The best headlights under $50 thread
#777
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this is for the NiteRider 250..
I have been running a NiteRider 650 for over 4 years now, without problem and am very happy with it. This is a smaller output, and I really don't have any experience with it. But REI has it on closeout and I am springing for one.. Auxiliary lighting is nice in the winter.. be seen and see ..
NiteRider Lumina Micro 250 Front Bike Light - 2014 Closeout - REI.com
I have been running a NiteRider 650 for over 4 years now, without problem and am very happy with it. This is a smaller output, and I really don't have any experience with it. But REI has it on closeout and I am springing for one.. Auxiliary lighting is nice in the winter.. be seen and see ..
NiteRider Lumina Micro 250 Front Bike Light - 2014 Closeout - REI.com
#778
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I bought a CatEye Volt 300 from "Jet.com" for $26 and change. They list them at $32.94 but you get a 20% discount and free shipping if you're a new customer. They sell for around $50 to $70 most everywhere else.
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[TD="class: em_center, align: left"]Cateye CatEye Volt300 Bicycle Head Light - HL-EL460RC (Gloss Black)
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[TD="class: em_center, align: left"]Cateye CatEye Volt300 Bicycle Head Light - HL-EL460RC (Gloss Black)
$32.94[/TD]
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#779
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Hi guys, I've been a member of these forums for a long time and I've recently introduced a new light on Amazon. I've gotten a lot of great info and community here over the years and that's part of the reason i am enthusiastic about utility cycling. Anyway, i want to offer a discount to members here. I hope this isn't a problem, or too spammy. Let me know if it is.
This is a good little light, it's not the very brightest or very cheapest but i think it's a nice mix of brightness, well-shaped light pattern, quality, convenience and value. It straps to your handlebars so you don't have to switch a mount from one bike to another, and the strap is attached so you can't lose it. It's USB rechargeable using a regular phone charger. It has an 800mAH Lithium battery and is rated 300 lumens.
For chuckles i'm calling it the Illuminati
For $5.00 off enter the promo code "SeeLight" at checkout on amazon. I'd also love productive feedback from anyone who buys and uses the light. It includes a red blinky for the back.
Link to Amazon
You can see more info on amazon or at my website Vivo-Bike.com
This is a good little light, it's not the very brightest or very cheapest but i think it's a nice mix of brightness, well-shaped light pattern, quality, convenience and value. It straps to your handlebars so you don't have to switch a mount from one bike to another, and the strap is attached so you can't lose it. It's USB rechargeable using a regular phone charger. It has an 800mAH Lithium battery and is rated 300 lumens.
For chuckles i'm calling it the Illuminati
For $5.00 off enter the promo code "SeeLight" at checkout on amazon. I'd also love productive feedback from anyone who buys and uses the light. It includes a red blinky for the back.
Link to Amazon
You can see more info on amazon or at my website Vivo-Bike.com
#780
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I've only used it once but I can't believe how awesome this light is for $26, & free shipping. I started riding about 5:30am so it was still dark. I used it for 30 minutes on medium then when it was daylight enough I changed it to low just to see how long it would last. it has 3 LEDs as a meter to tell you roughly how much power your battery has left. I rode for 4 hours exactly and the 3 LEDs were still on!
Quality wise it is way better than expected. The only thing that looks cheap to me is the battery holder.
Brightness wise, well this is a very bright light! About 3 years ago I bought a nice branded $300 HID light. It was about 13 watts and rated at 750 lumens. I loved it because it was a lot brighter than my older 10watt halogen light but it only lasted me 2 seasons. I was fairly bummed when it quit working. I was looking for a replacement bulb and realized I can buy a whole new light for cheaper. Not surprisingly lighting technology had come a long way. Given the battery was also 3 years old I decided to by a new one instead, but wasn't wanting to pay another $300...
So I came to BF and started researching lighting. It was fairly obvious LED and battery technology had surpassed the old lighting I was used to. I always loved the newer LED flashlights anyway.
