great customer service. As I have them both, I will say they're most radical. kauwabunga

I upgraded to this lamp from a Petzl Tikka Plus (which is also a great lamp) and have been really happy with it. Bright enough for true night path-finding (unlike a Tikka like unit) and SAR night searches. I don't have a single complaint, and I've put this thing through the ringer. Batteries can be difficult to find at a reasonable price (look for 12 packs of SureFire brand for about $23), but can usually be found at most stores sold as camera batteries if you're in a pinch (although expect to pay dearly for them). This isn't a problem for me though, because I had already "standardized" on CR123s for all my hand-held and gun mounted lights, so the batteries are actually a bonus (plus they work great at really low temps, unlike alkalines). Regarding the control buttons (which I see cause some complaints): They aren't especially easy to use while wearing gloves (and about impossible with heavy mitts), but on the other hand, I've never had the light turn itself on in my pack either. I'd much rather have a lamp that is somewhat difficult to turn on sometimes than one that doesn't come on at all because it's been illuminating the inside of my pack all day, so it doesn't bother me.

This is a very bright headlamp.
But my experience living with this thing wasn't the best.
Its regulated which means instead of quickly getting dimmer and dimmer as the batteries run out it maintains the light and near full strength for a while and then dies.
But this really means that it doesn't last very long at all and when it dies it happens fast. The description here says 150 hours. Please. On the lowest setting it works for a bit longer but on medium/high it can die in a couple of hours.
Plus the CR123 batteries are much more expensive than normal AAA/AA and so where with a normal headlamp I would say, well I've got a trip tomorrow and I don't remember when the last time I replaced the batteries was so I'll change them just to be safe. But with the price of these you go, uhh I'm sure there fine.
I tried buying a rechargeable battery kit for these.
DON'T.
The rechargeable don't last at all.
In the end I returned this thing as it didn't work for me.
But maybe if you're cousin works at Energizer you should get this headlamp.

So far, nothing but good things to say about the headlamp. Outperformed all of my friends' lamps while hiking and working outside at night. Buttons are a bit difficult to use, so I agree with the other folks on here about that.

As a heads up though, its awful hard to find the rechargeable batteries that fit this model. I found some (and a link on the same site to the charging stand) at http://www.atbatt.com/product/19740.asp .... Yeah, they're expensive, but so are the regular batteries if you're using them a lot. Then you can get all those batteries in a landfill off your green conscious.

My go to headlamp. I have the newest version which boasts 130 lumens on the highest setting. The lowest setting works great for around camp, cooking, reading, etc. I rarely use the highest setting in order to conserve batteries. However, if you got stuck on the trail or river after dark the high setting could be a life saver (dont ask how I know). As one other reviewer mentioned, look for the 6 or 12 packs of surefire batteries as they are the best value. I have had no problems with breakage. I run lithium AA batteries in my gps and they are as much or more than the cr123 batteries. All of my other gear uses the cr123s. Once you use lithium batteries you wont go back.

I have managed to break 2 of these in less than a year: the first got water inside the lens after a wet Rogaine (inspite of it's supposed waterproof seals) and was replaced under waranty. The second I managed to shatter the plastic of the main body - though I am not sure how. To its credit, it kept working for a long time in that condition before giving up. Now I'm not sure if I should replace it with the same model, or something else...

This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine! This will not fail anyone. It has been through the worst nights that one can imagine. It's my shinning star. I used this for backpacking and camping. It was great for hands free. The battery lasted a descent amount of time. It works even as good as a spot light. I managed to catch rocky and the gang where I was camping with my light. Get this lamp! DON'T BE DULL, BE BRIGHT!!!