Princeton Tec Head Lamp

My morning commutes are always in the dark this year. I have been experimenting with lights, using everything from a dynamo-driven Lumotec halogen, to an old Specialized battery-powered halogen, to a battery-powered Cateye LED, all of which were mounted on or slightly below the handlebars. The Lumotec was the best, then the halogen Specialized (although I need to recharge the batteries every day). But none was perfect.

At the advice of Grant at Rivendell, I bought (from Rivendell) the Princeton Tec EOS bike light, which can be mounted on the handlebars, but also has a head strap. Wow. This is a bright light. It lights up the entire lane, side to side, and it makes reflective signs (and the reflectors on unlit bikes) flash brightly. Having the beam turn when I turn my head is superior to having it fixed in place. LED, so the batteries will last a long time. Made in the USA. Goes with my Princeton Tec flashing rear light, which is also fantastic.

UPDATE: OK, I guess it was too good to be true. Although the light is wonderfully bright, the fine print says that the "regulated burn time" is one hour on the brightest setting. To define: regulated burn time is when the light is constantly bright without dimming. How much will it dim after one hour? We'll see. They say its total burn time on high is 113 hours, but again the fine print: That's 113 hours until it's as bright as a moonlit night, which hardly counts. Maybe I'll explore the medium setting, which is at full brightness for 10 hours. They also warn that rechargeable batteries aren't as bright. Sigh. 

Update update: I have now run the light at full power for two and a half hours on a single set of energizer alkalines. It's dimmer, but not significantly so. It's very usable still. Perhaps it will last three hours of usable light on a set of batteries. If so, I'd consider that a success. If I need to charge the batteries once a week, with extra juice for when I forget, that's ok. 

Update update update: I have been using the light all fall (two months, so far), and I'm very pleased with it. I charge the batteries once a week (even though they still have plenty of juice) and then run them for three or four hours between charges. Very bright, good wide pattern. It's much safer than a handlebar mounted light because it shows reflectors on oncoming bikes, joggers' clothing, street signs, and parked cars (due to the angle of the light) MUCH more than a low light does.

Updatex4: I finally wore the batteries out in a week: 2x on Sunday, 2x on Monday, 1x on Wednesday, 2x on Thursday, for a total of about three hours. It had almost no juice this morning. These are just sort of ordinary NiMH rechargeable batteries. Good to know. 

The final update? This morning was cold (9˚). The roads and sidewalks were very rutty from a recent snowfall and subsequent incomplete plowing. I discovered a new, horrible problem with my EOS headlamp: In extreme cold, the metal on the hinge (including the plastic-lined locknut) contracts so much that the light flops around. It won't stay pointing forward. So just as I go over a rut, just as I need to the light the most as I'm hitting an ice mound, it flops down and gives me a perfect view of my hands. I have tightened the nut, but it doesn't stay tight. I think I can solve this with . . . gray tape? A paper clip? Dental floss? One of the standard fixes for things. But this problem makes this light (drum roll) A PIECE OF JUNK, at least in very cold weather. Too bad. Great light when it points forward. Useless when it points straight down.