I'm after recommendations for lights.
Comments
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The Lezyne Deca Drive 1500XXL Front Light Y9 costs a few quid more than the Cateye Volt 1200 (£13 quid more after a 12% discount on Wiggle) and looking at the light pattern on the comparison, the Lezyne seems to be a bit better for lighting up the sides of the road.
My only concern with the Lezyne would be that the 1500 lumen output is in 'Overdrive' mode. The Cateye lasts 20 minutes longer at full brightness. However, I think the light spread of the Lezyne is the kind of illumination I'm after.0 -
Might want to try the Fenix BC30 (not BC30R) all in one light.
Collomated lenses for a wide smooth beam with a upper cut off (shine it on a wall and you get a circular beam with the upper half lopped off and refocused down just below the central spot) so that drivers get a reduced amount of light shining at them. 1200lumen on high with a 1800 lumen toggle option on the remote switch (you can replace this with a latching switch if you get tired of holding it for the extra light).
Quite possibly one of the brightest twin emitter lights you'll ever see (and i own loads and loads of Chinese XM-L based lights to compare it against). You will have to buy your own 18650 batteries and charger for it (preferably flat topped batteries rather than button topped as these are easier to get in and out of the caddy).
It's a great beam pattern. Only the B&M mentioned above can do better with shaped beams but that light is quite big and uses standard batteries that don't really have the capacity or voltage of modern Li-Ion style batteries (so runs dimmer for shorter time spans). I'd rate the Fenix above the Lezyne equivalents which tend to be dimmer, more expensive and don't have some of the options of the Fenix.
I've had the Fenix BC30 for 3 weeks now. It has made a huge difference on my 15 miles each way commute along mainly unlit country roads. I used to use a Hope1 which was OK but had nowhere near the depth and breadth of light that the Fenix provides. Run times seem to be longer than quoted by Fenix. When I'm within 100m of a junction no one pulls out in front of me but I've had no one flash me to indicate the glare is causing a problem. This may be due to the upper cut off feature, it certainly ensures that the beam pattern covers right up to the bike. Overall, I'm really impressed. Commuting in the dark has become a pleasure rather than a pain ...............well except for the double puncture I had the other night.0 -
I don't know what you're using for comparison, but as I said, the Volt 1200 produces a wide carpet of light that lights up the full width of the road. That is one of its most noticeable features. The Lezyne Deca Drive 1500XXL may well be a better light. but I have never seen one in action whereas I've owned the Cateye for over a year. I would not write off the Cateye based on beam pattern.The Lezyne Deca Drive 1500XXL Front Light Y9 costs a few quid more than the Cateye Volt 1200 (£13 quid more after a 12% discount on Wiggle) and looking at the light pattern on the comparison, the Lezyne seems to be a bit better for lighting up the sides of the road.
My only concern with the Lezyne would be that the 1500 lumen output is in 'Overdrive' mode. The Cateye lasts 20 minutes longer at full brightness. However, I think the light spread of the Lezyne is the kind of illumination I'm after.0 -
Don't ask me.
I bought the B & M IQ Premium, I think it's great and it ticks all your boxes, esp price.
The thing is it seems completely unrecognizable from the reviews by those that don't like it.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but their opinion is wrong
I would really love to understand what is going on here. I am prepared to accept that my B&M Ixon IQ Premium light may be faulty in some way but with a claimed output of only 80 lumens, I can't see how this light gets such glowing reviews.
Could someone who uses this light connect to the Busch & Muller website and compare the beamshots there honestly equate to what they are seeing on the road?
http://www.bumm.de/produkte/akku-scheinwerfer/ixon-iq.html
Similarly, if you haven't already seen this YouTube video then is it what you are seeing also?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwM7vDvvGhU
I've got 600 lumen lights that blow the Ixon IQ out of the water but they still don't come close to those B&M beamshots. I would estimate a double XM-L light rated at 1200 lumens might get close to that, something like the Cateye Volt 1200 or the Chinese NiteFighter BT21 from GearBest.
