Is this P7 light a good buy?

HebdenBiker

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ultrafire-SSC-P7-900-Lumen-rated-LED-spot-beam-light-/290505044405?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Cycling_Bike_Lights&hash=item43a37331b5

1. Want to be as visible as poss to motorists on my (mostly streetlit) commute (would angle it down if appropriate)
2. Want to light up the road for unlit road riding
3. Want the option to fit to my MTB for night trail riding
4. Needs to have an hour's runtime on HI setting
5. Is it good value?
6. Any alternatives to suggest (around same price)

Thanks

d87heaven

I would say thats pretty much on the money for what you want. I have 2 of those but the 2 mode (no strobe). For commuting the strobe would likely be useful. Mine lasts over an hour on high.

Mr Plum

You can get a very similar P7 setup through Deal Extreme for about £35. I bought the MTE SF-23 and it's shockingly bright for the money. It lasts for almost an hour with protected TrustFire 2500mah cells.

IMHO, a P7 light is totally overkill for a commute through mostly lit roads. I only ever use mine on totally unlit country roads or off-road night riding. For my daily commute I use a Smart 1W on constant beam and a Smart 1/2W on flashing - the 1W can be seen from almost a mile away...

cyberknight

For the same price you can get a magicshine with a lot longer run time.

There has been a lot on the net about a recall but the recall was down to a global problem with the batteries which the torch uses the same type.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.44459

ode Memory: -
Mode Arrangement: Hi 900LM > Low 500LM > SOS
Circuitry: Digital Regulated 1000mA Current Output
Brightness: 900 lumens maximum brightness (manufactuer rated)
Runtime: Hi:3 hours; Low: 4.5 hours (manufactuer rated)

cyberknight

And yes for a lit commute this sort of power is overkill, mine will be for maybe 5 miles of my commute that is totally unlit country lanes.

if you want a powerful light there are plenty about that can do the job for a lot cheaper, you can get AA/AAA torches that with plenty of oomph for peanuts.

i have...

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909

UltraFire WF-606A Cree Q5-WC 230-Lumen LED Flashlight with Extension Tube (1*CR2/2*AA)
which about the same as a hope 1 but a focused beam for £11
and..

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

Flood-to-Throw Zooming Cree P4-WC 3-Mode LED Bike Light with Mount (3*AAA)

With that i have plenty for general road use and can manage on unlit sections.

bartimaeus

I have a similar Trusfire SSC P7 which I got from DX. I would say it is a good bet for your needs, and while you can get them cheaper from abroad, you will save £15, but maybe wait 3 - 6 weeks at the moment. Personally if buying again I would get a 5 mode, as I think MID would be the most suitable power level for lit up roads.

For unlit roads the HI beam is great, but you do need to be able to adjust the mount up/down to avoid blinding oncoming cars (if they have the good grace to dip lights for you, you should do likewise). For off road the HI beam is excellent - nice and floody. I pair mine with a smaller 18650 torch on my lid... for £13 you can get a 501b XPG from BestOfferBuy as you will already have the cells and chargers. On your P7 the HI mode will last an hour... and in fact after that it fades slightly, so it is still pretty bright after 90 mins.

For well lit roads you van use LO mode, but that only bright enogh to be seen. I now run mine on HI after a car pulled out and nearly side swiped me (how he missed my P7 on LO, my lid mounted XRE on MID and my commuter light, I do not know... so now I run the commuter light on strobe and the P7 mostly on HI aimd slightly down). I would not use the strobe on the P7 as it is far too bright, but I would recommend a cheap flashing LED up fron for a commute as I think they are a reasonable attention-grabber.

There is loads of info on What Lights

jeremyrundle

Ill stay with the lifetime guarantee and better made LED Lenser P7

cyberknight

jeremyrundle wrote:

Ill stay with the lifetime guarantee and better made LED Lenser P7

Please show us the product , we only offer suggestions but if you can link to a well made product that's cheaper and comes quicker then by all means please enlighten us rather than making a statement with no further evidence.

Zachariah

You can get the exact same kit from DealExtreme for £20 less, but it could take a few weeks to get to you. I have a similar set-up, it works fine on unlit country roads and town centres.

jeremyrundle

cyberknight wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Ill stay with the lifetime guarantee and better made LED Lenser P7

Please show us the product , we only offer suggestions but if you can link to a well made product that's cheaper and comes quicker then by all means please enlighten us rather than making a statement with no further evidence.

