Pelican Versabrite
I couldn't find either my Princeton Tec or my Petzl headlamps as I packed up last week for a weekend moto-camping trip. I thought, "No problem, I'll pick one up at a outdoor store in any one of the small towns on the way." Long story short, I got more interested in my ride than stopping in any of the towns with quality stores and ended up in Lake City, CO (which, if you haven't been there, is really western Texas although many Coloradoans think it's a town in Hinsdale County, Colorado :ylsmoke: ). Their selection of stores is extremely limited and headlamps even moreso.
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I was forced into buying a Pelican Versabrite for $28. Given that Lake City is a small mountain town and things always cost more in small mountain towns, I'm sure it can be purchased for less in other areas. I thought it would be at least decent enough given the reputation of Pelican products.
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Not so much...
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1) The headband is cheap elastic and neither is it adjustable. When you slip it under the provided clip on the battery compartment, you'd better get it right the first time as the velcro hook patch underneath the clip (??) is industrial strength and it immediately pulls the threads out of the fabric headband if you try to center the seam of the elastic band.
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2) The plastic case is strong enough as a Pelican material would be expected to be but the battery compartment isn't waterproof. In fact, it doesn't even really appear water-resistant. I expected some sort of o-ring, but nope.
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3) On top of that, the swivel isn't really as positive as I expected in each indexed stop.
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4) On a positive note, the headlamp comes with a red lens and a green lens. I opted to install the green lens since it's better to read the DeLorme Gazeteer (red highways) while still preserving night vision. The red lens stores in the battery compartment if not used. No particular way, just drop it in beside one of the 2 x AA batteries (provided). When you pull the lens housing off, there is a high quality o-ring in place to prevent water intrusion.
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5) The Xenon lamp is bright and provides adequate light for tasks close at hand. I wouldn't use it for trail running, cycling, etc.
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OPINION: If you're in the market for a good quality headlamp, I'd move on. However, if you want to stick some velcro on the back of the battery case and use it on your dashboard as a more intense, adjustable maplight (with different color filter options) which can also be removed for tasks in and around the cab, it's not a bad purchase.
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Some manufacturer photos...
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