Hypster, I think it is your total approach to bike lighting that may be wrong, summed up by the phrase "blow the Inox IQ out of the water"
Its not always about powerful lights that your best mate will say "WOW"
I think the Ixon Premium is, for me, superb, in that you can switch it on full power and leave it, get a good 4 hours of use from it, doesn't blind drivers, has a very good beam pattern. and because it isn't a 'powerhouse' light your eyes can become accustomed to the dark surroundings outside of the beam pattern.
Before I bought the Ixon I had, and still have, a 'powerful' £150 Sigma Powerled EVO light which is a very well made light and rated at around 1000 lumens, it has the WOW factor, but is now only used for its flashing mode during day time rides in winter. The Ixon premium is better for night riding.0 -
Hypster, I think it is your total approach to bike lighting that may be wrong, summed up by the phrase "blow the Inox IQ out of the water"
Its not always about powerful lights that your best mate will say "WOW"
I think the Ixon Premium is, for me, superb, in that you can switch it on full power and leave it, get a good 4 hours of use from it, doesn't blind drivers, has a very good beam pattern. and because it isn't a 'powerhouse' light your eyes can become accustomed to the dark surroundings outside of the beam pattern.
Before I bought the Ixon I had, and still have, a 'powerful' £150 Sigma Powerled EVO light which is a very well made light and rated at around 1000 lumens, it has the WOW factor, but is now only used for its flashing mode during day time rides in winter. The Ixon premium is better for night riding.
Please don't presume that you can judge what my approach to bike lights is because you have no idea what my experience of designing and building my own lights is or what mine or my friends' riding habits are. I would seriously love to meet up with any of you Ixon IQ owners and compare lights and also show you what some of my home built ones are actually capable of.
You don't need to patronise me about what various lights are capable of or what you actually need to ride by. Suffice to say that the B&M Ixon IQ light I have is wholly insufficient and positively dangerous to ride at anything above around 14 mph on an unlit road. I'm obviously not the only one who thinks this as there are others who have expressed the same experience on this forum and others like MTBR and CandlePower forums where bike lights are discussed at great length not just the occasional "What Light?" thread.
The only thing that the Ixon IQ Premium has going for it as far as I can see is the vertical cutoff beam pattern to prevent blinding oncoming drivers. The fact that it can run for over 4 hours on 4 x AA cells is a good indication of just how little power it is actually putting out as Ouija also pointed out earlier in the thread.
I'm gratified that you find the B&M Ixon IQ premium adequate for your needs but it's obvious that not everybody shares your view. I can only hope that we don't end up with restrictive legislation like Germany have because I fear there will be an awful lot of people picking themselves up off the road after hitting an unseen pothole. Thinking about it, that's probably the bottom line, I would imagine Germany's roads are in a much better state of repair than ours which is why they don't need so much light.0 -
Just out of interest Hypster of those 8 photos on page 8 of the document you attached earlier, where would you rate the B&M Ixon IQ Premium?0
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Just out of interest Hypster of those 8 photos on page 8 of the document you attached earlier, where would you rate the B&M Ixon IQ Premium?
I'm a little confused. Which document are you referring to?0 -
there seems to be some schools of thought on this : beam vs lumen and brand vs. tech
for me it's an LED a driver and a lithium cell in a waterproof lightweight rugged body that is as cheap as possible so I can have at least two. LEDs are improving at a rate of around 10% a year. CREE have just released an 1800 lumen LED that will shadow the current 1200 lumen XP-L which outperformed the previous XM-L2, XM-L, XP-G MC-E etc.
as long as you are sensible about where you point it. more light is usually better. so for me its about lumen per pound0 -
Very confusing, it's the document you linked to at the top of page 4:-Just out of interest Hypster of those 8 photos on page 8 of the document you attached earlier, where would you rate the B&M Ixon IQ Premium?
I'm a little confused. Which document are you referring to?
http://www.bumm.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Katalog/B_M__Catalogue_2015_16__English.pdf
Page 8 has 8 photos from 10 to 80 lux.
Which photo do you think best represents the output from a B&M Ixon IQ Premium?
It's the same question you asked in your post.
