Following on from the original award winning Princeton Tec SNAP Headlamp comes the SNAP 450 RW LED Head Torch Kit which is now by far, one of the American company’s most unique, versatile, and cleverly designed utility lights they have in their range.
Origins
The now discontinued original model was described as being ‘a hard-working and adventurous multi-use light.’ When I field tested that many moons back it certainly showed itself to be a one stop tool for any of your lighting needs – be that headlamp, flashlight, bicycle light, safety flasher, lantern and magnetic hold area light. It’s ingenuity at the time were recognised as it received the top honours from various Outdoor Magazines in its country of origin.
Now fast forward to the present and that compact gem has now been superseded and upgraded and modified to the SNAP 450 RW LED Head Torch Kit. The latter word ‘Kit’ being very apt because of the accessories that come supplied that enable it to serve so many purposes.
Also, for those familiar with its predecessor the name instantly informs that we now on high beam have a much brighter 450 Lumen light output.
In The Kit
The full kit comprise of the all-important detachable ‘SNAP’ magnetic lamp head unit, headband attachment clip, adjustable elasticated single strap headband, 2-position carabiner attach lantern mount, carabiner clip, bar mount plus 2 sizes of strong elasticised synthetic rings for use with the bar mount for attachment to the front of a bicycle or suitably sized tent pole.
As well as the obvious tasks it can fulfil due to the magnetic base of the lamp head unit being so strong it can even be attached to any metal surface to brighten the area around you or your workspace.
Build & Performance
It’s this magnetic head unit that gives you such versatility as it can be easily and intuitively detached and reattached to any of the mounts enabling it to be a forerunner for the term - ultimate multi-use light.
The SNAP 450 RW is also simple to use: a large, easy to find rubberised pressure switch on top of the light head unit turns the versatile spot beam on, dims it and switches over to flash mode. The 1x Maxbright LED w/dimmable spot is rated at 450L with a burn time of 100hrs. It’s powered by 3x AAA Alkaline batteries (supplied) that slip into the lamp head casing, weighs 3.5oz with power sources installed and is manufactured to a water-resistant rating of IPX4.
It also features three modes: a fully dimmable spot beam, a flash mode, and a red LED to preserve night vision.
Incidentally, when used with the headband attachment, the dedicated mount also articulates so you can tilt the light through a full 180-degrees.
Modes
The lamp offers 5-modes and the type/output, run times and distance are: High spot 450L, 6hr run time and 60m reach. Low Spot 10L, 100hr and 10m reach. White Spot strobe 300L, 7hr run time with 5m reach while the red 6L LED has an impressive 160hr run time 5m reach and in red strobe mode gives a105hr run time 5m reach.
Without a doubt the Princeton Tec SNAP 450 RW LED Head Torch Kit is a very unique utility multi-function light that will serve you well in many situations and is built to a very high standard.
Review written by Pete Wadeson
Outdoorsman & Independent Field Tester of Shooting, Angling & Outdoor Accessories