# A note on P.T. Apex



## Sarratt (Apr 17, 2008)

My experience only ..... but with two Apex (s)

Be very careful with the hinge. The hinge that allows you to tilt up and down.

The brackets are a very brittle plastic and may and will crack.

Everything has a weak point and this is the Apex's.

The company has been very good .... but still. 

Just advice


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## LA OZ (Apr 18, 2008)

Thanks for the warning.


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## hopkins (Apr 18, 2008)

Ok then we need ideas on a modification to make the PT Apex hinge stronger.
If it breaks while you're out in the sticks it would be a good thing
to have some super-glue.(not likely!) But why not prevent the breakage and modify the hinge now... ?? Any simple ideas out there?


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## Yucca Patrol (Apr 18, 2008)

Instead of spending our time and money working on this, I think the best thing to do is call PT out on their warranty when their crap breaks. They offer a good warranty which makes up for the fact that they lie about their product's specifications.

Waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes my a$$. I wore my snorkeling for 30 minutes last summer. Most of the time it was above water and never once went more than 6 inches under and the battery box was full of water and the headlamp fogged with condensation.

Still works after baking it in a low temperature oven for a day, but I will send it back to them once I do a little more to kill it. . .

But I must say that the Apex is finally very good now that I have modified mine with the Seoul P4 emitters.


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## hopkins (Apr 18, 2008)

Always figured that rain is distilled water so should not cause a 
short circuit ( unlike sea water) . 
The Apex needs 2 hinge connection points on the bezel rather than
just the one and to beef up the rear open cage area on the heatsink 
so it'll survive all the terrible twisting , stomping and crushing we users do to 
our gear.


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## greenLED (Apr 18, 2008)

I'm sad to share that's the same weak point on the Eos. I *just* had to send one of my Eos for warranty repair (replacement, really, since there's really no way to fix that) after the hinge broke.

The good news:
- It's happened only in one of my 3 (or was it 4?) Eos.
- PT warranty will cover that


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## hopkins (Apr 18, 2008)

Do you think it could be industrial sabotage by competing headlamp
makers ?
Seriously though, a hinge is so simple and straightforward that someone had
to work hard to screw up the PT design. Someone not as smart as a 5th
grader ?..?


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## Mark620 (Apr 18, 2008)

I thought it was designed by a 3rd grader...




jk


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## greenLED (Apr 18, 2008)

greenLED said:


> I'm sad to share that's the same weak point on the Eos. I *just* had to send one of my Eos for warranty repair (replacement, really, since there's really no way to fix that) after the hinge broke.
> 
> The good news:
> - It's happened only in one of my 3 (or was it 4?) Eos.
> - PT warranty will cover that


Before we go further down that path... I must say the crack in the hinge on the Eos happened after along time of EDC abuse, mounted on my bike helmet.

None of my other Eos (including the one I use nightly to read to with my son) have broken.


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## uk_caver (Apr 19, 2008)

hopkins said:


> Always figured that rain is distilled water so should not cause a
> short circuit ( unlike sea water).


From hearing reports from various cavers, freshwater seems to have no problems killing Apexes if it gets inside, even though freshwater isn't generally terribly conductive.
Presumably there's something in the circuitry that's sensitive to even high-impedance leakage currents?


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## hopkins (Apr 19, 2008)

interesting data point from UK Caver. Did a bit of research and pure distilled water can pick up conductive atoms as it drips onto your sweaty hair/hat and then into the PT Apex or any headlamp to possibly short it out.

The Apex has that superior quality look and tricks us into misjudging that it can withstand any and all abuse.
Here is a $10 Rayovac 2AA HL bought years ago. I put a Niteize 10mm PR
LED in it; anyway look at that tough hinge PT. Really folks, thats a good hinge.


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## petersmith6 (Apr 20, 2008)

i had problems with my battery box leaking,my simple fix was to remove the naff o ring and fill the bottom grove with silicon sealent(the stuff you use in bathroom or kitchens. once its gone of you have a much better seal.


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## hopkins (Apr 21, 2008)

well duh!!! I should have thunked of that. Silicone sealant is'nt just for windows
anymore.
guess you used a solvent to prepare the surfaces before...


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## Mark620 (Apr 21, 2008)

I have found that most of the apex battery boxes leak where the cable enters. It is a compression fitting. Unscrew the fitting, pull the cable out then put the ferrule back on the cable. The top will have to be unscrewed from the battery holder to reassemble it correctly.