As I've already said, my B&M appears to be somewhere around the 70 lux photo.0 -
Very confusing, it's the document you linked to at the top of page 4:-Just out of interest Hypster of those 8 photos on page 8 of the document you attached earlier, where would you rate the B&M Ixon IQ Premium?
I'm a little confused. Which document are you referring to?
http://www.bumm.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Katalog/B_M__Catalogue_2015_16__English.pdf
Page 8 has 8 photos from 10 to 80 lux.
Which photo do you think best represents the output from a B&M Ixon IQ Premium?
It's the same question you asked in your post.
As I've already said, my B&M appears to be somewhere around the 70 lux photo.
In terms of brightness mine is around the 30 lux photo. No-way does it have the throw or distance penetration depicted in the 70-80 lux photos. The beam pattern is wider though, more like the 70 lux photo but with a lot of artifacts or light and dark patches in the beam.
The reason I bought the Ixon IQ in the first place was to study the design of the light as I design and build my own lights. I was interested in the configuration where the LED is mounted at the top of the light and fires down onto the reflector which is what gives it such a controlled vertical cut-off beam.
Quite honestly, if this light could achieve the sort of throw and beam pattern depicted in the 80 lux pictures it would be a no-brainer. However, I'm still sceptical based on the basic spec. and runtime of the light. In my experience the numbers just don't add up.
I might well email B&M and see what they have to say about my light.0 -
Then there's something very different between our lights.
In terms of brightness mine is around the 30 lux photo. No-way does it have the throw or distance penetration depicted in the 70-80 lux photos. The beam pattern is wider though, more like the 70 lux photo but with a lot of artifacts or light and dark patches in the beam.
The reason I bought the Ixon IQ in the first place was to study the design of the light as I design and build my own lights. I was interested in the configuration where the LED is mounted at the top of the light and fires down onto the reflector which is what gives it such a controlled vertical cut-off beam.
Quite honestly, if this light could achieve the sort of throw and beam pattern depicted in the 80 lux pictures it would be a no-brainer. However, I'm still sceptical based on the basic spec. and runtime of the light. In my experience the numbers just don't add up.
I might well email B&M and see what they have to say about my light.
Obviously I can't judge the exact distance of penetration.
The 30 lux photo is somewhere between 25 & 30 metres. While the 70 lux photo goes off into the distance.
I certainly get that distance feel but without measuring I'm not prepared to defend that.
But the rest I am.
The beam pattern, brightness and 'colour' of my B & M IQ Premium is pretty much identical to the 70 lux photo.0 -
Then there's something very different between our lights.
In terms of brightness mine is around the 30 lux photo. No-way does it have the throw or distance penetration depicted in the 70-80 lux photos. The beam pattern is wider though, more like the 70 lux photo but with a lot of artifacts or light and dark patches in the beam.
The reason I bought the Ixon IQ in the first place was to study the design of the light as I design and build my own lights. I was interested in the configuration where the LED is mounted at the top of the light and fires down onto the reflector which is what gives it such a controlled vertical cut-off beam.
Quite honestly, if this light could achieve the sort of throw and beam pattern depicted in the 80 lux pictures it would be a no-brainer. However, I'm still sceptical based on the basic spec. and runtime of the light. In my experience the numbers just don't add up.
I might well email B&M and see what they have to say about my light.
Obviously I can't judge the exact distance of penetration.
The 30 lux photo is somewhere between 25 & 30 metres. While the 70 lux photo goes off into the distance.
I certainly get that distance feel but without measuring I'm not prepared to defend that.
But the rest I am.
The beam pattern, brightness and 'colour' of my B & M IQ Premium is pretty much identical to the 70 lux photo.
In that case I think I will get on to B&M. The Germans are usually quite good with this sort of thing and are anxious to sort out any problems with their products. Sigma replaced a bike computer for me once that was miles out of warranty.0 -
I would really love to understand what is going on here. I am prepared to accept that my B&M Ixon IQ Premium light may be faulty in some way but with a claimed output of only 80 lumens, I can't see how this light gets such glowing reviews.
