Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - New Dinotte 400L Headlight / Tailight

hi Brabus
am in a comp at the moment will do you some pics later on

jon

Great, I am interested in which batteries and lenses you chose. How you have the gear mounted and how you like your mounts and set-up.

Hi Brabus
I got a road riders kit with lithium ion batteries 4 cel on the stem and a 2 cell in a mini wedge on the seat post . I currently run the light with the lens options as per factory fit and the mount supplied is good . Not sure if we will fly today weather is looking bad so will try to get a couple of photos done .

Hi Brabus
I got a road riders kit with lithium ion batteries 4 cel on the stem and a 2 cell in a mini wedge on the seat post . I currently run the light with the lens options as per factory fit and the mount supplied is good . Not sure if we will fly today weather is looking bad so will try to get a couple of photos done .

I am anxious to see your setup and your review. Maybe publish a link in this thread? Thanks for the update.

bump for a 400L review.... pretty please

hey a 140L is srsly all the tail light you need. on high steady it is too much already. fog or not it's all u need. if you are riding in fog too thick for it, then you shouldn't be out in that fog and I guarantee no cars will be moving in 'fog so thick it could drown a 140L on high'

anything more is overkill. not a bad thing, but overkill.

hey a 140L is srsly all the tail light you need. on high steady it is too much already. fog or not it's all u need. if you are riding in fog too thick for it, then you shouldn't be out in that fog and I guarantee no cars will be moving in 'fog so thick it could drown a 140L on high'

anything more is overkill. not a bad thing, but overkill.

If American's lived by what was only necessary, people would have a higher savings rate than the current .2%:rolleyes:

I run HID's on my SUV for Low Beams, High Beams, and Fogs. When I light all 3 up, its seriously like daylight. I could have done nothing since technically the halogens that came stock lit up the road. But as with cars, you can never have too much HP, never too much brakes, and never too much light. Same is true for bikes IMHO.

Just got my 400L tail light. This light is way, way, way bright. I ran my superflash next to it, and the superflash's high output pulse looks like an anemic firefly compared to the DiNotte on steady. The DiNotte has a low steady with high output pulse mode that just rocks!!!! I think I will be angling my mount down a bit, no need to overpower the cars coming up behind me.

The only drawback is that it is a bolt on mount. Which means the $179 light will be left on the bike when you park, unless you unscrew it. The batteries are quick disconnect. This is not a problem for where I park my commuter.

edit: you just have to respect a tail light where you discuss methods of "going easy" on the cars behind you, instead of praying that it is good enough so you will be seen! TriNewt up front, DiNotte to the rear, who needs sunshine.

My observations about the 400L (I have both front and back):

Overall, these are what I believe should be the minimum to be taken seriously by cars, and to actually be able to see properly on dark streets. You pay good money, but they pay back in real light. I will never go back to the cheap lights that just allow you to be seen, but not see. You are definitely seen with the 400L's. Cars seem to be much more careful when passing.

The packaging lacks instructions other than how to determine how much juice is left in the batteries. Not that you need instructions....

There are more than enough mounting options to fit just about any bike. And the mounting hardware is more robust compared to the cheaper variety of lights. The lights do take a pounding on my commute, and there is no sign of slippage whatsoever.

The power connectors are robust and seem to be designed to be rainproof. I have not had an opportunity to test how rainproof they are, however.

Rears:

1) Although I have neither used nor seen a 140L in action, I think having two lights creates a more broad light target (maybe bad choice of word!) that is easier to see than a single point. That is not to say the 140L is insufficiently bright, just that the pattern may not be optimal for a rear-pointing light. Dual is a good idea.

2) The brightness at the low setting is overwhelming. It is more than enough IMO. I use the slow-flash mode, which is low power with a bright pulse every second. It makes the PB superflash look dim by comparison.

Front:

1) The fast flashing strobe up front is only appropriate during daytime or dusk. It is very annoying to my own vision when it gets too dark, let alone to oncoming vehicles. The slow flashing strobe is still annoying when on dark streets, and so I would avoid it under those conditions. In the city it might be the right choice.

2) On unlit roads, low power in front is enough for < 10mph.

