The big LIGHTS thread 2011-2014
Comments
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Looks to be a separate battery which I'm not keen on, also possibly 4 years old, nothing better in the last 4 years?0
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I run two Knog Blinders in the square format, each one 4 LEDs, standard blinking mode for daytime use. Extremely bright and good viewing anglez0
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I've salvaged 6 x 18650 cells from an old laptop battery to use in a holder like the one posted a few posts above.
I have no idea of the capacity/voltage etc of the individual cells, anyone care to help out?
This is the info on the back of the battery pack they came from
Cheers
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8cell on torchys eBay:
http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=301695318135&category=22689&pm=1&ds=0&t=1439847803343
I emailed him about the one sold with tjis: http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=291540582836&category=22689&pm=1&ds=0&t=1439847961394
Although if you have cells and charger you could use one of these
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-4x18650-Battery-Storage-Case-Box-Holder-For-Bike-LED-Light-Hoc-UK-/371310143867?nav=SEARCH
I'm a bit out of date, I wanted one of those 4x18650 cases last year but there were in short supply - are they worthwhile going for? Does it strap straight onto the top tube with the supplied strap? Does that scratch the top tube?
Any cheap UK based Solarstorm lights without the battery pack? I just want the light on its own but they all seem to include the battery/charger, I'm not keen on Lightmalls or similar as it's a bit of a wait for the light and their after sales service when they muck up is almost non-existent.0 -
Sure - calcs as per my video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjtwE41PX1g
2,200mAh each cell
Not the best in the world, but good enough to use. if they have less than 3V they probably wont charge. Less than 2V and they aren't worth the bother. Anything which has 3.4-3.7V should do you fine.0 -
Sure - calcs as per my video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjtwE41PX1g
2,200mAh each cell
Not the best in the world, but good enough to use. if they have less than 3V they probably wont charge. Less than 2V and they aren't worth the bother. Anything which has 3.4-3.7V should do you fine.
Thanks for that, video makes it easier to understand.
All cells have around 2.7V, I have two in the charger at the minute, so I'll wait and see what happens0 -
8cell on torchys eBay:
http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=301695318135&category=22689&pm=1&ds=0&t=1439847803343
I emailed him about the one sold with tjis: http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=291540582836&category=22689&pm=1&ds=0&t=1439847961394
Although if you have cells and charger you could use one of these
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-4x18650-Battery-Storage-Case-Box-Holder-For-Bike-LED-Light-Hoc-UK-/371310143867?nav=SEARCH
I'm a bit out of date, I wanted one of those 4x18650 cases last year but there were in short supply - are they worthwhile going for? Does it strap straight onto the top tube with the supplied strap? Does that scratch the top tube?
Any cheap UK based Solarstorm lights without the battery pack? I just want the light on its own but they all seem to include the battery/charger, I'm not keen on Lightmalls or similar as it's a bit of a wait for the light and their after sales service when they muck up is almost non-existent.
Tinydeal.com UK warehouse £9.53
http://www.tinydeal.com/led-bicycle-light-5000-lumen-cree-bike-light-lamp-4-switch-p-146784.html
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I've been browsing different lights, I liked the look of the Trustfire D012 (three LED unit, each light individually height adjustable) but I've come across the D018 which looks pretty good as it allows the second and third lights to swivel to the side:
http://kaidomain.com/product/details.S024417
Anyone familiar with this one or should I give it a punt?0 -
I've been browsing different lights, I liked the look of the Trustfire D012 (three LED unit, each light individually height adjustable) but I've come across the D018 which looks pretty good as it allows the second and third lights to swivel to the side:
http://kaidomain.com/product/details.S024417
Anyone familiar with this one or should I give it a punt?
Depends what your planning to use it for?
Trustfire lights tend to be quite good, with good battery packs, but don't tend to have the most logical mode sequence. This isn't a problem if your riding off road as your not going to be changing modes much, but on a commuting light it'll drive you crazy every time you have to manically go through insanely bright, flash and off modes to dip the light for oncoming traffic. Their big bulbous remote switches can be irksome too (on the lights that have them).
I liked the idea of the D012, which is why i bought it, but haven't used it more than two of three times as i have better lights for off road riding and on road riding (had it in my head that the D012 would be used as a "jack of all trades" light but i've found it hard to get excited by it).
The D018 seems much of the same (with a god awful colour scheme), only oriented to off road riding where you need to see to either side of you as much as you need to see directly in front of you. The D012 seemed more oriented to road riding, where you want to have three overlapping beams pointing straight down the road, creating a long avenue of light. Think i did some pics and anims of the D012 back on page 154 or so.0 -
I'm wanting it purely for off road riding, the problem I have is that I can't find a good way to mount a light on my helmet because the design of the ribs is a v-shape meaning I can't get a light to shine straight. So the bar mount light I use is no longer adequate, I've been using a five light unit (TrustFire TR-D010) which gives a much better spread but it's quite a bulky unit so I'm looking at other options. I did try a Solarstorm light which was fine performance wise but unreliable out of the box, the D018 looks like it should be able to give a good spread so I'm less reliant on a helmet light.0
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I believe the customer said the light of carbon frame0
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My cheap front flashing light broke it's mounting this morning and exploded into a million bits on the road
Has anyone spotted anything in Lightmalls etc that does the front 'flashing' thing well (am fully tooled up with headlight style fronts already) - pref 18650 powered. Have some torches as well but find the strobe mode flashes much too rapidly even if you mute it by covering over with a balloon etc.
