GearFlogger

Princeton Tec Amp 1L flashlight

Princeton Tec makes some nice lighting products. We're big fans of their cycle lights and their Byte headlamp, for example. The Amp 1L flashlight is a capable little flashlight if you value waterproofness in a lightweight light.

The Amp is waterproof to 100 meters, and with a carabiner clip it can accompany you pretty much anywhere and be there when you need it. The 45 lumen LED runs for 72 hours off two AAA batteries. A built-in bottle opener lets you pop a chilly one at the end of your epic.

The Amp is not so much an everyday light, since it requires two hands to operate the twist-to-activate head. There's no adjustable level in the lighting either, but hey, that's not why you bought it right? If you need an inexpensive, waterproof work light, check out the Amp 1L.

$15.95 at Amazon

Princeton Tec Bot headlamp

Itty-bitty headlamps are insanely useful and should be near the top of your gift list this holiday season. Priced right for a stocking stuffer is the Princeton Tec Bot headlamp, targeted at kids but really, what the hell do they have to look at that's so important? The Bot is great for all sizes of peoples.

The twin-LED Bot takes two triple A's - included! - and the battery cover is held on by a single screw. This frustrated the SheFlogger until I pointed out to her, helpfully and with only the barest hint of condescension in my voice, that it is after all meant for kids, so the screw makes sense instead of a quick release. She didn't even thank me for this information.

The Bot headband adjusts down for tykes and narrow-minded people, and the light is easily adjustable up and down. The button is smart: if you press it repeatedly it cycles through low (9 hours), high (4.5), blinking (11) and off, but if more than a few seconds goes by pressing it again turns it off without having to cycle through the modes. The Bot also shuts off after six hours automatically. That's pretty cool; really, a one-hour shutoff would have been perfect.

The housing is water resistant, so when it inevitably goes in the toilet it can survive if you get in there fast enough. Overall the lighting is great, the design fantastic and the price so reasonable you have to order three to get free shipping on Amazon!

$11.88 at Amazon

Princeton Tec Push front bike light

Biking at night seems like an accident waiting to happen, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. If you're one of those hardy souls who relies on your bike as your primary means of transportation, or if you're just one of those winter biking nuts, chances are you're out in the soup and the more light the better. Remember the GearFlogger motto: safety third!

Princeton Tec has a nifty package for you: the Push is a dual purpose front bike light that acts as a safety light while providing illumination. The rear button activates three modes for the main : bright, not so bright and flashing. In all three white-light modes there is also a flashing red light aperature on each side that provides effective left and right marker action.

The Maxbright LED is rated at 100 lumens, which in practice on hi-bright mode is enough to illuminate a solid 50 feet ahead at trail speed, and over 100 feet if you're stationary. That's enough to pick your line, and given that most night riding is done at a more sedentary pace you'll have no problem when Push comes to shove. Three AAA batteries give you 4 hours at max bright, 14 hours on lo-bright and over 60 hours on blink.

The mount is very well designed, with a quick-release tab to remove the light cylinder, and since it's self-contained you can then use it as a flashlight. The clamp should fit any handlebar setup, and there's even a few degrees of left/right pivot with adjustable tension. Rugged and water resistant construction tops off a nice design, and at 4.3oz it's light on the handlebars.

$49.00 at REI

Princeton Tec Swerve rear bike light

Be seen. This is the advice I have for you. Especially if you're a crazy winter biker in the City with No Sidewalks (that would be Anchorage, Alaska in the winter when snow is plowed onto all horizontal surfaces).

A tail light for your bike can save your bacon, and Princeton Tec has a great one. The Swerve is waterproof, crazy bright, and has mounting options for your seatpost, seatstay, handlebar, fork, basically anywhere you want to clip it. The mounting mechanism is basically a solid rubber thingy that you can easily move around or even between bikes quickly.

Two Maxbright LEDs provide both solid and blinky modes with the flip of a toggle that's easy to operate by feel alone. You can forgo the mounting assembly and just clip it to your seatbag if you want, just make sure it's level to get the best visibility. Drivers will have no problem seeing you anywhere in your 180 degree rear sector. The advertised 70 hours burn time on two AAA's is roughly accurate. The Princeton Tec Swerve is handlebars-down the best tail light out there.

$25.00 at REI

Princeton Tec Byte headlamp

Princeton Tec, or as it's known in the rap game, P-tec, puts out really good lights these days. Exhibit A: the Byte headlamp, a water-resistant (IPX4), flyweight 2.1oz unit that won't break the bank and guarantees good times when the lights go out.

The Byte comes in what is a now a fairly standard form factor: a vertically pivoting plastic enclosure barely big enought to take two AAA batteries (lithium compatible). Which, by the way, intall easily with just a flick of the finger. The button is big enough to operate with medium-weight gloves, and the elastic strap is easily adustable, holds well and should fit 95% of the brain buckets out there. Three modes include red (from a separate LED), low white and high white with run times of 146, 96 and 80 hours respectively. No strobe, but have you ever really used that? Tip: if you really need to signal someone twirl the damn thing in a circle. You can see it forever.

You want lumens? We got lumens, 35 of 'em on high white, which throws damn close to 100 feet, low white about half that. The red setting is good for just beyond arms-reach, which is plenty good enough for most red light applications such as reading a map without destroying your night vision while people are trying to kill you. What the person trying not to be killed might appreciate is not having to cycle through both white light settings to turn the unit off, which unfortunately you have to do with the Byte. Overall, for non-military applications the Byte is fantastic: small and ultralight, long burn times, weather resistant and

$19.95 at REI