Princeton Tec Charge. Developed in cooperation with end users.
The Princeton Tec Charge was developed with the help of DoD Tier One units. Kit Up’s inside source actually said they originally took the (now patented) concept to Surefire first but, the founder didn’t want to back the project. Unfortunately I see this a lot with companies that grow in size and eventually turn arrogant towards the same end users that made a market for their products. You think it would be simple to keep your core customers happy but, it’s amazing what success will blind you to.
Losing touch with your core customers is the beginning of the end in my opinion and a sure way to lose market share. Surfire has always made great product and I’ve always been a fan however, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was very disturbed when I heard that the company essentially turned their backs on a direct customer request. Insanity.
Our friends over at Soldier Systems did a report on the Charge recently and you can click here to read what they had to say.
So while Surefire took a pass, enter the good folks at Princeton Tec and the birth of the Princeton Tec “Charge”. We’re looking forward to great things in the future from these guys , especially now that we know they’re listening to end user feedback. The company is sending us some product to review and we’ll be sure to keep you posted once we get our hands on it. So I say Princeton Tec-1 Surefire-0. What do you guys think? Hit the like button if you agree with me.
From my conversation with Ryan from Princeton Tec
“This light is a result of feedback coming directly from end users in the field- we have had the privilege to work hand in hand with a very select group of “consultants” from across our armed forces to develop, refine, and produce this light. It is ridiculously low profile- and can be mounted easily on either side of a helmet. Charge is the natural evolution of the Princeton Tec personal lighting series. It’s modularity, and patented flexi-neck design allow the user to direct light exactly where it is needed- whether it be one of the covert lighting options, or the overt 60 Lumen Maxbright LED. A recessed button ensures easy activation, while eliminating the possibility of an accidental light discharge. The ability to use any AA battery you can find, paired with the included low-profile MOLLE, helmet rail, and standard helmet mounting attachments make Charge the most versatile personal lighting system available. MADE IN THE USA”
Princeton Tec Charge
Lumens: 60
Battery: 1 AA
Body Colors: Tan, OD, Black
LED Color Options: Blue, Red, Green, IR/Red/Green, IR, Red, Blue, IR- I have attached our LED Icon
What’s in the box: Light, Battery, MOLLE Mount, Helmet Rail Mount, Standard Helmet Mount
MSRP: $99.99
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Does this only fit on to those high speed helmets, or will you be able to put it on the ACH?
Good question, I'll have to get back to you once I get my hands on it. -Brandon
Those are OpsCore ARC rails which also have interfaces for cameras, goggles and Picatinny-mounted components, on what looks like the comms/CVC edition of the ACH (abbreviated side copverage from back when cans were larger).
So yeah, the side mounted rails do indeed fit helmets issued to conventional forces.
The NVG base is also OpsCore but in a 3-hole pattern. Most conventional ACHs are one-hole bobbers, and drilling after manufacture is a sketchy proposition.
Thanks, sounds like a better buy then those static helmet lights that never seem to light up what you are trying to look at, or aren't bright enough to actually reach.
Good to see an innotive american company. I do agree with Brandon. Surefire has gotten so big now that they are not intune with customers. Don't get me wrong. Surefire makes excellent product. But I think their customer relations can be improved.
in the description it says it comes with a standard helmet mount i assume that is for the ACH?
Even though it’s pictured with a FAST, it’s mounted on ARC rails, so you know it can be mounted to an ACH.
Nevermind. Whiffed that one.
Screw the light – I want to hear and see more about the NVG's and that double armed mount they're on !
@ LFer above. Check this link for more info on the PNVGs: http://soldiersystems.net/2011/10/13/gpnvg18/
I've never really been able to approach Surefire's products, and mainly for the reason I don't like Surefire to begin with: Their products seem to be so much more expensive for what they are. A Streamlight M3x versus a Surefire X300, is about half the price for roughly the same product.
Now, that opinion is tempered by the fact that I don't know if there is a difference, because I can't afford most Surefire products, so I don't have any hands on experience with the X300. Am I missing some huge epiphany that would only make sense if I used one, or is Surefire generally extremely overpriced on average?
A fellow over on LF did an extensive comparison of an SF X400 and Streamlight TLR2 in the link below. Read through his findings and the comments in the thread…
http://lightfighter.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/904608…
Surefire is overpriced, but they also have products that are substantially better in certain categories. Take your example. The M3x is great, I have one, and I continue to use one to this day. However, the X300 is better in many ways.
