light recommendations
kevbh
Posts: 26
I need a decent light for commuting to work. Will be riding on both unlit roads and lit roads. Budgeted £100 though I would stretch to £150 if this got me a sinificantly better light. Have been looking at the Hope vision 1 light priced at £89.99 though I would need to also buy some decent rechargable batteries as it only uses AA batteries. The other light I have been looking at is the RSP Astrium 6 light which wheelbase currently reduced from £150 to £99.
Has anyone tried either of these lights and any comments. Any other recommendations.
Has anyone tried either of these lights and any comments. Any other recommendations.
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I wouldnt bother with the vision one, vision two is much a better product.
Or you can go for one of the torchs 3000 people are about to recommend.0 -
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How about MTE SSC P7 C-Bin 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight
Not tried one, but looks good
8) 8) 8)0 -
The hope vision one can be got for 71 squids, I got one, it would be good for commuting but it`s shite in the woods.Smarter than the average bear.0
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If you can wait - the Magicshine ( i assume thats what NapD has linked to ?) rocks.
3 hours or so on full beam and just plug the battery pack in when you're finished to recharge. sorted.0 -
I run a Vision 2 and I've been very impressed. I run it on my commuter and mtb, with the battery attached to the faceplate and it's very solid and tidy. Not tried any other lights though, so there may well be better ones out there...
Like this one
http://www.totalcycling.com/index.php/p ... ncy&id=GBP
Not the newer two-tone casing design.Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer0 -
Just bought an Airbike SLHP P7 from Planet-X. A couple of modes from 400lumens to 900lumens and very impressed. They're similar if not identical to whats avilable from DealExtreme at cheaper prices but I know I can get good backup and delivery was 2 days from Yorkshire rather than 2weeks to whenever from the Far East. £59.99. They do the Luu bike lights, same as Nukeproof, as well at the top end of your budget with longer run times and good reviews in C+.0
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I have the hope vision 1 for my roadie. Its puts out a really good bright light. Its all you will need for quiet country lanes. However if your riding in lit streets or busy road the light get swallowed up and thats where a brighter broader beam would be better!0
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NapoleonD wrote:
That's the one you want. Great light for the money.0 -
NapoleonD wrote:
Indeed.
There are some quality issues with these, but for the price, they're just incredible.
Buy two, because you can easily accommodate two on the bar. And anyway, it's a good idea to have a backup light.0 -
TimoH wrote:NapoleonD wrote:
Indeed.
There are some quality issues with these, but for the price, they're just incredible.
Buy two, because you can easily accommodate two on the bar. And anyway, it's a good idea to have a backup light.
I've read various stuff from nerdy types who've taken them apart and had gripes about heat transfer and general quality (probably comparing to lights that cost 5 times as much) and I think some folk struggled understanding the meaning of the lights on the charger, but I have yet to read anything from people having REAL issues with them (i.e. the light failed). Are there actually quality issues? I know that they don't really put out 900 lumens as well....
I'll be taking delivery of a set soon, but unfortunately I had to order them from a US based ebay seller and pay an extra £20 to make sure they'd be here for xmas (present from my dear mum).More problems but still living....0 -
I think a few people have burnt their houses down charging them up.Smarter than the average bear.0
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Thumbs up for the "Dealextreme bike lights". I have 4 sets and I also put 2 on the bars if I am on my own. It is very childish but as well as the 'complete backup' argument...Who can stop themselves from doing the "WooooHooooo...how bright am I now!" thing...at least once
Compared to the excellent Hopes at 200-300 of our English pounds, there is no credible difference. This is a real shame as Hope are UK based and I'd like to be able to support them.
Also got 3 of the torch types (MTE P7 SSC is the best) but have had problems with chargers dying (they're very poor quality, but then they cost next to nothing). Finally settled on the Ultrafire rapid charger.
Naughty but nice: Get an old laptop battery from IT dept or similar...rip out the 18650s from inside (usually 4 or 6 in there) and make your singles for Torchy or Quad 18650 bundle for the bike light. I charge them with the charger that came with the bike lights and they haven't blown up on me yet. Suggest you seal the bike lights with silicone sealant to extend their lifetime. Charger is protected and does the charge sensing so the batteries don't need to.0 -
Got the 25149 DX light - approx 3 weeks use, good light IMHO
Bright enough for unlit roads BUT I'd prefer a better beam pattern - going down some roads, where I could easily hit 30Mph say, where the road quality means I'd want to avoid holes all over the place it just isn't throwing the light accurately enough to allow full speed and I have to back off and exercise caution - maybe expecting a £50 light (or even any light ?!) is just too much. Anyway, deffo good VFM.0 -
I may have been exaggerating somewhat but I have read about them going up in smoke.