Could someone who uses this light connect to the Busch & Muller website and compare the beamshots there honestly equate to what they are seeing on the road?
http://www.bumm.de/produkte/akku-scheinwerfer/ixon-iq.html
Similarly, if you haven't already seen this YouTube video then is it what you are seeing also?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwM7vDvvGhU
I've got 600 lumen lights that blow the Ixon IQ out of the water but they still don't come close to those B&M beamshots. I would estimate a double XM-L light rated at 1200 lumens might get close to that, something like the Cateye Volt 1200 or the Chinese NiteFighter BT21 from GearBest.
You appear to be confusing Lumens with Lux above. They are different units and ways of measuring light output. I could try to explain them to you, or point you at this website:
http://gemini-lights.com/explore/lux-and-lumens
In short, you can't claim that your '600 lumen light' is better than an '80 lux' light just because it is 520 better - it's like saying a can of beans is better than a dozen eggs, because you only get 12 eggs, versus hundreds of beans.
I don't own an Ixon IQ premium, I own a saferide 80 which is similar and has identical quoted light output, and is the best bike light I've ever seen, because it lights the road evenly, without hotspots and without blinding anyone - much as you see in the beamshots and youtube review above. I'm frankly baffled by your rubbishing of the Iq premium.
If you are, as you claim, someone who builds bike lights, then you should be able to transfer more powerful leds into the chassis of an IQ premium/Saferide, run them from a lithium battery pack and get the best of both worlds - shaped beams with the most powerful LEDs currently available.0 -
2 things instantly spring to mind:-In that case I think I will get on to B&M. The Germans are usually quite good with this sort of thing and are anxious to sort out any problems with their products. Sigma replaced a bike computer for me once that was miles out of warranty.
1 - Do you actually have the 'Premium' model with Premium written below the on/off switch.
2 - I remember the packaging saying words to the effect of 'the batteries need 5 separate charges before being fully functional'.
The batteries that came with my unit are B&M own brand NiMH2100 mAh.
That leads me to think the light could be closer to the 80 lux photo with 'decent' batteries.0 -
You appear to be confusing Lumens with Lux above. They are different units and ways of measuring light output. I could try to explain them to you, or point you at this website:
http://gemini-lights.com/explore/lux-and-lumens
In short, you can't claim that your '600 lumen light' is better than an '80 lux' light just because it is 520 better - it's like saying a can of beans is better than a dozen eggs, because you only get 12 eggs, versus hundreds of beans.
I don't own an Ixon IQ premium, I own a saferide 80 which is similar and has identical quoted light output, and is the best bike light I've ever seen, because it lights the road evenly, without hotspots and without blinding anyone - much as you see in the beamshots and youtube review above. I'm frankly baffled by your rubbishing of the Iq premium.
If you are, as you claim, someone who builds bike lights, then you should be able to transfer more powerful leds into the chassis of an IQ premium/Saferide, run them from a lithium battery pack and get the best of both worlds - shaped beams with the most powerful LEDs currently available.
Please don't patronise me, I'm not confusing lumens with lux at all and well know the difference. If you knew anything about lights as well you would know you can't just put a more powerful LED in the IQ Premium because it has a plastic case and would melt if you put an XP-G in there at 1 Amp even let alone something like an XM-L.
I'm frankly baffled by people like you who come on to forums and preach at other people like you think know what you are talking about.0 -
Hypster, can you just clarify whether you have the IXON IQ-Premium (80 lux) or IXON IQ (40 lux)?0
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2 things instantly spring to mind:-In that case I think I will get on to B&M. The Germans are usually quite good with this sort of thing and are anxious to sort out any problems with their products. Sigma replaced a bike computer for me once that was miles out of warranty.
1 - Do you actually have the 'Premium' model with Premium written below the on/off switch.
2 - I remember the packaging saying words to the effect of 'the batteries need 5 separate charges before being fully functional'.
The batteries that came with my unit are B&M own brand NiMH2100 mAh.
That leads me to think the light could be closer to the 80 lux photo with 'decent' batteries.
No, I do have an IQ Premium, at least that's what the packaging and the markings on the light say. I suppose it is possible that for some strange reason a vanilla Ixon IQ could have been constructed wrongly and marked up as a Premium but I doubt it.
