Lumicycle Lights
kbrembo
Posts: 30
Over the last few years, we have all been raving about "cheap 5000 lumen lights"....myself included
Time for change..I am sick of dud batteries,dangerous cghargers and failed lights while in the middle of god knows!
Firstly..I ain't no techno wizard or review writing expert and I will not be going into technical terms or stripping down these lights.
All of us living in the UK certainly get plenty of darkness and we are lucky to be blessed with some amazing trails.
During the last few years I have purchased various led lights.
My current quiver includes MagicShine 872 1600 claimed lumen, Old AyUp led which are around 400 lumen, SolarStorm X2 which are sold from 2000 up to 5000 lumen! And I also have an exposure MK7 Joystick which is 400 lumen.
All the lights above have been well used and at the time they seemed "good value"
The MJ872 gives a nice light but the battery went quick and the cable entrance to the unit is pretty weak. The old ayup lights were good 6-7 years back but pretty weak in modern terms. The solarstorm X2 is ludicrously over rated, the market is flooded with fake solarstorms and stories of chargers going on fire etc. are very common with cheap imported lights and to be honest the beam on mine are well..just ok.
Taking part in the Strathpuffer 24 hr race in January, requires top lights..last year my x2 battery died on lap 2! Lucky for me I had other options.
The old saying buy cheap..buy twice(or 3 or 4 times) springs to mind!
Anyhow this year I decided that it was time to “invest” in some quality UK made lights...the search begun.
After much deliberation and searching, I kept getting drawn to Lumicycle's and in particular the Explorer Explorer Range
I decided on 2 enduro batteries which were small sized and promised good run times.
Click..order placed and within minutes the UPS tracking code and order confirmation came to my Inbox.
Two days later the brown UPS van pull's up with my lights.
First reaction was WOW.....such a cool metal tin greeted me.
Upon opening them, a nice set of stickers and an In-depth laminated operating card sits on the top of the lights which are sitting in cut-out foam.
Pulling out the Light and battery, they feel just “solid”, like a real engineered piece of quality, the toggle switch looking like it came from a James bond film. Pushing the battery connector into the back of the light, you can just get the feeling of security..this ain't going to fall out while going over a few bumps!
The battery is contained in a nice little bag. Its 14.8v and 2.6ah and I am sure will contain premium cells!
Even the charger oozes quality...made by Norweigan company Mascot..no fear of exploding chargers or batteries here:thumbsup:
The light unit has lots of fins for cooling and the front glass feels “bombproof”
There's also a nice “glare reduction” eyelid on the top of the unit
On the rear, there is a small led which flashes with both the setting and the power state.
Another nice feature is the clamp, it comes with an easy fit additional link, which I used to fit round my OS handle bars. Simple but great idea, considering that there is so many handlebar standards.
I put my other lights side by side for size comparrisons
Now...the real test. I just got them 2 days ago but took them round my local trail last night. I will take some pictures over the weekend for beam shots.
All I can say is..believe the hype! These lights were nothing short of outstanding.....
From the solid clamp fitting to my bars,the smooth but “positive” feel of flicking the switch up and down through the beams, the reassurance of the rear power led...and most important the Incredible throw and spread of light that these baby's spat out ...the whole package just blew me away!
These lights are taking the word brightness to a new dimension.:cool:
Low power was perfect for all the fire-road etc,medium was amazing in the singletrack woods..High was "wow" and the 3 minute 3500 "boost " mode was staggering. I would be more than happy to trust this light down some of the Scottish "big mountain classics"..in the dark.
The throw of light and beam shape was just perfection.
I was out on my singlespeed bike and standing on the pedals a fair bit, I have to say the "eyelid" feature worked a treat while stomping on the pedals and leaning over the front of the bars, I never got blinded..small feature..but works:cool:
I was out for around 1.5hrs and ambiant temperature was 7-8 degree's and the battery was still on green when in mid/low mode and on high the battery was sitting on orange (mid)
Soon as I figure out best way of taking beam shots in the dark, I will post them up alongside the other lights beam shots
The pictures below were just snapshots taken with my phone and not "test or review shots"
I always hummed and hawed about premium v cheap lights...not any more.
