Sword of Laban
March 07, 2005, 18:01
I have been exercising before the roosters wake and as I am a suburbanite I really need to be seen by the bleary eyed early AM drivers. I have been using a minimag light hand held in front to help pick out obstacles and draw attention to myself from oncoming traffic. I also have a very bright Coleman Florescent lamp on a lanyard attached to my ruck to alert drives coming from behind. Unfortunately though my maglight does a good job of alerting oncoming traffic it does mess up my night vision and its uneven beam makes it difficult to pick out obstacles. After catching my foot on a downhill run on a noseeum and crashing hard I decided I needed something better.
My requirements were, a bright even beam, not too narrow as tunnel vision tends to occur, takes common batteries, light weight and long battery life. I started with an additional Coleman Florescent. Its integrated clip allowed it to clip directly to my LBV. It did most everything I wanted but 4 AA batteries had to be changed every 6 runs – 6 hour practical life. I do use rechargeables but it also cast some glare up into my eyes really messing with my night vision. I could see what was directly in front of me but little else. On top of that I was not sure it would survive a hard fall directly on it. The one on my ruck had done fine but I had absorbed the impact of my fall with my left side, leg, arm, vest saving it from directly hitting the asphalt. I purchased a 3 AAA Xenon Tac light but it burned through the batteries in around 40 minutes not even being able to complete my run and though it did a better job illuminating the surrounding countryside battery life killed that quickly.
I researched and decided on a 1 – 3 watt lensed single LED light. Most 3 watt LED lights required the expensive lithium batteries and that did not fulfill my needs. Some required 3 C or even D batteries and those were too heavy. I decided on the 1 watt Princeton Impact II, 2.85 oz with 4 AAA batteries that provide 75 hours or so of burn time. It does have a bright perfectly round and even beam that is about 5 times wider than the minimag focused beam. The light is bright and white with a slight bluish tint. The size and consistency of the light really lets you see what is coming up without messing up your night vision too badly. No bright or shadow spots anywhere within the beam. Though it appears slightly less bright than the focused minimag light if you flash your eyes with the light the after image last substantially longer than with the minimag. The unit is rated for use around hazmat and it has a platinum pellet in the housing to work as a catalyst neutralizing hydrogen gas emissions from batteries. It also has an integrated plastic clip that allows you to clip it anywhere. It does pass the durability test as well and is waterproof to over 500 feet. Light bulb estimated life is 10,000 hours. The cost runs from $20 - $24.
If you need an aid for low light travel that does not preclude the use of visible light the Princeton Impact II may just fit the bill. Mine is stylish black but there are a number of colors to choose from.
http://209.180.175.75/sword/gear/product_impact2_sml.jpg
http://209.180.175.75/sword/gear/colman.jpg
My requirements were, a bright even beam, not too narrow as tunnel vision tends to occur, takes common batteries, light weight and long battery life. I started with an additional Coleman Florescent. Its integrated clip allowed it to clip directly to my LBV. It did most everything I wanted but 4 AA batteries had to be changed every 6 runs – 6 hour practical life. I do use rechargeables but it also cast some glare up into my eyes really messing with my night vision. I could see what was directly in front of me but little else. On top of that I was not sure it would survive a hard fall directly on it. The one on my ruck had done fine but I had absorbed the impact of my fall with my left side, leg, arm, vest saving it from directly hitting the asphalt. I purchased a 3 AAA Xenon Tac light but it burned through the batteries in around 40 minutes not even being able to complete my run and though it did a better job illuminating the surrounding countryside battery life killed that quickly.
I researched and decided on a 1 – 3 watt lensed single LED light. Most 3 watt LED lights required the expensive lithium batteries and that did not fulfill my needs. Some required 3 C or even D batteries and those were too heavy. I decided on the 1 watt Princeton Impact II, 2.85 oz with 4 AAA batteries that provide 75 hours or so of burn time. It does have a bright perfectly round and even beam that is about 5 times wider than the minimag focused beam. The light is bright and white with a slight bluish tint. The size and consistency of the light really lets you see what is coming up without messing up your night vision too badly. No bright or shadow spots anywhere within the beam. Though it appears slightly less bright than the focused minimag light if you flash your eyes with the light the after image last substantially longer than with the minimag. The unit is rated for use around hazmat and it has a platinum pellet in the housing to work as a catalyst neutralizing hydrogen gas emissions from batteries. It also has an integrated plastic clip that allows you to clip it anywhere. It does pass the durability test as well and is waterproof to over 500 feet. Light bulb estimated life is 10,000 hours. The cost runs from $20 - $24.
If you need an aid for low light travel that does not preclude the use of visible light the Princeton Impact II may just fit the bill. Mine is stylish black but there are a number of colors to choose from.
http://209.180.175.75/sword/gear/product_impact2_sml.jpg
http://209.180.175.75/sword/gear/colman.jpg