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## Tachion (Apr 25, 2008)

I found another weak spot on the PT Apex. You’ve already mentioned it but not for the same reason... I dropped my Apex the day after I got it and it cracked the battery box! :mecry: The drop was only from about hip height (0,84 meters in my case) onto a pretty soft plastic floor. It really looks sturdy enough to handle that kind of drop but it didn’t.


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## hopkins (Apr 25, 2008)

Cracked battery case from hip height!:mecry::mecry::mecry:
I'm beginning to wonder about the plastic thats actually used
in the Apex is not up to spec that is called for in the design.
A substitution for cheaper types maybe by somebody
wanting to maximize $$$. 

Can anyone compare the original Apex's plastic to later ones?
Feel more brittle, thinner, less dense, etc ?
Curious
-hopkins


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## petersmith6 (Apr 26, 2008)

after 8 months of use my apex in now sat in the bin. i like the optic..the 4 led's were a good idea...but the the low seting was far too bright. the body cracked and leaked,hinge gave up the ghost and washeld on with epoxy and dispite many mods..the battry compartment leaked.

APEX nice idea...BUT BACK TOO SKOOL AND DO IT PROPLEY!!!!


oh..and can i have it so i can plug an external power pack in as well .say 4 D cell for run time


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## Mark620 (Apr 26, 2008)

petersmith6 said:


> oh..and can i have it so i can plug an external power pack in as well .say 4 D cell for run time




I'm using this battery pack and this type of connector.


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## hopkins (Apr 26, 2008)

good job Mark620. that is 'the' connector for easy hookup in the dark.

Petersmith6 - sorry to also hear about your Apex many failures. 
Have you cut off the old hinge completely then epoxy on a new hinge?

The way they build bridges with steel rods covered with concrete gave me the idea to place wire into and around the broken hinge and coat it with
epoxy to hold it all together. Ugly but seems stronger than new.


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## petersmith6 (Apr 27, 2008)

looks like in back in the bin for my apex..poor little thing.just a little more time spent on R&D and this would be fantastic.nurse...scalpal...pliers....epoxy


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## uluapoundr (Apr 27, 2008)

This is a popular light for island fishermen. Within the last year, the local stores could not keep them in stock as they were selling so well. After the mass purchases came many returns. The head unit housing was cracking where the screws enter the body. PT said they were overtightening at the factory and that they would correct the problem and replaced many lights returned. Sad to say, even the replacement lights had the same problem. It looks like the pastic used is brittle and cracks easily. I have one right now that cracked and will probably return it as well, or scrap it for a better headlight.


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## Mark620 (Apr 27, 2008)

The screw problem is not because of it being over tightened - it is the wrong geometry. It is a thread cutting type and it builds up too much material during installation - thus causing the cracking.


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## Rob187 (May 12, 2008)

My Apex fogs up and droplets form inside the lens after relative light exposure to splashing water. Works okay but not a good look. Not the headlamp I thought it was going to be. Disappointed for sure.


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## GrnXnham (May 12, 2008)

I found PT customer service to be good.

My Apex quit working after a year of heavy use. I called PT and they said to send it back and they would look at it. 

I sent it in and they sent me a brand new unit right away.


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## greenLED (May 13, 2008)

GrnXnham said:


> I found PT customer service to be good.


+1. I've dealt with them a few times, and they've been very responsive. This last time I got my Eos replaced within 2 weeks (counting from when I sent them the light).

Don't try to contact them via e-mail, though; they'll never reply. Getting on the phone has worked every time.


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## RGB_LED (May 18, 2008)

Mark620 said:


> I'm using this battery pack and this type of connector.


Sorry to hijack this thread but, Mark620, do you know the input voltage for the PT Apex? 

I was just thinking that it's a 4AA light so the voltage would be 6v with 4 alkaline AA's and a little less with NiMH. Isn't running it off a 7.4v Li-Ion driving the light a bit harder, especially fresh off the charger? I don't know the voltage range of the light so I may be wrong. Have you had any issues with running it with that battery? If not, I'm going to look into doing the same as it's a great alternative.


