Short Description:

The Princeton Tec EOS is a Luxeon I LED headlamp with 3 brightness levels and an emergency flash mode which runs on 3 AAA batteries and utilizes a current regulator circuit for all modes of operation. It is water resistant to 1 meter and uses an adjustable elastic strap and pivoting headplate for ease of use and comfort.

Detailed Information:

EOS... What does that stand for, anyway? It probably stands for "electronic operating system" or something like that, but it may just as well stand for "End Of Story", because this is the first headlamp that rates a full 5 Stars here on FlashlightReviews.com! (Actually, I found out what Eos is - Eos is the Greek goddess of the dawn. Her Roman equivalent is Aurora.)

The body itself seems pretty standard, but it's the little things that make it stand out. The casing is polymer, with two pieces attached by a hinge. On the back is a knurled screw that holds the two sections together. The screw can be manipulated with your hand, but is also slotted with a groove wide enough to accept a small coin. There is a seal between the two halves to prevent the entry of water and other environmental contaminants. On the top is a rubber panel which covers the switch. The forehead plate has no padded section. Instead the headband threads through 2 slots in the plate and rests directly against your forehead. This creates a complete lack of pressure points and more even distribution of pressure around your head. This makes the headlamp more comfortable during extended wear.

The bezel is recessed slightly and the optics are protected by a polycarbonate shield. Inside is a Luxeon 1 high dome LED (impervious to all but the most devastating impacts) and a current regulator circuit. Now this is no ordinary regulator. Lots of regulators out there are PWM circuits which cause the light to flicker. Many people can see this flicker and it gets rather annoying, especially when reading. Well, there is NO FLICKER with the EOS. You only see smooth, constant light at all levels of brightness. The headlamp starts out at "high", and moves to the next mode (medium, low, flash) with each click of the switch. Leaving the switch alone for about 3 seconds allows the light to be extinguished by the next press of the switch.

Output is very nice - a smooth bright central spot with a squarish spillbeam, both separated by a slightly dimmer ring of light. Runtimes and output are listed in the table below. Note too, that when the regulator cannot provide constant current to the LED, it doesn't just die. It gives you several more hours of "emergency light" which dims over time, hopefully giving you enough time to find your way to a new set of batteries!

Runtime Plot: Manufacturer's statements about HIGH runtime are right on! 2:15 regulated, diminishing thereafter.

Runtime completed with Energizer batteries. More information on runtime plots is available HERE.

The switch is a simple click switch. It is just a touch awkward for lefties to use, but not to any serious degree.

All around the battery compartment there is a rubber seal to prevent the entry of water. The rest of the light is also sealed and is rated by the manufacturer as being water resistant to 1 meter (dunkable).

Ergonomics: Comfortable on the head, easy to adjust both the light and the headband. The light itself can be tilted on its forehead plate up to 90 deg, and it gently ratchets in place past stops on the hinge to prevent it from easily moving from its set angle.

For batteries it takes either alkaline, the new lithium L92 energizer AAA batteries, or rechargables. Yes, that's right, it takes the new lithium L92 batteries as well! This means much better performance than alkalines in cold weather. Rechargables will run the headlamp at reduced runtime and brightness levels.

What I Liked: Waterproof to 1 meter, Tough/impact resistant, Current based regulation, Good battery life, Bright, Easy battery change, Lightweight, Accepts alkaline, lithium and rechargeable batteries, Easy to use.

What I Didn't Like: Not a thing.

Other Things I Noticed:

Conclusions: A great headlamp! I really don't see any way to improve it. As I look into my crystal ball I see a vague image of a AA version of this same headlamp sometime in the future with the battery pack in the back for extended runtimes. Well, that's a pure guess, but who knows? I wouldn't be surprised at all if that were next!

Quick Facts Table: