The big LIGHTS thread 2011-2014

stuisnew

I have read this thread over the past couple of months (and last year did the same). Making the jump to buy my first light set up but struggling to know what to get - do I go for one or two of the 501/2 torches that have been linked or one of the smaller lamp type units as per the previous page (102)?

If it helps I'm not a dab hand at fixing anything and don't have a solder kit!

I'm aware that questions like this are sometime frowned upon, but I'm finding all of these options and talking of electrical maters hurt my small brain.

john2002

neither set up is better than the other. it just down to what you prefer for your needs.

what is more important to you
1.cost
2.redundancy
3.runtime
4.water proof
5.looks

try both it only will cost about £30

john2002

I think I read somewhere on this tread about using a magnet on a unprotected battery cell to make it longer so it doesn't bounce around and brake contact and change the mode of the light.
I tried it today but when I do it makes a buzzing noise is this normal?

bartimaeus

I put rare-earth magnets on the tailcap end of my unprotected cells when I use them in my 501bs... I also wrap them in electrical tape to make them fit more snugly (a tip from user diy). My torches do buzz - but that's when they are not running on HIGH so I've always assumed that this was something to do with the driver. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with magnet or no magnet.

stuisnew

john2002 wrote:

neither set up is better than the other. it just down to what you prefer for your needs.

what is more important to you
1.cost
2.redundancy
3.runtime
4.water proof
5.looks

try both it only will cost about £30

The importance to me is probably in the order you have listed.
I'll give one a go and see how I get on. May try the lamp on the bike and get an additional torch for the head.

Thanks for your help.

JimmerG

Could someone help me out here - I've got one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-T6-L ... 1285125999?
Its good - very bright etc - totally outshines my old P7.... BUT its got a slighty too focused beam for my liking - so I'm looking for an orange peel reflector - any ideas where I might find one?

Thanks

James

stellamandude

JimmerG wrote:

Could someone help me out here - I've got one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-T6-L ... 1285125999?
Its good - very bright etc - totally outshines my old P7.... BUT its got a slighty too focused beam for my liking - so I'm looking for an orange peel reflector - any ideas where I might find one?

Thanks

James

You'd need to check the dimensions first.........

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.ph ... -c8-p-6091

Or you could try this instead.......

http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/accessories ... -lens.html

Ouija

JimmerG wrote:

Could someone help me out here - I've got one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-T6-L ... 1285125999?
Its good - very bright etc - totally outshines my old P7.... BUT its got a slighty too focused beam for my liking - so I'm looking for an orange peel reflector - any ideas where I might find one?

Thanks

James

Got two of those. For those you need this reflector.... (the one mentioned in the post above isn't the correct size/shape). The ridged replacement lense mentioned above is totally rubbish as well (got one, doesn't diffuse the beam, just turns it from a round spot to a oval spot), you'll find the op reflector the better option.

stellamandude

Ouija wrote:

Got two of those. For those you need this reflector.... (the one mentioned in the post above isn't the correct size/shape). The ridged replacement lense mentioned above is totally rubbish as well (got one, doesn't diffuse the beam, just turns it from a round spot to a oval spot), you'll find the op reflector the better option.

Are you not going to mention the "privacy window film" option ? since you shot my 2 recommendations down in flames

Ouija

stellamandude wrote:

Ouija wrote:

Got two of those. For those you need this reflector.... (the one mentioned in the post above isn't the correct size/shape). The ridged replacement lense mentioned above is totally rubbish as well (got one, doesn't diffuse the beam, just turns it from a round spot to a oval spot), you'll find the op reflector the better option.

Are you not going to mention the "privacy window film" option ? since you shot my 2 recommendations down in flames

Could do that as well but those 4.2v lights don't put out as much light as the 8.4v variants and i found that covering the glass (or replacing it with various frosted lenses i own) tended to scatter and lose too much of the light, whereas keeping the glass clear but replacing the reflector yielded less of a drop in brightness.

If he does go with privacy tape, then a horseshoe shaped ring around the edge of the glass is the best bet (cover the center and he'll lose too much light, cover the entire outer edge and you lose the spot entirely.... depending on the dimple pattern of the tape used).

stellamandude

Ouija wrote:

Could do that as well but those 4.2v lights don't put out as much light as the 8.4v variants and i found that covering the glass (or replacing it with various frosted lenses i own) tended to scatter and lose too much of the light, whereas keeping the glass clear but replacing the reflector yielded less of a drop in brightness.

