magic shine lights

welshkev

has anyone got one and had it a while? i read somewhere that they were a few problems with longevity :?

how have they been for you?

nice one

kev

cat_with_no_tail

Had 2 sets of the bike lights now. Both sets stopped working. Both times it was a failiure at the connection point between battery pack and light unit.
First one was replaced by DX, no questions asked. This second one is out of warranty.

I've just ordered the replacement:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44676

This one looks to have a better mounting system, better battery pack, better cables and better heat sink.

Only ordered it today, so probably wont have it for a couple of weeks. Also ordered a torch for the helmet (as recommended on the what lights thread)

Most people suggest just going for torches, but I like the lights. It's a personal choice.

welshkev

cheers CWNT. i rode home last night and the way i ride there's no lights and i couldn't see a thing!!! it's quite spooky riding through a wooded path and not being able to see more than 5ft in front of you!!!!!

i'll maybe check out the one you've just ordered..thanks

Shmikuk

Hi, I've had the magicshine lights around a year now. I've used them a fair bit recently and intermittently on camping trips etc. I've two sets of the 3 mode and they have been fine. One loose screw is the only minor problem at one point, but otherwise very happy with the value for money option.

Shmikuk

Just to add, I also used them a fair bit last winter/ spring before they got a rest for the "summer"

welshkev

i was thinking of maybe ordering 2 of these. anyone got this specific model?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26800

bartimaeus

From what I have read, if you want a torch then you should go for one that takes 18650 cells, as nothing else will have enough ooph. I've got a P7 and a C1 (search 'What Lights' or P7) and they have been fantastic.

tri-sexual

the magicshines are great lights, have several sets and they are all very good.
my friend has a set but he's having problems with the battery in that the battery life has diminished in recent months from approx 3hrs to under 1.5 hrs on max, but his are used several times a week on long rides for the last year so not too bad. you can buy seperate replacement battery packs so all is not lost.
there is an issue with waterproofing with the battery packs, heard of reviews but never experienced it myself, i keep the batteries in a bank coin bag, place this back in the battery pouch. i also have a extension cable and wire it to a saddle bag so that it never gets wet. mine are still working great.
sku 44676 is the upgrade model, this seem to include many improvements over the original, i like the battery on this new unit but not sure of the new mounting system on the handle bars, it looks better but i can see this as a weakness. i think a crash can break this easily and render the whole light useless. i have broken a few lights in this way. the old rubber ring system works well,fits on deifferent hanle bar sizes, is easy to remove and is so simple that there is very little to break.
if you buy a torch , get one with li-ion batteries preferably 18650 (ssc p7) and use this on your helmet, in my experience they dont like to be handlebar mounted, they have vibration issues where they malfunction very quickly. they change modes when shaken and can switch off in use.
final issue is with DX, used them lots of times in the past, really fast delivery usually well under 2 weeks.
my last few orders are between 4 to 5 weeks, my last order has been 4 weeks and status is "waiting for supplier" so havent even been posted yet.
anyone else experienceing this?

diy

welshkev wrote:

i was thinking of maybe ordering 2 of these. anyone got this specific model?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26800

that light will be about as good as a mini mag light.. maybe 80-120 lumen.. for 2 hours?



compared to a xpg 501b which will produce at least twice as much light probably 3 times as much and run for 3-4 hours.

the only downside is you will need the 18650 cells and a charger.

do have a read of this thread - you will get up to date recommendations.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... start=2020

be aware that the MS lights attract import duty and VAT, you might not get stung, but they are liable to it. The torches as long as you keep your order under 18 quid each wont.

tri-sexual wrote:

if you buy a torch , get one with li-ion batteries preferably 18650 (ssc p7) and use this on your helmet, in my experience they dont like to be handlebar mounted, they have vibration issues where they malfunction very quickly. they change modes when shaken and can switch off in use.

