The ultimate cheap bike light £43.95 takes AA batteries!!

rrsodl

alfablue wrote:

You're well and truly hooked, Rick.

Indeed, I just love well built, good quality products like this little torch.

I was working in the garden today, unfortunately I started rather late and it got dark soon after I began... so I put on my helmet, with the P3D torch and all and it was an excellent way to see what I was doing I will be using it again when working outside under similar circumstances

Rick

stevie the freerider

i build my own with a 12.5 v battery that goes in my bag last over 3 hours is brighter than any others i have seen and survives plenty of downhill and street session evven crashing off a 6.5 ft drop and landing on it!!!

rrsodl

stevie the freerider wrote:

i build my own with a 12.5 v battery that goes in my bag last over 3 hours is brighter than any others i have seen and survives plenty of downhill and street session evven crashing off a 6.5 ft drop and landing on it!!!

Good for you.


Rick

capoz77

RRSODL wrote:

alfablue wrote:

You're well and truly hooked, Rick.

Indeed, I just love well built, good quality products like this little torch.

I was working in the garden today, unfortunately I started rather late and it got dark soon after I began... so I put on my helmet, with the P3D torch and all and it was an excellent way to see what I was doing I will be using it again when working outside under similar circumstances

Rick

LOL! I washed my car tonight and before I finished darkness had set - so in I laid the Fenix on the wall and felt like a 24 hour motorway worker under a huge spotlight, errrrr well kind of :oops:

Love the helmet idea, can't wait to see what the neighbours think washing my car with helmet protection 8)

Gwaredd

capoz77 wrote:

Milese wrote:

Gwaredd wrote:

My Cateye EL530 kicks the crap out of that too. £31 delivered off eBay. Wide beam & spot at the same time.

Best of the battery lights IMO

I've just had an EL530 delivered, bit of a rushed purchase as I've now got 2 L2Ds.

Paid £21 for it delivered from US ebay.

I have to say the EL530 is woeful compared to the L2D. Put the EL530 on in a dark room and yeah you can see, then put the L2D on and you can barely see the light beam of the EL530.

I think I'll put it back on ebay, or stick it on the road bike I'm about to buy.

:oops:

I didn't think a Cateye would come anywhere close to a Fenix

Always prepared to eat a nice slice of humble pie, but in my defence, I compared the EL530 with that video of the Fenix which was, compared to the recent pictures, an awful example of how bright the Fenix is. To make amends, I have asked Santa for the Fenix 180 Lumen jobbie that takes 2 AA batteries (L2D?) & will use it as a head torch alongside the EL530, as the Cateye will last for 90 hours instead of 1.8 like the Fenix. Should I fall down a mine shaft, I'll be able to see for a few days at least

andyturner28

Hey guy's. Hope everyone had a good Christmass.

Got an L2D Premium Q5 as a christmas pressy, and am just wondering what rechargable batteries to use. All the rechargables i can find are 1.2v instead of non rechargable 1.5v. Are there any 1.5v rechargables? Dose 0.5v make any difference? Also my current Uniross rechargables are only 800ma, and i have noticed they go up to 2500ma. Can i safely use the 2500ma in the Q5, and again will i notice any difference over the 800's? Cant seem to notice any difference between them and the Fujifilm HR-3UF 1.2v 550ma batteries out of my camera. Appologies for the 20 million questions

Cheers,

Andy.

alfablue

First off, you need NiMH not Ni-Cad (old tech) rechargeables. Differences between your Uniross and Fuji could be due to one or other being optimistically rated, or just as likely, after many cycles, capacity diminishes (affected also by how they were charged), but even the rated 800mah is very low - get some new ones.

NiMH are genereally about 1.4v in use, though rated at 1.2, whreas Alkalines start at 1.5 but decline very quickly in use. 1.2 NiMH's are actually better than Alkalines in LED torches, and you will receive a consistent output for far longer than alkalines. See Flashlightreviews output charts for the L2, you will see on max an alkaline set gives about 45 minutes till dipping below 50% on alkalines, and 105 minutes on NiMH (note these are not for the Q5 model, but results will be similar). Also, the Fenix is fully regulated, so until a certain point you should get the same light output from any batteries, the difference will be how long till the light dims (and once it does, it does so very fast, from useful to too dim in a couple of minutes - see the output graphs).

You can safely use 2500mah's or even higher, though note that actual capacity is often about 10% less than stated. I bought some Vapextech 2900mah batteries and they deliver about 2600mah, quite a bit less than stated, but they are nevertheless probably close to the highest output current;y available. Many rated at 2500mah will deliver about 2100/2200.

As for chargers, don't go for ultra fast 15 minute ones, they will reduce the number of cycles your batteries will do, Vapextech do a good "fast" charger for about £14, it will fully charge four cells in about 4 1/2 hours, and it has individually controlled bays with LED readout.

