The best headlights under $50 thread
#701
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Hey, has anyone figured out a reliable conversion factor for DX lumen and mAH over ratings? Like maybe multiply DX flashlight lumen ratings by .6 to get a more realistic measure of the real light output you can expect, and multiply DX mAH battery ratings by .7 or something like that to compare it to a normally rated battery.
Note that I've gotten their basic 18650 batteries ($8 for two) and I think they claim 2400 mAh and when I explicitly measured a few of them they were all right at the rated capacity. I've heard of problems with the batteries with higher ratings, but these ones have been right on the money.
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Buy this headlamp and the replacement lense. You will not believe how good they are.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Includes the 4,100mAh battery pack and charger. Under $30 delivered.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Includes the 4,100mAh battery pack and charger. Under $30 delivered.
#703
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ZERO worries treal512. it uses 4 18650 cells. (very common cells in this category) simply buy a 4 cell holder 4 cells and a charger and cut off and move the power wire to your new holder and cells.
done. should fit in the bag that came with it too. when my cells die this is what I will do. you can then buy whatever quality level cells you wish and replace every few years as needed.
done. should fit in the bag that came with it too. when my cells die this is what I will do. you can then buy whatever quality level cells you wish and replace every few years as needed.
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ZERO worries treal512. it uses 4 18650 cells. (very common cells in this category) simply buy a 4 cell holder 4 cells and a charger and cut off and move the power wire to your new holder and cells.
done. should fit in the bag that came with it too. when my cells die this is what I will do. you can then buy whatever quality level cells you wish and replace every few years as needed.
done. should fit in the bag that came with it too. when my cells die this is what I will do. you can then buy whatever quality level cells you wish and replace every few years as needed.
#705
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Normally the lights have pre-made packs rather than four loose 18650 cells to put into a holder. I've never seen such a holder, though maybe they do exist somewhere.
nery's point is that these battery packs are pretty easy to find. And it doesn't have to be made of 18650 cells -- any two LiPo or Li-ion cells in series would work, as long as they have the appropriate protective circuitry. Even a 6xAA, C or D cell pack would work as well, though a pack of 6xAA's would not last nearly as long as a pack of 4x18650 cells.
As for an all-in-one headlight, the single cell 18650 flashlights excel at that role. Though the $23 amazon light we've been talking about outperforms them at about the same price point, but it's larger and more cumbersome to remove.
nery's point is that these battery packs are pretty easy to find. And it doesn't have to be made of 18650 cells -- any two LiPo or Li-ion cells in series would work, as long as they have the appropriate protective circuitry. Even a 6xAA, C or D cell pack would work as well, though a pack of 6xAA's would not last nearly as long as a pack of 4x18650 cells.
As for an all-in-one headlight, the single cell 18650 flashlights excel at that role. Though the $23 amazon light we've been talking about outperforms them at about the same price point, but it's larger and more cumbersome to remove.
Last edited by dougmc; 10-11-13 at 05:01 PM.
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sure.
normally I can find 2x2 4 cell holders (same form factor as the light) but all I am finding right now is 1x4 holders.
320859084255 (ebay) $13 including cells.
that is all you need. swap over the plug to this (check power coming out of the plug first though !! I am not sure if its x4 serial or x4 parallel or x2 x2 serial/parallel (measure voltage from stock pack! you can get 1 or 2 cell holders whatever you need. 3.7 is your base voltage. if its 3.7 then its x4 parallel if its 7.4v its x2 x2 if its over 14v its x4 serial. buy the appropiate holders. (just put in 18650 x cell holder into ebay)
for charging you can buy a dedicated 4 cell charger ($15 to $25) or just use the charger that came with it since your swapping the plug over.
OR for more utility get something like this.
171143629662
$8 and it will hold 4 18650 you can use a mini usb cell phone charger to charge it has a flashlight AND a powered 1amp usb port for "charging" things like your cell phone.
there is a lot of neat things you can do with 18650 cells :-)
the advantage of the 18650 cell is they are universal. like AA's ie common and standardized (not in stores typically though) in 10 years you will still be able to buy 18650 cells most likely.
these lights are very easy to install and remove and are freakishly small (I will take a picture later in my hand so you can see just how freaking tiny the little bugger is. I am also going to get one of those 10x30 spreaders someone posted from amazon (replacement lens) very cool.
does anyone know of any of these lights with a REMOTE on off? ie not built into the light itself but on a wire I can run elsewhere?
normally I can find 2x2 4 cell holders (same form factor as the light) but all I am finding right now is 1x4 holders.
