Princeton Tec Remix Plus Review
A premium priced light that is outperformed by competitors costing less
Photo: Abriah Wofford
Price: $50 List | $42.99 at Amazon
Pros: Well made construction
Cons: Poor performance, short battery life
Manufacturer: Princeton Tec
Cons: Poor performance, short battery life
Manufacturer: Princeton Tec
By RJ Spurrier ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ May 28, 2018
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Our Verdict
The Princeton Tec Remix Plus is built with quality construction, but at $50 list it is comparatively far too expensive for the performance it delivers. For example. when put side-by-side with the $20 Petzl Tikkina, our Best Buy winner, it had much lower overall performance scores across the board. The Tikkina sells for a 60% lower price, and comes in at half the weight. It is hard to justify buying the Remix, given so many strong competitors that offer more for less.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Princeton Tec Remix Plus | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | ||
| Price | $42.99 at Amazon | $89.00 at Amazon | $50 List | $28.00 at Backcountry | $28.74 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Well made construction | Bright wide beam, good battery life, durable design, rechargeable | Excellent trail finding and close proximity beam, waterproof, above average battery life | Excellent spot light capability, wide evenly lit flood beam, above average in most ways | Excellent brightness and beam control, often available online at discount |
| Cons | Poor performance, short battery life | Expensive, 18650 Li-ion battery is not included, heavier than average | More expensive, heavier than average, claimed battery life is very misleading | Below average battery life, claimed battery life is wildly misleading, single button hard to use, lame waterproofing | Average battery life, heavier and bulkier than most |
| Bottom Line | Disappointing performance, especially for the price, and outdistanced by competitors | A stunningly bright light that offers impressive battery life. If you can afford it, it won't disappoint | You can't go wrong with the Storm, high performance, quality optics, and durable design | Offering excellent optics, a bright wide beam, and strong performance for the price, the Spot is one of our favorites | We used to love the Coast, but competing lights have stepped up, while the HL7 is unchanged |
| Rating Categories | Princeton Tec Remix Plus | Zebralight H600w Mk IV | Black Diamond Storm | Black Diamond Spot | Coast HL7 |
| Trail Finding (35%) | |||||
| Close Proximity (20%) | |||||
| Battery Life (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Princeton Tec... | Zebralight H600w... | Black Diamond Storm | Black Diamond Spot | Coast HL7 |
| Measured Beam Distance | 58 m | 121 m | 91 m | 94 m | 112 m |
| Claimed Distance | 78 m | Not specified | 85 m | 80 m | 119 m |
| Measured High Mode Run-time (ANSI) | 1.6 hrs | 3.1 hrs | 5 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 3.1 hrs |
| Claimed High Mode Run-time | 5 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 40 hrs | 30 hrs | 1.5 hrs |
| Measured Low Mode Run-time | 43 hrs | 232 hrs | 42 hrs | 9.7 hrs | 25 hrs |
| Claimed Low Mode Run-time | 100 hrs | 203 hrs | 120 hrs | 175 hrs | 70 hrs |
| Measured Weight | 5.8 oz, 165 g | 4.5 oz, 127 g | 4 oz, 112 g | 3.1 oz, 89 g | 4.5 oz, 127 g |
| Battery Type | 4 AAA | 18650 rechargeable Li-ion | 4 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA |
| Water Resistance | IPX4 splash proof | IPX8 waterproof to 2 meters, 30 minutes | IP67 waterproof to one meter and dustproof | Splash proof (dubious IPX8 claim) | water resistant |
| Manuf Claimed Lumens | 165 lumens | 1400 lumens | 350 lumens | 300 lumens | 285 lumens |
| Beam Type | flood/spot | flood | flood/spot | flood/spot | flood/spot |
| Red Light | no | no | yes, red/green/blue night-vision modes | yes | no |
| On Switch Lock | yes | yes (tailcap lockout) | yes | yes | no |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Princeton Tec needs to step up their headlamp game at this $50 price point. The market is now crowded with excellent products. The competition offers much more performance, for the same, or even much lower prices.
Performance Comparison
Photo: Abriah Wofford
Trail Finding
Scoring a 5 of 10, the Remix Plus has fairly poor trail finding abilities for its price.
Beam Distance Photos
Princeton Tec Remix Plus
Black Diamond Spot
Close Proximity
The Remix was disappointing for close proximity use, earning a poor 3 of 10 rating.
Battery Life
The Remix's battery life score is a mediocre 3 of 10, with only 1.6 hours in our measured high mode runtime tests using the ANSI standards, and 43 hours in low mode.
Photo: Abriah Wofford
Weight
The Remix is large and bulky compared to competitors, coming in at 5.8 ounces or 165 grams, and a two part package with batteries in back and the light element in front.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is a relative high point for the Remix, but even there it scored only about average.
Photo: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
We can't say the Remix Plus offers great value. The Petzl Tikkina is 60% lower list price, and scored much better. Other $50 lights, like the BD Storm left the Remix in the dust. Not recommended.
— RJ Spurrier