It may seem strange to review these two unconnected products together, but here's what happened. We contacted the Wenger PR people and asked if we could be loaned a watch so we could review it. They asked us what we wanted. We told them. They seemed to agree. So imagine our surprise when they sent a small pocket knife and a headlamp through the post instead of the watch. I have no idea if this is because they have a strange sense of humour, or if they don't like journalists, or if they are just a very inward facing PR company with little regard for public service. Whatever the reason, we thought we'd repay the gesture and review the products as they sent them, together. The Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp They Say - 'The Princeton Tec Byte is a small headlamp powered by two AAA batteries with a Maxbright LED as the main light source. The Byte headlamp also features a red Ultrabright LED for when you don't want to impair your night vision or disrupt others with a bright light. The light can be adjusted from straight out to straight down by rotating within its bracket. The headlamp comes in a single color option, red/black.'
We Say - 'This is a decent headtorch. The headband is soft elastic and comfy, and the red light is a real help when you want to look around after you've been asleep, such as on leaving the tent for a midnight toilet dash. The problem is that to turn it off you've got to turn it to full power first, so unless you remember to bury the lamp into your clothing whilst you do this, it'll glare out and ruin that night vision you've been trying to preserve. This is the only design fault I can see though. The bright setting is really very bright! You can about 30 metres in front of you lit up when you use it at night.
Battery life is pretty good. It takes 2 AAA batteries and if you use it on the red setting, you'll get around 146 hours out of it. Medium white light setting will give you 96 hours, and the bright white light 80 hours.
Another thing it's good for is as a photographic darkroom safe light. I use the darkroom every week at home and I have a dedicated safe light there but sometimes I develop my photos in my tent as well whilst on tour and this is perfect to help me do that safely.'
In Summary - 'A comfortable headband. The red lamp feature is great, the fact you have to turn the lamp to it's brightest setting in order to turn it off is not so great. All in all, I've used this lamp for a few months now and think it's a nice piece of kit. Not perfect, but ok.'
To see this Princeton headlamp online, click here - http://www.princetontec.com/?q=byte
Wenger Patagonia Evo Grip Knife
They Say - 'In 2005 Wenger created the first ergonomic Swiss Army Knife, making resourcefulness more comfortable than ever before. Now the EvoGrip expands on that advance. The four major areas of contact your hand makes when utilizing the EvoGrip™ 81 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race Swiss Army Knife are embedded with non-slip rubber and a locking blade, increasing its safety, performance and efficiency. EvoGrip Swiss Army Knives are truly a symbol of our unwillingness to be satisfied with a classic – even after more than a century. With 11 implements that perform 15 functions, the EvoGrip™ 81 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race Swiss Army Knife is as useful as it is advanced. The hi-visibility yellow body helps you see it even in the bottom of a backpack.'
We Say - 'Wenger are undoubtably the makers of fine watches and knifes. The problem for me is that this knife is about the size of my little finger in reality. I've been hiking above 6000 metres and in the Arctic, and in the heat of the Sahara, and I can say with some certainty that in those extremely cold or hot and sweaty conditions, I'd want a knife I could feel in the palm of my hand, not a little thing like this that would slip and slide everywhere or just be too fiddly to get to grips with.
On the plus side, the colour is good - I can see it when I want to even when it falls into the long grass or pebbles - the blades are solid, the scissors sharp, and I use the clasp to tie it to the inside of my life jacket when I go canoeing as I'm sure it'll come in handy if ever I find myself in a survival situation.
I'm sure that this knife will appeal to the ultra-light loving outdoors types. Personally though, I feel there are some things you just shouldn't skimp on. For instance, if you're on a diet, you still shouldn't eat low fat cheese or margarine spreads. They just make life miserable. The same goes for my outdoors gear. I like to cut down on gear weight in most cases, but when it comes to my knife, I want something I can hold properly. I know, it's a bit Crocodile Dundee of me, but that's the way it is.
In Summary - 'Strong knife, good design, just too small and fiddly for me to really enjoy using.'
To see this knife online click here - http://www.wenger.ch/evogrip-81-1-081-011-822-wper