That is quite east to fix, its the contact point of the 18650 on the connector gromit thing that separates the drop in from the battery. It has a small 2mm hole in the middle. Take a piece of mains electrical lighting (1-1.5mm) cable (the earth cable as its usually thinner) fold it over to create a mini hair grip type loop, cut it to about 3/4 of cm and push it through the hole, so that the fold can make contact with the cell. the tail will tough the drop in spring and improve the connection. If you still get problems make one with a longer tail and tape it to the spring.

Santos

I have been using 2 lights for a year now no complaints . Very good purchase indeed £150 for 2 delivered in 2 days Lumnilite

cat_with_no_tail

diy wrote:

be aware that the MS lights attract import duty and VAT, you might not get stung, but they are liable to it. The torches as long as you keep your order under 18 quid each wont.
.

Do they really though?

I've heard rumours of this all over, but never actually seen a single case of anyone actually being charged anything other than the price they pay DX.



Watch this now, when my new ones arrive, they'll be charged :roll:

scruffyduncan

DIY

I've seen you recommend the xpg light a couple of times, what are the advantages of it over a p7?

Also a lot of torches seem to have very bright hi modes and very dim low modes. Does anyone know one with reasonable mid settings for road use.

jairaj

I think the XPG has a narrower beam so more punch and less flood. Also the p7 is essentially 4 leds in one so is very power hungry so you need a big battery, I think the XPG is also more efficient than a p7 too. nothing wring with p7 just its a big beast.

If you're going for a head torch then you want something that will run on li-ion batterys these are lighter and more powerful than standard rechargeable batteries so you'll get more useful run times and will be easier on your neck muscles. Else you're looking into doing some home made mods and adding a external battery pack.

sandy hill

Anything imported over £50 is subject to the apllication of VAT. This often charged at the Post Office when you collect your parcel along with a pension gap filling administration fee. My daughters Ugg boots weren't so cheap in the end.

cat_with_no_tail

sandy hill wrote:

Anything imported over £50 is subject to the apllication of VAT. This often charged at the Post Office when you collect your parcel along with a pension gap filling administration fee. My daughters Ugg boots weren't so cheap in the end.

That's all well and good, but I'm not talking about buying Ugg boots, I'm talking about buying lights, which as everyone who has ever ordered one will know, have a marked value of around $10.

All I'm saying is I've had 2 sets, I have 5 or 6 friends who've all had at least one set, I know COUNTLESS numbers of people on this site who've ALL had these lights and not one of them has EVER been charged import duty or vat.

Until someone can show me a case where someone has ACTUALLY been charged (not counting the people who but like 10 sets at a time to flog on ebay), I call BS.

tri-sexual

the ssc p7 is better than the cree xpg
the xpg is good but the p7 is much more powerful, brighter, throw and more importantly flood (useful when riding off road) but throw and flood is greatly influenced by the reflector.
the magic shine bike lights are very good (not good for the money, good overall and is as good as and in alot of cases better than some lights costing 5 or 6 times more).
p7 torches are ok but have reliablity issues with vibrations when handlebar mounted, this can be fixed by unscrewing switch from the end cap, clean contacts and tighten up properly. its this part which can cause flickering or mode change issues in use when you hit a bump (rather than a battery contact issue as stated above) so better suited for helmet mount use.
there is very little size difference between a p7 and xpg torch, they are similar sized (using same battery), i have 1 xpg torch which is longer and wider than my p7s
have never ever paid anything more than product price for a item from Dx, bought from them for years spending £1000s, never been asked to pay for import duty or vat.

welshkev

cheers for the replies guys. i'm not going to use them for off road riding so i think i'll go for them. i just need them to light up a path through a wooded cycle path.

so as long as they'll do that, sorted

diy

I'll answer all the questions in one go...

P7 is a multi core led rated at a max output of 900 Lumens at 2.8 Amp it has 90 Lumen per watt
XPG is single core led rated at a max output of 493 Lumens at 1.5 Amp it has 92 lumen per watt

So the p7 is brighter, and the XPG more efficient but in a single cell unit like the 501b, you have two problems:

1) How do you achieve 2.8Amp, if the cell has a cut off (protection) of 1.5amp as many do. Anyone saying "I get an hour and a half out of my P7" is basically experiencing this unless they have a 4200 mah cell. So driven at 1.5amp a p7 will produce 11 lumen less than the XPG. You can get around this by using an unprotected cell in the p7.

