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Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp

$19.95

(14)

Item # 824038

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The deceptively small Princeton Tec Byte headlamp packs a powerful punch thanks to its Maxbright LED.

Single Maxbright LED outputs 35 lumens to light up your nighttime activities; Maxbright LED throws light up to 35m on high and 15m on low
Use the single standard red LED to preserve your night vision while on the trail or hanging around camp; red LED throws light up to 7m
Single-arm ratcheting head pivots up and down, providing a wide range of motion so you can aim the beam wherever you need it
Princeton Tec Byte headlamp features a large push-button switch that is easy to operate
Operates on 2 AAA batteries (included), which provide up to 2 hrs. of burn time on high and 96 hrs. on low; using the red LED the batteries provide up to 146 hrs. of operation
IPX4 water resistance protects against splashing water

Imported.

Item 824038

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Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp

2.8

(based on 14 reviews)

43%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Bright (9)
Lightweight (7)

Cons

Short battery life (4)

Best Uses

Backpacking (6)
Car camping (5)
Day trip (4)
Hiking (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (6), Avid adventurer (5)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (11)

Reviewed by 14 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Nov

2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Nice, lightweight headlamp

By bicycleflyer

from Cincinnati, Ohio

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Bright
Lightweight

Cons

Not Waterproof

Best Uses

Car Camping
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

This is a nice little headlamp for under 20 bucks. The max-bright LED has two levels and on high you can easily see the trail up to 75 ft. The beam is more of a spot, than a flood. Changing batteries is a cinch and requires no tools or coins. The switch is easy to use. The light starts in low-red, then med max-led, and then high max-led. To me there are two downsides to this light. First, if you are in night vision red led and want to switch it off, you must go through the two max-led levels to get to off. Kinda kills your night adapted vision. An easy solution for me was to place the light against my hand and cover the lens while shutting it off. The second issue is the lack of any kind of o-ring on the battery cover. I know this only IPX4 rated, but I question how well this light will hold up in heavy rain. Some have mentioned a flickering issue. I have researched this on the CPF forums and found out this is a issue that occurs when your batteries are low. I was able to duplicate this as well. When the batteries are low and you go to shut off the lamp, it starts flickering and you cannot turn it off with the switch. the solution is easy. Replace the batteries and the lamp works just fine. Think of this as a low battery warning. I understand PT has resolved this issue in the 2011 models. But honestly, if you get an older model, it's not a big issue.

Comment on this review

Oct

2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great light for the price

By Austin Milbarge

from Meridian, MS

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Bright
Light weight

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Emergency Kit

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

Used this light only once but I was so impressed I thought I would share a review. I ran out of useable daylight to finish my mountain bike ride so I tipped back my helmet a little and put the "Byte" on high beam. I was really impressed with how bright it was and due to the low weight it did not wiggle around at all going over bumps and roots. I was able to keep up a pretty good pace (9 mph) for the last 3 miles in pretty much complete darkness on a twisty single track. I am going to keep this in my camelbak to get me out of the woods when it gets dark. It's so light weight I think I'll just leave it in there so I don't ever forget it.

Comment on this review

Sep

2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Decent, good value for the price

By rkt88edmo

from Concord, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Decent light options
Does not flop around
Red light option
Very lightweight

Cons

Slow batt drain when off

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

The flickering noted by others seems to be an undocumented low battery feature on the light. Once the batteries run low the light will only enter flicker mode and will not turn off. PT really should have documented this as it is very confusing to users.The downside on this light is that has a slow drain on the batteries even when off. So this is not a light you can put batteries in and have ready to use in an emergency kit, in two months the batt will be dead.But if you keep it empty and throw new batteries (Sanyo Eneloop!) in when you are ready to head out on a trip this makes a super handy and well featured inexpensive light.The light weight lets the light ride securely to your head even while jumping or bounding around - no more headlight floppiness.If you are going out in the wet you might want to rub a little silicon into the seams and around the batt door to enhance water resistance.

Comment on this review

Mar

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

stopped working

By Matt PSU

from eastern PA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Low battery life

Best Uses

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

It seemed like a good lamp. It's fairly powerful, smaller than others, and even had the red lamp.

First I noticed that it drained batteries for no reason, while it was in my backpack. At first I thought perhaps the button accidentally turned on inside the backpack. But then I realized that the button either got stuck on, or would not go on at all. Sometimes it works, other times not at all.

Bottom line is the other posters are right, the button mech is not reliable and you should look elsewhere. This thing is not something you should rely on.

Comment on this review

Jan

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Keep looking

By subiesubiedoo

from Shenandoah Valley Virginia

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Bright
Lightweight

Cons

Low battery life

Best Uses

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

Don't be fooled by the small size and bright light - you can not leave it in a car or a drawer or your gear bag because the geniuses at Princeton Tec have created a headlamp that drains batteries even when turned off! Useless, save the [$] bucks and spend it on a better lamp.

Comment on this review

Jan

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Inexpensive, but not worth it.

By Jen in the Desert

from Springdale, UT

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Bright
Lightweight

Cons

Low battery life

Best Uses

Day trip

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

I bought this after an incident on the trail left me without a light. At the time I was only willing to spend $20 and thought the red LED was a nice feature. First off, the red LED is useless in my book. It only allowed me to see what I could hold out in front of me, and not the ground I was walking on. In pitch black, I need red to light the ground.The Max LED is pretty bright and I can use it for night-time commutes on my bicycle 2x/week, and the low-mode was good for around camp. However, this things eats batteries the way cookie monster eats cookies. It is terrible. I was replacing batteries every week it seemed. My opinion is in the $20 range you should go for something with better battery life, and forget the red LED. If you want a good performing headlamp with decent battery life and a decent red LED, you have to spend more.

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Mar

2012

5.0

Great Light

By diy_k5

from Seattle, WA

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Made in the USA

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Working on the car

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

Understand that I grew up under the philosophy that flashlights and headlamps were for emergency use and not just because you were hiking at night; kind of amazing what you see once your eyes adjust.

This is the only American made headlamp I've found thus far and that alone makes it perfect! My family uses them for reading books, crocheting, knitting and such while on car trips (as map lights are too bright and distracting to the driver). I've also found them the perfect light level for working in darker places where I need my hands free.

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Jan

2012

5.0

Better than a biscuit

By Jonathan Porter

from Arizona

About Me Military/Law Enforcement

See all my reviews

Pros

Bright
Lightweight
PTEC made it duh

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Climbing
Finding a lost dog
Hiking

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

I have yet to experiences the short battery life. However I love the weight and brightness. takes little to no room when packing. Worked great for 3 hours while friends and I looked for a lost pup. We found her and have PTEC and REI to thank. BOOOM eat some krunchies!!!

Comment on this review

Nov

2011

1.0

Nice light until it stopped working

By halleyholmes

from Prescott, AZ

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable Beam
Bright
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

I perpetually lose headlights, and this seemed like a great option, being both cheap and equipped with a red light, something I don't see very often on lights in this price range. For the first month I owned it I thought I'd found my new favorite l'il guy, and then one evening I tried to turn it on and it ... didn't. No amount of battery changing, wiggling, and pleading will bring it back to life. What a bummer.

Comment on this review

Aug

2011

1.0

Switch broke after two trips

By Hikable

from Baltimore, MD

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp:

I bought this because of it's weight and ended up regretting it. When cycling from low to off, the light started flickering for about ten minutes and would not turn off or back on to go to high. If you are going to try to use this, and I wouldn't, you'd better have your spare handy because it will leave you in the dark.

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