OWNER REVIEW - Princeton Tec Pulsar II

December 24, 2006

 

Name: Rae Goodman
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 2" (157 cm)
Weight: 155 lbs (71 kg)
Email: raefrog at hotmail dot com
Location: San Francisco

Outdoors Background:
I’ve been hiking since high school, starting on pieces of the AT. I’ve hiked, camped, and done overnight bicycling treks, primarily in and around California. I work in outdoors programming for ages 13-26, and have led trips for 1-50 people. So far, I’m a 3-season hiker, doing mostly easier hikes, since I’m often taking first-timers with me. I’ve never kept much track of my gear weight, since I’ve always been using borrowed gear and often carrying group gear. I’m currently planning an ’08 AT thru-hike, and I’m trying out ultralight gear, researching and buying an item at a time.

Product Information:
Product: Princeton Tec Pulsar II
Year: 2006
Website: www.princetontec.com
Weight (listed): 0.25 oz (7 g)
Dimensions: 1.5 x 0.5 x 0.25 inches, roughly oval shaped (3.8 x 1.3 x 0.6cm)
Price: US $10.95
Other info: Single white LED bulb, no reflector to aim beam.
12 hour battery life listed (not yet tested)

This is a single-LED, tiny keychain flashlight. The switch is a combination of a push-button that I have to hold to keep it on and a slide-switch to turn it on and be able to let go of it. The body color is red and the light color is white.

The Pulsar II takes a CR 2016 coin battery. Replacing the batteries is fairly easy. There is a slot in the back of the light where, when the jump ring is removed, the two sides can be pried apart using a knife blade. There isn’t much to this light. Two pieces of plastic with a plastic slider switch, an LED with two wires, a thin plastic sleeve on one wire, and the batteries. When I opened it, the bulb and wire popped out, and I had to test it with the batteries to see which way it went back in. (The right way is with the wire with the plastic sleeve on the switch side and the other wire on the other side of the batteries.) The batteries go in with the positive side opposite the switch. There is no gasket between the two halves of this light, so it’s not waterproof.

I've been researching a lot of different types of ultralight gear in preparation for an AT solo thru-hike. I'm 5'2" (157 cm) and currently 155 lbs (71 kg), but I'm working out to get back in shape and plan to start my AT thru-hike weighing about 130 lbs (59 kg) or less. So, I need to get my
complete pack weight down pretty low just to keep it proportional to my weight.

Previously, I'd used whatever flashlight I had on hand, usually a Maglite, but I recently got a free small headlamp and have really enjoyed it. The one I have runs off coin batteries, though, so I
wanted to find something that wouldn't cost me so much in batteries. The Pulsar also runs on two lithium coin cells, but I’m hoping that with the lesser light output, the batteries will last longer. My main concern was that the Pulsar II wouldn’t provide enough light.

The Pulsar II has worked for everything I've wanted, including providing enough light to hike short distances at night on fairly even and clearly marked trails. I'm ok with hiking in low light, so this might not work for someone with poorer night vision, or who wants more light on the trail. It might also be bad for rougher or poorly marked trails. The Pulsar II does not illuminate far enough to really look around if I’m lost.

So far, I've used the Pulsar II for day hikes, various overnights and one 4-day trip in California, as well as general use on a day-to-day (non-camping) basis. Elevations were moderate (0 to 2200 ft / 0 to 671 m), as were temperatures (41 to 83 degrees F / 5 to 28 degrees C), with light rain and no freezing temperatures. The Pulsar II is light, tiny, and convenient to always have in a pocket or on hand. I haven't lost it yet, but I do worry about misplacing something so tiny. I appreciate having the option to switch it on, rather than having to hold a push-button constantly, so that when I need to have both hands free I can hold the light between my teeth easily.

I’ve found the Pulsar II easy to use for reading and journaling at night. Since it doesn’t have any strap or clip to attach it to my head (like a headlamp), I either hold it in the non-writing hand, or
balance it on a nearby item of gear or fold of sleeping bag, so that it’s aimed at the page. It also works fine for reading maps at night. The LED is white, so it doesn’t distort or hide any colors on a map, from what I’ve found.

For non-camping use, I've been keeping the Pulsar II in my pocket, in my backpack, or on my keychain. The push-button switch turns on easily, and I've had it turn itself on just from getting jostled in my pocket a couple of times. I also had the slide-switch get turned on while in my pocket once, so I’m not sure how long it was on for. I'm worried that if this happens much it might affect the battery life, but I don't really have a sense of how much it's getting accidentally
turned on. I may switch to carrying it in a separate pocket from other items, or on a lanyard, to avoid this problem.

The light as a whole seems pretty durable, to hold up to constant jostling in my pocket. The amount of light provided seems a little dim after leaving a well-lit area, before my eyes have adjusted to the dark, but this should be generally irrelevant while camping. (On the other hand, the light itself doesn't ruin my night vision enough for me to really notice, even though it's a white light.)

The Pulsar II can be a little hard to find in the dark, due partly to its size and partly because the body color happens to be red, which might as well be black in the dark. (This was the only color they had at the store when I purchased it). I even had trouble finding it on my keychain, when it was right in my hands, let alone trying to search for it in the bottom of a backpack. I'm also worried about misplacing something so tiny. On longer trips, I may carry one Pulsar II
somewhere convenient, and have a backup secured somewhere in my pack in case the first one gets lost or the battery dies.

Good points
-small
-lightweight
-sufficient light without ruining night vision
-price (cheaper than most lights)


Bad points
-price. $11 for single LED seems steep (I've gotten single LED lights for free as convention giveaways)
-red body color is hard to find in the dark (I'd purchase a white or green one next time)
-push-button switch gets turned on accidentally
-not the easiest to use hands-free

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this light. It's a good small, lightweight light that provides enough light to hike at night and for general camp use.