With a red light, spot mode, floodlight, and good battery life, the Princeton Tec Sync is a full featured light that is high quality, selling for $30 list. The Sync offers strong close proximity performance, with a nicely wide and evenly lit beam. But, higher performing products such as the Black Diamond Astro and Best Buy winning Petzl Tikkina offer better value for 33% lower price.
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Easy to use
Excellent close proximity optics
REASONS TO AVOID
Short beam throw
Cannot be operated one-handed
New 200 Lumen Sync Announced — Summer 2018
Princeton Tec is rolling out a new version of the Sync that offers significantly better performance with 200 lumen power which could make it much more competitive.
Inexpensive, easy to use, excellent close proximity optics
Excellent spot light capability, wide evenly lit flood beam, above average in most ways
Good performance for the price, 94 meter beam throw, easy to use
Super easy to use, inexpensive, solid performance, compact, and reliable
Lightweight, small size, excellent flood beam, great price
Cons
Short beam throw, cannot be operated one-handed
Below average battery life, claimed battery life is wildly misleading, single button hard to use, lame waterproofing
Average in most ways
Good but not great spot beam for trail finding, slightly below average flood beam optics
Too weak a beam for trail finding or distance viewing
Bottom Line
A well made light at an attractive price, but lacks the that similarly priced performance competitors offer
A quality, durable, and bright light that hits the sweet spot for most people's needs, despite dubious marketing claims
The Yalumi is a good light, at a good price, that provides basic functionality
For $20, the Tikkina offers impressive performance at a great price, that will meet most people's needs
Offers great close proximity lighting at a budget price
Rating Categories
Princeton Tec Sync
Black Diamond Spot
Yalumi LED 140-Lumen
Petzl Tikkina
Black Diamond Astro
Trail Finding(35%)
3.0
8.0
6.0
5.0
3.0
Close Proximity(20%)
8.0
9.0
5.0
4.0
7.0
Battery Life(15%)
6.0
4.0
6.0
7.0
6.0
Weight(15%)
6.0
6.0
6.0
6.0
6.0
Ease of Use(15%)
7.0
6.0
9.0
10.0
9.0
Specs
Princeton Tec Sync
Black Diamond Spot
Yalumi LED 140-Lumen
Petzl Tikkina
Black Diamond Astro
Measured Beam Distance
31 m
94 m
94 m
62 m
38 m
Claimed Distance
38 m
80 m
90 m
55 m
35 m
Measured High Mode Run-time (ANSI)
20.5 hrs
2.9 hrs
4.3 hrs
3.5 hrs
4.8 hrs
Claimed High Mode Run-time
97 hrs
30 hrs
Not specified
60 hrs
20 hrs
Measured Low Mode Run-time
74 hrs
9.7 hrs
47 hrs
223 hrs
95 hrs
Claimed Low Mode Run-time
113 hrs
175 hrs
100 hrs
220 hrs
80 hrs
Measured Weight
3 oz, 86 g
3.1 oz, 89 g
2.7 oz, 77 g
2.9 oz, 83 g
3 oz, 86 g
Battery Type
3 AAA
3 AAA
3 AAA
3 AAA
3 AAA
Water Resistance
no data found
Splash proof (dubious IPX8 claim)
IPX4 splash proof
IPX4 splash proof
IPX4 splash proof
Manuf Claimed Lumens
150 lumens
300 lumens
140 lumens
150 lumens
150 lumens
Beam Type
flood/spot
flood/spot
flood/spot
flood
flood, dimmable
Red Light
yes
yes
yes
no
no
On Switch Lock
yes
yes
no
no
yes
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Princeton Tec makes a plethora of lighting products. Distinguishing between them can be difficult. The Sync seems to hit a sweet spot in their line-up, with long battery life and multiple modes available at a very reasonable price and with perfectly acceptable weight and bulk.
Performance Comparison
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Trail Finding
While the bulb is far from the brightest in our test, throwing a beam just 31m, the lenses on the Sync make the most of it and send an even, usable beam that entire distance.
Beam Distance Photos
Princeton Tec Sync
Petzl Tikkina
Close Proximity
Every tester appreciated the smooth, even light of the close-up functions on the Sync. The only negative comment we have is that the high-profile housing sticks out into the upper periphery of the users' view.
Battery Life
Lasting 20.5 hours in our ANSI High Mode Run time test, and 74 hours in our low mode test, the Sync offers better than average battery life performance.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Weight
At 86g, the Sync is a lightweight product, a bit better than average.
Ease of Use
Of the models with multiple modes, the Sync is the most obvious to use. With 5 light types and levels, the rotating switch leaves the user with clear instruction on how to choose the next level. This system is indeed much clearer than the one-button, multiple-press method that other products use. However, this rotating switch is basically impossible to use with one hand. Changing modes requires one hand to stabilize and another to turn the switch.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
This is a good headlamp for occasional camping use. If don't you need to see long distances, and want a light that won't require frequent battery changes, this could be a good choice. Overall, while it doesn't offer nearly as many modes, we feel the Petzl Tikkina is a far better value in this size range.
How do you determine the right headlamp for you? After...
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GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
