are these lights any good?

danlightbulb

Hi all, is this light suitable for night trail riding, or can i get better for similar money?

Cree T6 Bike Light 1600 Lumens Waterproof Rechargable UK Stock & UK Charger

http://bit.ly/SfhsQE

zanush

I have 2 of those albeit from a different seller, perfectly good enough for night time rides and at nearly the same price i paid for mine aswell. The only downside is the strength of the bracket as one of mine broke where it's screwed to the lamp housing. Hitting a tree when the front tyre slid out in gloopy mud sort of had something to do with it :oops: but for the price i wasn't that bothered and a bit of botching with some epoxy and other bits and it feels pretty bullet proof now.

danlightbulb

Do you have two because one isn't bright enough on its own? I have no idea whether 1600 lumens is adequate.

Greer_

I have a light like it from amazon that's described as 1200 lumens and its bright enough for off road riding. Wouldn't mind another one though if I'm honest.

bigdrew1

These have been discussed in here: viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12807034

They are all going to be <1000 lumens, but that is still plenty bright enough. The one you have posed a link to is about the cheapest I have seen them.

Worth bearing in mind that it will probably have a very bright spot, rather than a smooth spread.

I went for one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320976756615? ... 1497.l2649 as it has a OP reflector so nicer spread and a better way to mount it to the bars. I think it is slightly brighter and more efficient being the u2 version. I've ended up buying a new charger with a protection circuit and indicator lights as the one it came with made me a bit nervous!

danlightbulb

I read a good portion of that thread but its huge! I found some links to very similar looking lights but none that were 1600 lumens.

Why would they be <1000 lumens when they are described as 1600 lumens?

Plus there seems to be alot about batteries blowing up, excessive heat production when the light is in use etc. Are they really this bad?

The ones you linked to seem to be using the exact same bike (the red one halfway down), plus the english isn't very good in the description.

Greer_

The lumens are just never the same as is described!

LJ.

I got one like that, the battery lasts ages, I've not charged it for weeks edit weaker battery in that one 4400
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-XM-L ... 2a24dc7a38

allthegearnoidea

the main reason for riding with 2 lights is so youve one on the bike to show you where your going and one on your lid to allow you to see where your going to go next!
ive one of these lights along with a T6 ultrafire torch on the lid, (looking at a second of the Lights to replace the torch as is very Spotty rather than Floody!)

bigdrew1

danlightbulb wrote:

I read a good portion of that thread but its huge! I found some links to very similar looking lights but none that were 1600 lumens.

Why would they be <1000 lumens when they are described as 1600 lumens?

Plus there seems to be alot about batteries blowing up, excessive heat production when the light is in use etc. Are they really this bad?

The ones you linked to seem to be using the exact same bike (the red one halfway down), plus the english isn't very good in the description.

They are all very similar. They wont be 1600 as it is impossible to get the out of the XML emitters, its just so you buy that one over the '1200' one. You wont be disappointed though they are still very very bright. The only issue is most of the brightness is focused in the centre. I've not read much about the batteries blowing up, although I have changed the charger that came with mine for a protected one. and keep the back in a biscuit tin to charge.

viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12807034&start=1480

Have a look from there, that page is about why they can't go above 1000 Lumens, and the next couple of pages how to take the edge of the bright spot. You really wont beat it for ~£30 quid though.

The Rookie

I've been using one for about 18 months, excellent for the money, peripheral light isn't fantastic, but they are more than adequate.

lots of people talk about the batteries blowing up, never met someone who'd actually had it though!

It's worth waterproofing the battery before use by smearing silicon sealer across the ends to close the gap in the heatshrink.

CB75

Fellow cyclist at work bought one of these few months back. hasnt had any problems with it and it seems very bright to me. so in my opinion good for the money!

concorde

Two will be your best bet. 1600 is enough on it's own but one of those lights cannot physically put out 1600 lumens, simple as that, fact! Max will be about 900 and I'd like more than 900 for mountain biking so 2 it would have to be for me.

bartimaeus

danlightbulb wrote:

Why would they be <1000 lumens when they are described as 1600 lumens?

The lumens 'claim' is usually the maximum possible output for the emitter if driven at the maximum manufacturer rated amperage (or possibly even more)... regardless of whether you can deliver that many amps to it, whether the driver will allow that many amps, and whether the light will survive that many amps (usually it won't be able to keep cool).