One thing is for sure...for me premium lights are the future! And the future's bright!
Well done Lumicycle
Time for change..I am sick of dud batteries,dangerous cghargers and failed lights while in the middle of god knows!
Firstly..I ain't no techno wizard or review writing expert and I will not be going into technical terms or stripping down these lights.
All of us living in the UK certainly get plenty of darkness and we are lucky to be blessed with some amazing trails.
During the last few years I have purchased various led lights.
My current quiver includes MagicShine 872 1600 claimed lumen, Old AyUp led which are around 400 lumen, SolarStorm X2 which are sold from 2000 up to 5000 lumen! And I also have an exposure MK7 Joystick which is 400 lumen.
All the lights above have been well used and at the time they seemed "good value"
The MJ872 gives a nice light but the battery went quick and the cable entrance to the unit is pretty weak. The old ayup lights were good 6-7 years back but pretty weak in modern terms. The solarstorm X2 is ludicrously over rated, the market is flooded with fake solarstorms and stories of chargers going on fire etc. are very common with cheap imported lights and to be honest the beam on mine are well..just ok.
Taking part in the Strathpuffer 24 hr race in January, requires top lights..last year my x2 battery died on lap 2! Lucky for me I had other options.
The old saying buy cheap..buy twice(or 3 or 4 times) springs to mind!
Anyhow this year I decided that it was time to “invest” in some quality UK made lights...the search begun.
After much deliberation and searching, I kept getting drawn to Lumicycle's and in particular the Explorer Explorer Range
I decided on 2 enduro batteries which were small sized and promised good run times.
Click..order placed and within minutes the UPS tracking code and order confirmation came to my Inbox.
Two days later the brown UPS van pull's up with my lights.
First reaction was WOW.....such a cool metal tin greeted me.
Upon opening them, a nice set of stickers and an In-depth laminated operating card sits on the top of the lights which are sitting in cut-out foam.
Pulling out the Light and battery, they feel just “solid”, like a real engineered piece of quality, the toggle switch looking like it came from a James bond film. Pushing the battery connector into the back of the light, you can just get the feeling of security..this ain't going to fall out while going over a few bumps!
The battery is contained in a nice little bag. Its 14.8v and 2.6ah and I am sure will contain premium cells!
Even the charger oozes quality...made by Norweigan company Mascot..no fear of exploding chargers or batteries here:thumbsup:
The light unit has lots of fins for cooling and the front glass feels “bombproof”
There's also a nice “glare reduction” eyelid on the top of the unit
On the rear, there is a small led which flashes with both the setting and the power state.
Another nice feature is the clamp, it comes with an easy fit additional link, which I used to fit round my OS handle bars. Simple but great idea, considering that there is so many handlebar standards.
I put my other lights side by side for size comparrisons
Now...the real test. I just got them 2 days ago but took them round my local trail last night. I will take some pictures over the weekend for beam shots.
All I can say is..believe the hype! These lights were nothing short of outstanding.....
From the solid clamp fitting to my bars,the smooth but “positive” feel of flicking the switch up and down through the beams, the reassurance of the rear power led...and most important the Incredible throw and spread of light that these baby's spat out ...the whole package just blew me away!
These lights are taking the word brightness to a new dimension.:cool:
Low power was perfect for all the fire-road etc,medium was amazing in the singletrack woods..High was "wow" and the 3 minute 3500 "boost " mode was staggering. I would be more than happy to trust this light down some of the Scottish "big mountain classics"..in the dark.
The throw of light and beam shape was just perfection.
I was out on my singlespeed bike and standing on the pedals a fair bit, I have to say the "eyelid" feature worked a treat while stomping on the pedals and leaning over the front of the bars, I never got blinded..small feature..but works:cool:
I was out for around 1.5hrs and ambiant temperature was 7-8 degree's and the battery was still on green when in mid/low mode and on high the battery was sitting on orange (mid)
Soon as I figure out best way of taking beam shots in the dark, I will post them up alongside the other lights beam shots
The pictures below were just snapshots taken with my phone and not "test or review shots"
I always hummed and hawed about premium v cheap lights...not any more.
