LED vs Halogen

davethejackal
davethejackal Posts: 65
edited August 2007 in MTB buying advice
Ok, I like the idea of LED lights in terms of weight/efficiency but can they compete with similarly priced halogens etc?

I thought about getting the whole ultra floodlight setup but it just seems like overkill for the sort of riding I'll be doing. I try to avoid xc riding in the dark.

Any suggestions of the sort of lights / brands to choose?
Fat bloke, on a nice-ish bike.

Comments

  • davethejackal
    davethejackal Posts: 65
    Found these on ebay, if they contain genuine Luxeon Star LEDs they seem like a bargain

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/u43-3-Watt-LED-Fl ... dZViewItem

    No reason they shouldn't as, even in the UK, the LEDs them selves only cost about £5.
    Fat bloke, on a nice-ish bike.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Generally 1watt put into a LED system will give the same output as 2-2.5 watts input into Halogen - so you can see straight away it should be more efficient for a given output. However beam colour and dispersion also play apart. Best thing is to carefully read reviews. Also more you pay, yiou get better batteries too. I bought one of the cheap 'luxeon' ebay specials, it was a fake and poor brightness, so buyer beware!
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  • davethejackal
    davethejackal Posts: 65
    supersonic wrote:
    Generally 1watt put into a LED system will give the same output as 2-2.5 watts input into Halogen - so you can see straight away it should be more efficient for a given output. However beam colour and dispersion also play apart. Best thing is to carefully read reviews. Also more you pay, yiou get better batteries too. I bought one of the cheap 'luxeon' ebay specials, it was a fake and poor brightness, so buyer beware!

    Ah ok .. might go for a pair of HL:-EL530s, less than £50 from the US, providing I don't get stung by customs of course.
    Fat bloke, on a nice-ish bike.
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    What about a Dinotte 5w LED from On-One, £85?
  • davethejackal
    davethejackal Posts: 65
    alfablue wrote:
    What about a Dinotte 5w LED from On-One, £85?

    My thoughts were that the EL530s would be about the same weight as the Dinotte + 2 battery packs and give more light over all, last about the same time and they'd be removable when I was away from the bike.

    What's wrong with this idea, if anything?
    Fat bloke, on a nice-ish bike.
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    davethejackal wrote:
    alfablue wrote:
    What about a Dinotte 5w LED from On-One, £85?

    My thoughts were that the EL530s would be about the same weight as the Dinotte + 2 battery packs and give more light over all, last about the same time and they'd be removable when I was away from the bike.

    What's wrong with this idea, if anything?

    There's nothing wrong with that idea, if that's what you want - you did ask for our ideas - my preference would be for the brighter Dinotte, that takes up less handlebar space, is more durable, and is quickly removeable.
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  • Red Panda
    Red Panda Posts: 269
    I'm considering getting a Fenix P3D (£35 on eBay). I guess I'd need a CR123a battery charger and some form of bike/helmet mount, but the power output (160 lumens) looks very impressive, especially after watching a few demos of it on youtube. On the website they say it will last 1.8 hours in full power mode, seeing is believing on that score I'd say.
  • buddha
    buddha Posts: 1,088
    davethejackal wrote:
    Ah ok .. might go for a pair of HL:-EL530s, less than £50 from the US, providing I don't get stung by customs of course.
    The HL-EL530 is only good enough for roads IMO. Certainly not powerful enough for an unlit trail.
    BTW mine died after 1 year. A common problem with these so I have discovered.
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  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    buddha wrote:
    davethejackal wrote:
    Ah ok .. might go for a pair of HL:-EL530s, less than £50 from the US, providing I don't get stung by customs of course.
    The HL-EL530 is only good enough for roads IMO. Certainly not powerful enough for an unlit trail.
    BTW mine died after 1 year. A common problem with these so I have discovered.

    My thoughts exactly, if you go anywhere unlit (even unlit roads) you need something brighter to actually see with.
  • steelo
    steelo Posts: 542
    I've been trying to get a decent front light sorted for a while now. I bought a £40 set which consisted of a 1watt LED front light, nowhere near bright enough for off-roading. I'm currently thinking about using it as a back up. From seeing other lights in my riding group the Hope HID front light seems to be more the sort of thing that is needed for dark winter riding through woods and along tracks. £215 on wiggle at the moment.
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  • The Spiderman
    The Spiderman Posts: 5,625
    I would also reccomend the USE exposure,if you are looking to spend that kind of money.

    Having said that I was pleasantly surprised how good the Electron EHP 315s were for £50,that I used last winter together with a Petzl headtorch.
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