I want to purchase a bike light, my budget is about $40 w/ batteries.
Multiple emitter ones are OK.
I want actual users feedback, and experience of the products.
Thanks in advance.
The problem I have with bike lights in general is that they are not as durable as a flashlight. The connectors, battery boxes, etc, are weak and are potential failure points, and it’s just more gear to manage.
I find the convenience of a small flashlight and a $1 silicone strap to be compelling.
A Convoy S3 or S2 puts out a lot of light as well. With a simple setup that I can always carry in my pocket, I’m much more likely to have a light when I need it… like the other day on my way back home from the library when I wasn’t expecting to be out after dark.
For under $20, I have a pretty good setup…$40 gets you a dual beam.
I am using a couple of C8 in the handlebars, and sometimes also one like this attached to my helmet, specially for solo night rides , but i am being very tempted for this 2 xml unit
EDIT: I didn´t ask for the purpose, I use this setup for mountain biking, far away of roads and so on, I don’t think it is a good idea to ride in a city with that setup
Main purpose is to use in the city,
there is some lighting, but some places gets very dark (out of order lighting)
I have thought about that 2xml one. Is there anyone used that model?
My current setup is an Ultrafire 502B with xml drop-in and handlebar mount.
So far, this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006Y1FK18/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 has been working well for me with this lens: Amazon.com to widen out the beam.
I am using that same lens in one of my handlebars C8, thats the light I keep on when a car approaches (sort of low beam)
Thanks for the idea of using wide angle lens. I think it also functions as a diffuser.
totilde: Can you provide a link to your lens? (ebay preferred)
If you’re looking at a dual emitter dedicated bike light, you should check out MTBR forums, there are plenty of user reviews including the solarstorm X2.
You may also want to check out this one:
The guy who reviewed it own’s about 30 different chinese bike lights including the Solartstorm X2.
If you’d rather get a flashlight, then I’d suggest the following:
Convoy S3 : great flooder
JM07 : bike thrower (although it’s around $50)
JM07 clone: Review: Sky Eye F13 (Shadow JM07 / JM07-Pro Clone) (Yes, Another Review!) (much cheaper at around $27)
C8 lights IMO have too narrow a beam to be useful for a bike light and the tight spot can be irritating after a while.
The JM07 has a larger reflector than a P60 like your ultrafire 501b so offers more throw, however the hotspot disperses nicely at around 18-20 metres and illuminates a wide area of road making it the perfect thrower for a bikelight. Combine it with your Ultrafire P60 and the combined spill alone will be bright and floody enough to light up any objects in a wide area, and the JM07 will provide that extra illumination at distance. Headmounting the 501b will also give you much needed peripheral vision as it’s likely having 2 xml lights will ruin your night vision and makes turning tight corners a bit of a hazard.
That’s my favourite combo at the moment, although the amount of light coming from 2 xml’s is kind of ridiculous and you’ll need to be conscience of other drivers in your vicinity, although great in dark areas where no-one is around.
Yep, a C8 + wide angle lens = great flooder
I bought it from the same amazon link posted here, but if you search ebay for “magicshine wide angle” youll find the lens sold by the same seller (action led lights in my case)
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?\_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xwide+angle+magicshine.TRS0&\_nkw=wide+angle+magicshine&\_sacat=0&\_from=R40
I can take beamshots if you need them, but i have already seen pictures, i think in mtbforums
Thanks for the information. I do not have any C8 light. I may buy one C8 and this lens for a start.
Had good reviews at fasttech and at a couple of mountain bike sites.
Shipped yesterday, I will report on it when it arrives.
The Solarstorm X2 (or the Fandyfire versio) are indeed very well received bike lights and I will definitely get one. At the moment I am very satisfied with the Trustfire D009 and I am also waiting for the Trustfire D010 with the 5 Leds to arrive (warning some mounting issues reported by a user). Although the battery that came with the D009 is ok, I am using a custom 14,400mah 8.4V pack with it and the run times are huge (more than 12 hours on medium I estimate). However those are flooder lights and in case I need more throw I always have a flashlight mounted next to the Trustfire and aimed further up. This way I have a dual beam capability and as much throw as the flashlight I choose provides. For example I have even tried the Blackshadow Terminator coupled with the Trustfire and the end result is really "fun" although bulky! I will try with the 2X Trustfires + a flashlight once it arrives.
On the other hand, I use a plain Trustfire Z3 zoom flashlight to my 5 year's old bike and it works like a charm when zoomed out and no worries if he breaks it. I guess two of those would be even better and they are quite cheap to begin with. I will try other zoom flashlights as well to see how they work. The downside with flashlights is run times and heat if used to high especially if you need 700-1000 lumens constantly.
Another well regarded option are the Philips Bike lights which are especially designed for road use (very nice beam shapes) with lens that don't blind incoming drivers. These are also on my shortlist.
I have decided to get a C8 first, with wide angle lens.
I have ordered xintd c8 from intl-outdoor, and the lens from ebay.
Runtime is not a problem, because general usage time is 1-2 hours.
Jargon, Which one is your Phillips light. This one is too expensive.
I have not bought a Philips light yet but I want to buy the 80 Lux model.
Have a look at this site: http://www.bike24.de/1.php?content=7;navigation=1;menu=1400,1410,1411;mid=251;ID=cc1193fb459f18c9de043cd1254b654d
130 lumens is not a very impressive output, compared to the xintd. But one thing is sure, you will not blind opposing traffic with this Phillips, it’s approved for road use, so the beam and the power have been studied with that purpose (and I think it’s expensive)
It is not 130 Lumens. For example the 80 Lux Saferide works better on the road than a 1000 Lumen light and there are users that agree so.
Here are some beamshots of the 40 Lux version which is half the output of the 80 Lux version. There is no flashlight that can project such a beam (no need) and most good bike lights need to work like that.
Some more:
Here is another beam from another specialized bike light that does not blind incoming drivers.
I took the lumen datum from the link you posted ” as bright as the day and a light output of 130 lumens for a perfect orientation in every environment” I assumed it was real
The 80 lux doesn’t tell me nothing if I don’t know the area it’s illuminating (I found the distance at least, but it’s not an even beam to calculate the area)
About the picture, it does not clarify nothing, I can take a long exposure pic with an sk68 seeming to be 10 times brighter than that (I didn’t try to see the metadata of the picture)
The official Philips specs page in Spanish only says “easy to use”… A bit embarrassing for a big company like that to give such advanced documentation
I found on other official Page it has “1000+ lumens equivalent output”… Why equivalent? Or this “*Measured at 32 ft. – 80 LUX is equal to over 1,000 Lumens” why don’t they measure the OTF lumens like everybody else?
I don’t know the light, it might be a very good one, I don’t doubt it, but the info provided by Philips is not the info I’d like to read. I don’t want equivalencies nor estimations, I’d prefer actual specs
The lens linked here provides a 30 degree horizontal x 10 degree vertical beam. Pretty much similar to this one (it is an uglier beam, with some vertical lines in the short range. I can live with that, because it is much cheaper than this)
If you get it, please make a good review of it with good comparison beam shots
80 Lux at 32 feet is an illumination spec and relevant for a bike headlamp.
if it only illuminates with 80 lux a 10x10 cm square at 32 feet, it’s not enough for me. I prefer to have a beam of 10x3 meters at 32 feet illuminated with 80 lux. That’s why I want the lumen and lux output
Edit ie. I can put much more than 80 lux with a 4$ sk68 at 32 feet, in a small square. Do you still think that data is enough? I wouldn’t like to ride only with that light