The big LIGHTS thread 2011-2014

Ouija

Your in luck. I have a load of XML's including two of those. The ones with the strike bezel use a pretty standard reflector that simply drops in (there's another kind which is quite popular but takes an impossible to find screw in reflector). You can find the Orange Peel reflector here



Or, alternatively, you can put some privacy tape behind the lens to dissipate it (available at Wilkinsons, B&Q etc). It's that dimpled sticky backed sheets you put on windows and glass shower stalls to give them a frosted effect. An example of which can be seen below.

Before...



After....



Before....



After....

allthegearnoidea

brilliant, thanks for that matey!

Yacoby

Does anyone have any recommendations on the high powered cheapish (£20 - £30) lights from Ebay. I am asking on behalf of someone who wants them but doesn't want to wait for DX shipping.

allthegearnoidea

thats what both of mine are fella, if you do a search you should be able to find them in the uk fo £20.
for what they are, you cant go wrong really, i'm contempating anther so have 2on the bars and one on the lid,

joey500

Found another source for them 3000 lumen bike lights at www.fluxientbikelights.com
They seem to be the cheapest around at the minute

diy

Your site? by any chance?

VWsurfbum

joey500 wrote:

Found another source for them 3000 lumen bike lights at http://www.fluxientbikelights.com
They seem to be the cheapest around at the minute

out of stock and i paid around £40.00 less for a light that was delivered in 5 days with UK plugs.

neilus

Im getting withdrawl symptoms...havent bought any lights for 4 months... :shock:
Ouija, how do you rate the 3 x xml youve posted on this page?
Also curious about the UF xml U2 1300 from LM linked on the last page...?
Sorry if these have been discussed before!
Cheers chappies

-Archie-

neilus wrote:

Im getting withdrawl symptoms...havent bought any lights for 4 months... :shock:

I've been suffering in similar manner, but successfully cured by ordering this drug:



Let's see how long it will be remain effective, though...

Ouija

neilus wrote:

Ouija, how do you rate the 3 x xml youve posted on this page?
Cheers chappies

One word.... terrible.

Not enough housing to dissipate the heat of three XML's.
No way to vary the brightness of the XML's (their either full on or off... and one is blinding to anything you point it at)
Terribly spotty unless you add a diffusing element.
Terrible runtimes of only 50 minutes (three XML's essentially need three battery packs cross linked if you want to see three hours or more runtime).
Short battery life span due to the excessive strain of trying to put out too much ampage (see above)
Poor mounting bracket for off road use.
Poor depth perception (two XML's on either side of the handle bars do a better job of casting cross shadows)

Sheppy

I've been suffering in similar manner, but successfully cured by ordering this drug:

Archie, is that the one from Kaidomain? The one with 4x26650 battery pack? Let me know how it is, I too am getting withdrawal symptoms...

diy

Ouija wrote:

Poor depth perception (two XML's on either side of the handle bars do a better job of casting cross shadows)

I would agree - I personally can't see the benefit of multiple LEDs in a single head unless you have multiple heads. Half the products on the market don't drive the LEDs hard enough to go beyond needing 1 or 2 LEDs anyway.

-Archie-

Sheppy wrote:

Archie, is that the one from Kaidomain? The one with 4x26650 battery pack?

No. I've almost completed the checkout on Lightmalls, where it is bundled with 6x18650 battery, but fortunately DealExtreme started selling the lights without batteries and chargers recently - so I've ended up with lighthead only:
http://dx.com/p/192065

This is quite wise marketing move IMHO, as the batteries and chargers supplied with cheap Chinese lights are typically junk anyway, and as I already have plenty of high-capacity battery packs and good chargers, it especially good for me.

For you UK people, it probably attractive as well, because of strong policy about importing of lithium batteries I've heard of.

Let me know how it is,

Sure. But it isn't even shipped yet (ordered past week), so I expect it to be delivered middle April.

diy

Now I'll watch that one with interest. A head only option is certainly attractive, Particularly with a voltage range of 5.4~12V.

You could take a standard 11.1v 6-9 cell laptop pack and run it with minimal modifications, additional + - connector and some waterproofing. Though you'd need the laptop to charge it.

RandG

Ouija wrote:

One word.... terrible.

Not enough housing to dissipate the heat of three XML's.
No way to vary the brightness of the XML's (their either full on or off... and one is blinding to anything you point it at)
Terribly spotty unless you add a diffusing element.
Terrible runtimes of only 50 minutes (three XML's essentially need three battery packs cross linked if you want to see three hours or more runtime).
Short battery life span due to the excessive strain of trying to put out too much ampage (see above)
Poor mounting bracket for off road use.
Poor depth perception (two XML's on either side of the handle bars do a better job of casting cross shadows)

I sadly have to agree with everything above, I bought two of these units and they are not good at all. What hasn't been mentioned above is how poor the connection from battery to light is,,,,ffs, the slightest bump over the ground and they disconnect, drives me insane.

scoobywrx

Hi
Just came accross a new bike light from DX
Note the size of the Battery
not that familar to this RUSTU make though

http://www.dx.com/p/rustu-d66-4-x-cree- ... 650-194769

diy

3S2P - really at that config you need quality safety protection.

apreading

Why doesnt someone make a battery pack like this but with no light head and a socket to plug a wire into and strap to attach it to bike?

