Commuting - New headlight suggestions?

I'm in the market for a headlight, but can't spend a whole lot. My budget is around $130, but i'd prefer to spend a whole lot less than that, if at all possible.

I'd prefer to get a LED light, primarily because of price. Are there any good LED lights out there worth using? I don't do a whole lot of night riding, but I might be starting up soon (mostly the bike path, and some back streets. So pretty dark).

If an LED isn't really an option (due to how little light it actually puts out), what's the best Halogen system I can get for my budget? Right now, REI is having a sale on all of their Nite Rider stuff, which i'm definately interested in, but from searching the forums, it seems like the overall opinion of it is pretty mixed.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v11/levensnevel/Snapshots/2Cycle/?action=view&current=050825A1265r2.jpg
Works fine 4 me
The LED front and rearlight set me back EUR 12.00
The small halogen Torch, with 4 rechargeable NiCad AA batteries, another EUR 13.00

If you're going to be commuting at night a lot, get the best light you can afford. I think 10w is the minimum. I commuted w/ 6w for some time, but it was barely adequate most of the time, and inadequate some of the time. NiMH batteries will give you longer life than lead acid.

You might want to set aside some of your budget for a backup light for when you main light runs out of juice. Given your budget, an LED would make a good backup. If I had your budget, I'd be looking at lights like the NiteRider RoadRat. I don't have experience with that light, so I am not endorsing it. But the small battery, 10w power, $60 price, and 2+ hour run time make it worth thinking about.

I'd recommend staying away from NiteRider, at least the HIDs like the Storm I have. Yes, it's bright. But sometimes it just refuses to turn on. I have emailed NiteRider about it and they didn't respond. From what I've read, they seldom do, and I don't have time during their open hours to sit on hold waiting to talk to someone.

This was a very expensive light, and I am quite disappointed in the reliability. For $400, I ought to be able to count on it, and I can't.

Nashbar has a whole bunch of 10w lights in your price range. With your budget, that's where I'd go. You have to decide how important run time and battery size are. A friend got a 10w NiteHawk light. He had a problem with the battery, and NiteHawk quickly replaced it without any fuss. That's a big plus in my book.

And as Slvoid pointed out in another thread, if the charger does not automatically stop chatging when the battery is charged, get some sort of timer (he says the're $5) that shuts everything off after the recommended number of hours.

I'd get something like this: Sigma Mirage X Dual Beam Combo. I have seen it on sale for $49.99. Then I'd do this:

1) wrap the two pieces of the light bodies with strips of tape. (To reduce the odds of the pieces coming apart. They won't on their own, but if you start fiddling in the dark . . . )
2) Get ready to replace the battery. These units all seem "old," and the batteries don't hold a charge for long. SO, I'd open the battery case and buy a comparable sla battery -- about $7-15 - that is roughly the size of a water bottle. You probably want the terminals at the small end of a rectangular battery.
3) Get an appropriate charger with an indicator light. Something like this one: http://www.zbattery.com/zbattery/6bc1000d-1.html. You'll need to match it to the battery. The indicator light, for me, is key. When I am headed out and have forgotten to charge the battery for a few days, I want to hit the road when the thing is ready rather than waiting a standard number of hours.
4) When the battery fails, jam the new battery in an old water bottle, seal with tape, etc.
5) Take care not to scratch the lenses.

The Sigma Mirage X is what I started with. It was the light I described as "barely adequate." When I ran both lights, I couldn't even make it to work once. You can do a lot better for a little extra money.

The Sigma Mirage X is what I started with. It was the light I described as "barely adequate." When I ran both lights, I couldn't even make it to work once. You can do a lot better for a little extra money.

I suppose it depends on how far it is to where you work. As I said in my orginal post, "These units all seem "old," and the batteries don't hold a charge for long." (I also wonder whether you had the 10W or the 20W version.)

If you have an $80 light that you think better, I'm interested. For $50, the lights are fine. For another $30, a new battery and charger will give a substantially longer run time.

I went out and bought the Performance ViewPoint EVO Dual Headlight System... WOW what a differance!!! I ride mostly with the one (10w) light on, but turn on the second (20w) when the area is darker... OMG... I wind up leaving them BOTH ON...