I got 4.5 hours with my Q5 on high, which was plenty good enough (and better than my Dinotte) for cycling on an unlit path.

andyturner28

Thank's a lot mate, some very helpfull info there. I will give your suggestions a go as soon as i have some money again. Bloomin Christmas has blead me dry!

Cheers,

Andy.

simonali

Cheap source of CR123s here.

http://www.miracle-store.de/

I use the Battery Station ones in my little Fenix P1and they seem to last well.

HTH

Gwaredd

Well, Santa brought me a L2D premium Q5 & I can confirm it has to be the brightest sub £50 light around - very impressive. Gives a far better & brighter spread of light than my Cateye EL530, but when used together, give off enough light for me to go trail riding on my own. If you're after a set of good lights for under £100, then two of these (spot on the helmet, wide on the bars) will not be beaten.

The only downside is battery life. In Turbo mode, I got less than 2 hours with the supplied batteries, though I'm hoping my rechargeable 2700ma AA's last a bit longer, although it's no hassle to stop & change them whilst you have a drink, whilst the Cateye will last for over 90 hours, so if the worst does happen, I've still got a good light to get me home.

Cheers,

Gwaredd.

alfablue

Gwaredd wrote:

Well, Santa brought me a L2D premium Q5 & I can confirm it has to be the brightest sub £50 light around - very impressive. Gives a far better & brighter spread of light than my Cateye EL530, but when used together, give off enough light for me to go trail riding on my own. If you're after a set of good lights for under £100, then two of these (spot on the helmet, wide on the bars) will not be beaten.

The only downside is battery life. In Turbo mode, I got less than 2 hours with the supplied batteries, though I'm hoping my rechargeable 2700ma AA's last a bit longer, although it's no hassle to stop & change them whilst you have a drink, whilst the Cateye will last for over 90 hours, so if the worst does happen, I've still got a good light to get me home.

Cheers,

Gwaredd.

I am using Vapextech 2900 mah NiMH batteries. (Although rated at 2900 they actually put out nearer to 2600 mah in my tests, but they are still close to the best currently available). They give over 2 hours on Turbo, and 4.5 hours on high (which is bright enough on its own for my unlit railway path ride). Standard alkalines quickly dim to below 50% c/w NiMH so you wont get the best form the L2D CE Q5 using the supplied batteries.

capoz77

I use 2800mah energizer rechargables I get 4 hours on high and turbo about 2-3.

I have the energizer 15 minute charger which is supurb, four batteries good to go in 15 minutes! I take 8 out with me

alfablue

capoz77 wrote:

I use 2800mah energizer rechargables I get 4 hours on high and turbo about 2-3.

I have the energizer 15 minute charger which is supurb, four batteries good to go in 15 minutes! I take 8 out with me

Hi capoz

I have been using a 15 minute charger but I think it reduces the capacity of the cells quite quickly. I have since got a MAHA MH-C9000 that can analyze cells and show the capacities, and I have found some of my 2800's are down to about 1100 after about 6 months use. So now I do a 4 hour charge on the MAHA and save the 15 minute one for "emergencies".

alfablue

If you do want to get a "kinder" charger you don't need to spend £50 on the MAHA, Vapextech's LCD,WORLD (110v/240v) ,Ultra Fast 1 hour charger (on this page) has individually monitored cells ,Overtime,Overload,Overheat,Over Voltage Protection, Non-rechargeable battery detection, with an LCD readout for £14.55 delivered, and should ensure long life for your cells. I bought one for my son to go with his L2D CE Q5.

NB it is a 1 hr charger for 1 cell, four take about 4 hours.

capoz77

So if you put all four in there you would have to time it for 4 hours?

alfablue

No, the charger is "smart" (unlike cheaper / older style chargers that merely apply full charge for a set time) and it terminates charging on a full charge signal from the cells, so it is entirely safe. It will also terminate charging if the cells get too hot or go over-voltage. You can leave the batteries in for some time afterwards and it will put through a minimal trickle charge.

TheRevOlutionary

Can I ressurect this thread please?

It's got plenty of cool info on about (mostly) Deal Extreme deals on Q5 cree equipment etc. Has there been any advance since the turn of the year? Any better deals available now? Im liking the fact that you can get a decent 200+ lumen power unit for £30-40 delivered!

I found the thread looking for Trustfire stuff, as ive seen some good caving reviews on the power and longevity! Is that the same as other 'xxxfire' brands, or different company?

Thanks guys 8)

alfablue

You can get those lumens for about £14 delivered from Deal Extreme. I recently bought this one. It claims 200 Lumens, but is slightly less bright than my 180 Lumen Fenix (the ways in which manufacturers measure lumens is notoriously variable). It is a single mode light, has a larger reflector than the Fenix. If on a tight budget this has to be the choice! Obviously the Fenix L2D CE Q5 is much better, but you would still have a very good light for £14 with the Ultrafire.

TheRevOlutionary

So is Ultrafire the same as Trustfire etc?