I've tried two different sets of high quality rechargeable NiMH cells in there which have been used and recharged several times already and I have tried it with Duracell primaries as well and it doesn't make a blind bit of difference. Thanks for the suggestions anyway. I think I'm going to have to call time on this light and get in touch with B&M.0 -
Right, and I suppose it'd be beyond your abilities to attach a heatsink to the upper body of the IQ premium with thermal epoxy/paste, or to put more powerful LEDS in the saferide (if you read again you'll note I wasn't specific) which does have a metal chassis, or to transfer the lens and mirror into a metal chassis of your own design?
You appear to be confusing Lumens with Lux above. They are different units and ways of measuring light output. I could try to explain them to you, or point you at this website:
http://gemini-lights.com/explore/lux-and-lumens
In short, you can't claim that your '600 lumen light' is better than an '80 lux' light just because it is 520 better - it's like saying a can of beans is better than a dozen eggs, because you only get 12 eggs, versus hundreds of beans.
I don't own an Ixon IQ premium, I own a saferide 80 which is similar and has identical quoted light output, and is the best bike light I've ever seen, because it lights the road evenly, without hotspots and without blinding anyone - much as you see in the beamshots and youtube review above. I'm frankly baffled by your rubbishing of the Iq premium.
If you are, as you claim, someone who builds bike lights, then you should be able to transfer more powerful leds into the chassis of an IQ premium/Saferide, run them from a lithium battery pack and get the best of both worlds - shaped beams with the most powerful LEDs currently available.
Please don't patronise me, I'm not confusing lumens with lux at all and well know the difference. If you knew anything about lights as well you would know you can't just put a more powerful LED in the IQ Premium because it has a plastic case and would melt if you put an XP-G in there at 1 Amp even let alone something like an XM-L.
I'm frankly baffled by people like you who come on to forums and preach at other people like you think know what you are talking about.
I mean, aren't you the expert in building lights? I want to see what you can do! Perhaps I'll buy one from you.
And if you didn't get Lux and Lumens confused, then just how do you explain this quote (i note you trimmed it out of my post in your reply):I would really love to understand what is going on here. I am prepared to accept that my B&M Ixon IQ Premium light may be faulty in some way but with a claimed output of only 80 lumens, I can't see how this light gets such glowing reviews.
It's claimed output isn't 80 lumens, it's claimed output is 80 lux at 10 metres. I've not seen anywhere that quotes the output in lumens for the IQ premium.
I mean, the fact is, you've claimed that the performance of your IQ premium is nothing like that given on B&M's website - what about this apparently independent review that confirms it: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?389285-REVIEW-Busch-amp-Muller-Ixon-IQ-Premium-Warning-Photo-Heavy
What about the also apparently independent youtube video you posted earlier?
Frankly, I think it's time that you took some photos and showed us what beam pattern you are getting, as right now you just seem to be sowing FUD for no clear reason, which leads me to suspect you have some ulterior motive, or are just plain talking out of your behind.0 -
Right, and I suppose it'd be beyond your abilities to attach a heatsink to the upper body of the IQ premium with thermal epoxy/paste, or to put more powerful LEDS in the saferide (if you read again you'll note I wasn't specific) which does have a metal chassis, or to transfer the lens and mirror into a metal chassis of your own design?
You appear to be confusing Lumens with Lux above. They are different units and ways of measuring light output. I could try to explain them to you, or point you at this website:
http://gemini-lights.com/explore/lux-and-lumens
In short, you can't claim that your '600 lumen light' is better than an '80 lux' light just because it is 520 better - it's like saying a can of beans is better than a dozen eggs, because you only get 12 eggs, versus hundreds of beans.
I don't own an Ixon IQ premium, I own a saferide 80 which is similar and has identical quoted light output, and is the best bike light I've ever seen, because it lights the road evenly, without hotspots and without blinding anyone - much as you see in the beamshots and youtube review above. I'm frankly baffled by your rubbishing of the Iq premium.
