Cateye Nano shot or volt 300 for commuting

monkeytennisdude

Morning! So after last nights fun of finding out that my cateye EL220 is great for being seen and dealing with dusk ecct it ain't so good at lighting my way to avoid potholes (which Glasgow is full of). As its a foldinng bike I ride I am looking at getting an all in one front light that is preferably rechargeable. I rather like the nano shot and also the nano shot+ (which I think is overkill) but I really like the volt kit that comes with the spare battery! Has anyone tried these lights out and can give me a quick comparison on beam ect? Would like one that lights up a nice path of light for me!

ViperS15

The Volt 300 looks like the best value for money at the moment. £50 for 300 lumens, USB recharge etc is excellent. It uses the light really well and for a commuting it will be spot on! The docking station is a nice idea as well so you can always have a spare battery on charge and if you get the Volt 50 rear you can swap the batteries between the two head units.

The Nano Shot+ is a very powerful light (600 lumens instead of 300) as well but obviously you don't get the benefit of the spare interchangeable batteries. The standard Nano Shot looks really smart but I think the Volt 300 out performs it.

andyh01

I!ve no experience of using either however for my commute I went for a moon x500 and Moon shield rear light for £85 from stonehenge cycle and a replacement battery is only £15, so 500 lumen front light with good spread and 70 lumen rear light USB charging with uk mains plug adaptor so either charge from PC at work or plug into mains. Best value package I found

crossborderreiver

Check out how much run time you need out of the battery. The Nano + is short. I would need to charge it twice a day for my commute.

pinkteapot

Thanks for the thread!

I also found last night that my £14.99 front light from Go Outdoors casts next to no light on the ground, and I had a terrifying few hundred yards down an unlit alleyway.

Had a look online last night and also found the Nano Shot Plus, but it's pricey and I also thought it might be overkill. Lots of people said they didn't use "main beam" as it dazzled drivers and pedestrians. As my commute is through a town, I figured there's no point spending all that money if you're not going to use the bright setting....

Now looking at the Volt 300 - can get that and a spare battery pack for less than the Nano Shot Plus.

tilt

AndyH01 wrote:

I!ve no experience of using either however for my commute I went for a moon x500 and Moon shield rear light for £85 from stonehenge cycle and a replacement battery is only £15, so 500 lumen front light with good spread and 70 lumen rear light USB charging with uk mains plug adaptor so either charge from PC at work or plug into mains. Best value package I found

Great lights.

slowbike

I haven't looked at the volt - but I have compared the nanoshot to the nanoshot+

If you can afford it I'd still go for the + (of the two) - mostly for the facility of a brighter light and for the hyperconstant (1/2power on all the time and full power flash).

My commute is country lane & then country A road - I don't need to be seen so much from the front, but do need to see - the Nanoshot+ is fine for most of it at 1/2 power, but it's nice to beam up occasionally, especially on a tricky bit.
Last winter I had a ride home through a town - in the dark and wet ... so I put my light on to Hyperconstant mode - this makes me standout from the rest of the traffic.

monkeytennisdude

Thanks for the input guys. Thinking I can get the volt 300 with spare battery ect for less than the Nano Shot+ and if I need more light, can always pick up a nano shot at a later date! Im sure for where I am riding the volt 300 will be perfect!