Sorry, getting long winded. I'll get back to the point. Brightness wise, it's as bright on medium as my HID is on high. I used it on medium in pitch black dark but I feel low would have been fine. Medium seems twice as bright as low and high seems twice as bright as medium.
Only question now is how long it will last. If it lasts only 1 year it will be well worth it. I'll just buy another one next season lol...
Quality wise it is way better than expected. The only thing that looks cheap to me is the battery holder.
Brightness wise, well this is a very bright light! About 3 years ago I bought a nice branded $300 HID light. It was about 13 watts and rated at 750 lumens. I loved it because it was a lot brighter than my older 10watt halogen light but it only lasted me 2 seasons. I was fairly bummed when it quit working. I was looking for a replacement bulb and realized I can buy a whole new light for cheaper. Not surprisingly lighting technology had come a long way. Given the battery was also 3 years old I decided to by a new one instead, but wasn't wanting to pay another $300...
So I came to BF and started researching lighting. It was fairly obvious LED and battery technology had surpassed the old lighting I was used to. I always loved the newer LED flashlights anyway.
Sorry, getting long winded. I'll get back to the point. Brightness wise, it's as bright on medium as my HID is on high. I used it on medium in pitch black dark but I feel low would have been fine. Medium seems twice as bright as low and high seems twice as bright as medium.
Only question now is how long it will last. If it lasts only 1 year it will be well worth it. I'll just buy another one next season lol...
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#781
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Amazon.com : RioRand 4 Mode 1200 Lumen CREE XML T6 Bulb LED Bicycle bike HeadLight Lamp Flashlight Light Headlamp : Sports & Outdoors
plus:
https://www.amazon.com/MagicShine-Gem...rch_detailpage
Basically $24 bucks (less bonus points back if you are Prime Member) delivered for a complete light set and no fuss. If you have a dyno-hub or a serious generator, its pretty easy to rig up a charging system, but I pretty much decided it was simpler to just carry a "spare battery" (when one gets tired, just turn it off and turn on the other one...which is why I tend to have two complete kits installed). But noting that it takes quite a while to run one down even on high.
Hope that helps
/K
#782
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6200LM 3x CREE T6 LED Bicycle Bike Light Headlight Flashlight+Battery+Charger UK | eBay
I paid £16 which included shipping costs (approx $22 USD) ....
seller advertises it as 6200 lumens. What I can however say is that I have been using it for several weeks and commute at night, 5 days a week on very dark cyclepaths/back roads. I use it with the headband that was supplied and it has 3 settings (low, medium, high) ....
On low, it is very very bright and works brilliantly with the headband. I have only used it on the low setting
The battery pack is placed in my cycling jacket pocket. I have not tried mounting it on my handlebar as I don't like faffing around in the dark with rubber bands every time I need to mount or dismount it.
It came with the battery pack, charger, headband and rubber mounting straps. I have had a few cyclists asking me where I bought it and how much it costs. I use this in conjuction with my Cygolite Hotshot which is mounted on my rear pannier rack.
It's been one of my best buys so far
#783
Senior Member
OP; If going with a flashlight format, highly recommend ones which use the 18650 Lithium rechargeable batteries. You can bet a box of 10 of them on ebay for about $12 delivered and chargers are dirt cheap also. Nothing in the AA format comes close to them. And they can output up to 6,000 mah each. I use several of the 5,000 lumen zoomable lights as bike lights ($15 on ebay) and also use the ones that house two of the 18650 batts with a gun mount on the shotgun which is great for spotting during the annual tree top raccoon hunts.
#784
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I bought one of Troy's Illuminati's and I think it's a good value for $27. I use it on strobe with a Cyglolite on steady for the front and it comes with the small red blinkie that straps easily to my helmet for a 2nd back light (it uses two 2032 pancake batteries)....so I have 2 front and 2 back lights for the winter. Good to have a back-up in case one should go down for some reason. Also it is quickly & easily moved from bike to bike with the rubber strap fastener.