320859084255 (ebay) $13 including cells.
that is all you need. swap over the plug to this (check power coming out of the plug first though !! I am not sure if its x4 serial or x4 parallel or x2 x2 serial/parallel (measure voltage from stock pack! you can get 1 or 2 cell holders whatever you need. 3.7 is your base voltage. if its 3.7 then its x4 parallel if its 7.4v its x2 x2 if its over 14v its x4 serial. buy the appropiate holders. (just put in 18650 x cell holder into ebay)
for charging you can buy a dedicated 4 cell charger ($15 to $25) or just use the charger that came with it since your swapping the plug over.
OR for more utility get something like this.
171143629662
$8 and it will hold 4 18650 you can use a mini usb cell phone charger to charge it has a flashlight AND a powered 1amp usb port for "charging" things like your cell phone.
there is a lot of neat things you can do with 18650 cells :-)
the advantage of the 18650 cell is they are universal. like AA's ie common and standardized (not in stores typically though) in 10 years you will still be able to buy 18650 cells most likely.
these lights are very easy to install and remove and are freakishly small (I will take a picture later in my hand so you can see just how freaking tiny the little bugger is. I am also going to get one of those 10x30 spreaders someone posted from amazon (replacement lens) very cool.
does anyone know of any of these lights with a REMOTE on off? ie not built into the light itself but on a wire I can run elsewhere?
Last edited by nerys; 10-11-13 at 05:27 PM.
#708
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I'm using this on my MTB. Its a SolarStorm X2, its the cheapest X2 I can find and it performs good so far. I do my rides every night.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/330954152704...84.m1497.l2649
https://www.ebay.com/itm/330954152704...84.m1497.l2649
#709
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I have also tied this, a SingFire SF-90, but I got only for $15.99 it when DX made a sale (Half-Off?).
https://dx.com/p/singfire-sf-90-cree-...x-18650-172326
It throws farther than the SolarStorm X2. I installed it into my son's MTB.
https://dx.com/p/singfire-sf-90-cree-...x-18650-172326
It throws farther than the SolarStorm X2. I installed it into my son's MTB.
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U2 is about 10 to 15% brighter than T6 and XM-L2 is about 20% brighter than XM-L so you should end up with a 30 to 30% brighter bike light. The copper MCPCBs would allow your LED to to perform better than stock aluminum MCPCBs since it allows the LED to operate at higher temperature hence decreasing the decrease in lumens due to heat.
#711
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Well my son doesn't want to go biking at night so the SF-90 bike light is of no use to him. Therefore I decided to install it back to my MTB. The SF-90, being the farther thrower is now my hi-beam allowing me to see objects as far as 200 meters away in the road. The X-2, having two XM-L emitters is now my low-beam allowing me to see obstacles in the path.
Here's another pic taken on my two bike lights from the opposite angle .
Here's another pic taken on my two bike lights from the opposite angle .
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I have owned several of the lights mentioned here and others as well. I have gotten tired of DX lights from China that are amazingly bright but unpredictably stop working at inconvenient times too... I also do not like the big clunky dedicated lights that seem to be steal targets too. My newest favorite is this https://edcplus.com/black-xeno-e03-wi...e-t4-p-16.html which puts out 480 certified lumens on high and it uses either a single AA or a 14500 cell. Have to use the rechargeable 14500 to get the max output though,but still pretty bright with a regular AA. On medium it gets about 90 minutes of output before needing to have cell replaced or recharged. The light is basically tiny, just a little bigger than the battery and visually looks so small no one steals it because they are looking for something that looks like a real light. This is the equivalent of the "noisy cricket" gun that Will Smith gets in the Men in Black movie. Looks tiny but amazingly powerful when activated. This light is so great you will buy a second one to keep in your pocket or to take backpacling as it is so small. It is shock resistant and waterproof to 30 feet. It has really good quality o rings and nice square threads which feel so solid when you screw on the back too. All for $32 bucks (even less if you shop around).
