JeffSG

Any commuters out there using this flashlight? If so, are you happy with it?

I just received a TrustFire Super Bright TR-3T6 3800 Lumens 3 x CREE XM-L T6 LED Flashlight Torch 5 Models in the mail today and plan to use it for the first time on my commute Monday morning. It was only $31 on Amazon and I did a lot of research on other web sites to ensure it was a solid built, long lasting and dependable light. I did not check to see if anyone on the forum here was using it...

I know it probably doesn't put out exactly 3800 lumens...but if it puts out 1/2 that much it will help me to be seen and to see. I plan to mount it with a flashlight holder that bolts on to my handle bars. It complements my Dinotte 400L rear light.

Might make for a reasonably priced Christmas stocking stuffer for commuters.

Ride safe,

jeff

sbslider

I am guessing you will be recharging the batteries daily, depending how long your commute is. I have a light with 1 XML led and it lasts me a week of commuting, rarely using it on high. My battery probably has twicce the capacity of yours, as it has 4 cells. 3 times the power, half the battery, sound like lots of charging. I bet you WILL be noticed though.

Also, I would guess your light does not have a low battery indicator. If you run the batteries down too low, they are throw away. Be careful.

Andy_K 

I'm sorry, but 3800 lumens (or even 1900 lumens) will not help you be seen. Once a person's retinas have been incinerated they don't see anything.

CliftonGK1

Hehehehe. Too True.

I've got a pair of DiNotte XML-3 lights (3x CREE XML LED each; ~1000L/light) and on the highest setting they're bright enough to light a dark off-road trail like I stole 'em off a pole at Safeco Field.

Looking at the TrustFire light, the setup looks similar (in the LED/reflector head) so I'm wondering what the difference in the LEDs is that they claim 3800L when the DiNotte tests out at around 1035L.
Anyone with more LED knowledge want to give me a heads up if there's different ratings within the XML series of diodes?

agent pombero

I'm confused on why Dinotte/Cygolite/etc etc are charging $300+ for their lights when the cheap ass Chinese lights are just as bright (often brighter), using the same LEDs?

maidenfan

Quality and the price of labor would be my guess. I've owned several cheap lights and I continually replaced them and/or had issues w/charging and working when I wanted them to. Even had the same experience with one of Niteriders "nice" headlights. The Dinotte I have has been trouble free for several months of commuting. In addition, their customer service alone was worth it to me. Niteriders customer wasnt even close. Didnt even bother with the cheapies (customer service) as there was no point.

Andy_K 

I had a problem with my Dinotte not working once, but I called them and they told me how to fix it.

CliftonGK1

DiNotte lights are built in the USA with direct sourced, non-reman parts. No middleman parts dealers, and no factory seconds//lower grade parts.
Their lights have 6 modes (3 steady//3 flash), overtemperature protection circuits, and they come with a 2 year warranty which includes the battery and charger.
The light and 4-cell battery are 340g, and the setup comes with a smart charger, a strap mount for the battery, a bar and helmet mount for the light, and an extender cable for when you're using the helmet mount so you can put the battery in a jersey pocket or backpack.
The Trustfire flashlight is made in China from parts of unspecified origin, maybe they're picking only primo equipment, maybe they're taking all the "meh, it's good enough" parts that companies like DiNotte and NiteRider won't use. By comparison, it's enormous: I can't see mounting a 9 inch long flashlight on my helmet, and because the battery compartment is attached the weight is all housed together making it a double "no way" for helmet mounting. I don't see any warranty specs for the Trustfire light, either.

It seems to be a reliable flashlight per the Amazon reviews, with only a few negative comments about cosmetic problems (scratched housing, etc), and people are saying it's bright.
I saw one review comparing it to an 850L Fenix light, and the gent said it wasn't as bright after a short while. This doesn't surprise me, though. Many lights (expensive manufacturers included in this accusation) give an "initial burst" rating for their claimed lumens, but never report a 5 minute attenuation curve. LED lights suffer from degraded output based on temperature. If you can't keep 'em cool, they'll get dimmer and dimmer over usage time. NiteRider has an 1800L setup, but over a 5 minute curve with a high-speed fan blowing to cool the light you're down to around half that output (can't find the comparison graph right now, I'll have to search for it again.)
Use it for a couple weeks, and I'd like to hear a review of how it's been working. I have a few inexpensive LED flashlights I use for power outages, camping, and keeping in the car and in my commuter backpack just in case, and they're working out great; but they're also limited use, not every day for an hour or so.

unterhausen

if you go look at a teardown of one of the Chinese lights, it's not like they are copies, they only look like a good light from the outside. They are a miserable mess on the inside.

sonatageek

My DiNotte lights are about 4 years old and still as good as new. I just ordered a replacement set of batteries, as the 4 year old ones were needing to be recharged about twice as often compared to when they were new.

If/When I need new lights I will be going back to them with out question.

