Hello all!
I am new into this forum, but came here to help out Colleen with the pics so I can save her some work.
Leonard, above, sent me the kit as well to test it out and post my feedback on the mtbr forum.
Time for some pics.
Every item included in the kit box:
Geinea I front light:
Geinea I rear light:
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Rear light, Remote button and front light:
Size comparison:
Manual (click to zoom in):
Photos albums (the post is already big as it is...):
Wall beamshots compared with 808 XML-T6 clone (remember the Geinea's LED is U2 version and has a nice OP reflector - actually, the 808 clone has an orange peel reflector as well, but it practically works as a smooth one making it too spotty). You can also notice the difference in colour tint - the Geinea is more of a blue colour:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4j6q19y905fhj1a/9El2-aAaeE
Outside pics. Not a very good place to take pictures, but I couldn't find a darker place to do it at that time... You should read the filename as it works out as a description of the photo:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/99qg8ifmdwv9zkz/715u_RfUG_
They were all taken with mtbr's recommended exposure settings: ISO 200, Daylight, 4.0, 1/1.6, manual focus. (Actually, I need some help. When they say 1.6, is it 1/1.6 or 1/0.625=1.6?)
EDIT: Oh, they look so dark...! I think dropbox has compressed them... Will try to get some more tonight.
Small video (focused on the rear light working at 3Hz):
So, what do I think of this light? Lets start with the rear: small & bright. The light's XP-E2 is really bright and would be great to attach to strategic places on your commuter bike as it is small and has attaches via a velcro strap that is easily removed (so it doesn't get stolen). The working modes are all strobes, but it seems Xeccon has thankfully changed this. Leonard said it would be: steady 100%, steady 40%, fast strobe (7Hz) and slow strobe (3Hz) which is much better than the all-strobe mode I have. The bad? Poor side visibility and mounting mechanism (we can't tweak the angle as it is, unless we use the clip for the headstrap). Other than that, it is perfect for me. I feel safe riding in the road as it illuminates the ground pretty well which is nice for those tight turns where drivers can't see me ahead before entering them. For this matter, I like having it pointed to the ground - it won't blind driver but they will still see me thanks to the light on the ground or just the strong light coming out of it.
However, there is always space for new things like having some sort of led indicating the current working mode of the light, to avoid looking back while riding every time I need to see how it is working. The button is big enough for this...
The front light: also nice for commuting as the hotspot is not bright nor tight. I had to point it to the ground too (not more than 5 meters ahead, I guess) because it can blind drivers too. Although it is said to be a good commuting light, I really don't think so. I think commuting lights shouldn't have that much spill and the beam patter shouldn't be symmetrical. We don't need all that light going upwards...it just wasted light that should be used to illuminate the road ahead and the surroundings. I've never used a specific commuting light, but I know I need that. This Geinea is ok for me as I will probably be using it paired with the 808 with the angle lens (still have to test this setup), but I don't think it would work in urban areas as it is because it is really bright. And this is why I think the front light needs tweaking as well: medium mode - we have high and low mode, but the low is too low...I need something in between. I think this makes sense for a commuting light too as we need a light that lasts longer and, most of the time, we don't really notice the difference from high to medium in certain environments. Another welcome addition would also be a clamping mechanism that allow us to change the angle to point it exactly where we want; sure the velcro strap on the bar allow us to do that, but I've noticed that after an hour it moves a bit... If the new mounting mechanism was designed to place this tiny light on the center of the bars, that would also be nice.
So...I guess that's it!
I still need to ride different environments but this are my thoughts on urban areas and darker roads.
Oh and as for the name of it, I've read it Genea the first time I saw it written and the name stuck in my head eheh As it is small, does it resemblance the guinea pigs? I read guinea the same way as geinea, but, again, English is not even my second language...