3) With high power, 20-25 mph was fast enough. There is a sweet spot for aiming, and it's best a little closer than farther. When set too high, you don't get enough light on the road. Besides, when too high, it's pointed too much into the eyes of oncoming traffic. I think LED lights are coming of age in the sense that they are starting to need appropriate beam management so that the light gets put where it belongs. As is, they throw a flashlight-like pattern which wastes light to the top. If the 400L's were any brighter, I think they would be too annoying for oncoming traffic.

4) Everybody else's lights seem to look orange in comparison; these LEDs are very, very white.


Bottom line: they are expensive, but worth it. Don't waste time or money on anything less if you want to take night riding seriously.


Chris

Don't waste time or money on anything less if you want to take night riding seriously.


The Dinotte 400 is a sweet light, but halogen and flashlight afficionados can also work up impressive light output.
The fun thing about lights is that there are plenty of high-quality options for everyone, depending on one's needs.

The Dinotte 400 is a sweet light, but halogen and flashlight afficionados can also work up impressive light output.
The fun thing about lights is that there are plenty of high-quality options for everyone, depending on one's needs.

Yes, of course, I did not mean to imply other lights are not impressive, just that one should not spend time/money on anything less (be that halogen, etc.) in terms of light ouput.

Chris

Pictures? Pretty please?

Here ya go.

Chris

What I found interesting, was that the Dinotte 400L tail light throws a circular beam, even though there are two lights side by side, or over/under depending on your mount. I had anticipated an oblong beam, or partially overlapping circles, but this was not the case.

My observations about the 400L (I have both front and back):

Overall, these are what I believe should be the minimum to be taken seriously by cars, and to actually be able to see properly on dark streets. You pay good money, but they pay back in real light. I will never go back to the cheap lights that just allow you to be seen, but not see. You are definitely seen with the 400L's. Cars seem to be much more careful when passing.

The packaging lacks instructions other than how to determine how much juice is left in the batteries. Not that you need instructions....

There are more than enough mounting options to fit just about any bike. And the mounting hardware is more robust compared to the cheaper variety of lights. The lights do take a pounding on my commute, and there is no sign of slippage whatsoever.

The power connectors are robust and seem to be designed to be rainproof. I have not had an opportunity to test how rainproof they are, however.

Rears:

1) Although I have neither used nor seen a 140L in action, I think having two lights creates a more broad light target (maybe bad choice of word!) that is easier to see than a single point. That is not to say the 140L is insufficiently bright, just that the pattern may not be optimal for a rear-pointing light. Dual is a good idea.

2) The brightness at the low setting is overwhelming. It is more than enough IMO. I use the slow-flash mode, which is low power with a bright pulse every second. It makes the PB superflash look dim by comparison.

Front:

1) The fast flashing strobe up front is only appropriate during daytime or dusk. It is very annoying to my own vision when it gets too dark, let alone to oncoming vehicles. The slow flashing strobe is still annoying when on dark streets, and so I would avoid it under those conditions. In the city it might be the right choice.

2) On unlit roads, low power in front is enough for < 10mph.

3) With high power, 20-25 mph was fast enough. There is a sweet spot for aiming, and it's best a little closer than farther. When set too high, you don't get enough light on the road. Besides, when too high, it's pointed too much into the eyes of oncoming traffic. I think LED lights are coming of age in the sense that they are starting to need appropriate beam management so that the light gets put where it belongs. As is, they throw a flashlight-like pattern which wastes light to the top. If the 400L's were any brighter, I think they would be too annoying for oncoming traffic.

4) Everybody else's lights seem to look orange in comparison; these LEDs are very, very white.


Bottom line: they are expensive, but worth it. Don't waste time or money on anything less if you want to take night riding seriously.


Chris

you are partly wrong. a 140L is fa-reaking-BRIGHT do not think otherwise.

140L on high is overkill. you can aim it anywhere you want if is can be considered 'aiming out the back' then it is aiming where it needs to. you can see it forever I have checked. I am one of those who examines how my car and bike lights and refectors appear to others. I sat the 140l on a post and drove away and back and had 2 miles view to it. 2 miles, easy as pie to see in daylight !!! really worried someone would snag it while I did that but nope.

so just saying yes 400 is great wow 2 bright lights. the 140L is no wimp, not by a longshot

Yes, of course, I did not mean to imply other lights are not impressive, just that one should not spend time/money on anything less (be that halogen, etc.) in terms of light ouput.

