Updated with test and conclusions: Magicshine MJ-886 headlamp - Heavy Picts.

Hi, I am new here and I just wanted to give some first impressions on this baby just received (sorry if my English sounds funny but I am no native speaker):

I have been looking for some time for the perfect headlamp for running and, particularly, for inline skating. Have tried a few cheap 2x18650 from deal extreme, most of them clumsy and failing soon. Also tried 1x 18650 flashlights mounted in the helmet, mostly convoy M clones and similar. These are usually more robust and I like them better for skating as helmet lights, but they are not comfortable for running. So when I heard about this frontlight and read good reviews I decided that it could be worth a try.

Manufacturer page and description:

Features:

Light source Three ultra bright LEDs
Luminous flux Measured 550 actual lumens
Shell material 6061-T6 Aluminum alloy + plastic
Surface treatment Type Ⅲ hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish + plastic
Switch Click switch + Corded remote switch
Working modes High - Mid - Low
Battery 2×18650 BAK Li-ion battery(7.4V 2.2AH)
Power indicator Remote switch with colored LED indicators to show remaining battery
Runtime 2 hours @ 100% brightness
Waterproof IPX4
Size φ37.9×H59 MM (Lamp)
Optional accessories No

For 69 Eur (about 75 US$) and including all the accessories (batteries, charger, helmet mounts and carry bag) it didn’t look like a bad deal on paper.

I am a happy user of a diving light from this brand and when I bought it was impressed by the quality of the product, in terms of manufacture quality and performance but also by the level of quality in the presentation, packing and accessories included. Not at all common for a Chinese brand and not what I am used to as a frequent purchaser of ebay, dx, etc. bargains. On that, this product is not an exception. The packing and presentation makes you feel that it could well come from an apple store:

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Included in the compact package is the lamp mounted in a headband with battery pack (2x 18650 Panasonic 2.200Ah), a dedicated 1A charger, a corded remote with clip that can be mounted as an option and a quality soft cloth carry bag. The remote is probably the most innovative item of the design. When mounted by a T-conector to the side cable connecting lamp and battery pack, the switch hangs about 30 cm (12 inches) but the coiled cable can be pulled further to your waist and clipped firmly to your clothes. Personally I don’t see the need for a remote control on a headlamp, but this one adds the information on the battery charge by a 3-LED display (100, 50 and 25% remaining charge). Since it is an optional mount, it is hard to complain about it.

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Included also are 2 high-quality velcro straps to attach directly the headlamp and the battery pack to the helmet, without the headband. I guess that the change requires a few minutes of tweaking around cables, straps and bands, but doesn’t seem a big deal and probably will make it a good option for bikers and skaters.

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Will see how it does its duty. I expect it to be mostly floody but powerful enough to use it while running or skating. I could not get info on the LEDs that it mounts (Update, 3x SSC Z5), and both the battery pack and the lamp itself look compact and completely sealed, so probably not a good option for customizing.

If anybody is interested on specifics please let me know.

UPDATE:

Yesterday night I had the chance to try the helmet mount kit and test the lamp for a while around the house. In order to mount the headlamp in a helmet, the MJ-886 includes two nylon straps. I wrote above that they were velcro straps but actually they are just normal straps with a small pressure buckle. Removing the headband and disassembling head and battery pack is not an easy task: on one hand, the battery pack does not have the typical openings on the side holds to slide the band off and you have to completely disassemble the headband and slide it off carefully. In addition, the cables are firmly attached to the headband by two plastic clips that need to be removed and that, at least in my unit, were hard as hell (at least the first time, they become more loose afterwards). Once you have disassembled everything you realize how light and tiny is the head, and the amount of smart design and manufacturing that has been put in this lamp to make a very compact and apparently solid unit. You also realize that changing back to the headband setup is going to take a while to figure out, and definitively the change is not something that you want to do “on the road” in a minute. I suppose that I will get better at changing from headband to helmet and viceversa, but still I believe that I’ll stick to the helmet mount for a while, because it will be my main use. Once everything is torn apart, you also realize that the battery compartment is a sealed ABS-like plastic box. Apparently there is no way to open it and access to the 2x 16850 batteries. I need to research a little more into this, but if this is the case I see this feature as a major drawback. Even though the batteries are described as two panasonic 2200 mAH, having a closed battery pack means that you cannot upgrade with those nice 3400mAH for longer runtime, but also that if you need long runtimes you will need to buy additional battery packs. The autonomy is supposed to be >2h at 100%, which is more than enough for my skating and running needs, but it could fall short for some demanding users needing several hours of maximum output who will miss the possibility of dropping in fresh batteries on the run.

Once mounted in the helmet, the setup looks very nice and stable in my helmet, I could barely feel it once in my head:

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I don’t like having the remote hanging on the side so I ended clipping it to the helmet:

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Then you realize that the switch it is pretty redundant, although you can see it as a battery meter.

The light has only 3 modes, not documented. My guess would be something around 100, 60, 10%. No flashing or strobing mode. You cycle between the three modes and you can turn it off from any mode by pressing and holding the switch a couple of seconds (in my unit this only works from the head switch but not from the remote switch. In addition, the response from the remote has a little lag whereas from the head unit it is immediate). But then there is no memory and when you turn it back on it starts from maximum again.

some picts outdoors (sorry but I have no manual exp. camera and the picts are taken from the phone so it is difficult to tell the difference between mid and full modes). The tree is about 5 m away (15 feet):

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Overall, I am impressed with the performance. It is quite floody as I expected and it lights the whole scene ahead of me. The maximum output should be enough for trail running and more than enough for skating. I think that I will use it mostly on medium except in very complicate areas. That should boost the autonomy to about 4 hours.

PROS:

- Powerful floody light in a very compact design

- Good design and high quality

- Comfortable and light enough as a head lamp for running; extremely compact mounted on the helmet.

- All the accessories included for headlamp or helmet mount, high-quality batteries and a 1A charger

- Excellent value for money- for a little more than two of these crappy (and dangerous) XM-L chinese headlights you get a quality (and safe) product with all the details. It is also lighter and performs much better for my intended use.

- Remote and battery meter included, but mounted optionally.

  • >2 hours autonomy at 100%, probably twice that much at MID setting (which is enough for my runs and skating needs)

CONS:

- Sealed battery package: they can not be substituted on the run for more autonomy, or upgraded with more powerful units. I see this as a major defect.

- Remote/battery meter design: I don’t like the thing hanging around or clipped to my clothes: using the head unit button is not much effort. Obviously you can decide not to wear it but then you don’t have the indication of remaining battery charge. I suppose that this is a matter of personal preference and probably some user will like to have the remote in their pocket or in the sleeve, so they can control the lamp from the pocket in really cold weather, or without releasing a handle too much while biking. I’d rather have the battery meter integrated in the head unit or in the back like other models from the same brand.

- Only 3 modes and no emergency flashing modes. I like the flashing mode while skating in bike lanes in urban areas after sunset, even it they are lighted.

  • Depends of non-standard plugs and dedicated charger. No car charger available. But then maybe that is asking too much.

In summary, I am very happy with the light and I think that it is an excellent option for running and skating within a moderate budget. It would be perfect if the batteries could be changed easily, if the driver could be programmed to include flashings and different modes, and if the battery meter was integrated differently. Overall, it is an excellent deal and highly recommended.

Certainly looks nice