Customer Reviews

Princeton Tec Attitude 3 LED Flashlight

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's small, lightweight, unobtrusive...and yet it's durable, great MUI (mechanical user interface), and packs a ton of light!

The only tricky thing about it is when I lend it to someone who's never seen it before they need to be told how to turn it on, but other than its non-conventional switch it performs as well or better than anything comparable. The reason it requires twisting the top to turn it on/off is because it is designed to withstand pressures of several atmospheres, as I understand it.

This flashlight (three LEDs) gives a nice spread of light with no defined boundaries as to where the beam is and where it isn't...so it's beam pattern is not designed to perform as a spotlight, however with 6 volts of electricity this thing can light up distant objects very well for its size.

It's energy efficiency is unbeatable at this price. I can take "dead" AAA batteries and not only will this thing work but I can't really notice the difference in brightness. So yes, if you take four fresh AAA cells you can turn this thing on and leave it for days going at full operating capacity!

I've dropped mine several times onto tile, pavement, and concrete, bumps that make me cringe and I wouldn't want to intentionally inflict, but this thing kept on chugging. My first one (black color btw) finally succumed to being lost in the ocean surf at night =( Right now I'm enjoying the second one I've ever owned and this time I tried the olive color exterior.

Actually one other thing, the clip is pretty fragile, that broke off within a week or two after I got it, but I actually didn't mind because it was more in the way than anything else...with just a clip-stump the flashlight can be held in your mouth really well so you can work on something with two hands.

This is a 4AAA light. I have one in the glovebox of my car. But lets face it, glovebox lights get neglected. I don't know how many times I've gone for a glovebox light in someone's car, only to find the batteries dead & leaking or the bulb filament shook loose.

LED takes care of the last thing. But for a serious go-to light, make sure you buy it in a size that will take lithiums. Either CR123 or AA.

Now the nice thing about this light is that it has a nice flood beam at a good distance for task work. It is small and light enough that I can hold it in my teeth, and I don't feel it chipping my teeth like I do the MagLite 2AAs.

I also have the PrincetonTec Aurora, which also uses AAA batteries. (but only 3 of them) It is regulated (this one isn't) has three brightness levels as well as an SOS strobe mode. Get one of these for a task light, and stop worrying about your teeth. Then, get a bigger AA or CR123 light and stock it with lithiums for your glovebox. Heck, even the little Gerber 1AA light will do, with a lithium in it!

Not to take away from this light. It is a good, tough little light. Just not quite as handy as some others out there.

I have owned several of these lights. I still have the original one I bought 5-6 years ago and it works perfect. I use them for reading at night or for general use camping and backpacking. It does not have the light output that incandesent bulbs have but because it is LED the batteries last 4 to 5 times as they do in my old mini-mag which I have retired. Also the light beam is wide and not real narrow (spotlight) like other small LED lights so it is great for reading. Mine has been bullet proof.

I have been ultrarunning for ten years, upgrading flashlights every few years. This one is definitely worth the upgrade. Bright LED's really are brighter than their predecessors. This handheld is small, light in weight and the brightest I have ever owned.

I chose this flashlight because of its reasonable price and ability to go a hundred meters deep. While I don't think it is the flashlight for a serious scubadiver to rely on, it is great for casual summer life in the coast and enjoying a swim after dark. I like its small size and low weight (basically the batteries), although the amount of light is slightly less than expected (my first LED light, though).