It would be so simple, then we could all use whichever 18650s we want, individual dud cells could be replaced, longer runtimes would be easily achieved etc etc...

Ouija

scoobywrx wrote:

Hi
Just came accross a new bike light from DX
Note the size of the Battery
not that familar to this RUSTU make though

http://www.dx.com/p/rustu-d66-4-x-cree- ... 650-194769

See my post above. That's not going to be very good. The battery pack is 3S2p to achieve a 11.1 output. With all four lights on your not going to even get an hours worth of runtime out of it (as well as all the other problems associated with those types of light).

Ouija

apreading wrote:

Why doesnt someone make a battery pack like this but with no light head and a socket to plug a wire into and strap to attach it to bike?

It would be so simple, then we could all use whichever 18650s we want, individual dud cells could be replaced, longer runtimes would be easily achieved etc etc...

Can't see the image, but there are 4.2 and 8.4 battery cases that allow you to take the batteries out.

supersonic

Ouija wrote:

scoobywrx wrote:

Hi
Just came accross a new bike light from DX
Note the size of the Battery
not that familar to this RUSTU make though

http://www.dx.com/p/rustu-d66-4-x-cree- ... 650-194769

See my post above. That's not going to be very good. The battery pack is 3S2p to achieve a 11.1 output. With all four lights on your not going to even get an hours worth of runtime out of it (as well as all the other problems associated with those types of light).

Why not an hour? The four hour is way out of course, but cannot see why all 4 LEDs running on high would not achieve more (if we assume 750 lumens per LED)

diy

apreading wrote:

Why doesnt someone make a battery pack like this but with no light head and a socket to plug a wire into and strap to attach it to bike?

It would be so simple, then we could all use whichever 18650s we want, individual dud cells could be replaced, longer runtimes would be easily achieved etc etc...

couple of these: http://www.suntekstore.co.uk/product-14 ... 0_box.html

neilus

thanks Ouija, thats what i thought youd say...doesnt bode well for the 5 xml Archie has just ordered would you agree?
Still curious about this (1300lm xml u2 501b): http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650
The U2 is an improvement on the T6, correct? Id imagine one of these would be at least equal to the individual LEDs in the 3/4/5 multi-lights, with all the benefits; easier maintenance, reliable/better runtimes, light positioning/brightness as your prefer...and cheaper!!
Many thanks guys

KokaKona

Yeah, they're great, I have those ones. The high mode looks good to me but is only ~1.7A from the measurements I've done.

Lightmalls also does a U3 (one bin up from U2 - could be a little brighter)
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf-501b-cree-xm-l-u3-1400-lumen-5-mode-led-flashlight-1-18650

And there was a link a page or two ago to 501b with the new generation XML2 U2 in, which would be brighter still...

diy

1.7A with a 4.2v cell?

shame. still good runtime.

fossyant

I'm relatively happy with my T3 triple. Solved the mounting issues with a bit of tape on the bars for grip. The supplied battery isn't much cop (as expected) and I use a home brew pack with Senybor 5A discharge batteries. I do use it with a MJ808E with a diffuser. One T6 is OK, two T6's are very bright, but the three make little difference. TBH you don't really need to run with more than on of the LED's. Connector has been fine, but I'm not using it with the supplied battery.

-Archie-

fossyant wrote:

I'm relatively happy with my T3 triple.

Me, too. As an "offroad light", it is excellent. Of course, you'll have to use "real battery" with it...

JamesB

simplistic question to one new to world of Cree LED technology and Li ion batteries

Having just bought a cheap Chinese unit (Sing Fire 800 lumens ) IF I find, as other posts seem to indicate, that batteries aren`t up to claimed mAh capacity can I simply buy a new 8.4v battery pack (say at 6600mAh v supplied 4400mAh claimed) and use with existing light and charger safely?

ta

diy

voltage input is all that matters. so yes if your current light takes 8.4v it will be fine. max load is important too but not really on a multicell pack

-Archie-

diy wrote:

voltage input is all that matters.

Not only voltage, but connectors used, too. There are two kinds of connectors widely used in Chinese lights: 5.5/2.1 and 5.5/2.5 ones. Looking essentially identical, but of different inside contact's diameter - so, if your light uses 2.1mm one and you'll buy 2.5mm battery, it wont physically fit (with rare exceptions). Outer shape of connectors can also prevent correct fitting sometimes, but this is less common. Just beware, and check before ordering!