Cree LED lights on ebay-are they safe?

Felipe2105

I've just took a punt on some cree LED lights on ebay fpr £15 but have now heard some horror stories about the batteries exploding!

Does anyone have any advice on charging/storing them (or upgrading the charger if need be). I don't really have £70+ to spend on a front light but I also don't want to die!

jgsi

I have the Brite R from Ebay... good light.. lasts for 6 x 16 mile commutes before charging up... never leave charging unattended though.. just in case.

Felipe2105

JGSI wrote:

I have the Brite R from Ebay... good light.. lasts for 6 x 16 mile commutes before charging up... never leave charging unattended though.. just in case.

I got the nestling 4xLED Cree lamp. I'll never leave it charging unattended or overnight so I'm hoping that will help.

I just wondered if anyone had any advice on charging the 18650 battery that it comes with?

Anonymous

Felipe2105 wrote:

I don't really have £70+ to spend on a front light but I also don't want to die!

Sounds like you do have the £70, but would risk death rather than spend it.

I have some cree lights for off road TBH but I do not use them much so feel I can manage the risk better.
Also the difference in cost is much more for off road.

I would personally only have a branded rechargeable road light.
The product seems nicer, the beam may be better, and I am bound to forget its on charge at some point.

mostly

Do these take 18650? If so get a charger and batteries from a reputable source eg http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/big_f_d_d
a lot of batteries are cloned and most of the chargers are utter crap. Nitecore are good chargers if its genuine.

cougie

I've bought a few and had no issues or anything blowing up.

Never had a Samsung phone though...

mrb123

My Cree light is on to it's third winter and still working perfectly. Even the battery doesn't seem to have degenerated at all.

As others have said, I probably wouldn't leave the battery charging overnight unattended but that's no big deal.

SME

I bought a T6 XML 2000lm Cree LED headlight last year and it's not given me any problems. As JGSI said I never leave mine on charge un-attended either, and rarely leave it on charge for more than 2 hours. I use a timer in case I forget, but I do this with a lot of rechargeable batteries, an old habit left over from flying r/c airplanes!

It gives good brightness even on the '2nd click' dimmer setting. I did just file/round off some corners on the handlebar cradle, and used some handlebar tape cheat strip as a cushion/rubbing strip.

thorny88

I'm also coming into my third winter with a cree front light bought from eBay. I've been very happy with its performance, output and battery life considering the price. No issues to report at all, I have accidentally left it charging over night a few times also.

Bobbinogs

It might be worth getting some perspective on cost/value/risk. Why not jot down what you paid for your bike, your clothes, helmet, shoes, clothes, tyres, garmin, etc...and then factor in the house insurance excess (just in case) and the NCD. See if it comes to more than £70...

mugensi

I have Solar Storm CREE lights that I bought on eBay 2 years ago. I always charge the battery in the garage on the concrete floor...just in case. No problems with them so far and this will the 3rd winter of use (they don't get used at all during the rest of the year)

AK_jnr

4 years not out on a cree front light. Think it could do with a new battery as the life is a bit less, but I got a second light for pennies as a back up.

mrfpb

Lots of decent, reliable lights online (esp. Sport Pursuit) for less than £70 with proper guarantees and customer service. Why take a risk on something cheap with such a dangerous reputation.

davep1

I don't understand people knocking cheap CREE lights. I've had a couple for 4 years or so, and they are superb. Just as good as anything costing silly money.

I bet you could find horror stories about any battery exploding...

NeXXus

Lets keep in mind that CREE only manufacture LED chips and not the batteries supplied. The casings, boards, chargers and accessories are very much open to lack of quality.

trailflow

MugenSi wrote:

I have Solar Storm CREE lights that I bought on eBay 2 years ago. I always charge the battery in the garage on the concrete floor...just in case. No problems with them so far and this will the 3rd winter of use (they don't get used at all during the rest of the year)

If your not already It's better to charge and store them inside a metal tin. It will buy you more time and also make it easier to discard it outside if they do set alight or even worst explode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M5ftkN9PtY

mrfpb

DaveP1 wrote:

I don't understand people knocking cheap CREE lights. I've had a couple for 4 years or so, and they are superb. Just as good as anything costing silly money.

