Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Xmitter LED Light Bar

Anybody seen these light bars? (http://www.modbargains.com/product.aspx?pf_id=VisionX_LEDLB_MW) The smallest (6" length) version for $279 claims 1440 lumens output and 2 amp draw with 8 LEDs. Other options include 9" bar with 12 LEDs putting out 2160 lumens drawing 3 amps, or a monster 12" bar with 20 LEDs putting out 3600 lumens at 5 amps for $500. Only downside is it's probably constant-on only, and there's not a taillight version :).

The smallest bar paired with this 12V 10Ah NiMH battery pack (http://www.all-battery.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1344) looks like it could be quite a setup for around $400.

Any thoughts? I'm disappointed there doesn't seem to be any information on the weight of the light unit; probably since it's designed for motorized vehicles where weight is less of an issue. Otherwise it looks impressive to me.

I'd love to see somebody attempt this. Maybe mount it on a Nashbar front rack? (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=17192&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Show%20All%20Products)

Hi Jeff.

I am the Ford sales rep over at modbargains.com and my boss just showed me this thread.

After checking through the forums I might have to make myself comfortable and stay here. I've got a trek 5200...but thats for another thread.

I have never thought about putting these LED bars on a bike... but it is an awesome IDEA. These LED bars were made for offroad trucks and buggies needing serious amounts of light with low power draw. I wouldnt even think about running the 12 inch light on a bike... the 6 inch would put out MORE than enough light for a bike.

I will contact my distributor and check on the weight of the 6 inch bar for you. If you're interested, maybe we could meet up one day and try to test fit the 6 inch bar to your handle bar and see if we could get something going.

If you have any questions and I dont respond here... Feel free to email or call me any time.

Alon@modbargains.com
714-459-5597

Alon,

Is it Alon or Alan? Seeing how far apart 'A' and 'O' is I'm thinking it's Alon and not a typo mistake. Anywayswelcome to the forums. Glad to have another rider here and when I saw that 1400lum claim I have to say it did peak the interest. ;):D It sounds like you're a DIY guy yourself. If you checked out the TOTAL GEEKINESS (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=42629&page=70) it might inspire some ideas for your own mods on either your ibke or car or ways of doing things you did not expect would work.

There i also another company with batteries for bikes called Battery Space (http://www.batteryspace.com) (I have no affliation with them). I would like to also know the weigh of the 6" LED bar. More important I would like to know the lens and LED specifications. Are the lens all 25 degree wide flood or I don't know 8 x 25 degree wide for that spot-flood or 5-10 degree spots? Can you find out what LED's are being used? The LED company (Cree? Seoul (SSC)?) and what 'bin' (bin is the equivlent rating system like you would rate diamonds for thier tint/quality) the LED's are used?

There is another site that is /HUGE/ on lighting. You may have heard of it. The name is Candlepowerforums (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/index.php?). Here is thier bicycle section (http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86). The site there is how I learned more into the evolution of the LED technology. Currently the two head to head companies with the brightest LED's to my knowledge and understanding are CREE and SEOUL. If you're building your own stuff fo rthe car/bike a good cheap supplier is DealExtreme (DX) (http://www.dealextreme.com) (I have no affliation with them). DX's prices on the Cree Q5 (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2394) is $9 USD per LED with SSC P4 U-bin (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1445) at $5.82 per LED as a runner up.

BTW nice Trek bike. You do any night riding?

Thanks for the welcome. It is indeed Alon (Israeli name).

These lights were designed/built for offroad trucks and buggies and are VERY durable. I can see them on a mountain bike and taking crashes with no problem. I will contact the manufacturer either tomorrow or tuesday and get all the specs I can out of them.

I have never done any night riding, but would definitely like to try it one of these days. At this point I just need to get in gear and get on the bike in general. Hopefully I can find some decent beginner rides around me to get back in shape.

Alon: There is a very active Southern California regional subforum here on bikeforums; should be tons of information there on local rides.

Definitely looking forward to getting more information on these lights. Zero asked some great questions that I'd love to see the answers to as well.

It could be mounted on the handlebars with a couple of padded P-clamps. I've seen it done with the lower power LED bars cars use as rear brake lights. Available for a few bucks at an auto salvage yard.

Allright guys.

The 6" bar is 2lb 2oz

http://i30.tinypic.com/nq5she.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/2jb1pwn.jpg

What is the dimension of normal handle bars?

You could drill some holes in the handle bars and mount them with that hardware.... but i would be worried about ruining the strength of the bar and would advice against that one. We also have some billet aluminum clamps, but the smallest tube diameter is 1.5".

If there is some serious interest in this I can get together with my supplier and my bike. What are you guys wanting to put these on? Mountain bikes or street?

nobody interested anymore?

Thanks for the information Alon, but I think 2+lbs not including battery is a whole lot of weight for a bike light. For contrast purposes, the light head on my Cygolite TridenX which has 3 LEDs comparable to the LEDs in the VisionX light is 4 oz. With 2 more TridenX light heads I would have a 12 oz. total light head weight with higher output than the 34oz. VisionX light head weight, at about the same cost. I think 3 TridenX's including batteries would still be less weight than just the VisionX light head.

