Two new headtorches from Princeton Tec use a new, high-power LED to give comparable light to a halogen bulb but with a claimed six times the battery life...
New from Princeton Tec is a hybrid head torch that uses a super
powerful LED to produce enough light to rival halogen and xenon
bulbs, claims the company, but with superior burn time - it will, if
they're correct, last six times as long as a Petzl Myo using a
halogen bulb.
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Yukon HL combines standard LEDs
for close-up
work with new, superbright LED for active
use
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The Yukon HL Hybrid LED torch is based on the standard Yukon we
tested
last year but on top of the three standard LEDs with their 120-hour
burn time, there's a new 1-watt, side-emitting LED. The latter has a
burn time of around 25 hours, but throws out enough concentrated
light to compete with conventional bulbs.
Princeton Tec says that the new bulb technology provides whiter
light than its competitors and has a further advantage in that the
light doesn't yellow as the battery power runs down. The big plus for
most users though, will be the extended battery life compared to a
halogen bulb. Petzl's Myo, for example, has only a four-hour burn
time using its Xenon halogen beam.
Like the standard Yukon, the HL is highly water resistant and
there's no significant weight penalty for the extra brightness. It
could be the answer for walkers and climbers who find LEDs inadequate
for active use, but are put off halogen beams by their
battery-munching ways. Weight is 8 oz, same as the standard
Yukon.
The only downside that we can see is the price, a whopping
£59.95 and the lack of a remote battery box option for extreme
cold conditions.
Matrix Reloaded
Also using the 1-watt LED is the Matrix 2 torch. Running on two AA
cells, it kicks out a bright, white, focussable light that again, is
claimed to outperform halogens.
Burn time on the two AAs is claimed to be between eight and ten
hours and it's also totally waterproof to a depth of 100 metres and
uses an impact-resistant housing. Weight is a paltry 5.8 oz which
should make it ideal for weight-aware climbers and walkers who don't
need a light for close-up work, but want to be able to see where
they're going.
Price of the Matrix 2 is £39.95, but bear in mind that it has
no long burn, close-up option.
For more information on both lights, see the Princeton
Tec web site.
