Short Description:

NOTE: The Streamlight Trident has been updated to include a faceted reflector and a xenon bulb. This is an updated review. Click HERE to see pictures and information from the original review.

The Trident is an LED/Incandescent combination headlamp made by Streamlight. The light has the rather unique feature of being able to switch from 1 LED on, to 3 LEDs on, to all LEDs off and the incandescent bulb on. This allows you to use the single LED for low-light navigation or close up work, 3 LEDs for reading or at times when more detail is needed, and the incandescent bulb when you need to light things at a distance.

The body of the light is made of tough plastic with a rubberized ring around the bezel. There are 2 elastic adjustable straps; one for around the head and one for over the top to hold the assembly in place. The lamp can be tilted downward 90 degrees and it ratchets in place on a little plastic tab to help hold it in place. The back of the light has a soft rubber-like foam pad for comfort against the forehead. The body of the light is sealed at all points with rubber O-ring for water protection.

The LED bulbs never need to be replaced. The incandescent bulb is a 4.5 volt xenon bi-pin. The reflector is fully faceted, creating a smooth beam. The bezel is adjustable for focus of the incandescent bulb, allowing the user to adjust the beam from a wide flood to a medium width beam. A narrow piercing beam is not possible due to the smoothing action of the faceted reflector. The focusing action does not affect the LED output.

The light uses 3 AAA batteries (included). The batteries need to be inserted into a "carrier" which is then inserted into the battery compartment. The carrier is keyed so that it can only be inserted the proper way. The battery compartment lid only goes on one way and is marked with a little white line for alignment.

The switch is a simple push button switch on top of the light. 1 press for 1 LED, 2 presses for 3 LEDs, 3 presses for Incandescent, 4 presses for off.

Reviewer's Impressions:

The Streamlight Trident is a very useful little headlamp. The newest version contains a brighter xenon bulb and a faceted reflector which makes this light a real winner in my book.

The headlamp itself is well made and does pretty much what you would expect it to do. The single LED is about as bright as a Photon and is great for low light navigation. The 3 LEDs project enough light to be useful in accomplishing your normal camp-side duties while making the most of your battery life. The incandescent bulb produces a good amount of light; more than a minimag but with a much smoother beam. The incandescent is useful for medium range spotting or brightly illuminating a nearby subject.

I had previously reviewed the Trident and the model then made used a krypton bulb and a smooth reflector. As a result, the incandescent lamp had some real problems with projecting a smooth beam (see comparison photo, above). This was in-part due to the cutouts made for the LEDs to poke through the reflector. The current version fixes these problems by incorporating a fully faceted reflector. Although the beam cannot be focused to quite as tight of a spot as was possible with the original, the new beam is so much brighter and smoother that it is well worth the money to upgrade.

One other thing to note for those of you who have the older version of the light: The click switch on the top now requires a distinct pause between switching modes. Previously you could click the switch as fast as possible and it would change modes. Now you need to pause for about 1/2 second between button presses. I also noticed that the circuit board appears to be identical in the older and newer versions, except for one component (unidentified) and the fact that the board now appears much cleaner and more professionally produced.

As for comfort, the Trident is light and unobtrusive. It is convenient to use, and proves itself useful in a wide range of applications as a result of having both LED and incandescent options.

+ + + Pluses: Advantages of LED and Incandescent in one device (battery savings and light 'throw' respectively), waterproof, comfortable, lightweight, clicks into vertical position and stays there well, very bright and smooth incandescent beam for a 3 x AAA light.

- - - Minuses: Need light to change the batteries and align the battery door.