anyone use 'head' lights like these?

[modmon]

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i ride at night a lot now and use the cateye blinker led in the rear only. the roads i ride on arent lit very well and when cars come past me, my eyes are blinded for a sec or two till they readjust to the darkness. i know i will be a lot safer from oncoming traffic with a front light. would head lights like these be better than mounted handlebar lights?

[Juha]

Pros: light is directed where you're looking at (not where your front wheel is pointing at), lightweight, long battery and bulb life. Some manufacturers use Luxeon or comparable leds, emitting bright bluish light that will separate you from other light sources out there. Cons: not that much light. Definitely not a "torch". And I find the "not easily found in local store" -claim ridiculous: there are several versions of these readily available by e.g. Petzl.

I think LED front lights are the way to go in the future, but right now it seems the affordable ones are yet too weak to be used as the only light - if you need to actually see the road instead of just being seen. I have heard claims that the Lupine Stuby lights up the road ahead (with 26 LEDs and a cool price of 600 euros or so). Have not tried one myself. Another option could be Cateye's Opticube series, they apparently come close and are more reasonably priced. Search these Forums for users' opinions on those. Personally, I have a small Smart 3-led model that is quite impressive for its size but again too weak to be the only light source. I use it as a backup.

You can get a helmet/head mount for Lupine at least, not sure about the Cateye.

--J

[Paul L.]

LED lights work for when it is not raining. I find it very hard to see the road with my cateye light in the rain at night (5 focused leds). Also they are better for city driving at night as opposed to conditions of total darkness. That's why I built a 10w light for when I am not commuting.

[DieselDan]

Try using rose or yellow lens while riding at night.

[joeprim]

I like one mounted to the bar and one on my head. Two is always better and one is pointing where you look and one where you are going.

Joe