The big LIGHTS thread 2011-2014

supersonic

I'd email and ask, is impossible to say. The C8 XML on B.O.B. is 1800ma, but single mode. So depends on that driver.

souljacker

BlueAdvocate wrote:

Arrived from DX this morning along with batteries and mounts ; as mentioned previously they are a white light rather than the more yellow "warm" light from lightmalls. Will wait to its dark to see which is better , thing is then have to decide how we split them between the two of us. Other difference to lighmalls is the order of the modes. No messing needed though they all worked first time

there's hope for me yet then, maybe that's why they are not responding to my paypal dispute, what date did you order and when was it sent out?

naffa

I know I'm joining this thread late on and tbh I haven't read all the posts on here so if necessary I'll apologise in advance for thast now.
I have ordered a front light off Wiggle and was wondering if anyone here has owned such a light?
I will likely only use it for commuting nad there is a tunnel (unlit) on my local canal that I hope the light will be bright enough for.
Its a CatEye EL 450 LED.

Thanks in advance, Nathan

supersonic

It will light a small patch up. I wouldn't like to use something like this for totally unlit. Is more of a light to be seen, rather than seeing with.

diy

agree about a 90-100 Lumen Light. Could always send it back? or see how you go and then add an extra light to suite.

For comparison you can get an 800 Lumen setup for £20 quid or double up the mount and light for £30 and get twin lights (2-3 week wait). Personally I'd run it on medium (350-400 Lumen) or low (150 Lumen) for road use and switch up as you need:

450 Lumen light
Charger
Mount
Cells

souljacker

Both my lights arrived today from dx although they were ordered over a week apart, going out tonight to test them

kiwimatt

diy I'm nursing a few nasty slashes in my fingertips from some careless laptop cell extraction :oops: - what are you using to smooth off the spot weld remains on the cell ends once the tabs are twisted off - a Dremel or similar? or?

On the plus side a collection of those lovely pink Samsung cells from the Dell packs now await charging

leaflite

In the end I bought:
http://www.lightmalls.com/solarforce-l2-cree-xml-t6-5-modes-led-flashlight-black-2-18650(for the bars, not sure if im going to run it 1 cell or 2 cell atm)
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/ultrafire-wf501b-t6-5mode-led-flashlight-118650-black-p-7639(for the helmet)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-SenyBor-2800mAh-18650-3-7v-batteries-case-/300611519557?pt=UK_ConsumerElectronics_Batteries_SM&hash=item45fdd7c445
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/xtar-wp2-37v-liion-battery-charger-for-1450014650176701865018700-p-7249
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/universal-bicycle-mount-for-flashlights-gadgets-p-3338
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Velcro-Helmet-Handlebar-Flashlight-Mount-/140595156085?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item20bc1fd475


Good setup?

101_North

My latest Manafont order arrived today. Ordered on 19th, shipped on 20th - so pretty good shipping time.

Might be useful for anyone considering a DX alternative.

101

Psychotext

leaflite wrote:

Good setup?

I'm running a very similar setup, just with slightly different batteries (AW & Panasonics) and a slightly different mount.

nil1121

101_North wrote:

My latest Manafont order arrived today. Ordered on 19th, shipped on 20th - so pretty good shipping time.

Might be useful for anyone considering a DX alternative.

101

I ordered stuff from Manafont on the 12th and still waiting also ordered some stuff from DX on the 5th and no sign of that either !!

The Northern Monkey

Is there a way to track my order? Got my parcel tracking number but got no idea where to track it

101_North

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Is there a way to track my order? Got my parcel tracking number but got no idea where to track it

If your tracking number is for Hong Kong Post (ends HK) then track it here:

http://app3.hongkongpost.com/CGI/mt/enquiry.jsp

If it's China Post (ends CN) you can check it here:

http://www.track-chinapost.com/index.php

101

chrisw333

My DX stuff arrived this week in two separate parcels - approx 3 weeks as expected.

Just nearly blinded myself testing out the 501b torches as recommended by DIY. Interested to see what they are like at night.

The tracking is sh1te tough. Still says its in Guangzhou.

Thanks to all for the advice.

diy

kiwimatt wrote:

diy I'm nursing a few nasty slashes in my fingertips from some careless laptop cell extraction :oops: - what are you using to smooth off the spot weld remains on the cell ends once the tabs are twisted off - a Dremel or similar? or?

On the plus side a collection of those lovely pink Samsung cells from the Dell packs now await charging

there is a technique to getting them off. I tend to use needle nose pliers, grab the tab as close to the cell as possible and twist them to roll it off. As long as they are smoothed down, you don't need to completely remove them.

Ghostt

Hello all!

I've decided to bite the bullet and go down the DIY route (I think...) as for my first foray into night riding, not sure if a £270 AyUp set is worth it yet.

So, going on advice cobbled together from this and other threads, I'm looking to get:
2x http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultrafire- ... 6340-35075 for the handlebars
1x http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ssc-p7-3-m ... 8650-50947 for the helmet
plus usual cells, chargers and mounts.

