I’m after a new light. I’ve got a few cheapish ones at the moment and they’re all either to big or are unreliable.
So, I’m after a small 18650 cell light as a back up for when Im out on my bike (if my main light fails)
Ideally I want something:
- Smallish (i.e. one cell)
- Water proof (well, it must work in the rain)
- Reliable (i.e. no dodgy switches etc. A solid construction is a must)
- Bright as possible
More of a thrower rather than something with a wide beam
I dont know what to look for really. There’s endless amounts of cheap lights on ebay, most of which Im assuming are poorly put together. Something good quality like a Lenser appeals, what other brands are similar?
Budget, I’m not sure. Dont mind paying if its for something quality. £40ish?
How small and how likely are you to want to mount it on your bike? The only issue I can maybe see is heat. A high powered light strapped on a bike with only a small surface area will heat up quickly and a lot.
If something like a Solarforce L2M isn’t too big I’d recommend one of these. Being a p60 means you can pick and choose what type and power emitter you want to use in it.
Lights are less likely to overheat on a bike. Have you seem the size of a c8, its just a p60 sized light with a decent head and proper heat sinking.
A p60 light, in comparison, won’t flood as well, throw as well, needs wrapping to create a thermal path and even when you’ve done all that, won’t work as well as a c8. Why do you think I don’t like p60’s?
I totally agree that a C8 (especially the XinTD from IO) is a better fit for the OPs stated needs, but in reality heat build up in a P60 host when using a decent current regulated drop-in isn’t really a critical issue, even when you don’t wrap. Wrapping just helps you maximize lumens by mitigating heat sag.
Sure, excess heat is the enemy of all electrical components, but it’s not like you hear about P60 users having to replace their drop-ins all the time.
Op said “smallish”. Personally I’d say a C8 is “biggish”. So it really depends how big or small they are after?
In comparison to the also mentioned EC2 or Nitecore MT series I think a p60 would likely be a better bet. They really aren’t anywhere near as bad as you claim in terms of thermal path. And they have a larger head than most pocket 18650 lights. But it’s the ability to swap and change that’d make them so useful. If the op found they wanted more flood they could simply add a OP reflector rather than buy an entire new light.
That said I’m not against the C8, but only the op can rule if it’s too big or not.
Oh, so that funny £ thing means U.K.? Missed that earlier. :8) I know they have different versions of ebay, the links I provided were for U.S. so he might want to search local. Chicken Drumstick, gords is absolutely correct about the light not overheating on a bike, especially moving at speed and with the usual cooler Fall temperatures in the Northern hemisphere. I've never had a light get hot except when stopped at a light or taking a break, but that's what Medium and Low are for, eh? Even with very high output dual or triple LED bike lights, cooling is not usually an issue unless mountain biking, in which case you might need to lower the mode when climbing slow on a technical section.
P60's do work ok for a bike light, just not as well as a C8, which is just a great all arounder. Advantage a P60 has is it fits easier in the pocket as a spare and arguably has a smaller form factor for helmet mounting. I rotate torches depending on my mood and use both types.
£40 is a pretty good price point with the dollar / pound exchange rate, just beware of attracting import duties, your limit I believe is about £22 but they seem to let a lot slip. That said, don kidik has just copped an eye watering level of tax, duty and handling charge. Strangely they seem to pay more attention to American packages than Chinese ones, dunno why.
The xintd will work out at £19.11 which leaves you a good budget to get a couple of good 18650’s from big_f_d_d on eBay, (torchy the battery boy on here) which would make up a nice kit.
Now I’ve written that I’m going to regret it because now I know what $30 is worth……spend spend spend :*
The second link, I have that host, although I do not have it up and running yet, its real nice, would be great as a back up in the summer. It’ll slip into the pocket of a pair of shorts without you even noticing.
The lxp, someone on here has one and has given it some glowing praise. I don’t think you’d go wrong with either although the edc may not deal well with prolonged running on high with the u2 emitter (same led as the xintd) it may do as the driver is dropped to 2.45a to cope.
The lxp’s head is only 5mm smaller in diameter than the xintd, so if you can pocket that you can pocket the xintd. both would slip into the saddle bag you can pick up from Asda for about a tenner and still leave room for a spare tube, tyre irons and multi tool. Given your suggested budget, if you have cells you could probably stretch to both the edc18650 and the xintd, giving yourself an everyday edc option and a high powered blaster that’ll definitely do the job. You can also get a niteize headstrap from machine mart for buttons. I have used one for twelve years, it again could fit in a saddle bag with everything else and make your back up light a headlight in the event of a repair being necessary. I currently use a cheaper c8 in mine at work. It is a very very hand addition to your tool kit and takes up no room. 8)
By the way, where abouts are you based? I’m in wigan and there’s a few of us limey’s on here, maybe someone is close by so you could have a look at a few lights before you buy. 8)
Edit :- intloutdoor is handy/dangerous, if you look at the top, you can change the currency to real money rather than guessing the exchange rate…… Both the edc18650 and xintd together come to less that £40 delivered…. 0:) I know, i’m a bad influence…. :bigsmile:
Missed that earlier. :8) I know they have different versions of ebay, the links I provided were for U.S. so he might want to search local. Chicken Drumstick, gords is absolutely correct about the light not overheating on a bike, especially moving at speed and with the usual cooler Fall temperatures in the Northern hemisphere. I've never had a light get hot except when stopped at a light or taking a break, but that's what Medium and Low are for, eh? Even with very high output dual or triple LED bike lights, cooling is not usually an issue unless mountain biking, in which case you might need to lower the mode when climbing slow on a technical section.