Princeton Tec Eos Headlamp

For its size, this headlamp has great distance. The beam is pretty focused, and the brightest setting can hold its own while moving/hiking in the dark. No other headlamp this size that I have compares in distance. However, despite its waterproof claim, I had it in my pack (which floats, so it was never deeper than a foot or so underwater) for 13 hours in a canyon, and water seeped in to short out the 'on switch' and burn out my batteries. After drying out, it was fine, but a real bummer when I actually needed it to be waterproof. Also, the light beam is not very wide, so combined with its exceptional brightness I tend to be able to see only one area of a trail/campsite and become pretty nightblind to the surroundings. Even when reading in a tent, the light seems almost too bright when on its lowest setting. But who am I to complain about a light that's too bright'? It's small and works great, bottom line.

This headlamp is very bright and comes in a small package. It has three different setting but I only use the one. It also seems to last forever. I am still on the first batteries and I spent a couple of months using it for an hour a day.

Took my second night ride with the Eos last night on my xc skis. I am very impressed with the performance of this light. Illuminates the trail in front of you with a nice bright white light that makes objects and obstacles from a distance easily visible. You can easily resolve signs and trail markers. Long run time on the batteries too. Very light on your head. I can't wait to test it out on some hikes next.

As an early adopter of headlamps, I have used dozens of models over the years. The EOS is currently my favorite. I even prefer it over the newer Tikka XP that I bought. I do a lot of outdoor activity at night (only time I seem to be able to fit it in the schedule) and I also enjoy night hiking. This lamp is very reliable and durable. On high power it will really light the trail and allows me to spot cairns and blazes in the distance. Most of the time, low power is all I use until the batteries get low, then medium works well. Pros: relatively light, reliable, powerful, long run-time. Cons: button sometimes hard to push with gloves on; lacks diffusion filter for better close-up usability.