My only concern is that I don't have a floodlight, so would it be better to mount the P7 lamp on the bars and pick up a wide angle lens from ebay?

Cheers for any input

supersonic

I have to say, is no point in getting the torches with the XPE LED - are brighter and more efficient for about the same money.

Have a look for ones with a Cree XML in there.

pilsburypie

Why didn't I listen to the "get your lights in summer" advice. Would love to go out and scare myself in the dark but could be weeks away still

The Northern Monkey

Just checked my online DX account, they take a picture of your order before its shipped




God knows where it is, the HK post can't find it from the tracking number

BlueAdvocate

bamba wrote:

any one know how delivery times are on lightmalls compaired to dx ?

Lightmalls were under 2 weeks for me; ordered 06/10 shipped next day.
DX has been over 4 weeks just for shipping.

The Lighmalls torches have a "warm"/yellow light compared the white of the DX shall be interesting to see how we go. Flood/brightness (non-scientific and uneducated assessment) seem similar; the white feels like its sharper but there's not necessarily that much of a difference.

Still I'm happy and a big thanks to "diy" and everyone else for help

bamba

Thanks , i placed a order on the 28th in the early hours, by the afternoon i had a email so say its been shipped, with a tracking number

diy

Lightmalls do both warm and cool.

blablablacksheep

After going to my local running club and people seeing my T6 Cree XML 1200 light everyone is now asking where i got it from

More powerfull than some of their £200+ lights too, so thanks for the help all.


Got a question though, going to do some running in the woods(cross country nothin else) and need a torch set-up so that i can see in the dark.

Suggestions??

Needs to be pretty light,as ill be running with it
Run time needs to be no more than 1.5-2 hours
Secure fit, head mounted i guess is the best bet for running with them.

ADL

At the moment, what's the proper place to get 501b from? Are manafont/lightmalls any faster than dx?
By the way, how long does 501b last when in the low mode? I'm after a torch which I could use in the low mode on road, but crank up for a bit of night riding. I'm not really keen on doing lots of night riding off-road.

diy

It depends on the driver in the 501b, they seem to range from 1.5 to 2.8A, hence low on one might be medium on another. Low on mine is about 110 Lumen. with some good cells it will go for 11-12 hours maybe more.

If you want ultra long runtime there is the 501d which has two cells.

ADL

diy wrote:

It depends on the driver in the 501b, they seem to range from 1.5 to 2.8A, hence low on one might be medium on another. Low on mine is about 110 Lumen. with some good cells it will go for 11-12 hours maybe more.

If you want ultra long runtime there is the 501d which has two cells.

Everything more than 6h on low and 1h on medium would be fine.

So there are quite a bit of 501b XML lights here:
http://www.manafont.com/product_info.ph ... ack-p-7639 - T6 bin, smooth reflector
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ultrafire- ... 8650-55241 - T6 bin, orange peel reflector
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... flashlight - T6 bin, orange peel reflector
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650 - U2 bin, orange peel reflector

I guess each of these may come with different drivers as you've said...

Regarding your previously mentioned manafont package:

diy wrote:

450 Lumen light
Charger
Mount
Cells

1) Are the Sky Ray 3000 cells any better than TrustFire 2500 or TrustFire 2400 ?

2) Which of the mounts 1, 2 is sturdy enough to survive XC hops and drops? I guess both will do...

Thanks.

supersonic

The orange peel reflectors tend to smooth the beam out a bit more, the smooth ones can have a more noticable hot spot.

This that you list looks good:

http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-501 ... ht-1-18650

Uses the latest XML chip, and the modes mean you should be able to tailor it to your needs.

rorym

I've read this thread, and the previous ones and am confused by the amount of options available.

What is the torch of choice for helmet mounting? Reading some of the comments in here there are torches that get too hot, ones that are too heavy, and ones that aren't very bright.

So which one ticks the following boxes?

1) Rechargable (I'm assuming with 18650 battteries)
2) Bright and light
3) Available in a short lead time
4) Cheap (Preferably 20 quid ish)

Does such a thing exist or is it time to spend a bit more? I already have an original Magicshine for the bars but want something a bit more focused for the helmet.

Thanks

RM

pilsburypie

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Just checked my online DX account, they take a picture of your order before its shipped




God knows where it is, the HK post can't find it from the tracking number

So how do you get to see the picture of your stuff in your account? - I've ad a look and cant seem to find my pic.......

supersonic

rorym wrote:

I've read this thread, and the previous ones and am confused by the amount of options available.

What is the torch of choice for helmet mounting? Reading some of the comments in here there are torches that get too hot, ones that are too heavy, and ones that aren't very bright.

So which one ticks the following boxes?

1) Rechargable (I'm assuming with 18650 battteries)
2) Bright and light
3) Available in a short lead time
4) Cheap (Preferably 20 quid ish)

Does such a thing exist or is it time to spend a bit more? I already have an original Magicshine for the bars but want something a bit more focused for the helmet.

Thanks

RM

In the FAQ there is a simple guide for all you need to get going. Is from Deal Extreme though, so times are variable. These are tried and tested units. For shorter times, will have to google model names for for another source.