If you are, as you claim, someone who builds bike lights, then you should be able to transfer more powerful leds into the chassis of an IQ premium/Saferide, run them from a lithium battery pack and get the best of both worlds - shaped beams with the most powerful LEDs currently available.
Please don't patronise me, I'm not confusing lumens with lux at all and well know the difference. If you knew anything about lights as well you would know you can't just put a more powerful LED in the IQ Premium because it has a plastic case and would melt if you put an XP-G in there at 1 Amp even let alone something like an XM-L.
I'm frankly baffled by people like you who come on to forums and preach at other people like you think know what you are talking about.
I mean, aren't you the expert in building lights? I want to see what you can do! Perhaps I'll buy one from you.
And if you didn't get Lux and Lumens confused, then just how do you explain this quote (i note you trimmed it out of my post in your reply):I would really love to understand what is going on here. I am prepared to accept that my B&M Ixon IQ Premium light may be faulty in some way but with a claimed output of only 80 lumens, I can't see how this light gets such glowing reviews.
It's claimed output isn't 80 lumens, it's claimed output is 80 lux at 10 metres. I've not seen anywhere that quotes the output in lumens for the IQ premium.
I mean, the fact is, you've claimed that the performance of your IQ premium is nothing like that given on B&M's website - what about this apparently independent review that confirms it: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?389285-REVIEW-Busch-amp-Muller-Ixon-IQ-Premium-Warning-Photo-Heavy
What about the also apparently independent youtube video you posted earlier?
Frankly, I think it's time that you took some photos and showed us what beam pattern you are getting, as right now you just seem to be sowing FUD for no clear reason, which leads me to suspect you have some ulterior motive, or are just plain talking out of your behind.
Okay, hands up, the 80 lumens quote was a typo and I do know the difference between lumens and lux (and candela for that matter). If you bothered to read all of the CandlePowerForums thread you link to you will see that not everyone on there agrees with the "independent" reviewer's opinion of the light either so it's not just me or my light.
Also, if you bothered to read earlier parts of this thread you will also see that I don't have a great deal of faith in beam shot photographs for precisely the reason that they are very deceptive. The camera simply does not react to light in the way the human eye does and depends heavily on the manual settings for aperture and exposure time being set very specifically to get even remotely close to what the eye sees, which will vary from person to person anyway.
The tone of both of your posts makes me think that you are just a troll who likes to wind people up so as such I won't bother to carry on explaining anything more to you. You're obviously someone who knows a bit about plain talking out of your backside, so I concede that point to you.0 -
Good man, I take it that you no longer think I came on just to "preach at other people like you think know what you are talking about."Okay, hands up, the 80 lumens quote was a typo and I do know the difference between lumens and lux (and candela for that matter). If you bothered to read all of the CandlePowerForums thread you link to you will see that not everyone on there agrees with the "independent" reviewer's opinion of the light either so it's not just me or my light.
I'm a keen amateur photographer so please don't feel you need to preach to me about the difficulties of capturing what the eye sees with a camera.Also, if you bothered to read earlier parts of this thread you will also see that I don't have a great deal of faith in beam shot photographs for precisely the reason that they are very deceptive. The camera simply does not react to light in the way the human eye does and depends heavily on the manual settings for aperture and exposure time being set very specifically to get even remotely close to what the eye sees, which will vary from person to person anyway.
If you have an even remotely decent camera, you can put it in manual mode, set the exposure, take a picture of the beam from your iq premium, then take a picture with the same settings of the beam from one of your other apparently superior lights. This won't tell us what the eye sees, but will allow us to judge relative brightness and more importantly light distribution, which is all that I would expect any beam photo to convey.
I have no interest in winding you or anyone else up, I have an interest in people getting good advice when they come to a forum for it. If you can demonstrate that I've mislead anyone, please be my guest.The tone of both of your posts makes me think that you are just a troll who likes to wind people up so as such I won't bother to carry on explaining anything more to you. You're obviously someone who knows a bit about plain talking out of your backside, so I concede that point to you.0 -
This was an thread that was of great interest to me, but now it seems to have descended into an argument about technicalities that most of us don't care about rather than highlighting what are the best products - shame :-(0
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I've just bought the Lezyne Deca Drive 1500XXL Front Light Y9. It's big, heavy and bright! I bought it for my Winter bike for cycling at night. It's got a machined aluminium body and three high-powered LEDs. Inside there's a Lithium-ion battery (I dont' know whether it can be replaced or not).
