rschreck

Am I going to notice a major difference between a 500 lumen light and a 410 lumen light?

Lights in comparison: CygoLite ExpiliOn 500 and 410 USB Bike Lights. The 410 is $30 cheaper.

And if any of you use either of these, could you chime in with your thoughts? I've decided to go with a brighter bike light and blink on my handlebars instead of a headlamp. Going to return the headlamp and exchange it for one of the lights mentioned above.

I'll mainly be using the light for early mornings and early evenings. 6:30-6:30 job.

terrapin44

I have the CygoLite ExpiliOn 410. I really like it and would recommend it. Bright and easy to use. I went with it over the 500 because it was cheaper and has longer battery life. Also, the photos of the brightness I saw didn't seem like a lot of difference between the two.

Ravenhog

Picked up a 500 today. While checking out the two at REI the 410 had a lens between the LED and the exterior lens. Comparing both lights they were similar in brightness. I did noticed that the 410 has a more of a focused beam. Battery life was not a selling point or me as I plan on buying a 2nd battery to have a spare with me on rides. Going on a 40mi AM ride tomorrow then ill post more.

a1penguin

Beam pattern will also make a difference in perceived brightness. I don't know the beam patterns on those two lights. A more focused light will have more throw and you will be able to see more road. The Cygolite web site doesn't say what LED is in each of these lights. The 500 has 20% more lumens. You can never have too much light. I would go for the 500.

A10K

Gnosis, the LED is the strongest point in a light assembly from a reliability standpoint, and the way the circuit is usually designed multi-LED systems aren't any more robust than single-LED ones (a failure is more likely to take both out). From a reliability standpoint the battery and switch are usually the weakest links anyways. If you're worried about sudden failure, get two independent lights. You'll also have more freedom in aiming them.

terrapin44

Having a second light is always a good idea. I just picked up a 3 AAA, 3 LED headlight from Harbor Freight for only $6.99 [1]. Not sure how good it is as I haven't used it yet, but I figure it is fine for a emergency backup and it was only $7 so I'm not out much if it turns out to be a dud. Eventually though I want to get another high quality light to put on my helmet.


https://www.harborfreight.com/bikepro...ght-98397.html

bluesdance

Any thoughts on the Cygo 170? It's $30 cheaper than the 350 on Amazon, and folks (i.e. Gnosis) say that for urban / commuting / road settings, the 350 on its highest setting is excessively bright. Hence my thoughts that the 170 would be a good value proposition.

Currently I'm running a Blackburn USB Flea, but I want another light for extra light, daytime flashing, and for backup...

Yes, no...?

Thanks

windhchaser

ekk i think my light is only around 20 lumens ..

no1mad 

The answer is... maybe. Everyone has different needs for night time riding and different thoughts on how much is too much and how much is just right. One works for one may or may not work for another.

IMHO, it's better to buy as much light as you can afford. Reason being is that you can always reduce the output of the light if you deem that the highest setting is in deed too much for your needs.

no1mad 

Get thee to the Electronics Forum. You'll get really good info in there. Take a look at the last page or so of the 'under $50' sticky or scroll down/search for 'Front Light Help' thread- got my current light set-up based off info in that thread.

windhchaser

yeah i will do that i have a 200 lumen light that fits on my keychain uses a cree led.and rechargeable cr123

terrapin44

What light is this and how do you like it? I saw a few around this size/lumens on Amazon and think they may make for a nice little helmet light.

bluesdance

oy... any sense of the schedule of the dropoff in quality?

PatrickGSR94

LED's are usually rated anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 hours lifespan. And I was told by an electrical/lighting engineer that when it reaches the end of that "lifespan" it's still putting out about 75% of its original design intensity.

bluesdance

That's an awful lot of night riding...

Stryver

The LEDs are not the weakest point in the system. LIPO batteries can lose 5 - 20% of capacity per year, depending on storage conditions, and I've had two LED lights fail to circuitry problems (one chinese cheapo and one cateye).

A10K

Stryver's got it right. The fastest-failing component on Li-Ion lights is the Li-Ion battery. Those batteries have a fairly short shelf life that starts ticking from the date of their manufacture, about 2-3 years before they fall to something like 25% their original capacity (almost uselessly low, when you consider how quickly the voltage tapers off). Lithium Cobalt batteries (the most common Li-Ion chemistry for bike lights) only have 2-300 recharge cycles in them too. If you leave an LED on for 8 hours a day, it would take it almost 20 years to fall to 70% of its original output. That's a scale that means you don't have to consider LED lumen depreciation when choosing a bike light system.

modernjess

I have the 410. it replaced a dying L+M Vega. My commute is about 75% on an unlit MUP. The 410 puts out an amazing amount of light IMHO. On the medium setting it's plenty for my purposes. I have not directly compared it to the 500 in terms of brightness, but the 500 does come with a helmet mount which I didn't want and that must push the price up a tad as well.

I can't say enough about the 410 though, great design, great performance.

HardyWeinberg

I really hate the name Expilion, it sounds like a disease symptom, or maybe a medieval medical treatment.

JPMacG

Any other opinions on the Expillion 500? I'm considering having my LBS order one for me. Choice is between the Expillion 500 and the Niterider Minewt 350.

chefisaac

i like the 1000 lumens. I like a lot of light!

rubic

2 Expillion 500 lights = 1000 lumens. I intend to parallel my Expellion 500 with my 250 for 750 lumens. CygoLite products have always worked well for me.

sirtirithon

I run the 170. No complaints here! I bought it a year ago when they cost what a 300 does now. I charge it once a week and its plenty bright for my commute to work in the dark.

Ray Lovinggood

I would think either the 410 or the 500 will be just fine. I have the CygoLite ExpiliOn 250 and it works quite well for me on my daily commutes. I recently used it on a couple of short road rides on the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of the rides required passage through 10 tunnels on the way up and then the same 10 tunnels on the way back down. (Asheville to Mount Pisgah and return.)

There are a couple of tunnels with curves in them and they are long enough to be completely dark in the middle portion. And due to the curve, you can't see either end of the tunnel while in the middle. It's DARK!

With my 250 ExpiliOn, I was able to see, even with my sunglasses on. Now, my sunglasses that day were the ones with amber lens (some may say yellow but they were definitely not green, gray, or brown) and I was surprised that I could still see. Glad I could leave them on because they are prescription lens and taking them off would leave me with quite the handicap.

Either way, I'm sure you'll be able to see where you are going, and car drivers will never have an excuse for not seeing you.

Ray