I read the 'glowing' reviews, and decided to take a chance. I am sorely disappointed. For starters, it puts out a 'wopping' 12 (that's TWELVE) lumens. (I guess that 12 lumens is what their description of 'screaming output' is referring to.) I own many flashlights, and would never get anything under 75 lumens. Anyway, that's how they can claim such a long runtime: If you hardly put out any light, you can get a long runtime. It claims on the package a duration of 150 hours. But the graph in the literature (which is quite confusing to interpret), shows that the 'screaming output' of 12 lumens rapidly diminishes over time. A year ago, I bought a simialr sized DORCY 9 LED at a 'major' discount store for $3.50 (that's three dollars and fifty cents). And it puts out almost as much light as this $20+ Princeteon Tec Attitude 3. The only advantage of the 'TEC' is that it concentrates the LED light into a tiny spot, while the $3.50 DORCY gives a wider spread...therefore making the TEC look brighter, and give a slightly greater 'range'. But in comparison, both put out the same total light. And one other thing, the TEC 3 LED light is an annoying 'bluish-white'. At least it isn't 'yellowish' like others I've tried, but it's still not a pure white. As for "Pros" of this flashlight, it IS compact, and has a nice belt clip...which, however, doesn't seem like it will last long without snapping-off if it has to fit a thick belt. For the high price, you're much better off with some other brands that Amazon sells. [Follow-up: I saw that the 'Olive' color Tec Attitude 3 had '30 lumens' output as opposed to the standard 12 lumens of the other (transparent) colors. So, I gave it a try. And yes, the 'Olive' (only) puts out a nice amount of light as compared to the yellow and blue transparent ones that I got previously. So, although it costs a little more to get the Tec Attitude 3 LED in 'Olive' color, you will get a much higher light output...(and I compared them side-by-side: i.e. the transparent color units to the solid Olive color units). Note also: Prior to getting the Olive color Tec Attitude 3 LED, I also got the 'Optically Enhanced' Tec version. And its light output 'appears' to be brighter than the non-optically-enhanced Tec Attitude 3 LED (in the transparent colors). However, that brighter appearing light is obtained by concentrating the LED's into a smaller spot...unlike the Tec Attitude 3 LED model which SPREADS out the light much more. But if you were to get the most usable light for the lowest price on Amazon...for a Tec Attitude unit that is, I'd recommend the 'optically enhanced' version...because its small, bright, spot is much more usefull than a large, spread-out/diffused/light pattern.]

I don't believe I'll every buy a light from Princetontec again! A couple years ago I was planning a backpacking trip, so bought a model similar to this one that only had one led bulb which had some sort of phosphor coating that made the light white rather than blue-ish. I loved it! Well, I loved it until it died. I only took it on one trip with me, and didn't abuse it. After that is mostly just sat in a drawer, and was really only used during power outages or on a yearly car-camping trip. At one point about a year after I bought I pulled it out of the drawer and it wouldn't turn on, so I changed the batteries, but still nothing. Turns out something in the lamp assembly had come loose, so I emailed princetontec about it, and they replaced it with the attitude since my model was discontinued.

Like the first light, I took it on infrequent camping trips, and most of the time it sat in a drawer. Well today, having had the light for a little less than a year, I'm having the same problem with this one! My power was out from the snow today, and I knew exactly where my light was, so I got it out and was very disappointed to find out that it doesn't work! I'm glad it didn't quit on me during one of my backpacking trips, or I would've been depending on my keychain LED light! To make it worse, I'm pretty sure this model isn't covered under warranty like my first one was. I don't want another one anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Bottom line: If you want a light that you can rely on, look for a better product from a different company. If you're ok with taking a risk, or you won't be relying on this light, go ahead and buy it. It's a cool light, just not reliable enough for me.

Some time ago, I ordered a yellow translucent one of these 3 LED versions, and it was so weak that I gave it away. But then I read an Amazon purchaser's review that said, about MAGLIGHTS, that they are made in 3 different factories in China, and the quality of the MAGLIGHT you get depends on the factory that made it. So, I tried again, but this time I ordered the olive drab model of the 3 LED type, and what a difference. Now don't get me wrong, the unit is not very bright. But it's considerably brighter than the former one I got from Princeten Tec. Besides, I didn't order it for brightness...but for it's compact size and LONG duration of light. If you want extreme brightness for the same price get Dorcy's High Flux flashlight available on Amazon. But if you want something, that in a pinch, will at least allow you to see in the dark for 30-100 hours, (the light diminishes over time), then get this olive drab one. Or if you want a slightly shorter burntime, but a brighter center spot, get the olve drab Version II Optically Enhanced version of this Princeten Tec flashlight (that Amazon also sells.)

bought this flashlight as a backup for when I walk my dogs in the morning. I have a princton tec rage and really like the way that one functions so I tried the same brand. It'a a bit dimmer and less strong than the rage but the batteries seem to last longer. But, functions perfectly well for what I need it for.

I like this simple flashlight because it seems to last forever on a set of batteries, it is waterproof and there is nothing to break.