exposure maxx d or the exposure toro?

redvision

hello

I have decided to upgrade to one of these. i know both are supposed to be fantasic but i was wondering if the maxx d is worth the extra money?

also, can anyone tell me how much bigger the maxx d is?

thanks

Garry H

Strada

redvision

Garry H wrote:

Strada

na, its not as bright.

defo going to be one of these 2.

Garry H

It's more than enough for road cycling, and cheaper than the other two,

The Real Radioactiveman

The MAxx D is immense I have one for MTB and use it to commute but it has upset drivers before which can only be good I suppose because it means they have seen me. It is overkill for the road tbh unless you ride on unlit roads

MAxx D is also fairly large. not seen the toro but I would prefer something smaller for the road

I think the toro would be more than adequate @ 700 lumens, I guess it depends on your budget and if you dont mind a big lump on the bars

maxxd is 11.5 cm length and just over 5cm diameter at widest point. weighs 312 grams. actual measurements of maxd mk3.

redvision

thanks radioactiveman.
i will be using it on unlit roads in the sticks.

think the toro sounds like it will be sufficient enough.

thanks for your help

Garry H

Was also originally tempted by the Toro, but in the end went for the Strada. To be honest, it's more than enough for unlit roads. Even on low, it's ok, and it and comes with the handy dip-switch thing. Relatively broad throw pattern. As the above poster said, too much light will p*ss other road users off. You might be able to find a good deal on 2011 models now as well.

spasypaddy

ive used the toro, the strada and a few other exposure lights over the course of a few weeks.

settled on the strada. the toro is only marginally brighter but nowhere near as suitable for road riding. i use it on unlit country lanes and it is bright enough to ride as if it was day time.

the ability to control it from the drops, the ability to dim the beam but it still to be bright enough to ride by, the beam pattern, everything. its designed for road riding. theres a reason for it.

oh and cars pull aside for me thinking im a moped/scooter/motorbike its that bright.

nferrar

I have a maxx-d but don't use it on road, as has been said it's too floody and will dazzle oncoming traffic. I use Ay-Ups at the moment but want to demo the new Mk3 Strada to see if it's bright enough (IME you actually need more light on unlit roads than on an MTB given the speed you're going)

tigerben

Have you considered the Diablo - 975 lumens and signifcantly cheaper than the other two models. Only downside is battery life - so no good for long runs - but ideal for commuting as long as your are sufficiently disciplined on charging.

I have diablo on the bars and joytsick on my helmet.

gilesjuk

You only need about 400-500 lumens on the road.

But the beam pattern is important too. Exposure joystick etc are spot lights when you want a little more spread.

spasypaddy

tigerben wrote:

Have you considered the Diablo - 975 lumens and signifcantly cheaper than the other two models. Only downside is battery life - so no good for long runs - but ideal for commuting as long as your are sufficiently disciplined on charging.

I have diablo on the bars and joytsick on my helmet.

i used one of these during my trials as well and its too bright again and its got a beam pattern that isnt great for road riding. plus the battery isnt big enough to power it for long enough.

honestly theres a reason why the strada is called the road specific one.

sashmo

Another vote for the Strada from me.

I use it on a 13 mile commute the majority of which is on single track, unlit country lanes. Its perfect for that, with the wide beam, ability to dip, pulsing mode, handlebar operation, etc. Its plenty bright enough for me to do a 35 mph hill descent. Like others, I get cars pulling over when they see the light coming, expecting me to be a motorbike or car.

I went through the same process with brightness vs price, but the Strada really is bright enough.

warrerj

Have you looked at the Magic Shine lights from Deal Extreme?

Thats what I use on my MTB and has been more than enough for 24hr events riding full tilt on single track in woods. It would be more than bright enough for any road riding. I regularly get flashed by drivers on my way to and from the local trails.

The best bit is they cost £30-£40 delivered Save the spare cash for some other nice shiny bike gadgets

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-waterproof-xml-t6-3-mode-1200-lumen-white-led-bike-light-with-battery-pack-set-82510

lostboysaint

I'd take a good long look at the Four4ths stuff. Smaller, as powerful, a range of settings (so you can dazzle drivers or not depending on your mood/their behaviour, superbly engineered and great VFM.

http://four4th.co.uk/

Garry H

lostboysaint wrote:

I'd take a good long look at the Four4ths stuff. Smaller, as powerful, a range of settings (so you can dazzle drivers or not depending on your mood/their behaviour, superbly engineered and great VFM.

http://four4th.co.uk/

Look like excellent products, but bigads man, way too bright for the roads!! Their "weakest" light is 1200 lumens, and that's the commute one :shock:

Bordersroadie

I live out in the sticks so my 12 mile commute is all on unlit backroads and most of my road training is at night in pitch dark on the same roads.

