Lights for about £20?

pbamf

Is it possible to get decent front lights for riding dark country lanes for around £20. Sure this thread has ben covered before but can't find it. Any recomendations.

sub55

no

sub55

£200

sub55

yes

Biscuiteer

The Tesco Cree LED torches might do it? Linky linky. One or two of them and lockblocks to mount them on are probably the cheapest high power option available now. One Tesco torch and one lockblock should come in at under £20.

sicknote

Try here for fronts lights and try these for the rear and they are bright as I got one a few days ago or you can get one of these but not as bright as the fist one

The Tesco's one will need a mount

The choice is ours

Al_38

If you can afford a bit more then look at the fenix torches. There was also a thread in road gear & know how about them. Some people suggested using dealextreme torches as a cheaper alternative

The Spiderman

This one comes up a lot on mtb forums.Have a look on the deal extreme website,under flashlights.The cree lights give a lot of performance for relatively little cost.A 230 lumen light is typically £12-15,Batteries £6 and a charger £6 or so.Only drawback is having to buy via Hong Kong and waiting a week or so for delivery,and lack of comeback if there is a probem.
If you frequent the mtb forums you will find a lot of info on cheap lights.
Alternatively buy the Fenix L2DQ5 from the photon shop.My friend has one and it is very good for riding on unlit roads,but it does cost £40,and you still need to add batteries and a charger.

pbamf

Thanks guys, I went to lbs for a chat and found that for about £20 I would be looking at be seen lights not seeing lights. So now I am on the hunt for a cateye 610 light [about £80]. Will let you know how I get on.

dsmiff

Don't think the LBS will be giving truly impartial advice look at the threads on both the Tesco and Fenix torches.

If you want to go down the bike light route then I think the Hope Vision gets the nod for about £70.

trickeyja

I have one of these: http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/345

It has proved very good and reliable. I have to be careful to angle the light down at times to avoid getting flashed by oncoming traffic as has happened once or twice - it is very bright. A bit over your budget but worth the investment. Battery life is very good, 9 hours on full beam and a lot more on the weaker beam which is easily enough to get you home. Yesterday evening I was returning from a trip to Grosmont just over the Welsh border. I was riding for a couple of hours in the dark and it lit up the country lanes fine.

Obviously if you want to spend more you will be able to get a more powerful light but I have found this one fine.[/url]

dsmiff

Just to put some of these lights in perspective.

One of those cateye's (el530):



£10 tesco cree:



Hasn't got the battery life of the cateye - but might help you understand that the cateye has a pretty poor spread of light, the fenix recommended previously may be slightly brighter than the tesco torch but will have better run-time.

thexvw

Hi, I bought 2 of these from dealextreme :-
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909

works out about £15 each including postage. You can cycle in the dark with one but 2 is better! You also need mounts which are also on thier website.

I have also got a set of smart twin halogen lights which I would recommend (paid about £25 on ebay last year) Gives good light output but a lot heavier as they have a lead acid battery. Both good for the money.

trickeyja

dsmiff wrote:

Just to put some of these lights in perspective.

One of those cateye's (el530):



£10 tesco cree:



Hasn't got the battery life of the cateye - but might help you understand that the cateye has a pretty poor spread of light, the fenix recommended previously may be slightly brighter than the tesco torch but will have better run-time.

Doesn't seem a fair comparison to me, my cateye illuminates the area a lot more brightly than that!

dsmiff

Yes it is a bit under-exposed, but bear in mind the same settings were used on the cateye and the tesco torch - sorry but I found the cateye was redundant after getting the tesco lights.

However you can replace the LED on the cateye which improves peformance considerably.

trickeyja

dsmiff wrote:

Yes it is a bit under-exposed, but bear in mind the same settings were used on the cateye and the tesco torch - sorry but I found the cateye was redundant after getting the tesco lights.

However you can replace the LED on the cateye which improves peformance considerably.

Fair enough, I tried taking a picture with my camera but came out with a result similar to yours Still, it's good enough for what I use it for, though after seeing that comparison I might consider a different replacement should it break.

little wiser

would just like to add the rsp light as reviewed in cycling plus which i think won overall i have managed to get this light in a kit front light awesome rear light ok and wired computer not sure as dont need lol for twenty three quid brill value not sure about batt life though

ror_b211

thexvw wrote:

Hi, I bought 2 of these from dealextreme :-
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909

works out about £15 each including postage. You can cycle in the dark with one but 2 is better! You also need mounts which are also on thier website.

I have also got a set of smart twin halogen lights which I would recommend (paid about £25 on ebay last year) Gives good light output but a lot heavier as they have a lead acid battery. Both good for the money.

Bear in mind you might be waiting MONTHS for things from dealextreme- nothing is in stock and you have to wait on suppliers in hong kong, from where it's sent out. Cheap though.

alfablue

Generally speaking I have received Dealextreme stuff within 7-10 days, never longer, but obviously it will depend on which item you order. They seem to order from the factory after you place your order. I know price is an issue, but I think Fenix are worth the extra.

ror_b211

Mine took about 3 months after which i cancelled the order, you were lucky!

alfablue

ror_b211 wrote:

Mine took about 3 months after which i cancelled the order, you were lucky!

That's bad!

ror_b211

alfablue wrote:

ror_b211 wrote:

Mine took about 3 months after which i cancelled the order, you were lucky!

That's bad!

I know, I did order about 6 things though- so if its one or two maybe it's quicker.

thexvw

ror_b211 wrote:

thexvw wrote:

Hi, I bought 2 of these from dealextreme :-
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909









works out about £15 each including postage. You can cycle in the dark with one but 2 is better! You also need mounts which are also on thier website.

I have also got a set of smart twin halogen lights which I would recommend (paid about £25 on ebay last year) Gives good light output but a lot heavier as they have a lead acid battery. Both good for the money.

Bear in mind you might be waiting MONTHS for things from dealextreme- nothing is in stock and you have to wait on suppliers in hong kong, from where it's sent out. Cheap though.

I have bought 3 torches from dealextreme, longest was 14 days (when they were out of stock when I ordered). The other 2 around 10 days.

fluff.

I've been waiting for a torch to come into stock from Dealextreme for the last 3 weeks, I think it's time to cancel and get a Tesco one instead. I'll be using it as a 2nd light to supplement a Fenix L2D, just one torch isn't really enough for cycling on unlit roads for extended periods.

bobpzero

http://www.thephotonshop.co.uk/

yea majority seem to blab on about deal extreme while the minority (& myself) chose to order with the photonshop instead. the guy who answers the emails at the photonshop is real honest & dont be afraid to ask about out of stock items. & considering he is uk based & that should be the first place to look instead of china/hong kong/japan
anyways just wantd to point that out.

alfablue

Yes, Rob at The Photonshop is great. He stocked Ortec headtorch bands on my suggestion (only UK stockist), and when I got a rattly Fenix holder he sent me a Lockblock next day free of charge and let me keep the Fenix. Great service, he deserves to do well.