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so I just ordered this set up, has some negative reviews, but we will see. Seems the biggest issue is the battery pack, maybe someone on the forums has or will come up with a fix for this. If not too much money, might be worth making one up to carry for a spare at night or at least have on hand/
#714
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Would be interested in hearing your review for this product today. How does does it rate in terms of staying in place? I use a bunch of Knog Blinders but because of where I ride they either shift, get knocked way out of place, or completely fly off the bars. The streets I ride on are in very poor shape - tons of potholes, drunk bumps, rumble patches, ruts, uneven shoulders, no shoulders, road construction including steel plates, the list goes on...so having a light that holds in place solidly is important for me.
#715
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So hi guys, newbie here, how do I tell the cheap crap that'll break, from real quality products? I've had bad luck with DX and Amazon, lots of spotty quality. What are some US brands that I can trust, in the category of, say Cree pocket ultra-bright torches? thanks.
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The quality doesn't match that of lights 10x as much, true, but it's not bad.
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I'm using this Koolertron headlight. $47.99 Almost above the price limited. Didn't spend much time on buying. Thought not the top performance, this light's quality is still acceptable.
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I'm using this on my MTB. Its a SolarStorm X2, its the cheapest X2 I can find and it performs good so far. I do my rides every night.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/330954152704...84.m1497.l2649
https://www.ebay.com/itm/330954152704...84.m1497.l2649
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Recently I only bike for about 30 minutes every night, my beam setting is mid, and my X2 would need recharging every week.
The longest ride I had with my beam set at mid was 1 hr 45 mins before my X2 started to dim (with one flashing LED in the indicator). However, the light was not freshly charged, it was already used for two successive nights for about 30 mins set at mid per riding session.
I use high beam setting sparingly/ when needed. Mid is bright enough for me.
The longest ride I had with my beam set at mid was 1 hr 45 mins before my X2 started to dim (with one flashing LED in the indicator). However, the light was not freshly charged, it was already used for two successive nights for about 30 mins set at mid per riding session.
I use high beam setting sparingly/ when needed. Mid is bright enough for me.
#721
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I picked up a little headlight off ebay a couple months back that’s worked out well enough to relate.
The listing was/is ‘UltraFire CREE XM-L LED bicycle headlamp + battery + charger’, twenty bucks shipped to your door. The form factor is like the UltraFire UF-18B but the electronics, LED and switch are different. These lights use a single 18650 li-ion rechargeable battery, are machined entirely out of aluminum and have a semi-integral handlebar mount.
It arrived simply but adequately packaged but the extent of the included owner’s manual/instructions was the international on/off symbol on the switch. Said switch cycles high-medium-low-strobe-SOS-off. The end caps are marked + and -. The light claims to use the XML U2 LED, which industry literature tells me is brighter than the XML T6. It has a simple flashlight-like reflector and plano, and throws the traditional round hot spot plus aura beam pattern.
(Does it really use a U2? Is it a genuine UltraFire product or a fake? Will the included charger burn my house down? I dunno, I dunno and I dunno, respectively.)
How bright is it? Sorry, I don't own lamp testing equipment, but this light humiliates my Fenix L2D. It holds a couple of CatEye LED headlamps I have by the nose and kicks 'em in the seat of the pants. I know we each have different wants and needs in lighting, but in my world I can’t see running this thing on bright on the street at night – medium is plenty. For the first time since I gave up on my Ed Kearney Bicycle Lighting Systems headlamp thirty years ago, I don’t feel like I want more photons. The strobe setting utilizes the brightest output and might induce seizures in the twilight or dark.
Run time, well, first, let’s talk about 18650 batteries. The 'UltraFire’ battery that’s included with this headlamp is marked ‘4000 mAh’. It has about as much chance of actually having a 4000 mAh capacity as I do being the direct descendant of Genghis Khan. I estimate the actual capacity to be in the neighborhood of 800-900 mAh, and the light puts out full brightness on high for maybe 35 minutes. However, fitted with a name brand 3400 mAh 18650 charged on a quality charger, the light doesn’t noticeably start to drop brightness on high until after three and a quarter hours or so. With that kind of run time, the ease of swapping batteries and given the lamp’s small form factor, I like it better than lamps with a separate battery pack and cable. YMMV.
The battery compartment will accept longer protected 18650 cells without any issue. The threads are cut clean and came lubricated, with a sealing o-ring, and the – (negative) cap removes easily for battery swap/recharge.
