Princeton Tec 3 Bike Light on Order

[diesel_dad]

I ordered a Princeton Tec Switchbak 3 like for my bike today from MEC. They said that they had 13 in stock altho it is not on the website or in the catalog. Free shipping. $370 CDN.

The web site for the lights is Switchback and they look pretty hot.

I want to use for commuting to work. Trails in Victoria can be very dark at night.

I have rigged up a good bracket to mount my Huntlight FT-01 Cree on the bike and while it is not bad, it is not a bike light either. I could post pics if anyone cares.

Definitely need multiple emitters so that you can aim one or two low and one down the trail.

Anyone have a Switchback 3? Comments?

Cheers.

 

[tazambo]

Looks like a nice light, enjoy.

I have a now discontinued, Cygolite zForce HID.

Can you move those three led's independently, they look fixed?

Regards
Dave

 

[diesel_dad]

Can you move those three led's independently, they look fixed?

Regards
Dave

Not sure. I had to order sight unseen since no one in Victoria carries this light in stock. There is a great review with beamshots though. The next step up is about double the cost by the time I got it to Canada.

It's agonizing though to buy a Lux 3 light when better emitters are just hitting the market. That being said, in the outdoors I have not seen that much difference between my Cree Huntlight and my Lux Huntlights.

Maybe I can upgrade the emitters some day or I can just move the Switchback to my helmet when I harness the sun.

 

[spinkid]

diesel dad, Thanks for the link on the light reviews. I thought I was fairly up to speed witht he bike lights and my god am I trailing behind. I have 2 Night Rider helmet Incan helmet lights and I started to get un-impressed with them. But I have yet to convert that to LED status. I was checking out the DiNotte's and I have actually had good chats with a customer service rep. I can't wait for you to get this, I hope it works as well as the review makes it seem. Living in B.C., is it safe to assume that you do some offroad MTB'ing? I am curious to how it works in the woods. wish you luck and please let us know how you make out. Thanks and Ride On!!

 

[diesel_dad]

I will post a mini-review and some pics when I get the light. The cost to me in Canada is about half of a Dinotte 500L, so while it looks better, I'd still be hard pressed to part with the extra cash.

 

[AndyTiedye]

Here is an earlier thread on the Princeton Tec Switchback.

 

[diesel_dad]

Well -- light received today. Charging now. Stay tuned for a morning ride before first light.

 

[diesel_dad]

Went out this morning at 6AM with the new light. Overall very impressed. Nice balance of spot and flood. Was able to aim the light about 25m down the trail with adequate flood to see what I as riding over. Was nice and bright in the pitch black sections of the trail. Controls were easy to use with heavy gloves. Easy to mount. Stayed put.

Overall, I'd give it a 9/10. If it had a Cree or a Seoul SSC, I'd top it up the extra point.

I spoke to Justin at Princeton Tec yesterday. He said that the current light had been in development for about a year. They have no plans to change emitters from Lux3 to something else this season. Said that they had tested with other LEDs and that the difference was not that great. Apparently the two outer collimators are spots and the center is a flood. He was also unsure whether they would offer upgrades as new LEDs come available.

I do plan to keep it and look forward to years of happy use.

 

[jayflash]

That may have been the light set which really got my attention while driving on a well lit highway near home. There's a bike/hike trail off the road a few meters and a couple of bikes were headed in my direction. The lead bike had three surprisingly bright LEDs with the center one a different focus. This area has street lighting and is well lit, so I was amazed how noticeable and how far the light was projected on the trail ahead. I was about a quarter mile away when I first noticed the bike lights; the bikes and riders were too dark to see.

 

[diesel_dad]

Update
I have used the Switchback 3 for a couple of weeks now. The more I use it, the more impressed I am.

1. I put about 4 hours on the battery with no evidence of dimming, so I could use it for my winter commute for almost a week between charges.
2. It uses a 10 cell pack of what seems like 18650 batteries. The pack is about the size of a drill battery. It charges in a couple of hours and the light comes with both AC (world voltage too) and 12 volt cords.
3. It seems like the smarts are in the battery pack since the charger just looks like a power supply. The pack has charge indicator lights that are somewhat visible while riding.
4. The pack mounts underneath the top tube with velcro. Battery mount is well designed and secure but my one complaint is that it has velcro facing out so it can snag winter riding clothes.
5. The control switch is big and easy to use with gloves. Short presses alternate between modes (H,M,L,Strobe) and a long press turns it off.
6. The handlebar mount is secure and attaches with one thumb screw. The light slides on and off the mount with a thumb release. Only issue with the mount is that it pinches the shifter cable a little on my road back. It also really needs to go on the left side of the stem, so I had to move my speedo to the other side.
7. The lights is a great combination of flood (center LED with some type of diffuse lens) and outside LEDs that seem to have collimators like my Striker-VG for throw. I am able to see 100 feet ahead and strobe reflects off of signs up to 1 km away.
8. The cable from the light to the battery seems solid but it is a little hard to plug in -- so I am afraid that I might bend a pin if I was in too much of a hurry. But it is solid and seems water-resistant.

All in all -- a very impressive light. Real industrial construction. Princeton claims up to 7 hours run-time on high and I am inclined to believe the claim.

If I do the math, the battery is 22Ah at 3.7 volts. If each LED draws 3 watts, then the total draw is a little less than 3 amps, so the 7 hour run time is very plausible.

Being somewhat new to night riding, I must say that this changes everything!

 

[auroreboreale]

Sounds promising!

I commute North of 60 in the wintertime and am looking at replacing a nearly 15-year old 12/32W bike helmet light nicad system. My performance test is to be able to see a coat-hanger on dark pavement in total darkness (no street lights!) at about 10metres.

My midnight-sun-summertime/fall+winter back-up Nite Hawk LED light is not quite bright enough to do this, so let me know if the Princeton Tec 3 would do the trick!


vélorution!

 

[diesel_dad]

My rides around here are very dark at night. This is a 3 emitter light, so it should be quite a bit brighter than a Nighthawk. There is a review here with beamshots to compare.

Since it has Li-ion batteries, should also handle the cold well.

 

[AndyTiedye]

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