2015 Lights Shootout

Princeton Tec is an outdoor sports company with a loyal following. The Princeton Tec Push is a well-built, basic light for commuting, but it hasn't changed much in two years and that is a bad omen for an LED light.

Its biggest flaw is that it's not rechargeable. Bearable a couple years ago, it's simply not competitive with a crop of $50 lights that have developed equal or better brightness.

For $50, Princeton Tec offers a light that claims 150 Lumens, but actually measured higher at 199 Lumens. It also sports great side lighting with a nice red strip of light on each side.

Beam Pattern Photo

We photographed the lights in the same location setting with the same camera settings. The photos were taken in the back yard that is approximately 25 yards long. These photos feature many objects and a distinct background to analyze detail and beam pattern. Compare all Beam Patterns here »

Princeton Tec Push Backyard Beam Pattern

Integrating Sphere Measured Lumens

This light measured 199 Lumens in an integrating sphere. Claimed Lumens by the manufacturer is 165 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 »

Princeton Tech Push 165 Lumen Chart

Strengths

  • Exceeds Lumen claims
  • Good commuter option
  • Great mount

Weaknesses

  • Needs to be rechargeable in this day and age
  • The competition has caught up with brighter lights that are rechargeable

Specifications

  • Price: $50
  • Claimed Lumens: 165 Lumens
  • Measured Lumens: 199 Lumens
  • Lumens per $: 3.98 Lumens
  • Lumens per gram: 1.73 Lumens
  • Time on High: 4:00 Hours
  • Charge Time: n/a Hours
  • Mounted Weight: 115 grams
  • Category: Commuter

Overall Rating

3 Flamin' Chili Peppers
3 out of 5 Flamin' Chili Peppers

For more information visit www.princetontec.com.

This article is part of Mtbr and RoadBikeReview's 2015 Lights Shootout. To see all the bike lights tested CLICK HERE.