If he does go with privacy tape, then a horseshoe shaped ring around the edge of the glass is the best bet (cover the center and he'll lose too much light, cover the entire outer edge and you lose the spot entirely.... depending on the dimple pattern of the tape used).

Love it !!
Very informative

thelawnet

Hello.

I have had a Magicshine setup on my bike (used on-road/commuting) for quite a while.

This consists of:

front MJ-816
rear MJ-818

splitter
extension cable

At present I have the following issues:

The side lights on the MJ-816 doesn't work
The MJ-818 doesn't work
One of my battery packs doesn't work

I have previously suffered:

MJ-808 failure
MJ-818 failure (centre LED failed, outside ones still worked)

These were replaced as above with MJ-816 and new MJ-818.

Anyway, the upshot is I have no rear light, and I need one!

Any thoughts on what I should do? Magicshine was appealing originally because of high lumens to £££ ratio. But after a while you realise that the quality of wiring, etc., is poor.

Do I just buy a new MJ-818? Is there some other rear light that would work with my magicshine battery pack?

Or is it better to go with a different battery system?

cubedean

What're the thoughts on this. I guess the true output will be nothing near what it says but from what I have seen on YouTube they are meant to be quite good.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4xCREE-XML-T6 ... 1328501848

I would prefer not to carry a battery pack mounted to the frame and would consider any other suggestions.

kajjal

cubedean wrote:

What're the thoughts on this. I guess the true output will be nothing near what it says but from what I have seen on YouTube they are meant to be quite good.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4xCREE-XML-T6 ... 1328501848

I would prefer not to carry a battery pack mounted to the frame and would consider any other suggestions.

That's why I ended up buying a Lezyne 575 lumen super drive xl light for road riding in the pitch black at night on country lanes. It is an all in one unit you attach to the handle bars etc which unclips for charging via a usb port / plug. You do pay alot more but I didn't want to take any risks or have an external battery pack.

Ouija

cubedean wrote:

What're the thoughts on this. I guess the true output will be nothing near what it says but from what I have seen on YouTube they are meant to be quite good.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4xCREE-XML-T6 ... 1328501848

I would prefer not to carry a battery pack mounted to the frame and would consider any other suggestions.

Very bright but you wont get even an hours run time with that tiny little battery unless you run it on only one led, instead of five. And even then you can't alter the brightness of that individual LED so you'd still be blinding oncoming traffic if out on the road (typically need a light you can dip down to 500 lumen or less for that).

cubedean

Any thoughts on options? Not got a huge budget hence looking at the far eastern hobbies.

stellamandude

Wormishere1 wrote:

Just received my TR D002 following Ouija's recommendation. This thing is tiny!



Never received anything from a Chinese supplier before and was not expecting the packaging it arrived in...



But, it arrived safe and in working condition so cannot be too bad!

Not use this 'for real' yet but all looks good so far (bright!). The only thing I would say so far is that the beam has about 4 rings in it...will see how it goes on Friday.

How did it go ?
Got any "beam shots" as I really like the look of this 8)

Wormishere1

Hi,

Yes, it went well thanks. No beamshots yet but will get some this weekend (using my 501 as a comparison).

Overall I am quite impressed with it. The beam is still a little spotty but I might try some privacy film over one or two of the lenses at some point... The unit is tiny and fits well on my bars and the batteries are in a nice rubberised pouch. The little button on the handlebar is great for when on roads or when on group rides (when re-convening).

Just a few things to point out...the button that is used on the handlebar to dim the lights is great, although I think the colour should only be noted when the light is off as i think the resistance in the (very) long wires changes the reading when the light is on...and I might change the rubber O-ring that is used around the lenses to a black one as the current glow in the dark one casts a green light which I don't like too much.

For the price it seems an absolute bargain...the whole setup cost less than my new chain i am about to order from Wiggle...enough said!

Ouija

Wormishere1 wrote:

Hi,

Yes, it went well thanks. No beamshots yet but will get some this weekend (using my 501 as a comparison).

Overall I am quite impressed with it. The beam is still a little spotty but I might try some privacy film over one or two of the lenses at some point... The unit is tiny and fits well on my bars and the batteries are in a nice rubberised pouch. The little button on the handlebar is great for when on roads or when on group rides (when re-convening).

Just a few things to point out...the button that is used on the handlebar to dim the lights is great, although I think the colour should only be noted when the light is off as i think the resistance in the (very) long wires changes the reading when the light is on...and I might change the rubber O-ring that is used around the lenses to a black one as the current glow in the dark one casts a green light which I don't like too much.

