Good cheap front light?
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Cheers for that alfablue
I think I'll have to go for a light, the brighter Q5 probably and see for myself as I've not yet found a light that on the faster bits of my commute is more than 'adequate' : various people in the past have said that Smart SLA 10/10, Electron NiMH 10/5 and L & M Solo Logics are the bees knees, certainly for brightness at the lower-price level but when I've used each of these on my own bike, when I have to freewheel or even brake so that my speed is still such that I am still able to see far enough ahead, then I always think the lights just ain't up to it. It's not as if I am going flat out down steep hills, just a fairly fast commute with some unlit quickish B-road sections. If the D-X Q5 will even add a little more at really what is a minimal cost, then I'm prepared to try it.0 -
I have graduated from Smart, Electron, and recently Dinotte - the Fenix is the best of the lot, if the DX ones come close to the Fenix then they will be a fantastic bargain, at around £10! If they are good you may find you end up with two (one aimed near, one further down the road, maybe) and ditch the halogens, and save 1/2 to 1 kg in weight as well! Fingers crossed!!!
If they don't quite live up to it, £10 isn't too bad to find out.0 -
I will certainly post up my opinions of the light : I ordered the Ultrafire C3 Cree Q5 LED Flashlight with Extension (plus an ipod remote - total cost only $26 ! )0
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Blimey - a forum for torch people ! Who would have thought ?0
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No idea of the actual capacity but 7dayshop do NiMH rechargables at a good price (4 x nominal 2700mAH for £3.49). They also have a 1hr charger for less than £10.0
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AlfaBlue have you received and reviewed the mentioned light mate?0
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Ah yes, got it 2 days ago (so 8 days since ordering - pretty good!). Initial reaction is it is excellent, full review and photos tomorrow!giant mancp wrote:AlfaBlue have you received and reviewed the mentioned light mate?0 -
Got the light a couple of days ago which isn't bad coming from HK
Seems bright when tested out in the garage etc but I find that, admittedly with a rudimentary mounting of zip-ties to the stem, that it's beam is not good enough as a replacement single-light for my L & M Solo Logic.
It is probably just expecting tway oo much for it to be able to equal that light since it is specifically designed for bikes whilst the Ultrafire C3 Cree Q5 LED is a torch but I think it would be fine as a backup light and it's nice and light too.
May try mounting it better to improve the aim of the light but so far I'd say that it's a backup light and fine on it's own for lit roads.0 -
Okay, here's the review:
I have had a Fenix L2D CE Q5 for a few weeks now. It puts out 180 lumens for 2.4 hours on Turbo, and 107 lumens for 4.5 hours on high. It takes 2 AA batteries, I use NiMH 2700 or 2900mah batteries (note, performance with alkalines is much poorer). It cost £37.95 delivered.
Fenix:
Ultrafire:
I have used this light on my 15/20 mile regular ride on an unlit railway path, and on High it gives plenty of light to see with, and does achieve the 4.5 hour run time. It is fixed to the bars with a Twofish Lockblock (£6.95 delivered). It outshines and outruns my previous best light, a Dinotte 5w Ultra.
I then bought an UltraFire Cree C3 5-Mode Flashlight with 2xAA Extension Tube Bundle for (an amazing) £10.39 delivered. My idea was that athough this is a lower powered LED than the Fenix, it may achieve roughly the same output on its highest mode as the Fenix on High (not Turbo). As above, the High mode on the Fenix is bright enough for unlit riding.
Well, this turned out to be more or lesscorrect, there is only a small difference between the brightness of the two lights in these modes, so the Ultrafire will serve as an alternative to the Fenix, or can be used along with the Fenix for even better lighting. I think 2 of these £10 Ultrafires together would make for a truly unbeatable light setup for any unlit riding. I have yet to road test the Ultrafire at night, but given the beam shot comparisons with the Fenix I am confident that it is a good alternative, especially as it is less than 1/3rd of the price.
I have not tested the Ultrafire run time yet, but I am expecting about 2.5 hours.
The Ultrafire is clearly of lower quality than the Fenix, the aluminium is clearly thinner and lighter, however I would not say that the quality is too bad, especially for the price. It seems welll sealed with O-rings, and the threads are smooth. The anodising seems of reasonable quality. The head size is about 1mm smaller in diameter. It has an orange peel (rather than smooth) reflector, but then the beam is also smoother. The light (unlike the Fenix) can be run with one or two AA's as the main body has an extension tube, but the light in 2 AA format is virtually identical in length to the Fenix.