I bet you could find horror stories about any battery exploding...

And yet half the replies on this thread are from people who like these lights but would not leave these them charging unattended, or charge them on a concrete floor to reduce fire hazard.

I charge my (Lezyne, Light and Motion) lights overnight and sometimes leave them charging unattended on my office desk at work. The risk of them getting nicked is higher than the risk of them overheating or 'blowing up' but that's because I've bought a reputable brand that meets safety standards.

thistle_

mrfpb wrote:

The risk of them getting nicked is higher than the risk of them overheating or 'blowing up' but that's because I've bought a reputable brand that meets safety standards.

My two were not from a reputable brand and I've had no problem leaving them charging unattended.

The battery packs do have a protection and balancing circuit.

frisbee

The charger went bang on mine. The whole thing was a bit of a faff, the Moon light I replaced it with is better in every possible way.

pinno

Who uses the Cree X2 or the Solar Storm on the road? I am amazed at the output and want an upgrade but a bit wary of over dazzling.

fenix

I have but you don't need full power on the road. I save that for off road.

tenohfive

If you've got access to the batteries (they'll be 18650's) get some decent, protected cellls from here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361742138807? ... EBIDX%3AIT
(Reputable seller according to some torch geek forums, not just plucked off an eBay listing.)

And a suitable smart charger - Nitecore are good, but the Xtar VC2 is a better option for £10-15. Side bonus being that it'll recharge most li-ion and NiMH batteries too. No risk of fire/explosion as it's a smart charger, prevents overcharge etc (and can bring back dead cells.)

Gromson

Ive used eBay CREE lights for a couple of years without issue, although my mate's battery pack was left charging overnight in his kitchen and exploded. I guess there's a risk of them overheating on an extended charge, particularly if they've been used a lot and water has got into the pack at some point.

meanredspider

My team test these things as their day job and, last time I was in Beijing, I witnessed one explode in a battery testing lab. I wouldn't have a cheap Chinese one in the house.

Someone will be along in a bit and think they know better. Life's too short to argue with them. But, if you do actually want a professional opinion, you'll spend a bit more and get something better, safer and probably manufactured under better conditions for the workers.

roger_merriman

Any of these very cheap devices with reasonably powerful batteries, be that alarming cheap lights or hover boards or what ever, the risks increase.

Even bigger companies can have problems see Samsung and the recall and then discontinue of the Galaxy Note 7.

For myself if I can't leave something alone then it's not coming in the house.

froze

Keep in mind that Chinese lights rate their lumens much higher than the actual lumens. For example a 2400 lumen Chinese light is about 700 to 1000 from legit LED manufactures...but that's still a lot of lumens, though one person on another forum bought a 2400 lumen light and said it was about as bright as his 500 lumen helmet light!

I also saw a video of a generic top selling tail light on Amazon that claimed 150 lumens but when compared side by side to several others it was only as bright as a 40 lumen light.

Also if you have a warranty issue with those generics good luck in getting it handled.

You get what you pay for.

redbikejohn

Been using them for years. Charge on the bike in the garage and always leave them plugged in. Never worried about them until now !
Had a couple of batteries fail due to getting wet and the link wires corroded but then I bought a waterproof one on amazon which is great. It comes in a plastic case with rubber straps. Had one lamp fail but for 15 quid I think they are a bargin. I also have a bigger battery that has two extra cells in for the extra long rides, again only a few quid.

pinno

So buy a set of Cree lights but also buy a smart charger (nightcore?) and a different battery pack. Which one?

andy9964

Pinno wrote:

So buy a set of Cree lights but also buy a smart charger (nightcore?) and a different battery pack. Which one?

One of these and 4 batteries?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Waterproof-4x ... SwNSxVNh9w

kajjal

If you want lights you can just use and forget buy decent branded ones.

chris_bass

Has anyone actually bought cheap lights and had issues? Reading this it sounds like they'll blow up the instant you turn your back!

I've had a few cheap torches and they have been fine, bit of electrical tape on the battery to stop it rattling on the road and they have done the job nicely, charge them over night and lived to tell the tale...... For now!