Likes: smallish, light weight (152 gm w/o battery), all aluminum construction, easy to mount/move/remove, secure, powerful light, long effective run time, cheap.
Dislikes: no warranty, wasteful optics, no marker light thrown to sides, sketchy included battery/charger - and of course the ridiculous class II laser safety warning sticker! The bright strobe is great for daytime use, but I'd much rather have an additional lower power strobe for twilight than the SOS setting.
The listing was/is ‘UltraFire CREE XM-L LED bicycle headlamp + battery + charger’, twenty bucks shipped to your door. The form factor is like the UltraFire UF-18B but the electronics, LED and switch are different. These lights use a single 18650 li-ion rechargeable battery, are machined entirely out of aluminum and have a semi-integral handlebar mount.
It arrived simply but adequately packaged but the extent of the included owner’s manual/instructions was the international on/off symbol on the switch. Said switch cycles high-medium-low-strobe-SOS-off. The end caps are marked + and -. The light claims to use the XML U2 LED, which industry literature tells me is brighter than the XML T6. It has a simple flashlight-like reflector and plano, and throws the traditional round hot spot plus aura beam pattern.
(Does it really use a U2? Is it a genuine UltraFire product or a fake? Will the included charger burn my house down? I dunno, I dunno and I dunno, respectively.)
How bright is it? Sorry, I don't own lamp testing equipment, but this light humiliates my Fenix L2D. It holds a couple of CatEye LED headlamps I have by the nose and kicks 'em in the seat of the pants. I know we each have different wants and needs in lighting, but in my world I can’t see running this thing on bright on the street at night – medium is plenty. For the first time since I gave up on my Ed Kearney Bicycle Lighting Systems headlamp thirty years ago, I don’t feel like I want more photons. The strobe setting utilizes the brightest output and might induce seizures in the twilight or dark.
Run time, well, first, let’s talk about 18650 batteries. The 'UltraFire’ battery that’s included with this headlamp is marked ‘4000 mAh’. It has about as much chance of actually having a 4000 mAh capacity as I do being the direct descendant of Genghis Khan. I estimate the actual capacity to be in the neighborhood of 800-900 mAh, and the light puts out full brightness on high for maybe 35 minutes. However, fitted with a name brand 3400 mAh 18650 charged on a quality charger, the light doesn’t noticeably start to drop brightness on high until after three and a quarter hours or so. With that kind of run time, the ease of swapping batteries and given the lamp’s small form factor, I like it better than lamps with a separate battery pack and cable. YMMV.
The battery compartment will accept longer protected 18650 cells without any issue. The threads are cut clean and came lubricated, with a sealing o-ring, and the – (negative) cap removes easily for battery swap/recharge.
Likes: smallish, light weight (152 gm w/o battery), all aluminum construction, easy to mount/move/remove, secure, powerful light, long effective run time, cheap.
Dislikes: no warranty, wasteful optics, no marker light thrown to sides, sketchy included battery/charger - and of course the ridiculous class II laser safety warning sticker! The bright strobe is great for daytime use, but I'd much rather have an additional lower power strobe for twilight than the SOS setting.
Last edited by tcs; 01-22-14 at 07:50 AM.
#723
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Run time, well, first, let’s talk about 18650 batteries. The 'UltraFire’ battery that’s included with this headlamp is marked ‘4000 mAh’. It has about as much chance of actually having a 4000 mAh capacity as I do being the direct descendant of Genghis Khan. I estimate the actual capacity to be in the neighborhood of 800-900 mAh, and the light puts out full brightness on high for maybe 35 minutes.
That said, it's estimated that Gengis Kahn is the direct descendant of about 0.5% of the world's population. Which I do realize might be exactly what you're referring to, but it probably overstates the chance of it actually having 4000 mAh, as the very highest capacity 18650 cells nowadays seem to be around 3400 mAh.
Back in late 2012, Ultrafire themselves said they don't make any > 3000 mAh 18650 cells, and that any that are out there are clearly fake.
Last edited by dougmc; 01-20-14 at 10:42 PM.
#724
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Could someone provide some suggestions/links for a good front and rear light combo?
I'm an occasional night rider. I'd like something that is durable, and that I could use rechargeable batteries with.
I'm an occasional night rider. I'd like something that is durable, and that I could use rechargeable batteries with.