Leisesturm

If I could pay $300 for a headlight I'd expect it to last 4 years. I'd also expect 1000 stated lumens and possibly half of that OTF. The "reputable" Chinese clones offer the same performance at half the price and some of the clone cloners are getting into truly jaw dropping levels of discount on Cree LED flamethrowers. My MagicShine is in the middle of its third year. The battery pack I sourced from Battery Space because MagicShine was having a problem with its batteries at the time I purchased. I haven't noticed any drop-off in runtime yet. At the time I bought the MagicShine a person could easily spend $500 to $800 for a quality solution to the problem of getting usable amounts of light in order to ride safely in suburban and rural areas at night. I'm simply not there. FWIW I agree with an earlier poster. A 3 Cree monster lighthead needs serious battery capacity to be practical. Tactical Flashlights do not usually meet the challenge. If it were my money I would buy three Magicshine clones (or 3 Magicshines), put two of them side by side on the bars and put the third on a helmet mount. Bike specific lights are there for a reason.

H

windhchaser

i have a 3800 lumen china made light i love it make sure u use good batts like panosoincs

cehowardGS

Ahhh sheesh, another "blinding light thread".

Mount it good, she is a little on the heavy side. Run quality cells. Other than, burn, burn away..

BTW, the old man pushes one too.. Heh, heh.. It even carries a side kick with it..




The trick is to mount it securely. Enjoy...

edit, after looking at Amazon, mine is not like yours.. Yours takes multiple batters, whereas, mine, the one below only takes one battery. Yours is more powerful than mine..

https://www.tmart.com/pgallery/BeamTe...y_p136640.html


https://www.tmart.com/pgallery/BeamTe...y_p136640.html

agent pombero

I want to discourage people from buying junk from China. We need more jobs here in the US and support the companies already making amazing lights.

Leisesturm

We absolutely do need more jobs here in the U.S. but is that actually the case when we buy "American"? Are there any American lights actually being made in America? One should not have to pay $300 to get an amazing light. One can go to NAPA and pay $9.00 for a 55w halogen that will put 1500 lumens on the road in front of your car. Is it reasonable to require cyclists to pay more for a headlight than they paid for their bicycle???

H

agent pombero

Cygolite
Niterider
Dinotte
Light&Motion

All made in the USA.

Burton

LOL You might get the BULB for $9.00 but a decent battery to run it is another $100 and the price of the headlight assembly (reflector) for most cars will run you another several hundred dollars.

For less than $300 there are a number of 'made in USA' lights that are complete with battery, reflector, extended warranty, are more effecient ...... and weigh a lot less than any automotive halogen headlight setup. And prices are relative. The price of a decent tire is still the same - regardless of if you paid $15,000 or bought the bike at a garage sale. Lighting ain't much different.

Burton

LEDs emitters themsves are actually relatively inexpensive. The thing is - todays LED lights require more sophisticated electronics and have more integrated circuits then radios did 25 years ago. And like everything else electronic - there are different models and build qualities. TrustFire makes flashlights that cost hundreds of dollars as well as models that cost less than $25 and anyone that thinks that the build quality and performance is the same between all of them would have to be pretty naive.

The reason that these things are so prolific on the Internet is because companies like DX have organized affiliate programs with companies like TrustFire where individuals can advertise an item, have it drop shipped from China, and take a cut without ever having actually seen the item. The only thing that doesn't change is ... the company doesn't ship till they get paid so the only people taking any risks are the consumers and the distributers. And it isn't always a happy ending. Lots of stories of items being seized by customs apparently.

Leisesturm

I am certain that I could find a decent car battery under $50. And lets not try to fathom the price of car parts. A non-powered passenger side wing mirror for a cheapo Japanese econobox is $200 at the auto parts store... really? Keeps the junkyards in business I guess. As for tires...a decent bike tire is about a pound of rubber and kevlar and gets 6,000 miles and costs $50. A decent car tire is 25 pounds of rubber and kevlar and gets 70,000 miles and costs $50. The question is are those made in USA lights really made here and... really... can you really tell me that you've seen any bike light, regardless of price that is close to a car headlight? My MagicShine on high power absolutely cannot deal with much more than a light shower. Real driving rain leaves me in the same boat as someone with no light at all. At least I will be seen, I suppose. Still... I don't think the cyclist market is very well served by the bicycle aftermarket industry. Cheap helmets... that's about it. Everything else... if it weren't for the Chinese, bicycle commuting would require a six figure income to pull off. If I was making six figures I think I could afford to buy a Leaf.

H

Burton

Well H, we clearly don't agree on what 'decent' means since I've personally never bought any car battery that cost less than $150 and IMO 'decent' tires need to brake effectively - which means the rubber compound won't last much more than 40,000km and they'll probably cost closer to $150 each.

But I do agree that most bike lights aren't great. However, my lights aren't made in China, are completely waterproof, and have a lifetime warranty. Yeah - they cost more than a cheap Chinese clone. On the other hand - they cost less than some Magic Shine models. Guess I just wasn't willing to settle for what was easiest to dig up and took the time to look around.

They say that only 25% of availble jobs get listed in the want ads. Products are like that too - not everything available is heavily advertised.