I got these last week : http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=17410&subcategory_ID=4320

I paid 119.00 at the store... twas on SALE!!! woooohoooo

I have two LED lights - one on the bars and one at the bottom of the left fork. The light is adequate for a slightly reduced cruising speed. Maybe I should have another at the bottom right fork. What I like about the LEDs is the long battery life. With multiple lights, they dont all run out of juice at the same time. I have a Planet Bike Spot and a Cat Eye EL300. They both give about the same power but the Planet Bike has a wider beam.

The Light and Motion 'Commuter' light is just about perfect for me. It's a 10Watt, but seems more like 15W and throws a beam out the sides of the lamp for a little bit of side light. It has about a 2 hour run-time, but I've pushed it 15 minutes past and it didn't seems to lose any brightness. Has a very light NiMH battery with a 'smart charger', with the trickle feature to keep it topped off. I believe it's on sale right now with Nashbar for about $70.00.

LEDS are definitley out of the question unless you are riding in superbly brightly lit streets - they just aren't bright enough.

My friends EL-500 puts out about as much power as my 2.4w Halogen does, actually it's even a bit dimmer because the beam is focused whereas my light housing is transparent.

Like the others said 10w minimum.

I've been extremely happy with the below, I paid less than $90 for it.
http://www.cygolite.com/light/Photos-Cygolite.com/products/11RoverNiMH6hr.jpg
http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/10RoverNiMH6hr.htm

I've been extremely happy with the below, I paid less than $90 for it.

http://www.cygolite.com/light/products/10RoverNiMH6hr.htm

For $90, that is a good deal! REI has them for $94, pre-rebate.

I'd recommend staying away from NiteRider, at least the HIDs like the Storm I have. Yes, it's bright. But sometimes it just refuses to turn on. I have emailed NiteRider about it and they didn't respond. From what I've read, they seldom do, and I don't have time during their open hours to sit on hold waiting to talk to someone.

This was a very expensive light, and I am quite disappointed in the reliability. For $400, I ought to be able to count on it, and I can't.

They posted somewhere, I think I remember it being on the website, that they don't do any email service ..period.

This was at least three years ago.. The service is top notch. You don't have to hold on the phone for a long time. You do have to have a conversation and get a return material authorization number to put on your box, before mailing the light to them. It's a good system actually. They will not ask questions about where the light came from they just fix it free. You pay to ship it in, they pay to ship it back. Good communication. Get your light fixed it will be fine, and free. Then you can start using it. I consider the service excellent. I have had two different night rider lights including the one you have, fixed over the last 10 or so years. Each light just once. The other light was my fault.

LEDS are definitley out of the question unless you are riding in superbly brightly lit streets - they just aren't bright enough.

My friends EL-500 puts out about as much power as my 2.4w Halogen does, actually it's even a bit dimmer because the beam is focused whereas my light housing is transparent.

Like the others said 10w minimum.

+1

The Light and Motion 'Commuter' light is just about perfect for me. It's a 10Watt, but seems more like 15W and throws a beam out the sides of the lamp for a little bit of side light. It has about a 2 hour run-time, but I've pushed it 15 minutes past and it didn't seems to lose any brightness. Has a very light NiMH battery with a 'smart charger', with the trickle feature to keep it topped off. I believe it's on sale right now with Nashbar for about $70.00.

I'll second a nod towards Light and Motion Products, and the Solo is pretty inexpensive. Build quality is noce, product seems well thought out, and there are some deals available. http://www.bikelights.com/Products/Solo.htm#

If I might add- I bought a Cygolight product (a blinky tailight) which smashed into 18 pieces when the clip failed and it dropped 28" off of my seat pack. If you can extend product quality across the Cygolight line, then I'd stay away from these products.

Steve

Any views on the Nite Hawk Raptor 10w?? Currently on sale at Nashbar for $49 w/ smart charger. Seems like a good deal if its adequate quality.

Edit: Or maybe I could just read this thread.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=83555&highlight=raptor

SLA battery. Feh.

I suppose it depends on how far it is to where you work. As I said in my orginal post, "These units all seem "old," and the batteries don't hold a charge for long." (I also wonder whether you had the 10W or the 20W version.)

If you have an $80 light that you think better, I'm interested. For $50, the lights are fine. For another $30, a new battery and charger will give a substantially longer run time.
I had the dual. I can see how a new battery could help, but you can get a decent 10w in the same price range. But a tinkerer would prefer your idea.