Charging is via micro-USB - a cable is included but you need to supply the charger itself (most people will have a USB charger lying around).
The body was coated in an oily substance (probably a rust treatment I imagine) and there's a clear cover over the lens that needs to be peeled off. I cleaned the body with a household cleaner before charging it to remove the oily coating.
It takes a few hours to charge.
There are two modes of operation - the standard mode where you cycle through various static and flashing patterns (the maximum brightness in this mode is 1000 lumens).
The 'race' mode has only two options to cycle through: overdrive (1500 lumens) and economy (not sure of the light output in this mode but it's a lot less than 1500 lumens).
Switching between the two modes is by means of pressing the power button for 5 seconds. Switching the light on and off is by means of pressing the power button for 2 seconds. Cycling through the lighting modes is a quick press of the power button.
The light actually only has a single button on top and this doubles as a battery level indicator. With the light switched off, if you press the power button briefly then it will glow green, amber or red to let you know roughly how much battery life is remaining.
There are two different diameter mounting brackets supplied to cope with different handlebar thicknesses. The light can be slid off the mounting bracket although this requires some force.
The mounting bracket doesn't seem to be secured very tightly on the handlebar as only a thumbscrew is provided to tighten it so it can only be tightened finger-tight.
Once mounted the light can actually be made to swivel left and right if you need to point it one way or the other whilst cycling.
Now the light output. It's astonishing. It's like a car headlight! On the couple of sections of my regular route that are unlit, the path was lit up very well with a good even dispersion from left, through straight ahead, and to the right. In fact, this was my primary reason for buying this light - the excellent wide, uniform dispersion of light rather than a narrow beam ahead.
In terms of cost, I paid more than I really wanted to: around £124 with my Wiggle discount. Normal price is £139.99.
Build quality is solid and it seems like it can take a lot of abuse. The USB jack is covered with a rubber cover.
In summary - this is the light I wanted! Very, very bright so be careful of where it's pointed at - the ability to swivel it left or right could come in handy if oncoming drivers are blinded by it on narrow lanes.
Pros: Very simple to operate, power button located on top (also doubles as battery remaining indicator), heavy-duty metal body, rugged, extremely bright light output, a nice usable selection of operating modes, simple USB charging (micro-USB), simple handlebar mount.
Cons: Expensive, handlebar mount seems a bit weak, the light is very heavy, charging takes many hours (although I think there is an optional 2A charger that can be bought which reduces the charging time), quite an ugly-looking light!
It's this one here:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-deca-drive-1500xxl-front-light-y9/0 -
A lux reading is pretty useles as an indicator anyway. 80 lux at 10m is a useless piece of information unless they include the area over which 80lux is projected. I have 500lm lights that can be adjusted to produce 500lux at 10m or 50lux at 10m depending on the insert used. Lux ie lumens per square metre only tells you how bright the brightest spot is. It gives no indication of spread or overall output. That's why many MTB lights give you a lumen number and either a beam description or a beam angle. eg 60 degree flood etc
If you look at the B&M literature they have pretty diagrams showing light distribution at every point in the beam. So you can see exactly where you're getting 80 Lux and what you're getting elsewhere. It's a lot more information than most other manufacturers provide...0 -
This light is the classic lumens-first dazzler of other road users unfortunately. On the plus side, after an accident it'd be very hard for anyone to claim they hadn't seen you - unfortunately they could quite justifiably claim to have been dazzled by your light.
I've annotated wiggle's beam diagram to show what I see as being wrong with the light here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/87j4ze5kvp2xb60/annotated%20light%20demo.jpg?dl=0
I don't know, I mean obviously you acknowledge that there's the capacity to swivel it away from oncoming drivers which is good, but once you get dazzled it takes a couple of seconds to recover regardless of if the light is no longer pointed at you, plus as you mentioned it gives a wide beam so how much effect is the swivel going to have?
