quester

From what I can see:

200 vs 180 vs 150 lumens
8 hrs vs 5 hrs vs 3.5 hrs
$169 vs $199 vs $179'ish (all these variable, of course).

I haven't compared them directly, so it's possible than the reflectors etc. help one much more than the rest. If not, why would anyone choose anything but the dinotte? Very small and more power, probably cheaper. The DiNotte is slower charging, but takes random AA's....

The dual MiNewt is only $50 more, and then you are talking 300 lumens.

For reference, I currently commute w/ a cateye EL500, which is ok, but doesn't make me happy. I also have fond dreams of long-distance touring next year.

Thanks,
pete

derath

How do you figure? I have AA chargers which will charge in an hour. But I usually soft charge them in 3-4 hours. Duracell makes a charger which will full charge in 15min. All are faster than my old Headtrip Halogen light battery pack.

-D

paulrad9

Check your run times, I think the Dinotte is about a 1/4 of what you mentioned with AAs.

quester

It looks like I was indeed relying on some incorrect numbers from a random google. A PDF at the dinotte web says the "4 Cell AA Ni-MH" last 2 hours at 100%, not 8 hours (apparently the quote I saw was referring the 4 cell li-ion).


The stella-L takes 2 hours, whereas the dinotte site quotes four hours for the AA's. However, it is true that a quick google revealed a variety of 15 minute chargers, so thanks for the tip. Why do you slow-charge, is it less stressful for the batteries?

derath

Yes slow charging is less stressful on the batteries. I don't know how much more. I have never had the need to 15min charge any so I don't know the long term effects. I do know the faster you charge the hotter they seem to get while charging.

Yes the 200L AA gets about 2 hours, maybe a little bit more on high. I personally like it though for the flexibility. The AA pack (4 AA) is very small. And I already owned a bunch of AA rechargables (too many toys ) So for rides over 2 hours I carry a second set of AA already in a holder. I also have a spare of AA lithiums in my seat pack for emergencies.

I can easily keep a set at work with a charger so I rotate the batteries around.

I never liked the proprietary battery on my Niterider. IF I was out longer than the batterie's runtime I was plain done. Worst case with the Dinotte I can carry small AA's as spares or hit any of a bunch of stores along the way for a spare set. (haven't had to yet).

The other thing, with my commute (62miles round trip) None of the lights in my price range with proprietary batteries had sufficient runtimes to make it there and back on one charge. Which wouldhave meant bringing the charger with me or buying a second charger. I figured if I was going to do that the AA dinotte and some spare AA rechargeables was much cheaper.

[edit]

2 hour charging seems generally fine in my experiences with rechargable AA's.

-D

rm -rf

I did a couple of timed tests with my Dinotte 200L. Each time, I got over 3 hours on high with Duracell 2650s.

After the ride, I just put the AA set in my cheap 7 hour charger, and they are ready in the morning. If the ride will likely be much over 2 hours, I carry the spare battery holder with some older rechargeables. I haven't had to switch it during a ride, so far.

derath

Nice,

I just got some new Powerex cells, I think rated 2700? I haven't been able to test them for runtime though.

-D

tarwheel 

I'm curious about the DiNotte 200 L-AA-L, the one with the combined head and tail light. It mounts on your helmet, but where do you put the battery pack? Also, wouldn't it be hard to align the headlight beam without having the tail light pointed in the wrong direction?

BarracksSi

Put the battery pack on the helmet, too; it's not that heavy, and the helmet is easy to take off when everything's attached (no cords dangling into jersey pockets, etc).

That taillight, as you've read, isn't a substitute for the standalone taillight. It's not as directional, either. I wouldn't worry a whole lot about where it's aiming; just get the headlight pointed where you want it to go.

dekindy

The short answer is that if you already have a battery charger and are comfortable with the AA batteries, need extended runtimes at a low cost and are willing to carry extra battery packs, and want a light that can be helmet or bar mounted, then the Dinotte is the obvious choice. You can purchase inexpensive, larger capacity AA packs at Radio Shack and C&D packs are also available. If you ask Dinotte, they may still have some D packs they used to sell but no longer advertise and throw them in for free. I guess you missed the recent $100 weekend special for a bar only mounted version. A helmet mount could be purchased for an extra $15 if memory serves me correctly.

However, if you want a smart charger and Li-ion battery, are only looking for a bar mount option, and the standard package provides adequate light and runtime, then the Minewt would be my recommendation.

I brought the Stella home overnight for a test. Light and Motion is a great company and the Stella is a nice unit, but a dumb charger is not an attractive option IMHO. Unless the company size/reputation is a top priority, then I would pass on the Stella.

A Fenix L2D CE with a Cree or Rebel LED and a bikelock or fishblock helmet mount would compliment any of these lights nicely if you bar mount them and want a helmet mounted light to see where you are going in turns. Many would argue that it is a much less expensive alternative to the Dinotte if you helmet mount it.

Your runtime on the standard AA Dinotte is not accurate. Also remember that Li-ion battery runtimes are not significantly reduced by cold temperatures and Nimh's are. Since all my night riding is done in the winter this is significant to me.

Do a search and read about all these alternatives. There are many recent posts on all of them.

edzo

for the total package, look further than runtimes and lumens


the overall design (cool factor) and implementation of the Niterider X2 is teh sexay. it blows
the others out of the water. plus, everyone carries them. they have the market, mainly because
they are cool.

a lot of people don't want to fumble around with AA batteries

people like the tiny X2 light head

people like the fact NR will turn around a bad unit in 6 days (NR service only -used- to be suspect, now they
really deliver if you have an issue. I got an advanced replacement for one that had less run time than advertised.)