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## Mark620 (May 18, 2008)

RGB_LED said:


> Sorry to hijack this thread but, Mark620, do you know the input voltage for the PT Apex?
> 
> I was just thinking that it's a 4AA light so the voltage would be 6v with 4 alkaline AA's and a little less with NiMH. Isn't running it off a 7.4v Li-Ion driving the light a bit harder, especially fresh off the charger? I don't know the voltage range of the light so I may be wrong. Have you had any issues with running it with that battery? If not, I'm going to look into doing the same as it's a great alternative.



I have modified several lights to runoff of the Li-Ion battery so far none of them have had a problem. I read somewhere in a thread (that I cant find), that someone asked Princeton Tec about this mod and they replied "it should work".


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## CM (May 18, 2008)

Mark620 said:


> I have modified several lights to runoff of the Li-Ion battery so far none of them have had a problem. I read somewhere in a thread (that I cant find), that someone asked Princeton Tec about this mod and they replied "it should work".



PT approves of a "mod"? I find that hard to believe.

Regardless, I would guess that they have some design margin on the circuit so that using two Li-Ion cells in series would not cause damage.


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## Mark620 (May 18, 2008)

CM said:


> PT approves of a "mod"? I find that hard to believe.
> 
> Regardless, I would guess that they have some design margin on the circuit so that using two Li-Ion cells in series would not cause damage.



I would not consider the statement "It should work" an approval from them.


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## HBlight (May 26, 2008)

I have two Apex Pro (one black and one olive).

This afternoon I was organizing my lights and I found that both lights have a crack
on the top part of it.The black one I used only once and it is really bad. The
fracture is about 1.1/2 inches in length.

I sent an email to PT and I hope they respond back to me tomorrow with the authorization, so I can send it to be fixed (or replaced) under the warranty.

I just can not understand the reason for this problem since it was never dropped


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## Mark620 (May 27, 2008)

HBlight said:


> This afternoon I was organizing my lights and I found that both lights have a crack on the top part of it.The back one I used only once and it is really bad. The fracture is about 1.1/2 inches in length.
> 
> I sent an email to PT and I hope they respond back to me tomorrow with the authorization, so I can send it to be fixed (or replaced) under the warranty.
> 
> I just can not understand the reason for this problem since it was never dropped




See the post : https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2455756&postcount=22

and several more that I have posted in other threads...


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (May 27, 2008)

Hey,  i`m also a member of the Apex broken hinge club ...


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## hopkins (May 29, 2008)

Hendo - can you post a closeup picture of the broken hinge? Or anyone else
got a picture showing failure details?


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (May 29, 2008)

i`ve checked all my pics but i dont have one ...
....it was the part that fits to the headband that failed not the lamp assembly
no cracking involved... it just suddenly broke when my mountain bike tires lost traction and my head smacked the frozen earth lol
a few grazes and bruises but very funny at the time
i don`t know why i found it so amusing, i must be mad!!


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## hopkins (May 29, 2008)

Do you mean one of the slots on the forehead plate that the straps hook onto
broke? Impressive Hendo. You Scunthorpe cyclists are a tough lot.


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## HEY HEY ITS HENDO (May 30, 2008)

no it broke around the hinge screw in a very neat tiny semicircle ...
i considered gluing it back together with some ABS solvent cement
but its easy to see its a very weak point ... so instead
i glued it to a short piece of 11/2" (?) uPVC wastepipe, it now clips/grips very firmly onto my mountain bike frame steerer tube ...
2 x cree Q5, powered from a remote driver at 750ma
(you could use the stock driver with just 1 Q5)


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## hopkins (May 30, 2008)

Got to say thats a fine mod Hendo. I'm changing my opinion that the PT Apex has flaws.
They're not really weaknesses but opportunities to apply creative
mods. ie broken lights are better victims for mods than bulletproof
types that never break.

This spring I've been strapping a Rayovac 3w 2AA sportsman extreme to the handlebars and going up the hill to look down at the valley.
Works better than hogtieing my old Myo Xp on.
Your Apex double cree mod looks like it can take the vibration.


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## Serious (Oct 30, 2011)

That looks cool! How do you attach the battery pack to the bike, and how do you make the whole thing removable?





HEY HEY ITS HENDO said:


> no it broke around the hinge screw in a very neat tiny semicircle ...
> i considered gluing it back together with some ABS solvent cement
> but its easy to see its a very weak point ... so instead
> i glued it to a short piece of 11/2" (?) uPVC wastepipe, it now clips/grips very firmly onto my mountain bike frame steerer tube ...
> ...


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