Obviously the VisionX lights are engineered for high speed off road motor vehicle use and the bumps/vibrations that come with that. When they're being mounted on motor vehicles an extra pound or two isn't going to make a difference, especially if it increases durability. Unfortunately on a bike an extra pound or two can be a deal-breaker, especially when you get into the higher priced LED systems.

Also, Zero_Enigma asked alot of very good questions in his post and they appear to have gone un-answered. Did the supplier refuse to give those details out?

Few points from a commuter:

- Weight: a kilogram is a lot, for a lighthead. At 2 amp draw it will need a fairly beefy battery too, so the combined weight will be something to think about. And I'm a commuter / utility cyclist. I'm sure road cyclists and possibly MTBers would be even more concerned.
- Mount: drilling the bars is definitely not a good idea. P-clamp sounds better, but the mount or the light should really have some kind of quick release. Bolt that much money onto a handlebar and it will be gone the moment you turn your back, if not before.
- Amount of light sounds good, though a lot depends on the beam pattern. That "MORE than enough" -statement... well, I don't think anyone has ever discarded a bike light because it's too bright. Maybe because of short run time / excessive battery size involved, but all the lumens are generally warmly welcomed.

It would be interesting to know the LED / lense specs as Zero Enigma pointed out earlier, but with the specs on the table so far, VisionX doesn't look like a clear winner to me.

--J

I do not know all the specs of the LEDs or what angles they are. When i talked to the distributor he didnt have that information, and I did not have a chance to talk to vision X directly. I agree with you guys on the weight, and It doesnt seem like it will really work out too well.

Hmmm, kinda heavy, draws more current and would seem to put out less light than an MR16 (when overvolted). and dude, it's pricey. i'll pass thank you.

Alon,

Sorry I've been a bit busy and did not check this post daily. The LED specs definately are one critical thing I would like to know. Around 2lbs for the light? Hmm... It is still doable for those that can fashion a strong seat or rack mount.

My thoughts is that most that are interested in this is for street use be it a rider on a MTB or a roadbike. On the offroad trails or revine trails with no cars there this product I would think would not think be really useful other then for kicks and bragging rights on the trails. On the trails a simple blinking and steady light is all you need really.

On the road however you're dealing with traffic of various speeds from school zone 20kph to 40kph residential to typical streets of 60kph to street highways in the speeds of 80kph. For those that live in areas where you can ride on the provincial/state highways then you're dealing with cars traveling in the 100-120kph range while you're riding on the shoulder.

I have had thoughts of this product being put into a trailer which would work out nicely I would think. Also for the rider on a normal bike they can use li-ion batteries to save on the weight but it will burn a hole in the pocket to get some long runtimes. I've not checked the price of this LED bar in a while. I'm guess it's in the $200 range? Yah that is very pricey.

Thanks for the information Alon, but I think 2+lbs not including battery is a whole lot of weight for a bike light. For contrast purposes, the light head on my Cygolite TridenX which has 3 LEDs comparable to the LEDs in the VisionX light is 4 oz. With 2 more TridenX light heads I would have a 12 oz. total light head weight with higher output than the 34oz. VisionX light head weight, at about the same cost. I think 3 TridenX's including batteries would still be less weight than just the VisionX light head.

Obviously the VisionX lights are engineered for high speed off road motor vehicle use and the bumps/vibrations that come with that. When they're being mounted on motor vehicles an extra pound or two isn't going to make a difference, especially if it increases durability. Unfortunately on a bike an extra pound or two can be a deal-breaker, especially when you get into the higher priced LED systems.

Also, Zero_Enigma asked alot of very good questions in his post and they appear to have gone un-answered. Did the supplier refuse to give those details out?

The VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 2inch square high intensity 900lumens Lightset Lightset system represents a very efficient lumens generation illumination tool, one heck of a ruggedly built(withstands 14g's force) and also one intensely bright bicycle lighting system component; while keeping the weight down to a more tolerable eight ounces per VisionX Solstice Solo lighthead.

Its semi-lightweight and heat dissipating very efficiently designed rugged die-cast aluminum housing provides optimum durability and super efficient heat dissipation in a very compact two inch by two inch by two inch square enclosure that does double duty by also being rated to keep ingress of dust, moisture and water to a rated depth of nine feet; which are all desirable and important attributes to have in a rugged bicycle lighting system-even if it adds a bit to the overall weight of the bicycle lighting system.

It is very desirable to have a rather well engineered and robust heatsink enclosure to dissipate the ten watts of heat being generated by the high intensity 900lumen Led; even if it adds substantially to the weight of the overall bicycle lighting system; because if the heat of the Led starts to exceed approximately 120 degrees F, the lumens being generated by the high intensity 900lumen Led can start to actually decrease the maximum output 900lumens as a result of the temperature thermal increase.