I was in a dilemma: Strada vs Toro (600 vs 900 lumens). I went for Toro and glad I did.

It's perfect. Even on 35mph+ downhills (on roads I know well I hasten to add!) the high beam lights up the road with an ideal flood/spot compromise beam pattern. The mid beam is fine for slower (ie uphill) stuff and the low still lights the road for oncoming traffic.

The remote switch that comes bundled with the Strada is available for the Toro but I'm finding even with winter gloves the on-the-light switch works okay. Three hours on full beam and overnight charging very practical.

The novelty of riding at full speed at night in floodlit bliss is very addictive. Only hazards are the nocturnal wildlife round here - several close shaves with badgers, bats and hares, just hope the deer keep away from the fast downhills!

Absolutely superb product.

lostboysaint

Garry H wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

I'd take a good long look at the Four4ths stuff. Smaller, as powerful, a range of settings (so you can dazzle drivers or not depending on your mood/their behaviour, superbly engineered and great VFM.

http://four4th.co.uk/

Look like excellent products, but bigads man, way too bright for the roads!! Their "weakest" light is 1200 lumens, and that's the commute one :shock:

It has a "low power" setting (one press of the button) that halves that.

noodleman

Just bought a toro. Bloody hell it's bright. Build quality is superb and it looks nice too.
Wouldn't worry about dazzling cars as it's pretty quick to press the button onto a lower setting. Besides, plenty of cars don't dip their headlights anyway.
I say get one. You'll love it.

funk-meister

i have the Maxx D use it on unlit roads and the great thing is i dont have to slow down. its brilliant. Do i care if its too bright for car drivers? Nope, i like to get my payback in first.

mfin

Anyone know anywhere with Toro mk3 in stock at a good price like shinybikes £233 but actually available now??

noodleman

ShInybikes do have them in stock. Got mine yesterday. A friend just ordered his from myspokes £214.99. In stock. Cheers.

antlaff

spasypaddy wrote:

tigerben wrote:

Have you considered the Diablo - 975 lumens and signifcantly cheaper than the other two models. Only downside is battery life - so no good for long runs - but ideal for commuting as long as your are sufficiently disciplined on charging.

I have diablo on the bars and joytsick on my helmet.

i used one of these during my trials as well and its too bright again and its got a beam pattern that isnt great for road riding. plus the battery isnt big enough to power it for long enough.

honestly theres a reason why the strada is called the road specific one.

the strada has a runtime of 3hrs on 600lumens the same as the the diablo - being able to helmet mount and the boost to 900lumens the diablo is a more versatile light for the road, especially matched with a redeye.

nferrar

Thing about the Strada though is it's beam is designed around road use so has a good throw and isn't too floody - lumens aren't the be all and end all. I got the new Strada to demo and ended up keeping it, I'll admit on really fast twisty descents I could use a bit more light but I think it's probably better just to slow down a bit For normal speeds (up to around 25mph) it puts out more than enough light (and I'm fussy), the rmeote switch is handy to (although available aftermarket for other Exposure lights) but the switch could do with being a bit more positive IMO, I've accidentally turned the whole light off a couple of times.

Anyone posting they don't care about super-bright floody lights blinding oncoming traffic is being a muppet - on narrow country lanes you best hope the driver can see well enough they can judge leaving you a gap. If they can't then it's not them that going to left in the hedge bloody and bruised. I have a Max-D and a 1600 lumen magicshine light but only use them off-road, they just aren't suitable for on-road when there's traffic about.

mfin

noodleman wrote:

ShInybikes do have them in stock. Got mine yesterday. A friend just ordered his from myspokes £214.99. In stock. Cheers.

Always worth asking on here... thanks, saved me some money, got one ordered from myspokes and called them and it was in stock. Cheaper than id seen it anywhere!

Cheers

de_sisti

I have the Maxx D. It's a superb light, and I haven't come across any reaction that
gives me the impression that they are too bright and dazzling by the motoring
public (or other on road cyclists).

mister88

I know it has been a few years since this thread was updated so forgive me for reviving it.

Does anyone know if the latest Maxx D Mk7 on lower power modes specifically ( 12, 24, 36 hour ) will dazzle oncoming traffic / other cyclists ? I ask because I plan to use either program 5 or 6 on my daily route which is 30% road, 40% poorly lit lanes, 30% unlit track. Program 6 offers seemingly suitable power levels to cover the entire route ( 36hr, 12hr, 4hr respectively ) but I would prefer not to dazzle anyone if possible.