Ideally something that pulses from steady like an Exposure front?0 -
My cheap front flashing light broke it's mounting this morning and exploded into a million bits on the road
Has anyone spotted anything in Lightmalls etc that does the front 'flashing' thing well (am fully tooled up with headlight style fronts already) - pref 18650 powered. Have some torches as well but find the strobe mode flashes much too rapidly even if you mute it by covering over with a balloon etc.
Ideally something that pulses from steady like an Exposure front?
This mounted vertically on headtube and flashing maybe. No idea how that would go
http://www.lightmalls.com/raypal-rpl-2261-usb-rechargeable-white-light-100-lumens-6-modes-bicycle-head-tail-light0 -
Zecto lights are quite good.
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Recently got the rear only version. USB rechargeable, Lithium powered with sensible flash modes (On, Half power, slow blink, fast double blink). You can charge this from a portable powerbank and even run it directly off the USB connection. Can be mounted to bars with the rubber strip or just clipped onto clothing, straps or bags with the inbuilt clip.
To give some sort of context here's a few examples....
Took some pics using an old Halfords "Super Bright" rear flasher (about £14). And they were Super Bright about 5 years ago... noticeably brighter than the fairy lights most people rode about with (and still do).
And then a Planet X Phaart Bleep 0.5w light (both bottom and top lights on so actually 1.0w). (now only £3.49)
Blisteringly bright if your directly in line with the focused hot spot (hence the reason it's a good idea to angle them up slightly so they point straight at a cars windshield) but brightness drops noticeably as you move to the left or the right. Also the shaped optics tend to get bunged up with dirt and can be a pain to clean.
Lastly, the Cree 3w mentioned a few posts back....... (£9.99)
And finally, the Chinese rear Zecto (about £10)...
The front white light is identical in brightness to the rear, apparently. So some indication of brightness can be fathomed from the pics of the rear.... in fact, all of the rear lights come with a identical white front light.0 -
Has anyone seen these from Nitefighter? 2 with XP G2:
http://www.gearbest.com/bicycling-gear/pp_180805.html
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_190305.html
And a XM -L2:
http://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_180344.html
Ive been running 2 SolarStorms (bar/helmet) and have been pretty happy with that but these look pretty interesting...?0 -
Can you guys recommend a good seller/supplier for Chinese lights?
I'm looking for a front light & i'm taking most of the lumen ratings with a pinch of salt.
I need approx. 2 hours running time (enough for me to get out on these dark evenings).
Thanks in advance.0 -
You can buy just the rear Zecto (not Lezyne) for only £4 including delivery
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/High-Power-Cycling-Bicycle-Bike-3-LED-Head-Front-Rear-Tail-light-USB-Rechargeable-4-modes/32426946878.html?spm=2114.01020208.3.169.ehdik8&ws_ab_test=201526_3,201527_1_71_72_73_74_75,201409_1
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Can you guys recommend a good seller/supplier for Chinese lights?
I'm looking for a front light & i'm taking most of the lumen ratings with a pinch of salt.
I need approx. 2 hours running time (enough for me to get out on these dark evenings).
Thanks in advance.
Can't go wrong with a couple of 501 or 502bs in either an XM-L2 or an XP-L Cree format. plus a 18650 power pack as charger and cells from either an old laptop pack or reliable supplier of quality Panasonic branded cells.
http://www.lightmalls.com/buy/501b-XP-L
Can be mounted with an MTB inner tube, velcro or a million other ways on both the helmet and the bar.
You want the light spaced apart to reduce shadows and no single point of failure no matter how bright.
e.g. while fun.. Lights like this are probably pointless:
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Bargainacious!!