For the price it seems an absolute bargain...the whole setup cost less than my new chain i am about to order from Wiggle...enough said!

The second of mine turned up. Noticed some rings round the edge of the beam (which, funnily enough, don't appear on my first one despite the fact they both seem spot on identical as regards placement of emitter in the reflector). While i wouldn't class them as spotty lights, due to it being a very large diameter spot, i did stick some privacy tape on one of the lenses of the second one i got to give it more flood (using one for road and one for off road, hence the reason i bought two).

As for the remote light, on mine it's blue when off and then Blue (for ten minutes), Green (about fourty minutes), Amber (about an hour) and then Red. That's on full power. Still amazed i get two hours out of the battery as most twin head XM-L T6 will eat through a four cell pack in less than an hour. Guess the newer XM-L2 in these lights really is more efficient than the original T6's.

Also tried it with a six cell pack and got over three and a half hours out of it (was on blue for a good 30/40 minutes). Kinda depends on the make of the cells and the quality of the pack (going to have to try it with a cheapo pack and see how it compares).

Oh! And that remote switch light is very bright and will actually drain the battery in under a week if you leave it connected up........... and i love the green glow from the rings (lol).

neilus

Hiya folks
So that time of year is coming again ( ) and i guess youve seen all the various xm-l u2/3 and also the xm-l2 torches at lightmalls...currently have this lot in my cart:
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-c8- ... -1-x-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ch-1-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ht-1-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/smo-reflector ... ht-1-18650
Of course in reality, in terms of output and run times the differences are probably negligible at best...the only one that seems like it might be noticeably better is the C8 xm-l U3, listed at 1800lm and a bigger cap which i reckon might make a good helmet light...
What you light gurus prefer from this bunch?
Cheers guys
Nelly

apreading

The C8 is quite qa bit more bulky and apparently the bigger head is not good for XML - 501 or 502 are supposedly a better bet. Of the others, I dont know but was recommended M80501 on a link earlier in this thread and it seems good: http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ch-1-18650 (that is your first 501 linked) It comes with an orange peel reflector, which is good, unlike your last one which is smooth.

KokaKona

neilus wrote:

Hiya folks
So that time of year is coming again ( ) and i guess youve seen all the various xm-l u2/3 and also the xm-l2 torches at lightmalls...currently have this lot in my cart:
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-c8- ... -1-x-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ch-1-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ht-1-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/smo-reflector ... ht-1-18650
Of course in reality, in terms of output and run times the differences are probably negligible at best...the only one that seems like it might be noticeably better is the C8 xm-l U3, listed at 1800lm and a bigger cap which i reckon might make a good helmet light...
What you light gurus prefer from this bunch?
Cheers guys
Nelly

Well I'm no light guru but if it was me I'd ignore those claimed lumens numbers and go with the one with the latest emitter, the XM-L2 in the 501b. IIRC someone a few pages back said they bought the same one from LM, and the high mode had a surprisingly high current, so it seems like there's even a chance of it having a half decent driver too...

morepower

I got this at the weekend. I have not used it on the bike yet but I have tried it out and run it on high power twice and medium power too... I got 1h 10 minutes on high power only and just under 3 hours on the medium power setting. To be honest on the mid setting it is way brighter than my old lights which are about the same as low power on this set up. Medium power would be good enough to get me back from almost any long ride if I got stuck out and high power I guess would hardly slow me down at all even on the trails. I am tempted to get one for a helmet lamp too.... At less than £25 delivered from an eBay seller I cannot complain...



No beam test but I did put a little video up on my facebook page. The trees in this clip are over 35meters away and there was no lighting anywhere on this dark overcast night.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151848905007114

snownrock

Does anyone have any recommendations for replacement/upgrade battery packs? Instead of the usual 4 cell 6400mAh 8.4V that come with the cheap headlights from China.

I am concious that I spend good money on high quality 18650 cells for my torches, but still run the standard supplied batteries with my handlebar units. If the cells are anything like the 'ultrafire' etc 18650's then I imagine their capacities are a way off 6400mAh.