One thing is for sure...for me premium lights are the future! And the future's bright!
Well done Lumicycle
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Comments
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mcnultycop wrote:How long have you worked for them for?
Hu? :roll:
Living about 600 miles away from where they are and being about as technical as a dodo...I dont think so
Winter coming..new lights..nothing wrong with sharing.
So do the 2 million people whom post about cheap lights work in China?0 -
The 'Chinese' lights can vary enormously, the market has become flooded with them. For many they work fine, others have problems. But the same can be said of premium stuff too, as ever, is finding the right ones.
The general consensus is get the heads, but source good cells and chargers. And you can get 5000 lumens for 50 quid. My little magicshine 'clone' has been outstanding with original pack for 20 quid but was bought last year before the current crop.0 -
And you can get a light they tell you is 5000 lumens for 50 quid
FTFY0 -
njee20 wrote:And you can get a light they tell you is 5000 lumens for 50 quid
FTFY
FTFY fail. You can get five 501b torches for £50, that will put out that total. Note you changed 5000 lumens to 'a light'.
Fancy lights may be nice, but for those who can't afford £2 or £300 for lights, a tenth of that is worth a punt.I don't do smileys.
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools0 -
He's a sneaky little bugger.njee20 wrote:
My apologies.I don't do smileys.
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools0 -
I've not changed a thing! Lol.0
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There's always one....I don't do smileys.
There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda
London Calling on Facebook
Parktools0 -
Lumicycle (one of the original Magicshine sourced clone like the Lupine lights) seems an odd choice as an expensive alternative.
No matter what you prefer there are 2 constants:
You need more than one light.
The tech changes every year.0 -
other way around. The Lupine Tesla which came out around 2008/9 was effectively what the original magicshine was based on. And why not when the Tesla featured a 700 Lumen SSC P7 - C bin multi-core LED and retailed at well over £300.
A market for something around £80-120 which is what the original Magicshines sold for was born.
Back in those days I was spending at least £40-50 to get that kind of output.
Its not like now where you can get 700 lumen for 5 quid, though you can still pay £80-100 if you want. And this is the point really. you can have a hell of a lot of 5 quid lights to get anything like to cost of a decent branded light.
At the end of the day its a battery an LED, and a driver the rest is just packaging. Even those which claim decent optics are not that different. None have auto dim features or analogue style output switches or adjustable optics.0 -
None have auto dim features
Except the Exposure Reflex for the last two years, and now all the Exposure lights for 2015...?
Not cheap I'll grant you, but given the hideous failure rates of Chinese lights I really don't get it. Everyone seems happy if they last one ride or so. My Exposures are 5 years old, they've been used for commuting 6 months of the year, plus night riding and racing, if a Chinese light lasted a month, say I'd go through 5 a year, call it £20 each, I'd have spent £500 on lights with an inferior output, shit batteries, chargers that explode, and still have to drape wires all over my bike, not to mention all the rides and races ruined by my lights suddenly going out.
Does not compute.0 -
I was more thinking of something that would dim when it picks up oncoming light. Its nice to see exposure coming up with something to differentiate themselves. Got to do something at nearly 20 times the price per lumen.
My original 501bs are still working fine after over 5 years.. I've broken 3 or 4. I blew one up trying the get 4-5A through it. I dropped an XP-G while it was on and the LED went and I've raided a couple for projects.
I tend to use them for 2 years then upgraded two at a time. Though at 4 for 20-30 quid I tend to replace them 4 at a time. IMO its really the lights with the 18650 packs that have problems and that is because the packs are sourced from recycling centres in china, when in fact they are probably anything up to 10 year old cells.
I'll be using the 501bs for my SDW double attempt as I can carry 1 or 2 spares plus change the cells if I need to.0 -
I too have 5 year old lamps. As ever, is getting the right ones. Whether that be 'chinese' or premium lights - hence these threads. So many out there. There does seem to be a higher proportion this year with poor batteries and chargers.0
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The Price of 18650s hasn't dropped, so packs that used to cost £50 and now make up £5 within a £20 lights are gonna be made out of old cells. Its still frustrating at the lack of battery pack options there are with removable cells.0