It does look the way to go, even if it takes a while to deliver. You could technically get 2/3 'other' lights for the price of the fenix, or is the fenix still a better quality etc?

Bmjboy

I have both the Fenix L2D and the Ultrafire W606a in question so can give an accurate answer.

Simple answer is : Fenix wins hands down.

Build Quality i will say is very similar, both are robust. Neither light is superior in build quality imho, although the Fenix is smaller.

Light : Fenix can throw light much further. At a range upto 5m the lights are very similar, anything past that and the Ultrafire gets washed out and doesnt have the power that the Fenix has.

I tested this on a dark trail last week, the Fenix simply lights the way MUCH further which is what you need. You do get what you pay for with the Fenix.

For close lighting, ie looking down at bike etc, the Ultrafire is fine for that, I would not rely on it for a night trail ride (not even 2 of them).

In short, if you are on a tight budget, then a couple of Ultrafires will be "OK", but once you see the performance difference offered by a Fenix then you will wish you had bought the more expensive light.

Fenix has several power settings opposed to the Ultrafires single on/off and gets my vote over the two.

I do however maintain that for dark off-road trail riding you will need at least 2 Fenix lights, preferably 3 - so you are then encroaching into a proper bike light money bracket and your options/choices therefore increase.

I cannot give an accurate verdict on for example 3x Ultrafires Vs 1x Fenix - Maybe someone else can? I do think the "throw" issue will stll be the problem though.

My Ultrafire took about 7 working days to arrive, which I think is fine.

alfablue

Fenix is better quality - perfect design and build. Ultrafire are cheap and cheerful, but can be of variable quality, I have bought 5 and two had problems, but Deal Extreme are very good at resolving issues, only the 8 to 10 day delivery makes it less than convenient, however you are getting amazing performance for the money so it is worth the risk. If you can afford it Fenix is the best and should be most reliable. Comparing them side by side you can see far better assembly and engineering in the Fenix, and disregarding the Ultrafire's they are still much cheaper and / or better than other sub £100 options IMHO.

alfablue

On build quality, I had one Ultrafire with a battery tube machined too small for the batteries. On another the head made unreliable contact with the batteries, sometimes worked, sometimes didn't. I have working ones now. I agree Fenix performance is better, the 200 lumens claim of the Ultrafire may or may not be realistic, but what comes out of the front is less than the Fenix on Turbo, which is 180 lumens. They do use the same emitter so differences will be due to variable quality of emitters, reflector design, and the electronics. Still amazing for a £14 light!

BoardinBob

Any comparisons of the Fenix torches versus the 3watt Cree torches Tesco are doing for £10?

TheRevOlutionary

BoardinBob wrote:

Any comparisons of the Fenix torches versus the 3watt Cree torches Tesco are doing for £10?

May have to check that out, delivery would be faster!

Thanks 8)

BoardinBob

They're £12 on the Tesco Direct site or £10 in store

Dazzza

Cheap led's can be hit and miss but two main things you need to get right, one is for a single emitter the brightest atm is a cree q5 xr-e which is probably what the fenix uses, also it needs to be a high bin number, bins are the quality of the emitter, a being poor quality b is better etc.

On deal extreme look at the reviews, you will see people suggest what battery combo works best with the light, most suggest using protected ultrafires as they tend to have the best capacity and can handle a bigger amperage so will keep up with the led's demands.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12623

This is my led, an mte p7 which uses 4 led chips in one emitter, kicks out about 700 lumen, compared with my 35w lumicycle it has less spill but is more intense and very white which i like, but i chased up a ton of info before i plumped for this one and found others in the range can have problems, more the multi mode models and their pwm board can reduce current robbing you of light.

So choose wise, choose carefully, do your homework first.

TheRevOlutionary

How's this one? Fair output and like the fact that it only takes AAs.

Verdict?

dsmiff

Bought myself the 3w tesco 2xAA light, fairly impressed, so much so I went out to get another one, this was nowhere near as bright as the first, will be taking it back (have tried both sets of batteries in the lights, same result).

TheRevOlutionary

I keep looking, and keep finding more options! What's the major difference between the battery types? Power, cost or other? There's a couple with decent output but wierd battery numbers or CR123s.

Any helpful hints?

Thanks 8)

Verb

The less common battery types, 18650, cr123 usually have a larger voltage than the more standard AAA, AA etc. 3.6v or so versus 1.2/5.

Higher voltage in a battery means less capacity, so a smaller MaH. But, the 18650 ones are roughly the same size as AA and compare very well. Max capacity I've seen is around 2,500 mah versus 3000 with AAs.

I stuck with AA when buying mine as I figured they are more common, so handier. However, I have never bought AAs in a shop. I just bought a load of AA rechargeables and make sure I always have spare charged. In this situation, it really doesn't make a difference what battery type you choose, so may as well choose the most efficient. The 18650 lights can be brighter as they have a greater voltage and can have good runtimes too.

For future lights, I'll be getting 18650 ones, a charger and a bunch of batteries.