maybe a good commuter light... maybe not such a good commuter light

tonight I am going to try the Princeton Lights Yukon HL
this was a prize at this year's 24 Hours of Big Bear
if I remember correctly we were second in Men's Vet and 13th overall
grannygear results

PRINCETON Tec

my package has the helmet mounts rather than the basic straps
it appears to be a good light for night cross country skiing

it is the next day....
I have ridden with the Princeton Tec Yukon HL headlamp...


the city is well lit
there are times when a light is used to be seen and other times when a light is used to see
it is my opinion that this light is not suitable for commuting... yes it is better than nothing but for not much more there are better lights on the market

the the two mount options is a generous feature
but I owned a Princeton Tech helmet mount lamp once before
it had a similar mount with a hinge
the plastic was thin and it did not withstand the time of abuse that a helmet goes through
even the placement of a helmet in and out of a bag demands a certain durability
the previously purchased product by Princeton Tec broke after not much use
I anticipate if there is not extra caution exhibited with this lamp it too will soon have a broken helmet mount

the brightness of the lamp is really the primary issue here
the lamp has two settings; not so bright and even less bright
the light and its housing with its three AA batteries is lightweight
but the lamp is not bright enough to really be dependent upon
perhaps it is a good back up or maybe better than nothing
but honestly money could be better spent

this was not really a very good prize as it was awarded to people who had just finished a 24 hour mountain bike relay race where they use high powered headlamps to ride their mountain bikes in the woods on the same trails that are technically demanding in the day
so these riders are accustom to light options that aid in lighting up the world around them to a degree that they can ride their bike at the same intensity in the night as they would in the day
this light is no where near that
this light is just a dim blue spot on the earth in front of you

to be fair I should try a few more times and use this headlamp under a variety of conditions
on first usage I was less than impressed
sure I am comparing a sub hundred dollar light to various plus 200 dollar light systems
but I think that for a little more money you can get a better light

just as there is the concept of over biking or under biking there is also the concept of over lighting and under lighting
for the lit city streets or the bike path this light could suffice
but personally I feel that a brighter light that can be shined towards the car driver's face is a tad more effective
this lamp lacks any intensity
I am not sure how much attention it grabs

on a scale of five candles
I give it a few matches

Princeton Tec makes some solid light systems
this one may well be what you pay for
but perhaps there does not need to be a system at this cost because it may not be able to do what the more expensive light systems can do

I will consult my brother and other team mates to see their satisfaction with this product