However it's just barely adequate as a to-see light on steady high, but I've managed to get home a few times with just the Illuminati although it's not ideal for spotting road hazards such as ruts or stray small bits of debris if I ride faster than 8-10 mph at night.
Just today I received a Serfas "True" SL-255 headlight, powered by a pair of ordinary AA alkaline or rechargeable batteries (as far as I can tell, it's the only Serfas model that uses AA batteries). I just took a quick 2-mile trip around the block at night and it appears to be adequately bright as a to-see headlight. Serfas claims the SL-255 is 50 lumens on steady low, 125 lumens on steady medium and 255 on steady high. Subjectively the Illuminati on steady high is somewhere between low and medium on the Serfas SL-255, so once again lumen doesn't appear to be a reliable indicator of apparent brightness.
The Illuminati is certainly nowhere near as bright on steady high (supposedly 300 lumens) as the Serfas SL-255 on steady high (reportedly 255 lumens). But the designs are very different, with the Illuminati somewhat comparable to the Busch & Muller Ixons with top-mounted LED reflected off a curved mirror for a directional patterned beam.
I'll add more observations about the Serfas SL-255 and some photos after using it for a few rides. But for the current price of $32 via Amazon ($35 shipped to my state, including state sales tax but with free Amazon Prime 2-day shipping), the Serfas SL-255 appears to be a very good value, especially if you prefer ordinary AA batteries rather than USB rechargeable LiON or other internal battery.
Last edited by canklecat; 04-21-16 at 11:38 PM.
#785
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#786
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Skimmed through this thread, didn't see this one. Just got a Niterider swift 350 for $35. Its not bad, somewhat floody. Before that had gotten a decent deal for a Serfas USL-305 for $40. The serfas is a superior light.
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https://www.amazon.com/Nestling-Solarstorm-Bicycle-headlamp-4x18650/dp/B00VHLTQ6A/ref=cm_sw_em_r_asp_p_VLkqL.NTCYK6E_tt
I know this type light has been mentioned already, for $27 and change shipped its not bad. Light and battery pack seem fine. One ride so far of 45 minutes with a mixture of low, med, and high, and still 3 leds of battery if its correct.
On high taken with S5. Its brighter in actuality.
I know this type light has been mentioned already, for $27 and change shipped its not bad. Light and battery pack seem fine. One ride so far of 45 minutes with a mixture of low, med, and high, and still 3 leds of battery if its correct.
On high taken with S5. Its brighter in actuality.
#790
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After browsing the forum(s) and the last couple pages of this thread, here's what I decided. I'll give a short review once I've had a chance to use them a few times. Front and Rear for under $36...
Note they are both in the US, as I didn't want to wait for them to come from China or Hong Kong.
Black Solarstorm 5000LM 2X CREE XML U2 LED Front Bicycle Bike Headlight Headlamp | eBay
Cycling Bike Bicycle 2 Laser Beam and 5 LED Rear Tail Light Lamp 6 Modes Safety | eBay
Note they are both in the US, as I didn't want to wait for them to come from China or Hong Kong.
Black Solarstorm 5000LM 2X CREE XML U2 LED Front Bicycle Bike Headlight Headlamp | eBay
Cycling Bike Bicycle 2 Laser Beam and 5 LED Rear Tail Light Lamp 6 Modes Safety | eBay
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~willieb
#791
Senior Member
Apologies; didn't realize I had previously responded to this thread. Anyway this is thus more a continuation.