I dunno...whatever floats yer boat.


the more time I spend in this forum, the more i realize there is no new information. it is all a jerk fest on
who likes their light the most and why everyone else is a dweeb for not using it. so use what I have which
is an X2

quester

this says 2 hours at 100% for the "4 cell AA Ni-MH". ???

quester

There's a lot of truth to this, but it's also true that forums such as this are incredibly useful to those of us just getting up to speed on a specific issue.

My major issue w/ the minewt is that I have a handlebar bag, and probably need to mount the light on the head tube. I'm pretty sure this works w/ the dinotte (they mention head tubes on their web page), but not sure about the minewt.

??

derath

They are cool. And they are more widely carried. But realistically they mount the same as a Dinotte and are close in size, but slightly dimmer.

And some people are the opposite. The AA batteries is a major reason I went with the Dinotte (also because the Mininewts didnt exist yet). For me the killer for the X2 is exactly the battery. Proprietary battery that gets 3.5 hours on high. My commute is long, I need at least 4 hours round trip. So I either needed a LION system that could do 5 hours on high (for fudge factor), or else I would have to purchase a second battery, or second charger, or carry the charger with me.

All systems that met that criteria were beyond my budget.

The AA Dinotte allows me to carry 2 sets of AA's (the AA's in the battery pack are small, 2 sets are still smaller than the mininewt battery pack). And I already owned enough batteries/charges to keep a second set at work. Different strokes...

It is nice and small, but the Dinotte is nice and small too.

I haven't had to deal with support for either company so can't comment.

It is nice having choices.


Yes and no. Obviously there are those of thus who love the products we own So it is obvious we are going to speak highly of it (wouldn't call that a jerk fest). With rare expection (VIPERZ?) many of us don't have the funds to buy lots of lights from lots of manufacturers to be able to give comparisons.

Still, there are enough people here with the various products that you still get some fine information.

-D

dekindy

That could be another advantage. As AA cell technology advances the run time will increase. You are going to have to consult prior posts or someone may comment on their specific experience - battery combination and temperature. Remember, cold temperatures reduce nimh battery performance.

dekindy

I am not sure what you mean here. Can you neither mount the light on top or underneath the bars because the bag would block the beam both places?

What about helmet mounting? A lot of the literature says that if you have one light to bar mount. IMHO I would prefer a helmet mounted light if I could only have one because of the ability to see into turns and it is just as good as a bar mount for straight ahead. You can also point a helmet light at someone to get their attention. But these comments apply to road use. You have not indicated what you are going to use the light for.

quester

Right, the bag blocks the bar:


You can see my cateye el500 on the right. Even w/ its current position, fastened over the bartape, I still need to remove the bag to use it.

However, there's plenty of room down on the head tube.

I'd rather not mount on the helmet, as it is often banged around, stuffed in backpacks, etc.

derath

Probably either the Dinotte or the Mininewt would go on the headtube, since they both attach with basically a rubber band type attachment. Based on the picture of the Stell handelbar mount, I would guess you would have to rig something for it.

-D

JackJ

I'm not sure what batteries they ship with the Dinotte currently, but the cells I got last year weren't the best available by a long shot. I'm getting close to 3 hrs with my "upgraded to 200L specs" light using Sanyo 2700 mAh cells. 2 hrs may be accurate with the OEM cells. But that's the great thing about the Dinotte, for me: I can get a new battery pack for $10! I use the original cells elsewhere--probably in a kids toy (I don't remember).

As for mounting: I sure wouldn't want my primary light on my head tube. When maneuvering at low speeds, I need the light to turn with the bars/fork/wheel. If the bars are out, I'd rig a fork mount, but you may want to get the long cord version of the light. You could strap the battery pack to the fork, too, I guess, but I think I'd still want it on my stem or in my h'bar bag.

Jack

dekindy

After seeing your bike and thinking about it further, I would strongly recommend mounting it on your helmet. It will give you better light and better visibility to others than putting it on the head tube. With it mounted on the head tube, you it will not move with your handlebars and point to where you are riding, much less into turns. To use an old phrase, I think you are flogging a dead horse by trying to mount a headlight on the bars with that handlebar bag. Why is the handlebar bag so necessary? A backpack or rear rack would make more sense if you insist on mounting the headlight on the bar.

edzo

an X2 will go on the steerer just fine, use the largest o ring they provide

quester

You guys are absolutely right about the light not turning w/ the front wheel, hadn't considered that.

Given that I camp, and will be touring, I ordered a Fenix L2D premium for my helmet. We'll see how that works....

pete

edzo

awww jeeze you should cancel that and get an X2....

you can mount the x2 on the drop part of the bar and turn the light 90 degrees so it
points forward, can't do that with a dinotte or a stella unless you mcguyver a mount
(could do it with a dinotte but your brake lever is in the way)

then mount the battery pack somewhere else, or get an extension cable

put the battery pack on the side of your bag, or in it

here is what I mean. the x2 is pretty versatile out of the box

dekindy

I think you will be amazed by this little flashlight. A guy that leads one of the training rides I participate in and rides thousands of miles per year needs to replace his lights. He was impressed and ordered one after seeing mine on the road. I went on a 2-hour ride with brand new 2650 Duracells in 35-40 degree weather. It was still going strong when I finished. I did not get quite that long a performance on the second pair, but it was the first charge. I just saw some 2800 capacity batteries on Thomas Distributing's website. It is only going to get better.

I think that bag was going to significantly the light-no matter where you mounted it.

quester

Any recomendations for batteries? I see folks here seem to like powerex. Are there any 1.5 volt nimh's? How many lumens does the fenix get w/ 1.2, as opposed to 1.5, batteries?