What have people bought as an upgrade?

bartimaeus

neilus wrote:

Hiya folks
So that time of year is coming again ( ) and i guess youve seen all the various xm-l u2/3 and also the xm-l2 torches at lightmalls...currently have this lot in my cart:
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-c8- ... -1-x-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ch-1-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ht-1-18650
http://www.lightmalls.com/smo-reflector ... ht-1-18650
Of course in reality, in terms of output and run times the differences are probably negligible at best...the only one that seems like it might be noticeably better is the C8 xm-l U3, listed at 1800lm and a bigger cap which i reckon might make a good helmet light...
What you light gurus prefer from this bunch?
Cheers guys
Nelly

I have the first two on your list... great lights and very good value.

The C8 is a great light IMO as the MED mode is good and bright, and last for well over two hours I think, while the HIGH mode is very bright. The build quality is excellent and the tail switch is very snug so there's no need to do anything to prevent vibration induced mode changing. I'm using mine with an OP reflector taken from an old P7 SSC. The XM-L2 C8 was not out when I got the U3.

The 501b XM-L2 is also excellent - again with a nice bright MID mode, and a very bright HIGH.

So far I've not had to change cells on any ride since I got them, running MID + MID most of the time, with LOW when on the road and HIGH only for fast descending. I now need to get out on a long night ride to know just how long they will last on a single cell, but I'm usually having too much fun riding to be logging data on my lights.

neilus

Thanks for the info guys! Bartimaeus, is the c8 any more floody than the 501/502?
Snownrock, theres some chat about alternative cell packs on pages 100/101...
Man i eff-ing love these lights...for $30 those long winter, mtb-depriving nights are transformed into the most awesome rides of the year...three cheers for cheapo Chinese torches!!

VWsurfbum

Just ordered another light because it looked pretty and light for the noggin.


Whats the worst that could happen?

morepower

VWsurfbum wrote:

Just ordered another light because it looked pretty and light for the noggin.


Whats the worst that could happen?

That is the light I have just bought and they are great... On high it is bright enough to ride like you would in the day time off road. The medium power setting is good enough for me and the battery on mine lasted just under 3 hours on the medium setting. Low power is fine for road work if there are some street lights. I am really impressed with mine.

VWsurfbum

cheers for that

Ouija

stellamandude wrote:

Wormishere1 wrote:

Just received my TR D002 following Ouija's recommendation. This thing is tiny!

Never received anything from a Chinese supplier before and was not expecting the packaging it arrived in...

But, it arrived safe and in working condition so cannot be too bad!

Not use this 'for real' yet but all looks good so far (bright!). The only thing I would say so far is that the beam has about 4 rings in it...will see how it goes on Friday.

How did it go ?
Got any "beam shots" as I really like the look of this 8)

I did. First two are a 502 torch with XM-L T6 and smooth reflector and 502 with XM-L U2 emitter and a OP reflector (for comparison). About 900/1000 lumen.




The Trustfire without privacy film and the Trustfire with privacy film. Has a spot without the film..... but it's a very large spot compared to the torches.




Some outside shots..... the 502 U2 OP against the Trustfire... both on their brightest modes and the Trustfire has one of it's lenses covered in privacy film (couldn't get it off to do 'with and without' shots so all further pics include it). First up a damp lane with some soil and foliage....

502Trustfire


And then some slightly chalky fire road with a lighter grey cast to it (would of been white but it had just rained).

502Trustfire

And just coming onto a tarmac road with some damp patches from the rain and some lighter patches that had dried out...

502Trustfire

502Trustfire


502Trustfire

As you can see from the pics, the Trustfire is brighter and throws more light to the sides. So even though it does have a spot you get a little more illumination of periferal objects. Also bare in mind that we are comparing a light with TWO emitters against a light with just ONE emitter. If i'd strapped two 501/502 torches side by side the difference wouldn't of been as great (or, conversely, covered up one of the lenses on the Trustfire). And with two 501/502's, you can seperate the beams and have them angled that they are not parallel to each other to give more spread (something i've done in the past).

With good Panasonic/Senybor batteries two 4.2v 501/502 torches can run for 1.5hr whereas the Trustfire runs for 2.5/3hr, but requires a four cell battery pack to achieve it (a lot of other twin head XM-L T6's would drain a four cell pack in just an hour, requiring you to lug even more cells around with you). Therefore, 501/502 torches are still the most efficient lights to go for when it comes to putting out the most amount of light, using the least amount of battery and least amount of weight.

If you don't care about that and want a 8.4v twin head design with all extra weight and gubbins then i still think the Trustife one is the top of the list of the ones to go for, mainly because of the more economical XM-L2 emitters to get more out of the battery, the remote switch, click lock connectors (which still work with the regular Chinese battery pack connectors, by the way) etc.