Cheapness is relative, the Lenser P7 is not cheaper price wise, however, as I said before it is the only torch with a lifetime guarantee. I returned a very old (about 8 year) lenser last year because the switch broke, a new one and the latest was sent back within 48 hours. The build quality is also top quality.

In my opinion at 200 lumens, standard aa NiMh batteries and a lifetime guarantee, it beats many others, and I find it hard to believe the one at £49 os 900 , theoretical perhaps, actual perhaps not, however they are available at £29 so I will get one and see.

http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en& ... CDoQrQQwAg

bartimaeus

Yep, BestOfferBuy is another HK seller like DealExtreme. The P7 driven by a protected 18650 won't give you 900 lumens, but it will give you close on 500 so it is very bright. Anything running off AA or AAA will not be as bright as a light running on an 18650. I'm sure the P7 Lenser is a good light - they would not offer a lifetime guarantee if it wasn't.

Once you have 18650s and chargers then new torches become very cheap - a 501b XPG from BoB is £13 and will be as bright if not brighter than the new £130+ Joystick.

cyberknight

jeremyrundle wrote:

cyberknight wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Ill stay with the lifetime guarantee and better made LED Lenser P7

Please show us the product , we only offer suggestions but if you can link to a well made product that's cheaper and comes quicker then by all means please enlighten us rather than making a statement with no further evidence.

Cheapness is relative, the Lenser P7 is not cheaper price wise, however, as I said before it is the only torch with a lifetime guarantee. I returned a very old (about 8 year) lenser last year because the switch broke, a new one and the latest was sent back within 48 hours. The build quality is also top quality.

In my opinion at 200 lumens, standard aa NiMh batteries and a lifetime guarantee, it beats many others, and I find it hard to believe the one at £49 os 900 , theoretical perhaps, actual perhaps not, however they are available at £29 so I will get one and see.

http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en& ... CDoQrQQwAg

Does that include the batteries+ charger? bargain if it does.

And sorry i missed the lenser bit of your post i just read p7

bartimaeus

cyberknight wrote:

Does that include the batteries+ charger? bargain if it does.

Nope, that's just the torch!

As is this, for only £12.50. Apparently you can run two of these on your bars and get a very similar spread of light to the P7, but with a longer run time. I just got one of these and it's a lovely little light... a second is now on order.

HebdenBiker

Thanks all for the kind comments and suggestions. I'm going to stick with the original product as, even though I'm paying a slight premium for a UK-based seller, it comes with mount, batteries and charger.

I realise it might be overkill for the commute but the more visible I am, the better. I'll match it up with a couple of those 1W rear lights. My commute is hilly and there is often fog/cloud on "the tops" and I feel vulnerable with my "standard" bike lights. I believe drivers give more room to more brightly-lit bikes!

Once I get the new light I'll stick some pics and a review on my blog.

bartimaeus

I'm sure you will be happy with it... I'd say it meets the requirements you listed.

If you have any issues there's plenty of support on the What Lights Discussion Thread.

alfablue

jeremyrundle wrote:

Ill stay with the lifetime guarantee and better made LED Lenser P7

well made, well guaranteed, well over priced, well obsolete.

jeremyrundle

alfablue wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

Ill stay with the lifetime guarantee and better made LED Lenser P7

well made, well guaranteed, well over priced, well obsolete.

Which LED Lenser torch do you have. Oh and in what way is a P7, P14 and other Lenser torches "well" obsolete, "•obsoleteness - the property of being out of date and not current" Well they are current! and if one can easily afford them not overpriced.

We had all change our cars every year or they will be obsolete ion a years time.

So are Merc gull wing cars at £1m each and 1970s bikes but people pay hundreds for them to collect and ride, I will still be able to return a faulty lenser torch ten years from now for a free one if needed and the build quality I like is second to none.

bobs bikes

i have just invested in a couple of lenser B7's.
they are similar to the p7 but run off 4 standard aaa batteries. a lot longer lasting and well bright enough for riding in complete darkness. me and one of my mechanics have been testing one each for 3 weeks now, and used everyday and evening, the lights are still one of the brightest i have seen.

jeremyrundle

bobs bikes wrote:

i have just invested in a couple of lenser B7's.
they are similar to the p7 but run off 4 standard aaa batteries. a lot longer lasting and well bright enough for riding in complete darkness. me and one of my mechanics have been testing one each for 3 weeks now, and used everyday and evening, the lights are still one of the brightest i have seen.

