2014 Lights Shootout, Bike Light, Lights, Lights Shootout, Princeton Tec, Push - October 21, 2013

Review: Princeton Tec Push

Princeton Tec is an outdoor sports company with a loyal following. Working with this light, I began to understand their core values. They offer basic, no-frills products that work. They are made with the best materials and construction and they’re expected to perform day in and day out.

For $50, Princeton Tec offers a light here that claims 150 Lumens but actually measured higher at 212 Lumens. It also sports great side lighting with a nice red strip of light on each side.

Battery run time is a staggering 4 hours claimed. This runs on three AAA alkaline cells, but the user can install rechargeable batteries for a much more cost-effective operation.

Such virtues are good for a commuter light. It’s well designed, robust and is easy to operate. It’s not bright by today’s standards, but the $50 price point makes it a standout because of the design and quality of construction.

Another cool deal is the actual light output we measured exceeds its claims. 212 measured Lumens compared to 150 claimed lumens is definitely overdelivering

Specifications

Price: $50
Claimed Lumens: 150 Lumens
Measured Lumens: 212 Lumens
Measured MTBR Lux: 22 Lux
Lumens per $: 4.24 Lumens
Lumens per gram: 1.84 Lumens
Time on High: 4:00 Hours
Charge Time: n/a Hours
Mounted Weight: 115 grams
Category: Commuter

Strengths

Exceeds Lumen claims
Excellent side visibility
Good commuter option
Great mount

Weaknesses

Needs to be rechargeable in this day and age

Mounting

Handlebar mounting is performed by a class leading mount that can be screwed in to cinch down on different handlebar widths. When loosened slightly, the screw pivot can be snapped off for quick removal and installation. It can also be aimed left to right with some notches in the rotation. The mount can be completely removed so the light can be a very handy flashlight.

The light mount is near the rear of the light so it sits pretty far forward off the bar. At first that seemed odd, but it actually worked very well since it put the light in front of handlebar clutter and helped the beam clear the cables. Nice little touch from Princeton Tec.

Mtbr Light Meter Measurements

This light measured 22 Lux on our ambient light measurement facility. The light output measurement is performed by placing a Lux light meter beside the light. Both are pointed at the ceiling (five feet above) of a dark room. This measurement uses the ambient light produced by the bike light.

Integrating Sphere Measured Lumens

This light measured 212 Lumens in an integrating sphere. Claimed Lumens by the manufacturer is 150 Lumens. The Lumen-hour graph below shows how the light performs over the first three minutes of its battery cycle.

Compare all Lumen Tests here »

Tunnel Beam Pattern Photo

The location is useful since it has walls and a ceiling that can display a bike light beam pattern. The walls have a lot of graffiti on them and actually show detail when they are lit up by a light with a wide angle. Cones and targets are set up with the far target set up at 120 feet.