Which front light for less than £80

whereisthurso

Post Deleted

mfin

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25149

...sounds like you need a USA/UK socket adaptor cos the charger will have a US plug on the end... plus just check the charger takes 240v, most do.

Free delivery and thats near as damn it £50 for 900 lumens, my Exposure MaXX D is 960 lumens and costs £285 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Expos ... 360037878/

...so thats over 90% of the brightness for less than a fifth of the cost. Okay, its going to be made to certain quality and all that but brightness per pound is pretty damn good, might be worth a go?

whereisthurso

Thanks.

Thats certainly an option, however i would ideally like something with a little less hassle that i can source easily and not have to buy additional adapters/chargers etc.

I have become quite confused by the batteries and chargers available. Do lights at this price range generally come with their own charger or is that something that needs to be bought separately?

mfin

Think you've missed what Im pointing out there... just that the plug on the end of the supplied charger will be a US one... walk into books and you can see travel socket adapters for US people visiting the UK for a few quid, that's all you need - its no more exotic that an adpater that lets you plug an electric shaver into a normal household socket!

The hassle is just clicking buy online and a trip to Boots or Currys or something.

Sure some people will post some suggestions below £80 sourced in this country but I bet they'll be nowhere near the brightness.

alfablue

mfin's suggestion would be mine, also, best bang for your buck. Dealextreme are very reliable and deliver within reasonable times.

However, for road riding, a simpler option may be to go for a Fenix LD20 (£45 delivered from the photonshop - excellent uk seller), this is a AA torch which you should run with 2900mah NiMH batteries (best are from VApextech £5.75 for 4 delivered, a smart charger - the Vapextech LCD,WORLD (110v/240v) ,ULTRA FAST 1 HOUR CHARGER (scroll down) £14.55 delivered, and a Twofish Lockblock bike mount, £6.95 from the photonshop if bought with torch. Total £72.24

I have used similar (older model Fenix) very successfully on my road bike on 13 mile comutes on a completely unlit railway path. High setting gives enough light and lasts 4 hours, Turbo lasts 2.5. It uses 2 AA's so if you always carry two spare charged ones you have up to 8 hours potential run time.

This is a very neat system, the Fenix also serves very well off the bike. It is quick to fit on the bike, the torches are very good quality and the warranty is good. It weighs about 100g. The AA batteries make it good if you get caught out and need to buy alkalines, but note, alkalines do not work anywhere near as well in LED torches, and run time will be much shorter.

You will not find a dedicated bike light anywhere near this good for a similar price unless you go down the P7 / Dealextreme route, but the Fenix is probably simpler and more convenient.

I just toured in the Netherlands for 10 days, used the Fenix as a camping light with the diffuser accessory, as a head torch with an accessory head band, around the campsite, and of course on the bike each evening riding to town for food. I got through the 10 days with using only 4 AA's.

alfablue

Or you can get the adapter when you buy the light from dealextreme http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2709

$1.92

mfin

Here's the P7 torch too... http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18695 ...you could maybe get this into the mount mentioned above http://thephotonshop.co.uk/page64.htm ??? ...not sure.

FSR_XC

I find the 'torches' tend to have a narrow beam pattern and if you are out for more than an hour, you often need to carry spare batteries.

I have a Hope LED 1.

It has about the same power as the Fenix (240 lumen for the Hope - 200ish for Fenix), but not as much as the latest P7's. Battery life on full power is iro 3hrs The beam pattern is a little wider, whilst still maintaining enough depth to ride at 35 mph on dark country lanes (yep I have done this using the light) Everything you need is in the box It is in your price range: see

here

cougie

The P7 has a very wide throw - really not a problem for road riding at all. Even off road its great. There is a new P7 bike torch out now for about £50 - its got a 4 battery pack and gives you three hours or more on full. I've one on order and cant wait to test it out !

bompington

cougie wrote:

The P7 has a very wide throw - really not a problem for road riding at all. Even off road its great. There is a new P7 bike torch out now for about £50 - its got a 4 battery pack and gives you three hours or more on full. I've one on order and cant wait to test it out !

You gonna tell us what it's called and where from then?

bompington

P7 does look like the one to go fro at present, quick search shows quite a lot of P7 torches available, some less than £25 (but you need the handlebar mount).
I've commuted by night through narrow, winding, hilly country roads for a while now with a 200 lumen Fenix torch, it does the job just fine, but 900 lumens sounds better!

alfablue

bompington wrote:

cougie wrote:

The P7 has a very wide throw - really not a problem for road riding at all. Even off road its great. There is a new P7 bike torch out now for about £50 - its got a 4 battery pack and gives you three hours or more on full. I've one on order and cant wait to test it out !

You gonna tell us what it's called and where from then?

I think mfin linked to it in his post, above



Would give it a go if I was in the market for a new light.