Princeton Tec Impact II – LED Flashlight

Name:  Matthew Hamilton       
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 1" (1.86 Meters)
Weight: 180 Pounds (82 Kilograms)
Email address: mjhamilto@hotmail.com
City, State, Country: St. Paul, MN, USA
Date: July 13, 2004

Backpacking background

I grew up in the Ozarks and have been camping all of my life.  I started backpacking in 1997.  The Ozarks offers a wide variety of backpacking opportunities.  I have went in the Missouri fall and winter a few times, and experienced temperatures of 25 - 40 F (-4 - 4) C)  Most often I go in the spring and summer.  In the summer the temperature and humidity can get high (90 F,32 C).  I try to take four or five weekend trips and usually one week long trip a year.  I recently moved to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for graduate school so I have been learning a few new areas. 

Manufacturer:  Princeton Tec

www.princetontec.com

Model name:  Impact II

Purchased:  July, 2003

Weight: 2.85 oz (81 g) with batteries

Dimensions:  5 inches (12.7 cm) long  X 1” (2.5 cm) diameter

The Princeton Tec Impact II is a waterproof 4AAA cell LED flashlight.  The little brother of the Impact XL 4AA flashlight.  The manufacturer claims a 75 hour burn time with fresh batteries.  It has a glass lens that focuses the light beam.  The flashlight has a clip and a small ring to attach it to a pack or lanyard.  The handle part is oval shaped to fit in your hand.  I paid about 25 US dollars for it.

This flashlight was used three times at Hercules Glades Wilderness Area in Southwestern Missouri.  The terrain is both forest and plains with many hills and valleys.  Many different weather conditions were experienced using this flashlight, ranging from moderate temperatures with thunderstorms and lots of rain to hot and dry with temperatures above 90 F (32 C).  I have also used this flashlight during a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  When I am not backpacking I keep this light in my car and have used it in snowstorms and -25 F (-32 C) temperatures during the Minnesota winter.

The Impact II is an excellent flashlight.  It is small and lightweight.  The focused beam provides more than enough light.  The light is bluish-white and very bright.  The lens focuses the light and leaves no dark spots or rings.  I have used it to hike moderate terrain at night.  Even though beam focus cannot be adjusted it provides enough peripheral light around the center to see the trail.  The beam is about 3 feet (1 m) across at a distance of 10 feet (3.3 m).  I estimate I have used it for about 50 hours and haven’t changed the original batteries.  There has been no loss in brightness.   It is made of tough plastic and has survived quite a bit of abuse.  I have dropped it a number of times on rocks and concrete with no damage.  I have used it underwater for 30 minutes with no problems.  Both the lens and the shell are fairly difficult to scratch.  The light performs equally well in hot and cold temperatures. 

I would recommend the Impact II to anyone looking for a flashlight.  The bright LED light and extended battery life make it worth the cost.  I believe this light can be depended on whenever necessary, regardless of the conditions. 

PROS:

Lightweight

Long battery life

Bright

Bluish/white light isn’t as harsh compared to the yellow light produced by halogen bulbs

Waterproof

 

CONS

Glass lens could possibly crack if the light was dropped and landed on a pointed rock

Somewhat difficult to twist to turn on.  (probably due to waterproof seal)   

Can’t adjust beam