Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Rechargeable, or battery-free lights

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aHappyCamper
10-11-08, 10:56 PM
Can anyone recommend me some really good battery-free, besides the reelight and dynamo(I have both)
and most importantly, some really effective RECHARGEABLE bike lights?
mechBgon
10-11-08, 11:00 PM
1) Where do you ride (street, highway, off-road, MUP)
2) What runtime do you want before needing a recharge
3) Would you be OK with removing batteries to charge them, or do you want a one-plug charging setup
4) What's your budget?
aHappyCamper
10-11-08, 11:27 PM
A very very dark street a 5:20AM with very poorly lit road.
Runtime doesn't really matter too much since I will only be using at most, 2 hours a day with it, and I can easily recharge as soon as I get off the bike.
And removing batteries is totally fine. A plug also works.
I guess budget wise, the best deal I can get. Since they are rechargeable I'm hoping to keep them for life. I wouldn't mind spending more if it's a great quality.
Also, I'm looking for lights that allow me to be seen, and a light that can allow me to see the road ahead of me.
mechBgon
10-12-08, 12:31 AM
One option would be a couple of these: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14909 Especially if you already have some rechargeable NiMH AA cells and charger. With a relatively focused beam, they'd reach down the road a ways so you can see stuff before you're right on top of it, and putting one on your helmet is another option to consider. daredevil had some good things to say about these lights, but also mentioned that when they run out of battery power, they just turn OFF, so you'd want to keep up on your charging.
I've heard that this handlebar mount is acceptable, as ugly as it may look: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274
Can anyone recommend me some really good battery-free, besides the reelight and dynamo(I have both)
and most importantly, some really effective RECHARGEABLE bike lights?
A rechargeable light generally has a battery that gets recharged. :twitchy:
There are some solar powered lights but not bright enough.
Maybe one day we will have supercapacitor or fuel cell lights.
The new MTE Cree MC-E 8-mode 700 Lumen flashlight.
http://www1.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_16500_1.jpg
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16500
Orange peel reflector so it floods the entire roadway and operates for about an hour at 700 Lumen. Medium and Low power modes greatly extend run times. Uses a single 18650 rechargeable Lithium battery. A pair costs $10 at DX. A good fully automatic charger is $12. Get a flashlight mount for a few bucks as well. You'll have the best bike light available for hundreds less than similar Lumen output bike specific lights. Best of all it's still a flashlight you can use when not biking.
doctor j
10-12-08, 12:01 PM
n4zou, do you have a link to battery charger for 18650 battery?
n4zou, do you have a link to battery charger for 18650 battery?
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1251
http://www1.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_1251_1.jpg
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790
http://www1.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_5790_1.jpg
GTALuigi
10-12-08, 11:23 PM
if you want battery less lights, i'll suggest Reelight
i have 2 set of them (Steady + 2min Charge/Flash) they are excellent as backup light, when, and if you ever run out of batteries, on your conventional lights
You can get decent rechargeable lights from $50 to $1200; realistically what's your budget?
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