Now I am annoyed because I didnt go for those chosing the P7, thanks a lot.

You also get the free £12 mount I had to buy extra. Does the light run on half power also.

alfablue

jeremyrundle wrote:

alfablue wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

We had all change our cars every year or they will be obsolete ion a years time.

cars soon become obsolete in the sense that developments in design and technology quickly make older cars less safe, more poluting and less fuel efficient than current models.

So are Merc gull wing cars at £1m each and 1970s bikes but people pay hundreds for them to collect and ride

Such items have retro appeal, not because they are the best performing or efficient. A Led Lenser P7 has not yet achieved the staus or desirability of such items, and maybe never will, apart for from a few people who have very narrow experience ofsuch things.

The led lenser p7's use older generation emitters that deliver less performance less efficiently than current emitters, and at a price that does not reflect the old technology. A lifetime guarantee, that would be as worthwhile to me as a lifetime guarantee on a Windows 95 generation pc! I wouldn't want the damn thing replaced.

Yes, the LED Lensers are great if you don't want the best performance for your money, or if you have little experience of current products. It is entirely your own choice, no problem there, in fact it is rather endearing that some products generate such a passionate following, albeit a very small one

jeremyrundle

alfablue wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

alfablue wrote:

jeremyrundle wrote:

We had all change our cars every year or they will be obsolete ion a years time.

cars soon become obsolete in the sense that developments in design and technology quickly make older cars less safe, more poluting and less fuel efficient than current models.

So are Merc gull wing cars at £1m each and 1970s bikes but people pay hundreds for them to collect and ride

Such items have retro appeal, not because they are the best performing or efficient. A Led Lenser P7 has not yet achieved the staus or desirability of such items, and maybe never will, apart for from a few people who have very narrow experience ofsuch things.

The led lenser p7's use older generation emitters that deliver less performance less efficiently than current emitters, and at a price that does not reflect the old technology. A lifetime guarantee, that would be as worthwhile to me as a lifetime guarantee on a Windows 95 generation pc! I wouldn't want the damn thing replaced.

Yes, the LED Lensers are great if you don't want the best performance for your money, or if you have little experience of current products. It is entirely your own choice, no problem there, in fact it is rather endearing that some products generate such a passionate following, albeit a very small one

More people bought lenser torches last year than bought bikes!

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... ser-(Coast)-P7-REVIEW-With-Beamshots-Lux-Overall-Output-Readings

Also perhaps I should change my outdated rolld gold Cross fountain pen for a bic, I don't think so.

jeremyrundle

You didn't say which LED Lenser model you have had.

Oh and how do you "focus" the other torch, from spot to wide.

alfablue

Awwww, cute


I don't have an LED lenser because I tested one and found it lacking, why would I buy something I don't think is good enough??? I am not interested in focus.

jeremyrundle

alfablue wrote:

Awwww, cute


I don't have an LED lenser because I tested one and found it lacking, why would I buy something I don't think is good enough??? I am not interested in focus.

Well "speaking from experience" I have two on each of my bikes, one set to spot 600' up the road and also illuminating closer items, and one set to flood like a car light, illuminating everything directly in front to 100' where the other takes over better, which is why I like to focus the beam where I want it, hence the price and worth it.

bobs bikes

now now children!

the b7 is the model which includes the bike mount. it also does have the half power feature. as a sub £60 light, i couldnt recommend it enough!

bartimaeus

Quick question, as I am confused.... the P7 Lenser - is it an CREE XRE (single LED) rather than a P7 (four LED) emitter?

alfablue

Bartimaeus wrote:

Quick question, as I am confused.... the P7 Lenser - is it an CREE XRE (single LED) rather than a P7 (four LED) emitter?

Yes, the name seems to have confused a lot of people, it is not a multi-chip P7 600 lumen emitter that you can get in lights for around £12, it is a 167/180 lumen Cree - LED Lenser don't say what one though.

Maybe LED Lenser have struck lucky with the name of this model

jeremyrundle

Bartimaeus wrote:

Quick question, as I am confused.... the P7 Lenser - is it an CREE XRE (single LED) rather than a P7 (four LED) emitter?

See the link i placed earlier here

http://redirectingat.com/?id=92X1020&xs ... 2316628620