But, not impressed by the quoted 39 - 60 days delivery ... and what if it never shows up? Ali Express seem to do some kind of Buyer Protection, but how robust is this? For a couple of quid extra, it might be worth going through Lightmalls, where you can at least pay using Paypal ...You can buy just the rear Zecto (not Lezyne) for only £4 including delivery
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/High-Power-Cycling-Bicycle-Bike-3-LED-Head-Front-Rear-Tail-light-USB-Rechargeable-4-modes/32426946878.html?spm=2114.01020208.3.169.ehdik8&ws_ab_test=201526_3,201527_1_71_72_73_74_75,201409_10 -
Got mine from Kaidomain for £8. Payed with Paypal and took about a month to appear.0
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DX have them too http://www.dx.com/p/usb-rechargeable-ultra-bright-100lm-red-3-led-4-mode-bike-safety-warning-light-black-red-373723There is no secret ingredient...0
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DX seem to have them in their European warehouse for a pound or so more:
http://eud.dx.com/product/usb-rechargeable-ultra-bright-100lm-red-3-led-4-mode-bike-safety-warning-light-black-red-844373723#.VgJnP5NUpmE0 -
DX seem to have them in their European warehouse for a pound or so more:
http://eud.dx.com/product/usb-rechargeable-ultra-bright-100lm-red-3-led-4-mode-bike-safety-warning-light-black-red-844373723#.VgJnP5NUpmE
But you end up paying about £7 extra in shipping costs from the EU warehouse of many of these Chinese sites whereas the shipping costs from China tend to be free. You just have to wait a lot longer for delivery.0 -
DX seem to have them in their European warehouse for a pound or so more:
http://eud.dx.com/product/usb-rechargeable-ultra-bright-100lm-red-3-led-4-mode-bike-safety-warning-light-black-red-844373723#.VgJnP5NUpmE
But you end up paying about £7 extra in shipping costs from the EU warehouse of many of these Chinese sites whereas the shipping costs from China tend to be free. You just have to wait a lot longer for delivery.
Ah - didnt spot that, it said free shipping but I didnt read the bit that was only for orders over £30...0 -
Sure - calcs as per my video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjtwE41PX1g
2,200mAh each cell
Not the best in the world, but good enough to use. if they have less than 3V they probably wont charge. Less than 2V and they aren't worth the bother. Anything which has 3.4-3.7V should do you fine.
Thanks for that, video makes it easier to understand.
All cells have around 2.7V, I have two in the charger at the minute, so I'll wait and see what happens
Just a little update. I have four of the batteries in one of the afore mentioned holders, running a Solarstorm X2. They all charged to 4.2V, and at the time of writing this, I've had 2 hours on low, 20 min's on high and 1 hour on strobe.
All three lights are still lit on the back of the light, but I have no real idea how reliable that is.......yet
Happy with that
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Where did you get that mount from? PleaseNew mount arrived for my light today
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Just need to order one of these so i can mount it under my Garmin
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Can you guys recommend a good seller/supplier for Chinese lights?
I'm looking for a front light & i'm taking most of the lumen ratings with a pinch of salt.
I need approx. 2 hours running time (enough for me to get out on these dark evenings).
Thanks in advance.
Can't go wrong with a couple of 501 or 502bs in either an XM-L2 or an XP-L Cree format. plus a 18650 power pack as charger and cells from either an old laptop pack or reliable supplier of quality Panasonic branded cells.
http://www.lightmalls.com/buy/501b-XP-L
Can be mounted with an MTB inner tube, velcro or a million other ways on both the helmet and the bar.
You want the light spaced apart to reduce shadows and no single point of failure no matter how bright.
e.g. while fun.. Lights like this are probably pointless:
DIY,
I am currently looking for some helmet lights (probably 2 x).
- Which of these would you recommend (what is the difference between them --> 501 or 502bs in either an XM-L2 or an XP-L Cree )??
- What battery pack - charger would you recommend ?
- And what batteries would you recommend to get ?
Cheers0 -
I have both 501bs in XP-L and XM-L2, at the time the XP-L were double the cost and marginally brighter. So taking account of cost I'd go XM-L2, though the prices are closer now. 501b and 502b are nearly identical with no real difference in light or throw. Its a just a design difference.
If you can get genuine Panasonic NCR18650 cells then they are about the best (light green with a black band). Otherwise have a look on ebay for a second hand (genuine OEM) laptop pack with the highest Ah (at least 5,000mAh) for a good source.
for charger, I really like my 18650 4 cell power bank which I bought from ebay. Its slow, but it charges 4 at a time, is damn handy to power my garmin on long rides and seems to charge the cells right up to the limit.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5V-Dual-USB-Power-Bank-18650-Battery-Charger-Box-for-Samsung-iPhone-4S-5C-5S-6-/3315403884610 -
Need some help with what Jack connectors to get.
I've got a TrustFire 3x CREE XM-L2 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171417596413?clk_rvr_id=903844406334)
I lost the batteries for this, so bought a pack from Torchy (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fluxient-8800mAh-7-4v-battery-with-pouch-compatible-with-Magicshine-Solar-Storm/301747159815)
I've been running them a while now, but the connection has always been a bit dodgy. Possibly because of a difference in pin size?
Anyway, I need to wire up some new Jack plugs, but for the life of me can't find where to buy them. Any suggestions please? Preferably UK based so I can get them quicker.
Also, is there a decent charger for these battery packs. I've got the crappy trustfire one, but don't really trust it, and want something that will tell me how charged the pack is.
Thanks for any help.0 -
Ebay. Just look for "5.5mm jack". Most come with a 2.1mm center but some are the rarer 2.5mm, which can cause loose connections on some lights. You'll also find adapters on ebay that will take a 2.1mm core to 2.5mm or vice versa, depending on which you want.
Though my Trustfire seems to come with a 2.1mm inner core so couldn't even be inserted into a battery pack with a female 2.5mm inner spike. Sure not sure if thats your problem.0
