Overall, I'm very happy with the product. This is one that Princeton Tech got right. From the manufacturer that likes to put lots of neat-o, gee-whiz features on their products, they've gone simple and it pays off. I've had the original Petzel tikka tactical for years and I might like this one better. If you are looking for an actual tactical headlamp, this is what you want. Pros: o The strap is fuzed edge out, meaning, the burnt ends are sewn outside so they can't rub or abrade on your head. o the band/molle mount is actually curved like a human cranium, and the strap runs inside to act as additional padding, though even the plastic is smooth and comfortable on the forehead. o Strap is simple, slide and loop style, no fancy clips to break, the two seams are doubled-back cross stitch. o The hinged battery compartment has a thumb screw thats easy to manipulate and is gasketed for water resistance. (claims 1m submersion) o Operation: Here's the big one- it has a single, large, firm click pad. It would be easy to operate in gloves or the rain, it has three settings, DIM, MEDIUM, and BRIGHT, in that order. There is a three second timer that enables the user to go from on to off without cycling through the other modes to get to off again. Transition from white light to red/colored is a simple swipe up motion that softly locks into place. This is everything you want in your field/tactical light. (It drove me nuts in the field to see soldiers flipping through the modes their PX "tactical" headlamps, white, green, blue, purple, finally to an often insanely bright red, and often had me wondering why a good tactical headlamp wasn't available.) o This light is NOT 'surface of the sun' bright, and if thats what you want, you shouldn't be looking under "tactical" headlights. Bright is not very tactical. o It does NOT appear to be self-discharging (battery drain when off) which has been a problem with ALL of my other Princeton Tech lights, with all battery types. (seriously though, WTF PTech?) o The baseplate mount is cool, I can see it being useful not stretching a headband over my ACH, forgetting its up there only to fumble-fk with it when trying to mount NVGs. CONS: o This thing is a CHONK. Its not heavy, its a little chunky and high profile. Thats okay, though, the chonk helps make it rugged. I'm not too upset. o The ratchet system feels kind of meh, but it locks in tight enough for government work. o The plastic FEELS a little light, but I'm sitting here bending the spare "molle" bracket close to the point of unreasonable-ness and it doesn't seem to be worse for the wear. o Its a little on the 'spensive side. At 60 bucks its the top tier of the mid grade headlamps. I'm not sure why it warrants that price at based on its simplicity. (other than the trademarked "multi-cam") BUT, it does the job properly, and thats worth a few extra dollars. Minus one star for the cons, but good overall job, PTech.
