Bright front light

veterangaz
veterangaz Posts: 79
in Road buying advice
Hi, I am looking for a front light for commuting.

I require it to be bright to see the road ahead, rather than just noticeable.

Ideally not one that needs recharging constantly either, as will be using it daily potentially.

Any tips?

Thanks

Comments

  • veterangaz
    veterangaz Posts: 79
    oxoman said:

    Are you looking at town riding or unlit country roads. I currently have a NR lumina 750 which lasts me for approx 4hrs commuting on unlit roads. I also use a moon xpower 300 which lasts about 3hrs on full or a wk on flash mode. I also use an exposure joystick that lasts about 1 1/2 hrs on full. I always have a couple of lights as mine is mainly unlit roads. You will be lucky to find something that lasts all wk on max brightness. Tend to charge my lights up every night to make sure I don't go flat en-route. Have a trawl through some of the previous best lights threads on here.

    Its mainly country lanes, so that was why I was hoping for a decent bright one, to spot the pot holes etc. I have a basic one I will have on flash at the same time.

    Thanks, I'll search previous threads and have a look at those you suggested.
  • Charlie_Croker
    Charlie_Croker Posts: 1,699
    There are a lot to choose from, so many it’s mind boggling, depending on your budget, so work out what you want to spend.
    Then there’s a balance to be found between brightness vs battery life.
    You could charge up overnight and/or while you’re at work for example

    This is one heck of a light, at a price!

    This article could start you off, with a useful comparison widget built into the webpage

    BikeRadar has an article too worth a read

    Then as mentioned there's previous posts on here...

    Then there are dynamo's of course...

    the choice is mind boggling
  • Charlie_Croker
    Charlie_Croker Posts: 1,699
    A note of caution on LED/battery lights:
    Unlike the old bulb and dry battery lights I grew up with the modern LED lights don’t tend to go dimmer and dimmer as the battery runs down like a candle drawing up its last gasp of wax before finally dying.

    In my experience they reach a certain point then cut out completely. Leaving you in the dark! Some do have a battery indicator now, some don't. But some sort of spare/backup is essential. I learnt the hard way
  • brundonbianchi
    brundonbianchi Posts: 689
    Aldi are having a deal day, tomorrow. They have some ‘bike mate’ light sets. These are incredible for 15 quid. They easily light up unlit country lanes, and are pretty much Lezyne macro lights, but much cheaper.
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    brundonbianchi said:

    Aldi are having a deal day, tomorrow. They have some ‘bike mate’ light sets. These are incredible for 15 quid. They easily light up unlit country lanes, and are pretty much Lezyne macro lights, but much cheaper.

    I have a set of these and are pretty good for poorly lit roads but if its wet or unlit you may want something more powerful.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    I have Lezyne SuperDrive 1250 and it’s bright enough for unlit roads on the second brightness setting. I’m not sure how long it lasts on this though as I have only used it on for about 90 minutes. Most rechargeable lights come with a usb adaptor these days, so you could recharge it while you are at work. Unless you work as something like Shepard.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Solar hat?
  • yellowv2
    yellowv2 Posts: 282
    edited September 2020
    webboo said:

    I have Lezyne SuperDrive 1250 and it’s bright enough for unlit roads on the second brightness setting. I’m not sure how long it lasts on this though as I have only used it on for about 90 minutes. Most rechargeable lights come with a usb adaptor these days, so you could recharge it while you are at work. Unless you work as something like Shepard.</blockquote

  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,470
    Something made by exposure.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • andyh01
    andyh01 Posts: 599
    I toyed with idea of dynamo hub light setup but went with the Hope R4 set up both front and rear light, external battery pack with second battery pack and charger, one charger left at work another for home, carry spare charged battery with me so I can either charge or swap at work. Good quality best value for lumans robust and very bright, both on and off road settings with different beam patterns
  • RedClip
    RedClip Posts: 110
    The latest issue of Cycling Plus (Nov 2020 - issue 372), has a 9 front light test.

    I use and recommend this. The lumen output is true and not "Chinese Lumens".
    Gaciron V9D-1600
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/MOVIGOR-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Handlebar-Flashlight/dp/B089Q4WWLL


    For day to day use, I use the "Breathing" mode.

    Also available from AliExpress for around £50. (Where I bought mine around 18 months ago).
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32802747811.html

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