I wouldn`t go to bed with it charging if I were you. Apparently you can use the nukeproof smart charger with it which is probably less likely to explode.Smarter than the average bear.0 -
I would take precautions like putting the charger on a kitchen worktop, not leaving it on when out, and fitting simple plug in timer set fro an appropriate period.0
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Thanks for the advice guys, I think I will go for the Hope vision 2 and the best price I have come accross is £150 unless anyone knows better. Quite fancied the Asteri on offer at wheelbase but the lack of any info from anyone is putting me off. The magic shine sounds bright but the build quality seems to leave a lot to be desired.0
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I really dont think that the build quality of the Magicshine is an issue. If you look - theres loads of failures of Hopes - and considering how popular the magicshine is - i've only heard of a couple of issues ? Plenty of happy users on here.
MS is 1/3 the cost, its slightly brighter and will do > 3 hours rather than the 2 hours of the Hope.
Only thing against it is that you need to wait a bit for delivery.0 -
If your going to spend serious money on light then spend it on a reputable brand.
Hope have excellent reliability and second to none customer service.
If you need spares 2-3 years down the line will brand X still have them?
So many budget lights have claimed output put most don't reach it and if they do its not always focused to a usable level.
Hope vision 2's are excellent for commuting and offroad.Not many lights are this robust.
Buy once buy right.0 -
Oh yes indeed...TimoH wrote:
Indeed.NapoleonD wrote:
There are some quality issues with these, but for the price, they're just incredible.
Buy two, because you can easily accommodate two on the bar. And anyway, it's a good idea to have a backup light.
I have argued more than once in favour of budget equipment in these forums, including the magicshine.
Mine has been delighting me for a few weeks now with its ability to turn murky scottish night into day.
Then tonight, 50 minutes into my commute and about 3 miles from home... without any warning, the light just went out. At 20mph. On a narrow and winding country lane. Well, I managed to come to a halt without hitting anything; but guess which mug hadn't bought a spare light? I'm just glad it didn't go 10 minutes earlier when I was descending the big hill (also narrow and winding) at 45mph.
A few smug looks, I suspect, from the "I'll have the most expensive one thanks" boys, but there don't seem to be many stories of this happening to the magicshine.
So I now have 2 things to find out:
1. What DealExtreme's customer service / returns performance is like
2. What's gone wrong. There seem to be a few folks here who know a bit about lights, batteries etc., so here are the symptoms:
- there was no noticeable dimming of the light prior to failure
- the green indicator light was on up to the moment the light failed, to be replaced instantly by a dim red light
- when I plug it into the charger, the green light on the charger does not go red as it has previously done when the battery is flat
- charging the battery for 3 hours has made no difference
- when I plug the battery into the light, the light flashes quite brightly but very briefly.
Any clues?0 -
Such a sudden loss of light sounds like a connection failure somewhere. Possibly a bit of soldering has unwelded itself? Or simply a joint has sheared off.
Don't have one of those so couldn't suggest where or what.There is no secret ingredient...0 -
I just got a stepdown transformer so it's running at 110V instead of 240V.antfly wrote:I may have been exaggerating somewhat but I have read about them going up in smoke.
I wouldn`t go to bed with it charging if I were you. Apparently you can use the nukeproof smart charger with it which is probably less likely to explode.0 -
Obviously we all want a reliable light no matter how much or how little we pay. But given how this years 'best light ever' becomes just a bog standard light in probably 2-3 years, I won't be paying £300 for a set of lights.More problems but still living....0
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Oh, how ashamed I felt this morning as I felt my way along the black ice feebly lit by a mere 400 lumens or so from my old lights.
But then again, there must be 50 drivers who were going "what's that stupid plonker doing cycling without a light on" last night.0 -
I've heard (i.e. read somewhere on the net) that their customer service is pretty good. Hope you get it sorted.0