Chris

Oh yeah, agree with you. :beer:

I upgraded from a 200L to a 400L about a month ago. Since the birth of my son I have had to get creative in order to get some riding time in. Getting up at 4:30 AM while my wife and son sleep is one such way to squeeze a ride in. I have been using a 200L pro series, but since I decided to do more riding in the dark, I decided to upgrade my light to something with more light. I was considering an HID system, but then I got the e-mail from Dinotte about the 400L. Being familiar with Dinotte and the first class service they offer, I decided to give the 400L a try. I knew I could return it if I did not like it.

After a month of use, here are my thoughts ... In short .. I like it and I don't plan on returning it anytime soon. It is bright and has a good beam pattern and is easy to use.

OK, now a longer review..

The mount is a permanent one instead of the usual O-ring, which has good and bad points. On the good side I like being able to adjust the light from left to right which is not possible with the O-ring. My handlebars have a slight angle to them and the 200L was always pointed more to the right than I liked. On the downside you loose the ability to move the light from bike to bike easily. This for me is not a problem, but I could see someone else having issues with this.

Unlike the 200L there is no clear ring that allows side visibility. This was always something of an issue for me anyway. I did not like that ring because it always shined bright in my eyes. I fixed this in part by painting the topside black to block the light from shining directly up into my eyes. With the 400L there is no side visibility ring. I really like not being blinded. In fact I cannot even see my hands while I ride, which I think improves my night vision. I really don't need to see my hands or my front tire while I ride anyway. As for side visibility with the 400L, if you cannot see this light from the side... you are going blind my friend :)

You get two batteries... yes that is right. Despite my original fears of using proprietary batteries I really like the Li Ion battery packs. Did I mention they include two? Truth is the batteries have been a pleasure to use. I get better run times than I did with AA batteries and the charger is extremely easy to use. The charger is a smart charger... basically a red and green LED to indicate whether the battery is charging or ready, it is that simple. My 4:30 ride is about 30 miles, so I have not yet exhausted the 2 cell battery. I like the Li Ion so much that I am considering upgrading my 140L to it (read below for more info on that).

As far as determining the state of your batteries ... With the 200L, when the batteries got low, you got a brief pulsing beam as a warning. Then the back would turn from blue to red. After that, if you did not take action the light would go into battery saver mode. With the 400L you get a system that tells you how much charge you actually have. It is a combination of blinking green and red LEDs that are installed just above the main headlight LEDs. The headlight must be switched off in order to use this feature. But depending on the pattern of LEDs you can determine if you have a 75 to 100%, 50 to 75%, 25 to 50%, 10 to 25%, or less than 10%. The patterns are very logical and easy to learn. I can even use this feature in the daylight by cupping my hands over the headlights and looking for the LED reflections on my hand. Since I have not yet exhausted the Li Ion battery, I do not know if you get the familiar pulseing beam when the battery gets low. There is no mention of this in the instructions either.

In another forum some concern was mentioned about Dinotte choosing to place the control button on the front of the light. It is located on the upper portoin between the two lenses and is very easy to use. So don't let this discourage your choice.

The beam pattern is a nice, far reaching, round beam. There are high, medium, and low beams. In addition there are three flashing patterns as well which are comparable to the 200L's patterns. The light comes standard with two spot lenses. Optional lenses are also available to alter the beam if you like more flood. I did not choose this option, but I did get two auxiliary lenses with my order. Not sure if that is standard, or just because I was one of the first to get a 400L. I have not bothered to install these lenses as I like the pattern I have for road riding.

I do not have the 400L tail light, but I do have the 140L tail light. It is the pro series and works very well. I am having a bit of an issue with the run time right now and Dinotte has agreed to repair it for free. I mentioned above that I have really enjoyed the Li Ion battery, so I inquired about getting my 140L upgraded to Li Ion at the same time. They will do it for 20.00 and I am seriously considering that option. But first I want to look into one more thing before I send it in. I am pretty good at building battery packs, so the idea of proprietary batteries does not scare me as much as it does with others.

At this moment, that is about all I can think of to mention. If you want to know more, just ask and I will try to answer to the best of my knowledge.

Just FYI... I use a Princeton Tec "EOS-Bike" on my helmet and I have a cateye LD600 as a back up to my 140L. The cateye remains off unless the 140L fails me because it cannot overpower the 140. The Eos is handy for looking into turns, fixing flats, changing batteries, and reading my computer... Highly recommended!

Thanks for a great review, bicycleflyer!