Operation is by a tailcap clickie switch with a rubber cap. It switches between low, medium, high, SOS and strobe modes. A slightly poor feature is that it cycles to the next mode after switching off, rather than remembering the previous mode.
The Fenix has low, medium, high, SOS with the head slightly unscrewed, then screwing the head tight gives Turbo and strobe. The Fenix does remember the last mode used.
Both lights fit fine in the Lockblocks.
Ultrafire also do a C3 Cree Q5 LED version for the same price, which uses the same (more efficient) emitter as the Fenix, however this is a single mode light (high) only. I considered this but opted for the slightly lower output of the multimode model, for greater versatility.
To conclude, I think 2 of these Ultrafire lights together will outperform all other bike lights possibly up to the £120/£150 range, yet the combined cost is less than £22 (plus £7.52 delivered, for a three pack of Twofish Lockblocks from fenix-store.com).
Beamshots will be along later!0 -
Okay, here is the beamshot, Ultrafire C3 and Fenix L2D CE Q5 on high (Fenix goes brighter still on Turbo, though I ride with it on high).
The Fenix is a bit brighter, it has a brighter hot spot, the Ultrafire has a smoother beam (has an orange peel reflector). As I ride on unlit routes with the Fenix alone, I reckon 2 x Ultrafires would be more than plenty illumination.
Note that the Ultrafire is the C3 5 mode model, there is a brighter Q5 (same emitter as the Fenix) available at the same price, though with a single mode. For maximum output the latter would be the better choice.
These are the two lights side by side, they are both 147mm tall (same as a Maglite AA).
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I was actually told to turn my l2d's down last weekend by someone opposite me at traffic lights - they were on the setting up from low and angled down a few yards in front of me. He actually stopped in front of me and forced me to also stop when the lights turned green to press his point. I then pulled my buff down from my face and he realized I wasn't some 10 year old kid and much larger than his 4st frame
I then told him what to do with his comments and was very tempted to give him a pedal height scratch down the side of his pimped up boy racer peugeot. Bare in mind this was actually on a set of traffic lights with loads of people watching and no one even questioned what he was doing. I wished he'd have left his car so I could've broken his legs, the little tw@t.
So overall the l2d lights are great and highly visible to other road users and also good on dark trails on turbo.0 -
What a cheeky ba*stard!djb1971 wrote:I was actually told to turn my l2d's down last weekend by someone opposite me at traffic lights - they were on the setting up from low and angled down a few yards in front of me. He actually stopped in front of me and forced me to also stop when the lights turned green to press his point. I then pulled my buff down from my face and he realized I wasn't some 10 year old kid and much larger than his 4st frame
I then told him what to do with his comments and was very tempted to give him a pedal height scratch down the side of his pimped up boy racer peugeot. Bare in mind this was actually on a set of traffic lights with loads of people watching and no one even questioned what he was doing. I wished he'd have left his car so I could've broken his legs, the little tw@t.
So overall the l2d lights are great and highly visible to other road users and also good on dark trails on turbo.
Yes they are bright but I don't believe you would have dazzled on medium and angled down - I guess some motorists prefer us to be invisible! I wonder if he does the same with the numerous dazzling and misaligned car HID headlights we see?0 -
I never run them on turbo ( due to battery drain time ) unless I'm off road so I did actually check to see what setting they were on. I do have 2 cheap cateye single led flashers too. but they are not bright. The l2ds are always pointed on the road in front of me to spot holes etc.
In 30+ years of riding it was a first for me. I never have any bother when I'm on my tarmac or tricross but I think certain muppets think you're a kid when on a mountain bike. I think I did shock him when he pulled up, he was genuinely expecting someone younger who he could bully. I still wish I'd put a pedal gouge down his car :twisted:
I've been knocked of my bike a few times over the years so being visible is very important. Lots of lights and high viz clothing. L2ds are great at the front with a few superflash on the rear. I look like a Christmas tree 0 -
Yes, I use a Smart Superflash on the rear too, with a solid rack mounted LED with reflector too. No excuses!0
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I also use a Fenix L2D, which I find excellent (and brilliant!). On turbo mode on unlit country roads the side of the road ahead is visible even with the headlights of oncoming cars to contend with.
