REASONS TO BUY
Doubles as a headlamp
REASONS TO AVOID
Relatively narrow beam pattern
Moderately bright
Terrible battery life
Relatively heavy for a headlamp
No battery life indicator
Princeton Tec EOS Bike Review
Princeton Tec EOS Bike
RELATED: Best Bike Light Review
Our Verdict
The Princeton Tec EOS Bike is the only bike light we've tested that can also be used as a headlamp. The light slides on and off a screw-on handlebar mount or an elasticized headband. In theory this design could save you money because you could use one light for biking, hiking, and camping. But in reality we found that the light performed relatively poorly as a bike light and also below average as a headlamp. Most importantly, the light's very poor battery life (3.6 hours) makes it very expensive to operate over the long-term. Many other bike lights have USB rechargeable batteries that are more convenient for bike commuting and also much cheaper to own over time.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Beam
As you can see in the photo below, this light has a moderately wide and moderately even beam pattern that does an OK job at lighting roads and trails. Other lights, such as the Metro 360 (at right below), have a much wider and more even beam pattern that make them considerably better for biking and hiking.
Beam Diameter and Pattern
Princeton Tec EOS Bike
Cygolite Metro 360
Brightness
This light is only moderately bright and gets a 4 out of 10. We measured its maximum distance at 60 meters compared to the Metro 360 which reaches 135 meters. Though the light is effective for short and mid range viewing, it would perform considerably better if it were brighter and could shine farther.
Beam Distance Photos
Princeton Tec EOS Bike
Cygolite Metro 360
Portability
It's small and reasonably lightweight. The bike mount is simple and effective, but doesn't allow you to swivel the light on the handlebar. The mount needs to be screwed onto a handlebar and is therefore not as easy to move to another bike when compared to lights with tool-less attachments.
Battery Life
This light has very poor battery life, a mere 3.6 hours according to the ANSI FL-1 standard. Brightness declines dramatically around the three-hour mark, and the light holds a very low (read: not usable for biking) light level for an additional nine hours.
For most people, this is a significant drawback and also a nuisance if you're on a multi-day overnight trip because you likely need to carry extra batteries, which are heavy.
Value
The high operation costs and moderate performance makes this light a poor value.
—
Chris McNamara and Max Neale
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