---------------------------------------
I suspect it is much of the "to each his own" type situation. For me, I have lots of flashlights (handhelds, bike mounts, rifle mount, bug out bags, backup power, share-out sets for contingencies, etc.). Some time back really took a hard look at the various issues centering on power to weight to cost ratios. In the end, I standardardized on 18650 based/powered devices and just began to replace things as they broke or got donated. Getting rid of things that run off various coin batteries, 123A, AA and AAA really simplified my kits. Admittedly, some situations took a bit of work; such as building up my tactical shotgun. It needed a flashlight, a laser sight, and an illuminated scope. Having found that there wasn't a viable set of those add-on that ran on a single source required work. In the end, the best answer was to mount a 4-6,000 lumen zoomable LED flashlight, that runs off a pair of 5-6,000 mAh 18650's and mounted on the left side of the barrel with a doubled-up pair of picy rail mounts, and wiring it so that its batteries powered everything on the gun. I suspect one could leave the flashlight on continuously for several days at a time before needing to recharge (or switch to spare sets of batteries). I think most folks could be well served on their bikes with 2 or 4 each 18650's and it is fairly easy to wire them up to charge off a internal hub alternator or a solar panel, if desired. Just for thoughts.
---------------------------------------
I suspect it is much of the "to each his own" type situation. For me, I have lots of flashlights (handhelds, bike mounts, rifle mount, bug out bags, backup power, share-out sets for contingencies, etc.). Some time back really took a hard look at the various issues centering on power to weight to cost ratios. In the end, I standardardized on 18650 based/powered devices and just began to replace things as they broke or got donated. Getting rid of things that run off various coin batteries, 123A, AA and AAA really simplified my kits. Admittedly, some situations took a bit of work; such as building up my tactical shotgun. It needed a flashlight, a laser sight, and an illuminated scope. Having found that there wasn't a viable set of those add-on that ran on a single source required work. In the end, the best answer was to mount a 4-6,000 lumen zoomable LED flashlight, that runs off a pair of 5-6,000 mAh 18650's and mounted on the left side of the barrel with a doubled-up pair of picy rail mounts, and wiring it so that its batteries powered everything on the gun. I suspect one could leave the flashlight on continuously for several days at a time before needing to recharge (or switch to spare sets of batteries). I think most folks could be well served on their bikes with 2 or 4 each 18650's and it is fairly easy to wire them up to charge off a internal hub alternator or a solar panel, if desired. Just for thoughts.
Last edited by ksisler; 01-23-17 at 01:03 AM.
#792
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I have made a video with demonstration of my separated high/low beam headlight.
As I mentioned earlier it is about $30.
Great! I'm not allowed to post URLs until I have at least 10 posts!!!
So, here it is: youtu.be/jmrvqBJDxkU
As I mentioned earlier it is about $30.
Great! I'm not allowed to post URLs until I have at least 10 posts!!!
So, here it is: youtu.be/jmrvqBJDxkU
#793
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Heres a couple I thought I would share. I have the CR500 and use it for around town stuff. Rareyl do I need high mode so the CR300 version really would work well too, both under $50 (500 is barely lol)
https://www.ravemenbikelights.com/co...e-front-lights
https://www.ravemenbikelights.com/co...e-front-lights
#794
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I got CREE XML T6 USB single LED light, is cheap ($10), waterproof, work great over 6 hours with my generic 5V, 1.5A, 10400mAh power bank.
I'm still forum newbie, so I can not put links or pictures, but if you're interested you can find CREE XML T6 on DX, GearBest, Banggood...
I'm still forum newbie, so I can not put links or pictures, but if you're interested you can find CREE XML T6 on DX, GearBest, Banggood...
#797
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Good video.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#798
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I'm not allowed to post URLs until I have at least 10 posts!!!
You can see my headlights here: youtu.be/jmrvqBJDxkU
You can see my headlights here: youtu.be/jmrvqBJDxkU
Cheers
TRJB
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Tunnel vision is only because of the my cheap action camera - EKEN H9.
The first part of that video was taken with another camera (Canon 60D) and tunnel vision effect is much more lower there.
And surely real human eyes take a bit better picture than Canon.
The first part of that video was taken with another camera (Canon 60D) and tunnel vision effect is much more lower there.
And surely real human eyes take a bit better picture than Canon.