One little piece of advice. As cyclists we frequently remove the batteries to recharge them. We do this, of course, by unscrewing the rear cap. I discovered that this action has a tendency to unscrew the switch cover inside the rear cap. I wondered why the light was behaving erratically, and was about to call Fenix, when I took a look inside. It was easily tightened up with a pair of sharp-ended scissors.0 -
I received my L2D on Friday (bought based on the recommendations on this forum). I'm very impressed with it, but noticed that unlike what I'd read on here, e.g.
after being switched off (from any non turbo mode) when switched on again, its always in Low mode. Its not a big deal as you can switch quickly back up to the higher modes, its just not what I was expecting to happen.alfablue wrote:The Fenix does remember the last mode used.
This behaviour does seem to be backed up by the instruction sheet which says the torch will return to default mode after being off for more than 2 seconds.
So I guess my question is, whether this is something that has changed or did I misunderstand what was meant by remembering the last mode used?itsnotarace.org - SCR Rules & FCN Calculator0 -
Hi Fury
I think I misled you, it turns on always in either Turbo or Low mode, depending on the position of the head, I suppose I worded it badly as I was comparing it to the Ultrafire, which turns on in the next mode to the one previously used, or, after a wait of about 3 minutes, it turns on always in medium mode. This is slightly irritating especially if it starts in SOS or strobe (but then again, on a light costing £10, not a deal breaker).
Sorry if I misinformed you, I hope this isn't a real nuisance (I don't find it so, a quick two light presses gets it to the high mode that I use for the majority of my riding). Nothing has changed with the light, I still think it is the best bike light this side of £100+ and worth the extra over the Ultrafire, if funds allow.0 -
Hey alfablue, no problem and thanks for clearing that up. Its certainly not a deal breaker, it just confused me a little. Looks like it was a simple misunderstanding of the modes within modes (or levels within modes) terminology.
By the way, did you ever try the Ultrafire with a single AA? I was wondering about that for a helmet light and I'm curious about how that affects the output, but I'd guess there isn't really much to be gained (i.e. very little weight difference) running on a single AA.itsnotarace.org - SCR Rules & FCN Calculator0 -
Hi Fury
The Ultrafire is considerably dimmer with a single AA, and wouldn't work well as a helmet light IMHO. The Single mode Q5 Ultrafire I believe has the same output (just shorter run time) on single AA so might be a better candidate (though not all users have found this to be the case, I believe there is some variability in the item people actually receive), but I think the run time is pretty short.
I think the 2AA would be okay for a helmet light, it weighs only about 120g with batteries.
Note that you should be running all of these LED lights on NiMH not alkaline to get the best output and runtime (I am sure you know this).0 -
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I'm using the single AA fenix. It's a fantastic, ultralight and compact bit of kit. I'm using it on low as a secondary light on a mostly lit commute and then on turbo for the 10 minutes worth of pitch black. It will also be good on tour as an emergency and camping light. It wouldn't be enough on its own for either serious night offroad riding, nor as it has no side visibility around town as a sole commuter light. Battery longevity could also be an issue if you want something to last several hours.
I do really like the simplicity and stability of the two-fish mount I use with the fenix.
One unexpected 'feature' was when I got cut up by a car today I pointed to it and told the driver the whole incident was on video -she suddenly became much more apologetic!0 -
I can barely tell the difference between the brightess of "max" and "turbo" - as in the 2-hour and 4hour settings. So I don't use turbo at all. Anyway they say not to leave it on turbo for more than 10 minutes.
About the velcro mount - I was pretty happy with it till the other night I rode home 35 miles in intermittent pouring rain, and when it's wet there's no friction between it and the handlebar, however tight you pull the velcro - so on bumpy bits it swivelled round and settled with the light pointing right in my eyes, causing sudden total blindness. This would happen down the steepest hills or course. Next time I'll try it under the handlebar, though there are cables there that might disagree with it, and I'm sure it'll still swivel about a bit if it gets a soaking.
I've wound some thread into the lockblocks mount, and it doesn't rattle any more. I might try that some time, though it's really horrible to use, the nuts are fiddly, especially with cold fingers, and they're easily dropped and lost in the dark. Why can't they just come up a simple hinged double clamp, one side clamps the handlebar, the other side the lamp. I got a cheap one from China for 3 quid but it's the wrong size for the Fenix.
