Not on a budget, want a great bike light

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

I'm a newbie here, first post :-) I'm an electronics engineer and to my mind a lot of manufacturers claims defy the laws of physics! Especially concerning battery life and lumen output.

I run a Magicshine MJ-836 P7 on my mountain bike up here in the Highlands of Scotland. I find it good but not quite enough to ride at full speed with. I had an LED upgraded AA Maglite as a headtorch but I stupidly lent it to someone who's not given it back. This winter I also want to road bike at night so something I can use at 25mph+ would be nice. With most lights I can't see far enough and end up slowing down.

I'm not on a tight budget but I want a good deal and will likely buy quite a few units direct from China, I'll sell a few on and keep some for myself.

I'd really appreciate recommendations for powerful handlebar mounted lights and a lighter helmet mountable light. Both must have real world two hour battery lives.

Your help is much appreciated :-)

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I must admit I've not considered cooling very much. By all accounts the MJ-836 runs cooler than its predecessors but the fact I tend to use mine when the ambient temperature is below 3C must help :-)

I'm not interested in upgrading what I have, I'll keep it as-is. If it's not broken I won't try and fix it (most un-engineer like I know). I'm really looking for some all new units, state of the art kit!

Interesting to hear that a single 18650 can power 300 lumens and still give a good run time.

3

Go HID.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/100846/210906592-435790294/Super-Brightness-HID-Bicycle-Light.html

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how about this prototype? :) http://translate.google.sk/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=sk&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=sk&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.fotonmag.cz%2Findex.php%3Fshowtopic%3D1909

5

I use MagicShine MJ-808 HA-III SSC P7-C (SXO)3-Mode 900-Lumen as a headlight on my helmet, plus a UniqueFire C8 SST-50 2-Mode 900 Lumen flashlight in a holder on my handlebars.

Both are super lights and both are OP reflectors producing huge usable spread and spill, but also a decent long throw. You could change the flashlight to a thrower for extra distance, but I don’t think you would need to.

I probably would now advise going for Cree XML-T6, and I have ordered some for my friends. You can buy on eBay similar lights with the Cree XML-T6 and they are much cheaper now.

If you wanted more then use a MagicShine Cree XML-T6 Headlight on both your handlebars and the helmet, or you could even use double (twin) lights as they now make double headlights. You could go mad and have 2 double headlights on your handlebars and another double head light on your helmet, totalling 6 Cree XML-T6 Headlights and 6,000 lumens.

Of course if you need to ride for more than 2 hours you are going to need to carry more or larger batteries. Smaller 2 pack battery packs can be bought, and I suppose it maybe possibly to use splitter cables to power multiple devices from one battery.

CREE T6 INTON hot rechargeable bike led lights

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/506168598/CREE_T6_INTON_hot_rechargeable_bike.html

These ‘INTON NB-20001’ are sold on eBay for about £129 from a UK dealer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220879587779?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

They look nice, but very much over priced, but if money is no object. I personally would think eventually they will come down to the £35 - £40 mark.

I did see a video of a bike light set up on YouTube showing 5600 lumens, but try as I could, I could not find it again. Sorry.

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If you aren't on a budget, avoid the MagicShines. Check out the Lights Shootout on mtbr.com. You are not in the US, but there are several 1000-1200 REAL lumens lights that are under $300. Check out the beam shots for comparisons. Personally, I think the Dinotte XML-3 looks like awesome value for the money (for people in the US). There are real lumens measurements on the Shootout. The Gemini Xera is small and people seem to like it. Check out the Night riding forum on mtbr.com. It's the BEST forum for bike specific lights. And unlike the much maligned CPF, MTBR allows you to post links to other sites.

The KD C8 won't be as bright as a real light, but any XM-L based flashlight will be better than P7. XM-L has more light concentrated in usable area. P7 wastes a LOT of light at wide angles where you don't need it. The XM-L has better throw, decent spill and less wide flood.

You won't find a single led, single 18650 light that puts out 1000 OTF lumens. They all lie.