It's a shame really, because bike lights with shaped beams (like the saferide 80 and IQ premium) do exist but finding them in UK stores seems to be an impossibility - I'd be happy to be proved wrong on this! - and the shaped beam lights that are available seem to use relatively weedy nimh rechargeables which mean they underperform on endurance and weight.0 -
This light is the classic lumens-first dazzler of other road users unfortunately. On the plus side, after an accident it'd be very hard for anyone to claim they hadn't seen you - unfortunately they could quite justifiably claim to have been dazzled by your light.
I've annotated wiggle's beam diagram to show what I see as being wrong with the light here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/87j4ze5kvp2xb60/annotated%20light%20demo.jpg?dl=0
I don't know, I mean obviously you acknowledge that there's the capacity to swivel it away from oncoming drivers which is good, but once you get dazzled it takes a couple of seconds to recover regardless of if the light is no longer pointed at you, plus as you mentioned it gives a wide beam so how much effect is the swivel going to have?
It's a shame really, because bike lights with shaped beams (like the saferide 80 and IQ premium) do exist but finding them in UK stores seems to be an impossibility - I'd be happy to be proved wrong on this! - and the shaped beam lights that are available seem to use relatively weedy nimh rechargeables which mean they underperform on endurance and weight.
B&M do the Ixon IQ Speed Premium which has the shaped beam and a separate external (Li-ion?) battery pack. Goes up to 90 Lux and lasts for 10 hours apparently. It costs quite a bit more though.
Lack of UK retailers selling B&M stuff is a bit annoying. £:€ exchange rate probably not helping...
Phillips discontinued the Saferide a while ago.0 -
Mmm, the IQ Speed premium does look somewhat interesting - apparently you need to attach a second head unit to it to reach 90 lux though, and the battery pack is NiMH.B&M do the Ixon IQ Speed Premium which has the shaped beam and a separate external (Li-ion?) battery pack. Goes up to 90 Lux and lasts for 10 hours apparently. It costs quite a bit more though.
Lack of UK retailers selling B&M stuff is a bit annoying. £:€ exchange rate probably not helping...
Phillips discontinued the Saferide a while ago.
I'm just glad I bought a spare Saferide when they were sold off by Rose last year, it looks like it might need to last a while.0 -
No, they claim the Speed Premium is 90 Lux, and suggest you can use two of them to get an alleged 180 Lux.
(Would two 90 Lux lights give a combined 180 Lux?)
You're right about the battery pack...0 -
Still traumatized by this thread, I was mucking about with my B&M in the garden last night.
This afternoon I got stopped by the fella who lives 3 doors down:-
"Was there someone in your back garden last night?"
"No"
"I was out having a fag and then the whole place lit up"
"ah, I was playing with my bike light"
"Bloody hell that's a seriously bright light".0 -
Check out a company called mtbbattries.co.uk slightly more than you are looking to spend but the lights and the services i have received was brilliant.0
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OK just back from my second B&M lit night ride, my first solo, and my first with a critical eye.
I rode some of the darkest country lanes in West Sussex, absolutely no other light.
When I got to the grim north it was also pretty misty and foggy.
The IQ Premium arches out like a menorah!, covering both sides of narrow lanes.
I found that quite 'comforting', (sorry it's the only word that works).
I didn't realise until the mist kicked in that there's a pronounced 'stronger' beam straight up the middle.
Although once back down south that became undetectable again, even when 'looking' for it.
Judging by the cars turning down from full beam a distance away, around bends, the light has considerably more penetration than I give it credit.
I can see people wanting brighter, the light seems like an ok car headlight on normal beam.
It's plenty good enough, but it's not got the umph when driving down a country lane on full beam.
But having just ridden for 2 hours on full beam, knowing I still have another 2 hours in the bank, is very reassuring.
Being a novice night rider I don't know if this is specific to this light or all lights, but the B&M does rather momentarily 'disappear' in oncoming car headlights and on extremely well lit roads (of which I only encountered 1).
I found that a little tricky but as said I don't know if that's down to me or the light.
Overall I think, for £50 this light is excellent VFM.0
