Serious improvement over Petzel products and I will tell you why.
It is in the on/off mechanism. The Petzel turns on by UN-screwing the mechanism which allows to contacts to come together and light up... over time the springing mechanism that allows these two pieces to contact gets tired and bingo, no light. Princeton does the opposite, you screw the mechanism TOGETHER and force the contacts to meet, so they always work. Life expectancy is 5x for the princeton over the petzel. No comparision, go with the Princeton!

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The best way for me to review the Solo is to compare it to the Petzel Micro. Both are extremely comfortable and take 2 AA batteries. I really like the focus feature of the Petzel, but I think the Solo has a more powerful (though non-focusable) beam. The Solo's beam lasts longer and the whole unit itself is just more rugged and water resistant than the Micro.

Thus, I think it comes down to deciding whether you want more power but no focusability, or less power and focusability. If you're not somebody who intentionally hikes in the dark (ie, only when you get caught on the trail after dark and have to!), then I think the power of the Micro is fine. I pretty much just use my headlamp around the campsite in the evening, and so I really like to be able to change the focus for different activities. If I were to just need my headlamp for hiking at night, I would go with the Solo. I give the Solo a 4/5 in terms of its overall rating only because it has no focusability, a feature I personally find very useful. If the Solo had focusability, I would give it a 5/5.

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Petzel Micro

This is my favorite headlight on the market. It is one of the few pieces of my equipment i would truly consider "bombproof." I've used it all over and compared it against my buddies, but most of them have switched to this light as well. It comes with two different bulbs and two different reflectors, all of which shine far and bright. The batteries last much longer than in the petzl micro. I like how the batteries are in the front and not wired around the back. It is much more stable and sturdy this way. One of the best 4 oz. and $30 in my pack. Can't wait to try the Matrix LED upgrade.

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This is a great little light that does what it is suppose to do. Keep in mind that the beam is a fixed beam (you cant focus it like a Petzl) but this was no problem for me. The headband has proved to be very comfortable and adjustable. Simple design that works. No complaints.

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A small and light headlamp. You can't beat the price as I found it was cheaper than all the other comparable models and brands out there. The light is small and intense but I found it didn't really shine very far in distance.

A good little headlamp for it's time and for those who want something small. A good model for caving.

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Princeton Tec Matrix