The x300 will take a substantial beating and keep going. The M3x, not the case (found this out the hard way). Lumen output vs battery life, Surefire wins that one too. There are other reasons too that I’m not going to rant on, but suffice to say, the X300 is a better overall light. But, this is just one product, and I agree the X300 is too expensive. That’s why I run an M3.
It may sound like I love Surefire, but that’s not true. I agree with Brandon 100%. I have been getting flak from my buddies on this forever. But for the last 1year or so, I noticed the same disrespect that Brandon spoke of.
FormerSFMedic: Same here I use the M3X as well. It's good for my everyday purpose (as I am not in a combat environment right now). I would love to have an X300 but I would rather save the money for other gear or firearm :) Some of these Surefire lights costs as much as an AR! Also, I find Surefire products tends to drain more battery power than my other lights from Insight or Pelican.
There is no comparison in my mind. Not only is the product of better
quality, but there is much more to it when you buy Surefire. You are
not just paying for the light, but rather the support that goes with
the light. I can’t tell you how many broken lights that Surefire has
fixed for me, or how many parts they have sent to me. Never have they
questioned me, and they have always been very fast to help. Mind you
these are all issues that are not technically covered under their
warranty… There is no reason they should replace the lens on my X300
that I accidentally smashed… But they do, time and time again.
If the above report is true, then I fully agree that SF should make a
better effort to listen to the end-users. That said this may be an
issue with individual personnel as opposed to the company as a whole.
I am willing to bet there are plenty of times that SF has listened to
end-users that we just haven’t heard of.
Just my $0.02
Back on track; The Charge looks very cool! Any word on how bright the
IR output will be?
Certainly Surefire set the standard for weapons mounted lights. Some of their products have no equal on the market. I’ve never doubted the quality that comes from that company, but I have doubted their attitude toward end users. I probably would not have (wanted to) believed Brandon had it not been for several negative encounters with them. I’m glad to hear you’ve had good dealings with them, but that’s just not the case for everyone. I would boycott them if I could, but some things I just (want) have to have.
good points SFMedic. Right on target.
The Charge comes with the ACH helmet bracket mount and will also come with the ECH (new thicker helmets) mount so you can mount it to most ANY helmet available while still keeping the universal Modular system.
I'm curious: did you reach out to Surefire to ask why they declined?
Monte- I didn't see the reason to reach out during this post but am always open to Surefire feedback and explanation. I can tell you this, the operators weren't too happy with the position they took. -Brandon
Too heavy and bulky make it smaller.
So, probably a dumb question, but what the fark are those 4 lenses on the helmet for? new NVGs?
David, those are the GPNVG 18 Night Vision Goggles. With the increased amount of tubes, it offers 95 degrees field of view! Compare that to the 45 degree field of view of standard NVG’s. The GPNVG 18′s were designed for aviation use by L3 Warrior Systems. They use a separate battery pack that mounts to the rear of the helmet. This system was original designed for A10 pilots, but have been getting some looks from ground personnel as of late. They cost somewhere in the $40,000 range.
why don't they just make the lenses wider? I know you can do that because eyeglasses are like that. They work by gathering in and converting the IR to visible light, so just gather IR in a wider field of view then display the visible light on a wider display. Right? There must be something wrong with my logic because someone surely already thought of this.
Because that would cause massive distortion in the images, and the accompanying sensors would have to be changed to compensate for the distortion. The movie industry has something called "Panavision" that uses anamorphic lenses to smoosh a wider FOV into a smaller area, but not only does the film have to be projected using another anamorphic lens but the lenses are MASSIVE and REALLY expensive. So expensive that Panavision literally doesn't allow anyone to buy the lenses, they have to rent them. Basically it's cheaper to slap on an extra lens per eye than to create a set of anamorphic lenses and the accompanying sensors.
What are the benefits of the Charge over say, the Switch? Other than the Charge using a AA battery, I'm not seeing one. The Switch is smaller, therefore I'm assuming lighter, and doesn't take up the entire rail on the side of the helmet. Please advise.
The charge has a much brighter white light (55 lumens vs 10 lumens)
I'm important because I have this fancy hat.
Nothings changed since medieval times.
Have to say that is some funny sh$t. I laughed out loud…and agree. It's good to wear the fancy hat though….
Miss me? Thank god for the idea of Proxies, all I had to do was switch from my previous proxy to this one.
But in all seriousness, this is just retarded. Adding not only weight but an item that is going to get caught on every branch in some underbrush on the helmet, this is just asking for neck injuries.
Does anybody know where can you buy this?
I cant find it at the P-Tec website.
Jake-do you really think that tiny lite will cause neck injuries??
I, personally, love the usefullness of my Streamlight Sidewinder Compact. Just sayin’.