2) assuming you go unprotected or buy a posh 18650 with a higher protection tolerance you then get about 45 mins run time at pretty close to 900 lumen (well certainly 800+).

Note you don't get either problem with the Magic shine, as it has 4 cells running in 2x2 config, so 3AMP protection is fine and two hour run time is more usable.

With an XPG light, you get decent run time and no issues with high current draw. The 501b drives ar 1Amp or 900ma there abouts, so you will get 300-330 lumen for about 2.5 hours.

Both the p7 and XPG in a 5 mode have good lo-med-high modes - in a 501b the lights are exactly the same size.

Both the p7 and the XPG have advantages and disadvantages in a torch (501b for example) which is why I say mix and match. Remember I am recommending a budget config.

There were people on here last year complaining of being stung for import duty and vat on the order. I think customs suddenly saw loads of MS lights coming in and opened a few up and I think they valued them at £90 - £120

see http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15789038

With regard to the unwanted mode change when going over a bump. It is the driver that changes the modes, not the switch, so any loose connection will cause this. The driver detects the short power interruption as a mode change request.

cat_with_no_tail

diy wrote:

There were people on here last year complaining of being stung for import duty and vat on the order. I think customs suddenly saw loads of MS lights coming in and opened a few up and I think they valued them at £90 - £120

see http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15789038

Not one person on that thread had Magicshine lightsfrom Dealextreme.

1 had bought a batch of lights to sell on eBay, the other had ordered from the states.

I say again, there has never been one SINGLE case to my knowledge of an indivudual being hit with customs fees for buying a single magicshine light from Hong Kong.

A good deal of it was nothing more than fairytales created by UK sellers to try and encourage people to buy from them rather than DX.

supersonic

2) assuming you go unprotected or buy a posh 18650 with a higher protection tolerance you then get about 45 mins run time at pretty close to 900 lumen (well certainly 800+).

The front output will be a bit lower due to the lensing and reflectors. The 900lm is sphere integrated for the chip, fully driven.

I get just over an hour with mine, using 2600mah cells. The same set up has been measured at about 550 lumens.

welshkev

supersonic wrote:

2) assuming you go unprotected or buy a posh 18650 with a higher protection tolerance you then get about 45 mins run time at pretty close to 900 lumen (well certainly 800+).

The front output will be a bit lower due to the lensing and reflectors. The 900lm is sphere integrated for the chip, fully driven.

I get just over an hour with mine, using 2600mah cells. The same set up has been measured at about 550 lumens.

do you run 1 or 2 of these up front sonic? or do you use it as a helmet light?

diy

yep - just did a bit of research seems the 800+ is optimistic.. I would reckon you are driving at 1.5 - 1.8Amp.. and that your cell is closer to 2.4ah which would seem reasonable

When you take this in to account there is feck all difference between the two.

supersonic

I use it on the bars, and no helmet light at the minute. I use it just as a torch more often lol!

diy

Cat With No Tail wrote:

...
I say again, there has never been one SINGLE case to my knowledge of an indivudual being hit with customs fees for buying a single magicshine light from Hong Kong.

A good deal of it was nothing more than fairytales created by UK sellers to try and encourage people to buy from them rather than DX.

OK I hadn't picked up on FUD and skulduggery.. But its due none the less, but sounds like it shouldn't influence the purchase choice.

welshkev

would anyone buy from here or do you think i'd get ripped off?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

tomtomthepipersson

Just buy from DX - they have a good history, will send replacement bits if things go wrong etc etc. Have ordered loads of stuff over the past couple of years and never had a problem (and have never been charged duty)


Personally though i'd go for the new model with the better mount:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44676

jairaj

+1 for DX. After sales support is good and they put all the "right" info on the parcel to reduce any import fees and tax you may get charged.

The delivery also doesn't take too long either, I've had things arrive with-in 5 working days, that's quicker than some UK based mail order websites.