The critical optics for the high intensity 900lumen Led of the VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 is made of high quality polycarbonate lens material to ensure optical clarity and optical transmission losses are kept to a minimum, which is a very important and desirable characteristic to have in a bicycle lighting system;

so that the high intensity LED beam quality is maximized, to provide the highest quality floodlight and/or spotlight illumination by redirecting and refocusing all of the 900lumens illumination being generated by the Led in a high quality projected, sharply defined and highly focused optical high intensity Led light beam pattern.

The VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 Led Lightset system also takes an interestingly flexible DC input voltage that can vary from 9V to 50VDC input voltage due to the selection and use of a "buck" regulator that is flexible, efficient and advanced in enough in design for a Led driver; that allows the high intensity 900lumen Led to be driven at its designed laboratory rated maximum output regulated current to deliver its maximum laboratory rated 900lumen illumination rating(so long as the heat dissipation problem is kept at bay).

A "state of the art" high intensity Led Lighting system deserves no less than an accompanying "state of the art" battery subsystem in the form of a Lithium Iron Phosphate(LiFePO4-same kind that is going to be on Chevy Volt cars) rechargeable external battery system; that is capable of not only being rechargeable 2,000 times and but also delivering its rated 12.8VDC at 6.8aH for that many times; making it a true value(about $100) that lowers true cost of ownership costs.

The VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 Led Lightset system(about $120+$30for handlebar or helmet mount) allows the cyclist needing to ride regularly at night with incomparable high quality intensity Led light illumination and in addition backs up that claim with a lifetime warranty of its VisionX Solstice Solo Lightset, that is definitely unheard of in the bicycle lighting system business; while maintaing the lighthead set weight down to eight ounces per VisionX Solstice Solo lighthead.

Get yourself one or two of these "state of the art" bicycle lighting system components(see for yourself) for your helmet or handlebar mount bicycle lighting system and one will most assuredly dramatically alter ones qualitative/quantitative nightime cycling experiences for the better.

cheers for nighttime cycling illumination

I believe the Magicshine P7 has the same claimed 900 lumens, for USD 80-90? It's a bit heavier though.

--J

I believe the Magicshine P7 has the same claimed 900 lumens, for USD 80-90? It's a bit heavier though.

--J

VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 LED Lightset appears to reflect a much better more robustly rugged engineering design due to the lifetime warranty and the designated off road(much more demanding application in mind).

From the massive die-cast aluminum heatsink heat dissipating radiator, to the rugged 14G engineered shock resistant aluminum heatsink body/housing, to the 9 foot waterproof ingress rated housing, to the high quality low loss light transmissive optical photographic grade lenses, to the high intensity rated Led being driven at its maximum rated laboratory output regulated current in order to maximize the chances of delivery of its rated 900lumen illumination rating in the field(so long as the heat dissipation problem is kept at bay-thanks to the massive heatsind radiator).

Also the VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 Led Lightset uses a Edison KLC8 Led emitter source; the "K" series group "L" binning has a maximum 865 lumen value according to their manufacturer data sheet specification page. The Edison KLC8 Led emitter source has an effective lumens per watt rating of about 90lumen/watt with a maximum lighting illumination power output of ten watts. When operating a average HID Lighting System the average cost of running that type of setup is about 20cents per hour versus VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 average cost is only 1cent per hour; when compared relatively speaking. The HID Lighting system has the HID bulb and then also the HID ballast that wear out regularly also as well; which runs up total ownership costs overall its life when compared directly with the VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 LED Lightset.

The only reason why VisionX Solstice might deserve potential consideration as a bicycle lighting system modular component, is the very high potential quality of this particular lightset's physical and optical engineering qualitative/quantitative aspect parameters.

The high intensity VisionX Solstice Solo Led Lightset engineered light output is high enough to further investigate and warrant thinking about potentially building, designing and constructing a potential Lupine Lighting Systems "Tesla" class Led Lightset system killer(single VisionX Solstice Solo S1100), "Wilma" class Led Lightset system killer(double VisionX Solstice Solo S1100), "Betty" class Led Lightset system killer(triple VisionX Solstice Solo S1100)

cheers to a better high intensity LED optical lens based lightset

I believe the Magicshine P7 has the same claimed 900 lumens, for USD 80-90? It's a bit heavier though.

--J

F.Y.I--->Magicshine P7 is now back in stock from geomangear for those of you who were still waiting to get one, because they were out of stock;

Juha brings up a good point, there is nothing like seeing the real thing side by side; between the MS and the VisionX Solstice Solo S1100.

Get one of your very own and write a MS lightset review on BF and share your experience whether it met or missed your lighting illumination expectations and/or lighting needs for your road/mountain or hybrid bicycling.

Anyone out there who has a MS and a VisionX Solstice Solo S1100 Led Lightset,

do they compare favorably out there in the field with each other, light beam patterns wise?

and if so in what similar and/or different ways do they complement ones light beam patterns?

or differ from each others light beam patterns?

from a light illumination quantitative and qualitative light beam pattern viewpoint?

which is more floodlike and/or which is more spotlike in its light beam pattern?

which is better under what lighting conditions circumstances (i.e. dusk, rain, some street lights, fog conditions)

cheers hope to hear from all of you soon