Princeton Tec Switchback

I rated the headlamp with a 4.5 because it has always had a little short where the external wire comes into the headlamp where the battery compartment is.

That being said, I really love this headlamp. I purchased one approximately 10 years ago and have had no trouble out of it until this last month, July 2010. It has performed well in caves, hikes, hunting, and any other outdoor activity you can think of. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a headlamp for outdoor use.

The duel filament incandescent bulb comes in very handy if you want to see 100 yards away in the pitch black of the forest to see what went bump in the night—usually bear and deer so far. The LED option is great for caving, and around the campsite where you don't need the distance. I have had no problems with it going through batteries too fast. Lithium work really well and reduce the weight of the lamp considerably.

If you are a backpacker and want something lighter that is understandable, but it sure has come in handy when bear have come through the camp at night and you want to see it far enough away to determine if you need to get out of Dodge or not. You can also leave the battery pack at home and it still does a great job.

Long story short, I would purchase another one if they still made them.