Doug Ritter Special Edition
eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™
| | Equipped To Survive® Presents Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ |
 |
When I designed my Doug Ritter Ultimate Aviator Survival Pak™ I needed a compact, very lightweight multipurpose LED flashlight/headlamp. After much searching, the light I settled on was the eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™. I only wanted a couple changes. I wanted to use the same "twice-as-bright" LED as the Doug Ritter MkII Special Edition Photon Freedom Micro-light™ and I really didn't like either of the standard case colors, black or dark blue. Yellow, easy to find if dropped, would be nice...
The good news was they could give me what I wanted. The bad news; we would have to order a lot of them. Voilà! Another Doug Ritter Special Edition is born: the Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™.
If you don't need any details and just want to order, click here to go to the order page on www.aeromedix.com.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ goes to support the non-profit Equipped To Survive Foundation.
The more I use them, the more I appreciate the advantages of headlamps. They sure beat the heck out of trying to hold a small light between your teeth or any of the other means we improvise to allow us to use both hands and still light up the work area. You can actually talk, nobody has to try to decipher your mumbling. They can't be beat for lighting up a path at night, leaving your hands free. The trouble with most headlamps is they are too heavy, bulky and complicated. Many provide a lot more light than what's adequate to accomplish most tasks, which only increases cost, weight and size. I wanted practical, simple, lightweight, compact, reliable and affordable. The KISS principle applies. Here are the parameters I laid out when I first went looking for this light:
The Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ fulfills these requirements and more. It uses a single "twice-as-bright" Nichia 5mm white LED and a reflector and focusing lens that puts more light on target at greater range than the bare LED of the Photon. The combination of the lens and an integral hood mean little or no sidescatter into your eyes when hand held or if used with the clip on your cap.
The lens produces a light beam that is clearly defined with virtually no spill. The beam is wide enough to be practical, while still providing the added benefits of improved range and brightness. If you need to read a set of instructions or a map held in your hands, it's wide enough to allow that without lots of head movement and there's plenty of beam width to allow safe travel at night.
A single thin elastic strap serves as a headband and is dual adjustable. The light weight means this single band is quite adequate, no fancier suspension system is required. If desired, the headband can be easily removed in a matter of seconds and can be re-installed almost as quickly. The backplate/clip is padded with a piece of closed-cell foam for comfort.
The broad clip allows the Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ to be easily attached to a cap, your shirt, pack or any material up to a half-inch thick (12.7 mm). Because the clip is an inch wide (2.54 cm), it is more stable even when attached to flimsier material like a shirt. The headband doesn't have to be removed to use the clip on a cap, just slip the headband over the body of the cap to keep it out of the way. Without the headband attached, the light will also stand up on any flat surface. The head is adjustable for angle and has ten distinct positions from 0º to 88º (see animation below). The angle is held by a double detent, so it isn't just friction on the pivot, a failing in many headlamps.
If you just need a quick light, the compact size and shape makes it comfortable to hold in your hand, with or without the headband attached. The headband can serve as an improvised wrist lanyard if needed to protect the light from being dropped in precarious situations.
The Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ weighs only one ounce (28 g) with batteries and its headband. It is powered by a pair of CR2032 Lithium coin cells. These lithium batteries have a 10-year storage life and excellent cold weather performance. Run time is given as 20 hours and it'll run at maximum brightness for 2.5 hours. A spare set of batteries takes up the space of only four pennies. The batteries are quick and easy to change out; no tools, extraordinary skill or broken finger nails required. It is even labeled with the correct polarity, to avoid confusion. The whole light is only about 1.25 x 1.2 x 1.8 inches (32 x 30 x 45 mm) without the headband.
The Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light's™ rotary switch prevents inadvertant operation in storage. The switch functions by screwing the lens in or out (clockwise is ON). The lens is equipped with flutes for easy gripping and it can be readily operated one-handed.
While not rated as submersible, we tested it to 6 ft. depth for an hour with no leakage.
The back half of the case is molded in bright yellow, the rest is black. The yellow part glows when the light is turned on, which everyone seems to think looks very cool.
If you're not 100% satisfied, simply return your Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ to Aeromedix.com within 30 days for their exceptional, immediate, hassle-free refund (click for details). The Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light also comes with a limited lifetime warranty. If it fails for any reason other than abuse or battery expiration, return it to the manufacturer for a free repair or replacement.
The Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ is available exclusively from Aeromedix.com for just $14.95!
This is the perfect light for anyone needing a compact, lightweight, versatile and reliable headlamp and it's inexpensive to boot. What more could you want? Get one for every car, plane, boat, survival or preparedness kit, etc.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ goes to support the non-profit Equipped To Survive Foundation. (opens a new browser window)
| Click here to place your order for a Doug Ritter Special Edition eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™ |
| A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Doug Ritter Gear supports the non-profit Equipped To Survive Foundation. |
|
| SELECT AND USE OUTDOORS AND SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Please review the full WARNING & DISCLAIMER about information on this site. |
Publisher and Editor: Doug Ritter
Email: Doug Ritter
URL:
http://www.equipped.org/dr_photon.htm
First Published: May 6, 2005
Revision: 03 July 28, 2006
Email to: info@pulvertech.com
|
![[Previous]](icons/1left.gif){kind=icon}
![[Next]](icons/1right.gif){kind=icon}