Has anyone tried Cree lights?

ramemtbers

Hi guys, winter is approaching and i am after a new front light for the zesty so i can carry on my evening rides as the evenings draw in. I keep coming across these Cree XML 1800 lumen lights and wondered if anyone has any experience with them, a mate has one of these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-XM-L-T6-LED-1800LM-Bike-Bicycle-Cycle-Head-Light-HeadLamp-HeadLight-NEW-/130844538355?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item1e76f135f3

I have also found what appears to be an updated version by the same company with a zoomable lense:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1800lm-CREE-XML-XM-L-T6-LED-Bike-Bicycle-Headlight-Headlamp-Rechargeable-Zoomabl-/111155288750?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item19e15f1aae

just wondered if anyone has one and which (if any) i should try?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Samc1234567890

I had a similar light on the front of my bike they are very bright (look like car headlamps) and very tough only downside is battery goes flat fairly quick but there good overall

ramemtbers

Thanks mate, i will probably try one as there only £20 even if it only lasts six months its still a bargain. Cheers.

alibabameister

There is a thread on lights

winter_zombie

Hi

i was looking at the same sort of thing but what put's me off is that the seller says their location is
""Item location:West Drayton, United Kingdom""

BUT when you go to the bottom of the page to the "Business seller information" the address is
""Chi Sun Chan
7th Floor, Block B, HKI Building, 56 Hung To Road
Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
default default
香港""

so its not in the uk at all, so if its damaged you have to try and claim your money back and second you have to wait god knows how long for it to be shiped from half way around the world.

bartimaeus

Look at "What Lights" and the associated "Discussion Thread".

Cree make the LEDs (emitters) but the cheap lights will pretty much all be made by companies in China whether you get them from eBay or from an online retailer like Lightmalls or Dealextreme.

I have Cree torches myself, powered by old laptop cells. My current go-to lights are both from Lightmalls - a C8 XML-U3 on my bars (£15) and a 501b XM-L2 on my lid (£8). My charger was £5, mounts are £1.50 and I've a stack of reclaimed cells. They are fantastic. My older 501b XML-T6s (I have 2) are also great little lights, and my older P7 SSC is still decent.

tobamory

Just ordered my wife the 1800lumen head one, seem ok,

slindborg

I have one of those 18650 powered torches... Its decent enough and I plan to get one linked above for this winter as I wanna cover more dark miles.

stubs

winter zombie wrote:

Hi

i was looking at the same sort of thing but what put's me off is that the seller says their location is
""Item location:West Drayton, United Kingdom""

BUT when you go to the bottom of the page to the "Business seller information" the address is
""Chi Sun Chan
7th Floor, Block B, HKI Building, 56 Hung To Road
Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
default default
香港""

so its not in the uk at all, so if its damaged you have to try and claim your money back and second you have to wait god knows how long for it to be shiped from half way around the world.

Mine arrived in 2 days from a UK address. If it goes wrong I imagine it would take as long for a replacement though really for the £18 I paid if it breaks it goes in the bin.

swod1

the cree lights are good but the battery packs need more waterproofing though, the small bit of plastic shrink wrap doesn't do much to prevent water getting in if your caught out in some rain.

dhobiwallah

Ah, the annual 'are these Chinese eBay lights any good' thread.......

Usual consensus seems to be they get better and cheaper every year. Might have quality control issues over Gucci European brands. When they work they are fine. If you get a dud - take the hit and get another; in fact if you get 2 in the first place you have a backup/ can run both at half power for extended run times.

The tech on a 400 quid light will still be out of date in a few years - but if it is good enough for what you do it will still be good enough for what you do.... I bought an out of date, ex top of the range HID light set on eBay for peanuts. It was fragile - the bulbs cost a kings ransom to replace (if you can find them) and the battery life was pump. But it was adequate for what I was doing (just). 50 quid worth of oriental LED goodness poohed all over it. It wasn't as pretty as the exxposure jobbies others had - but I made up for it with excessive candlepower for the price of a good night out rather than the price of a short holiday with the missus

Buy them, buy more than one and treat them as disposable and don't cry if/when they give up the ghost as there will be brighter ones for the same price or less next year.

The Rookie

To recap, CREE make the LED emitter, not the housing and certainly not the battery pack, which will be supplied by whoever packages the emitter into a light 'deal', so some are great and the chaper ones are as you describe.

RobK

I've the cree q5 two led torch set off the bay, had them for nearly a year now and can't fault them especially as they only cost £12.99
Great for commuting and general riding etc but now i've started doing more hardcore xc night riding i need to see whats around the bend so i'm ordering a powerful cree torch to mount on my lid,looking at ultrafire 1800lm.

bartimaeus

As above - 501b XM-L2 - £8 from Lightmalls. Really pleased with it... bright, and a great MID mode which appears to give a decent balance of brightness and run time. I need to take it for a long night ride now... hopefully it will last 2.5 to 3 hours on MID.

The Rookie

RobK wrote:

i need to see whats around the bend

Insert a large blackhole on the inside of the bend so light can bend round it then, otherwise you'll never see what's round the bend, only what's in front of you!

Giraffoto

The Rookie wrote:

RobK wrote:

i need to see whats around the bend

Insert a large blackhole on the inside of the bend so light can bend round it then, otherwise you'll never see what's round the bend, only what's in front of you!

The light attached to the bike shows you what's ahead in line with the way the front wheel's pointing. If you're approaching a bend, it'll show you the bend but that's all. If you have a light on your helmet you can turn your head and see a bit more detail of where the track goes. No black holes are required, just a singularity of torches on your hat.

sprite1275

I think the blackhole method sounds more fun, just dont come off next to it.

This torch might be bright enough for your needs http://www.torchdirect.co.uk/monster-series/nitecore-tm26-led-torch-3500-lumen.html

Man do i want one 8)

Giraffoto

It’s possible to overdo the bright lights – on the road you’ll upset other road users, on the trails you can miss details of colour or shadow if the light’s too bright. That said, you're bound to find something with the ubiquitous Cree emitters that will suit you.

The Rookie

Giraffoto wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

RobK wrote:

i need to see whats around the bend

Insert a large blackhole on the inside of the bend so light can bend round it then, otherwise you'll never see what's round the bend, only what's in front of you!

No black holes are required, just a singularity of torches on your hat.

No he definately said around, not in a straight line as far 'across' (tangent) the bend as can be seen......

Giraffoto

The Rookie wrote:

Giraffoto wrote:

The Rookie wrote:

RobK wrote:

i need to see whats around the bend

Insert a large blackhole on the inside of the bend so light can bend round it then, otherwise you'll never see what's round the bend, only what's in front of you!

No black holes are required, just a singularity of torches on your hat.

No he definitely said around, not in a straight line as far 'across' (tangent) the bend as can be seen......

If one looks "across" a bend, one is seeing what's "around" it. I believe but am not sure that the correct word would be "chordwise", "tangent" implies a straight line that touches the curve at just one point, and is most like the path illuminated by a fixed light on your bike. If this isn't one or the more pedantic posts anyone comes across today, I promise to be surprised.