Another idea I've used on another lamp is I got a spare clamp from Lumicycle - http://www.lumicycle.com/Product/produc ... _CAM&dep=5 - and drilled and threaded a hole in the lamp. I'd hesistate to do this on the Fenix, but I will if it's the only way to make it reliable. Or I might find a way of combining two clamps, the Lumicycle one bolted to one that clamps the Fenix.
When things are almost good, they're still only cr@p - that's the trouble! For long rides I load up the Lumicycles, or an iBlaast with a lumicycle battery, they're totally superb... but when I can't be bothered with all that for a short ride, the Fenix will be perfect when I finally work out how to keep it on the bar without it swivelling round or rattling or wobbling...0 -
Hi Raph
With the lockblok I have found 2 solutions to the swivelling (mine only swivelled a few degrees, but still undesirable).
1) on my road bike I put the lockblock over the inner end of the handlebar tape, rather than the naked metal part of the bar - problem solved.
2) on my mtb/commuter I put a strip of inner tube under the lockblock (as suggested by someone else here) - problem solved. (I will improve it even further by cemnting the tube to the bar with silicon sealant, when I get round to it).
I wonder if it swivelled all the way round to shine in your eyes, do you have the Fenix placed in the lockblock off centre? If held in the centre I would be surprised if it would swivel so far.
With the "wrap some thread" bit, do you mean the Fenix mount rather than the lockblock? If so I solved this with ptfe tape - same sort of result. The nuts are a bit fiddly but there is no need to remove them completely.
I agree with you, high is as near to Turbo that I generally use high, and 4.5 hours run time is amazing!0 -
I bought 2 Ultrafire Q5 single mode torches for £13.50 each, 2 18650 Lithium Batteries for £5 (2400mah protected cells) and a DSD lithium battery charger for £3. Oh, and a uk plug adaptor for £1. £35 for 2 torches that each pump out nearly as much light as the Fenix, but with a wider spill which I find great for off road cycling, and blinding drivers.
I attached it to my bike with a couple of hoseclips, bought a box from aldi for £2. innertube is ideal for protecting your bars. I'm not sure on runtime, but used one of them for over 3 hours so far; its slightly dimmer than one with a fresh battery.Road: 2006 Trek 1500
Off: 2009 Carrera Fury
I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.0 -
I bought 2 Ultrafire Q5 single mode torches for £13.50 each, 2 18650 Lithium Batteries for £5 (2400mah protected cells) and a DSD lithium battery charger for £3. Oh, and a uk plug adaptor for £1. £35 for 2 torches that each pump out nearly as much light as the Fenix, but with a wider spill which I find great for off road cycling, and blinding drivers.
I attached it to my bike with a couple of hoseclips, bought a box from aldi for £2. innertube is ideal for protecting your bars. I'm not sure on runtime, but used one of them for over 3 hours so far; its slightly dimmer than one with a fresh battery.Road: 2006 Trek 1500
Off: 2009 Carrera Fury
I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.0 -
Fantastic bargain bike light success!SPOODZILLA wrote:I bought 2 Ultrafire Q5 single mode torches for £13.50 each, 2 18650 Lithium Batteries for £5 (2400mah protected cells) and a DSD lithium battery charger for £3. Oh, and a uk plug adaptor for £1. £35 for 2 torches that each pump out nearly as much light as the Fenix, but with a wider spill which I find great for off road cycling, and blinding drivers.
I attached it to my bike with a couple of hoseclips, bought a box from aldi for £2. innertube is ideal for protecting your bars. I'm not sure on runtime, but used one of them for over 3 hours so far; its slightly dimmer than one with a fresh battery.0 -
Yeah I'm pretty pleased with the results, nice and compact, no battery pack to strap on, no wires. Also great torches for general use. We use them for night trekking, loads of fun for the kids. The wifes so impressed I've been given permission to order a few more so we have one each. I'll take a few photos once I've got 4 torches on my bars and 1 on my lid. It'll be like riding in daylight.Road: 2006 Trek 1500
Off: 2009 Carrera Fury
I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.0 -
Just received 2 of these Ulltrafire lights from Deal Extreme, ordered the single mode ones and they've sent me the 5 mode ones by mistake.
I have to say that I'm well impressed with them. They'll be getting used on the bike, for camping and when out walking in the hills.
Have also bought two lockblock bike fittings and couple of headbands that allow the torches to be used as head torches from Glowgadgets.co.uk, who incidentally sell the Fenix lights as well, slightly cheaper than the other shop mentioned earlier in the thread.Tarpaullynn0
