Helmet mounted light - which one??

kinioo

Hi All,

I am preparing myself for a night ride with my local CC and got myself quite good lamp with external rechargeable battery.
Got out tonight to check it out and is good plenty of light etc. however the light is mounted on the handlebars and is quite focused.

I noticed that additional helmet light would be nice.
Looking for something still powerful with rechargeable batteries but fairly small/light to mount on the helmet, maybe something bit more diffused??

what is best value for the money ??
wont spend fortune here(£100 max)

thanks for any info.

Chris

cooldad

viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12660193

viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12807034

kinioo

cooldad wrote:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12660193

viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12807034

Yes, I have seen this and been through, but....half of the links is old and dont work.

ANd as I am after something which will give me more diffuse/wider light still couldnt find which woud be good.

Anyway, will keep my eyes open.

Chunkers1980

I use a Lezyne Power drive and helmet mount. a bit spotty but used in conjunction works a treat for me. Can also be got well under budget if you shop around

lostboysaint

Why do you want a wider light on your helmet? The idea behind a helmet light is to spot where you want to put the bike/yourself and get the detail of the trail before you arrive there, so the spotlights like the Exposure Joystick or the Four4ths Exodus are perfect for that, throwing light further and more accurately where you are looking. The bar light should provide the fill/width.

Tarqy

This is also an option, got mine through last week and its a decent little light for the helmet.

http://www.bikeradar.com/blog/article/s ... -70-42068/

£24 for 6 issues and the torch, can't complain!

diy

The Super Drive and power drive consists of a 2.6Ah 18650 battery, and CREE LED, with a charge circuit and mount. The LED's are undisclosed but seem consistent with the XP-G and XM-L LEDs. There are plenty of better lights that can be had for a lot less.

I personally run 1 or 2 of these:
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ch-1-18650

But they are available with charger in EU for faster shipping here:

http://eud.dx.com/product/ultrafire-wf- ... E9n-RBolEY

Which can be mounted to most helmets using either elastic or a couple of strips of inner tube.

For Cells Panasonic are pretty good and you can get 3 of the best including charger from DX for £20
http://eud.dx.com/product/enb-enb-3-5v- ... E9nUBBolEY

So £25

Chunkers1980

While I agree with all you say above, diy, it is, well, er DIY and not a purpose built product. I got a loaded kit with proper directional mount which can be easily popped on and off, spare battery for £58. I know it is a great deal more than the diy solution but it also has the benefit of being able to be charged via USB (anywhere as I have a powerpack too) and at work easily with sound electronics. It depends what you want out of a light.

kinioo

lostboysaint wrote:

Why do you want a wider light on your helmet? The idea behind a helmet light is to spot where you want to put the bike/yourself and get the detail of the trail before you arrive there, so the spotlights like the Exposure Joystick or the Four4ths Exodus are perfect for that, throwing light further and more accurately where you are looking. The bar light should provide the fill/width.

Fair point, the thing is I have already one light (on my handlebars) which is quite powerful but narrow, so was thinking maybe I will get something bit wider and put this one on the helmet ?? Dont know. Still looking.

Cheers guys for all replies.

Chris

diy

The spot/flood debate really depends how long you are riding and any other lights you have. But it also dates back to a time when we struggled to find 500 Lumen set-ups, so wanted more of a focus beam rather than "wasting" light. Now any XM-L or later will deliver both spot and flood. For me the ideal combo is 2 on the bars one on the lid. The two on the bars can be spread out to reduce shadowing and even near/far if you want. The headlight is about lighting up objects you are looking at.

The longer I ride the less powerful I want my headlight to be as it tends to fatigue you staring in to a hot spot all the time.

kinioo

diy wrote:

The Super Drive and power drive consists of a 2.6Ah 18650 battery, and CREE LED, with a charge circuit and mount. The LED's are undisclosed but seem consistent with the XP-G and XM-L LEDs. There are plenty of better lights that can be had for a lot less.

I personally run 1 or 2 of these:
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ch-1-18650

But they are available with charger in EU for faster shipping here:

http://eud.dx.com/product/ultrafire-wf- ... E9n-RBolEY

Which can be mounted to most helmets using either elastic or a couple of strips of inner tube.

For Cells Panasonic are pretty good and you can get 3 of the best including charger from DX for £20
http://eud.dx.com/product/enb-enb-3-5v- ... E9nUBBolEY

So £25

How do you mount them.on the bar?? They don't come with any mounts, do they??

cooldad

Plenty of mounts on Ebay for a few £s

diy

or some loops of inner tube will get you started, works for bars and helmet (though velcro easier on the lid):




The stability can be improved with a bit of pipe lagging between bars and torch tube.

kinioo

diy wrote:

or some loops of inner tube will get you started, works for bars and helmet (though velcro easier on the lid):




The stability can be improved with a bit of pipe lagging between bars and torch tube.

I quite like it !

kinioo

diy wrote:

The Super Drive and power drive consists of a 2.6Ah 18650 battery, and CREE LED, with a charge circuit and mount. The LED's are undisclosed but seem consistent with the XP-G and XM-L LEDs. There are plenty of better lights that can be had for a lot less.

I personally run 1 or 2 of these:
http://www.lightmalls.com/ultrafire-wf- ... ch-1-18650

But they are available with charger in EU for faster shipping here:

http://eud.dx.com/product/ultrafire-wf- ... E9n-RBolEY

Which can be mounted to most helmets using either elastic or a couple of strips of inner tube.

For Cells Panasonic are pretty good and you can get 3 of the best including charger from DX for £20
http://eud.dx.com/product/enb-enb-3-5v- ... E9nUBBolEY

So £25

Diy, are these zoomable ??

I mean if I get them mounted on the HB (I need something wider and more diffuse) would it work ??

Then I can mount my current light (which is more focused) on the helmet and then Im good.

Cheers,

Chris

diy

Zooming is not the answer its diffusing that you want, if you want it at all. Here are a couple of XM-L T6 to give you a light reference. Video shows them to be darker than the eye sees. compare them with the passing car headlights to get a reference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kQL6UnNmjk&t=0m50s

If you want them floodier then a bit of clear or opaque tape on the inside of the lens will do the job.

kinioo

diy wrote:

Zooming is not the answer its diffusing that you want, if you want it at all. Here are a couple of XM-L T6 to give you a light reference. Video shows them to be darker than the eye sees. compare them with the passing car headlights to get a reference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kQL6UnNmjk&t=0m50s

If you want them floodier then a bit of clear or opaque tape on the inside of the lens will do the job.

Cheers mate.

Chris