An XML U3 at 3amps will give up to 1105 lumens according to CREE. My Ultrafire C8 Cree XM-L U3 torch is advertised as "1800-Lumen" and the listing says "Max 4000mA Current Output (manufacturer rated)". At 4 amps you won't get 1800 lumens - and the driver in mine draws 2.5 amps on full power... so I'm guessing I've got maybe 800 odd lumens on full. But at £12 I am happy as it is brighter than my 900 lumen P7 SSC, and the medium mode is nice and bright

danlightbulb

Two lights would be nice, but its no good buying two of those ones I originally linked to as I wouldn't need two chargers. Would I be better off with the torches that SS has listed in his starter guide? or are the separate battery pack ones better?

Thanks

zanush

I usualy run with one on the bars and one on my lid so having 2 chargers is handy as i can charge both packs at the same time. I've been using mine for the past few months and had no problems with regards to the battery packs, and you could always just buy one and then decide if you want another as that's what i did.

danlightbulb

Just been looking through ebay. There are loads of these lights, all with slightly different adverts but many of the same phrases / paragraphs in the description and many of which use exactly the same images. They vary in the description of the lumens (1000-1600) but all have the same LED type and the same battery pack.

I take it then that all these are in reality exactly the same light and its just a matter of finding the cheapest with good feedback rated seller.

bigdrew1

Yep that's right. As someone else has said buy one to start and if you fancy another pick one up then.

zanush

Yup....i bought one to begin with just to see if spending that little would get anything decent. For the money they are quite good tbh.

The Rookie

You can get them direct from Dealextrem for about £20 but you'll need a US to UK charger adaptor, or get a UK supplied one for about £25-30 and you usually get a UK charger and also some backup.

There have been 2 emitters fitted, be sure to get the later T6, but yes, otherwise they are all identical, those claiming a higher Lumen are being economical with the truth and using that false advantage to try and gain more sales.

kevinharley

This is a similar price:
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewit ... 1000052747

It has an orange peel reflector rather than smooth mirror finish, so the beam will be spread more. Bought the son one for Christmas - he's not properly test-ridden it yet, but was the only one with the OP reflector I could find under £30.

I have a similar light to the one you linked to - was a cheap magicshine clone through dealextreme. Enought light to ride by, but I had to replace the battery cable recently, and part of the lead to the light unit, as it had somehow shorted. Because mine came from China, it was easier to do it myself rather than send it back.

I have a second similar, but slightly more expensive light that I bought a year ago from mtbbatteries. The quality of the materials seems a notch or two up (thicker cables, beefier battery pack, better run time), although that said, I had to send the battery pack and get a replacement ... which was without hassle or quibble.

Some mates have had some similar glitches with these types of lights ... the quality of the components is, I suspect, not up to the level of a £400 xposure light ... but then these ones give a huge amount of light for not very much money! Just be prepared for the possibility of fault developing.

One light IS enough to ride with by night (I've done so many times), but two is better ... better overall spread of light, plus you have a backup if one of them fails out on a ride!

Go for a UK seller / distributer - its just easier if it goes wrong!

bigdrew1

Did the light you linked to actually come with an OP reflector? Lots have been pictured with one but most still seem to come with a smooth from what I have read?

kevinharley

Yes, it did ... I did email beforehand to cover myself ... but it arrived as pictured .. I'm going to be using it tomorrow night so will report back if you want to wait .

concorde

Bartimaeus wrote:

But at £12 I am happy as it is brighter than my 900 lumen P7 SSC, and the medium mode is nice and bright

Same here, my T6 is brighter than my P7. Wasn't amused. The T6 is advertised as 500+ lumens, the P7 900+!

kevinharley

kevinharley wrote:

This is a similar price:
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewit ... 1000052747

It has an orange peel reflector rather than smooth mirror finish, so the beam will be spread more. Bought the son one for Christmas - he's not properly test-ridden it yet, but was the only one with the OP reflector I could find under £30.

This one I mentioned above I 'borrowed' from my son last night. Seems pretty good, reasonable spread of light, certainly bright enough, lasted 2 1/4 hours, mostly (but not always) on full power ... so for £26 / £28, would recommend.