acroy

Posting in both Electronics & Commuting, since this is about electronics for commuting

I am very close to buying a Dinotte XLS 600 Dual. Are there any alternatives I should consider?

The big reasons for purchasing:
• Dual light heads – much more respect from cagers
• Bright (doh!)
• Simple, can run off 1 battery strapped to stem
• Adequate run time (1.5-2hrs off 1 batt on HI)

Not acceptable for me:
• Bottle batteries
• DIY - been there, not happy with complexity/frustration/weight…..

Are there any comparable alternatives? Price is not a huge motivation. I use my lights a LOT, so am willing to shell out some change.

I’m currently running dual Fenix P3D Premium, 215 lumen each on Turbo. Light output is OK (impressive considering size, weight, cost of light) but runtime has been disappointing. Commuting this AM in the rainy dark, with downed tree branches & crap on the roads from the storms, I was really wishing for more power also.

Thanks!

GCRyder

I haven't seen any comparos yet, but CygoLite claims they have upgraded the LEDs in their "3rd generation" Dualcross Pro models to be 30W halogen-equivalent. That could be hype, and I don't know how it compares to the XLS 600, but it does sound impressive. They use compact 4.8V (NiMh) or 3.8V (Li-ion) batteries that are meant for frame or stem mounting. And they're claiming run times of 3.5 hours and up.

ax0n

If you want that kind of run time and light output, and don't want to roll-your-own, I think you'll have a hard time finding something that competes with the setup you're looking at.

Schwinnrider

I have a 600L and the battery is a bit large to mount under my stem. I have to mount it under the top tube. That's a less than ideal situation.

Big Tommy C

I was going to suggest the Trinewt, but for the price and the brightness, I say the Dinotte looks like a SUPERB choice (espeically the combo with the taillight).

Lupine has the brightest lights I've ever heard of, but the price is incredibly high, and the MTBAction review didn't like the quality of the battery connectors, among other things.

diesel_dad

The other real high-end lights that come to mind are the Lupine Betty 6 & the Busch and Muller Big Bang. I have a Dinotte 600L, Dinotte 140A amber light and Dinotte Tail Light. I also have 2 X 4 cell and 2 X 2 cell batteries and 2 chargers. I love the modular nature of the system. It's like lego.

After a few months of use, my biggest reservations on the Dinotte "system" are the plastic optics on the 600L, which look fragile, and the handlebar mount, which is tough to get on and off when locking up the bike.

acroy

good to know, thanks

Schwinnrider

I have a 600L and I don't find it a problem to remove the light. Are you talking about removing the entire cam-lock mount? I would say that's difficult, but you don't need to do that. I just remove the light head most cases, and that takes a couple of seconds. If I was locking the bike up for an extended period, I'd also take the battery, but why take the mount? Nobody's going to steal that.

diesel_dad

I leave the mount on the bike and try to slide the head off. I find it to be too finicky to do in cold dark conditions compared to my other light, a PrincetonTec Switchback 3. But it does not outweigh the otherwise great performance of the 600L.

Hummeth

You know, shining all that light off the front of you bike will really slow you down. ;-)

Industrial

Yeah, you're going to need at least 4 dinotte taillights to get some of that speed back! If you arrange them right, I bet you could look like a little corvette.