Princeton Tec^® eclipse^™ 2

Owner Review

Purchased in 2003
Review written March 13, 2004

Written by:  Helen Hillberg
My email address:  hhloth@msn.com
My gender: Female
My age: 57
My height: 5'5" (1.65 m)
I weigh: 120 lb (54.43 kg)
I live near Auburn, California, USA

About Me:  My backpacking style could be classified as lightweight, but not minimalist.  I have hiked a few thousand miles over the years.  During that time I experimented with filters (I don't carry one anymore), experimented with stoves (I don't carry one anymore) and trimmed my summer pack weight to about 12 lb (5.4 kg) including the weight of the pack.  I carry very little these days but I am still on a constant quest to lighten my backpacking load even further while not giving up on every little luxury.
My previous light:  My light of choice for many years was a yellow Photon Micro-Light that hung from the cord of my hat along with my whistle.  It was not waterproof, not even water resistant, and I had a very bad habit of dipping it into the streams I was dipping my pot into.  I was very happy with my little Photon and had no real desire to replace it.  Yes, it would get wet and then the light would stay on until it dried - drastically shortening the life of the battery - and yes, I had to hold it in one hand while holding the map in the other, but I really loved the little thing anyway.  I stumbled across the eclipse 2 while strolling the aisles of REI and attempting not to buy anything.  The eclipse looked as if it would weigh a lot more than the Photon so if I decided I liked it, it would be a step in the wrong direction as far as load-lightening was concerned.

eclipse^™ 2 Specifications - photo is actual size
Bulb:  High powered L.E.D.
Available L.E.D. colors:  White, green, blue and red
Batteries:  Two lithium coin cells (included)- the photo on left shows the battery compartment
Burn Time:  12 - 36 hours (high - low beam)
L.E.D. Life: 10,000+ hours
Beam Angle:  20 degrees
Weight:  0.4 oz (15 g) including hat clip
Dimensions:  2 x 1.125 in (5.08 x 2.858 cm) including hat clip
Manufactured by:  Princeton Tec^®
Made in: USA
Year of manufacture: 2003
MSRP:  US$14.95
Manufacturer's website: Princeton Tec Website

Princeton Tec designates the light as water resistant, level 1.  I don't know what level 1 means but I will address, in the body of my review, how water resistant I found the light to be.

Note:  I have occasionally found myself hiking after dark but do so without a light, so my review will not cover details such as distance of illumination etc.  My review will focus only on the utility of the eclipse 2 as an in-camp, reading and puttering about light.

Overview:  The eclipse 2 is a compact, hands-free mini light.  It has five modes of operation.  Consecutive presses of the power button cycle the light from high, through medium then low light intensity and on to slow then fast emergency signaling.  The button needs to be pressed within two seconds to change the mode of operation otherwise on the next button press the light will turn off.  Included with the light are an interchangeable gate clip and hinged hat-brim clip.

Review:  I have the white L.E.D. bulb simply because it was the only color available at the REI in Roseville.  I would have preferred the red.  The white light seems very bright, considerably brighter than my yellow Photon, and more than adequate for me to night hike on a footpath on a moonless night.  It is certainly bright enough for those middle of the night trips to the facilities even on the lowest setting, which is the only setting I use.

The gate clip included with the eclipse2 was a very nice, lightweight and secure device for attaching the light to a key ring or backpack.  I have no idea where it is since I had no intention of using it.  The hat clip snapped right on to the light with no difficulty and apart from snapping it off and on a few times just for the joy of playing with something new it has remained on the light.

The clip is hinged, allowing the light to swivel to an almost 180° angle, which is important for me because of how I use the light.  I do not attach the light to my hat but to the neckline of my nightdress (my thermal top).  This means that the light points straight up to my chin when the hinge is closed.  I swivel the light down almost to the 180° angle and it is ideal for reading.  The light is nowhere near my eyes, or my reading glasses, and consequently I feel that my night vision is less impacted and my eyes are not fatigued from light reflecting from my glasses' frame.  Sometimes I simply clip the light to a fold of my shirt and it still remains secure.

I inadvertently left the eclipse 2 attached to my clothing when I threw it in the washing machine.  As luck would have it one complete cycle did not thoroughly clean my clothes so I added a more generous amount of detergent and washed everything again.  When I pulled my clothes from the machine there was what appeared to be a large bug in the bottom of the machine.  It was the eclipse 2.  I was shocked when the light still looked and operated like new.  This light would be designated waterproof by me, and the case and bulb as highly impact resistant.

I have not had occasion to replace the batteries but I did remove the battery compartment cover simply to report on it here.  The operating and maintenance instructions, which I did not read first, say to remove the detachable clip and pry up the battery door with a small screwdriver.  I didn't remove the clip and removed the battery door using my badly chewed thumbnail - very quick, very easy and the cover snapped back in place just as easily.

The power button is easy to locate in the dark, depresses easily and yet is unlikely to be accidentally operated  In fact, I think it would take a really fluky set of circumstances to accidentally turn on this light.  It is push button rather than slider and the button is nicely recessed to be almost flush with the case.  Which brings me to...

The original eclipse has an automatic shut-off feature that kicks in after seven and a half minutes but that feature is lacking in the eclipse 2.  I wish that feature had not been removed.  I might find it irritating to have the light turn off before I was ready but I will find it a lot more irritating when I fall asleep with the light on and drain the batteries.  Princeton Tec, please consider adding that feature back into the design.

I am very pleased with the eclipse 2 and intend to get one for my husband.  It is a more-than-adequate light for camp chores and reading with the added bonus of being waterproof.  It does weigh more than the Photon but in this case it is additional weight I'm happy to carry.

In conclusion, I will address the accidentally misleading packaging.  The light is packaged in a relatively-large, cardboard box that (for someone looking for small and lightweight) creates the impression of a possibly large or heavy light.  That is so far from the truth.  I almost didn't buy it and even as I left the store I was expecting that I might return it.  The photo below shows the tiny eclipse perched atop its shipping/display box.

Just for laughs.  If, like me, you wear the light on your clothing be prepared for intense stares - I don't know what they think it is but the light seems to fascinate people.