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I want some of the better lights. Help meh.

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I want some of the better lights. Help meh.

Old 10-01-09, 05:53 PM
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I want some of the better lights. Help meh.

So now that it is getting dark at 6:30 and pitch black out by 7:15ish, id like to invest in some lights. I can't really put a budget on my safety but lets try and keep it under 300ish. I am looking for something super bright, and efficient. Weight really isn't an issue considering im not a 100 lb nimble racer. Today i went out at 5:30ish to do about 20 miles. 8 miles into my ride it was getting really dark so i turned back. By the time i got home i couldn't see two feet in front of my face, so id like to be able to ride as much as i want to whenever i want to. Plus it is nice and cool at night, woo.

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Old 10-01-09, 07:01 PM
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Bike light

I just bought a NiteFlux Photon 4 Enduro light on-line at www.niteflux.com It suits my needs well. I'm sure they are many lights of equal quality. That light and a blinky red rear light was around 250.00 complete. Whatever you decide at least check out their website it is very informative.

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Old 10-01-09, 07:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr.jon
So now that it is getting dark at 6:30 and pitch black out by 7:15ish, id like to invest in some lights. I can't really put a budget on my safety but lets try and keep it under 300ish. I am looking for something super bright, and efficient. Weight really isn't an issue considering im not a 100 lb nimble racer. Today i went out at 5:30ish to do about 20 miles. 8 miles into my ride it was getting really dark so i turned back. By the time i got home i couldn't see two feet in front of my face, so id like to be able to ride as much as i want to whenever i want to. Plus it is nice and cool at night, woo.
The Magicshine light that is in other threads here seems to be quite the one to have this year. About 7-900 lumens for about 85$ or so. Insanely bright, and quite a bargain. They seem to have started to turn up for sale about 2 months ago.

You should get a Planet Bike superflash for a taillight, and you will be all set, but this is really just enough to get you started.

You might want a backup headlight in case the main one goes out - perhaps a supplemental helmet light of some sort (IMHO, the MS light is too bright to go on a helmet - you can temporarily blind people with the thing). And some might argue that a second taillight would be a good precaution in case the battery goes out. You should be able to get all of this and still be well under budget.
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Old 10-01-09, 07:35 PM
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This tail light
https://vetta.com/product_show.asp?ptype=whole&id=60

Plus

2 MagicShines from GeoManGear.com (high customer service)

or

This Dinotte which is one of the highest quality lights available with a history of quality and high customer support.
https://store.dinottelighting.com/sha...unt2=349113106
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Old 10-01-09, 07:45 PM
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Originally Posted by dekindy
This Dinotte which is one of the highest quality lights available with a history of quality and high customer support.
https://store.dinottelighting.com/sha...unt2=349113106
+1 ... I've been a steady customer of Dinotte's for several years. I like their quality and customer support. My present favorite is the 400L from last year. I also have the Li Ion version of the 140L tailight.

For 300 you could set yourself up with Dinotte easily. You don't have to do the tail light. A planet bike superflash is very effective. I would recommend the Li version over the AA version. Longer run times and easier battery charging/maintenance.
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Old 10-02-09, 03:12 AM
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The Magicshine light sounds impressive, but the quality & longevity concerns kept me from ordering it. I'm old enough to know that sometimes you end up paying more than once for bargain-priced goods .

I ran across a good price on a CygoLite Rover II. Got a water bottle battery. Maybe would've preferred a frame-mount pouch battery with longer run time, but I think I'll be happy with this.

Originally was shooting for nothing less 'shiny' than a P7 LED light, but I think this will be good enough for me, a moderate speed rider in an area of flat & low hills. What convinced me was the 'demo' photo on CygoLite's site touting it as fairly equivalent to a 25 watt halogen, and seeing a comparison photo of a similar CygoLite against a 4-AA Cateye HL-EL300, the model I've been using to date. No comparison there.

Good luck, let us know
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Old 10-02-09, 06:21 AM
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Originally Posted by duffer1960
The Magicshine light sounds impressive, but the quality & longevity concerns kept me from ordering it. I'm old enough to know that sometimes you end up paying more than once for bargain-priced goods .
I figure I can replace my MS 4 to 5 times for the cost of it's nearest competitor. It's a chance I'm willing to take.

<< old enough to know better, but young enough not to care!
\m/
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Old 10-02-09, 06:45 AM
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Best bang for the buck would be a Magic Shine or a P7 torch - either can be had complete for less than $100 and effectively provide maybe 400-500 lumens on high.

I've also always been a fan of Light & Motion lights...I have a Stella 200L ($250-300) and an older Vega. The new Vegas run about $150-200. Both give you 200 lumens. The Vega has a self-contained battery.

IMO, 150 lumens is about the bare minimum useful output for seeing, rather than just being seen.

Currently I use a P7 flashlight in conjunction with my old Vega on most of my bikes, or my dyno-hub driven Lumotec on my Superbe.

For taillights, you can't go wrong with PB superflashes, or a Dinnote if you want a death star on your tail.

Last edited by chipcom; 10-02-09 at 06:49 AM.
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Old 10-02-09, 08:01 AM
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Magicshine P7 from geomangear.com up front, either one (or two) Planet Bike Superflashes in the back, or if you're feeling flush, a Dinotte 140L in back. This is what I run (with a superflash on my helmet - I like to always run two lights in the back, because if one fails you won't know). Even with the dinotte, you're still well under $300.

(the MagicShine is $85, the superflashes are $20 or so, the Dinotte is $120 if you provide your own batteries and charger, which are only $20 or so if you go buy them at a local store).

I'm really confident that almost anyone will be happy with this combo. (*almost* because there are some folks on these forums that aren't happy unless their lights can make the foliage catch fire if they ride too slow).

I used two Superflashes for a while, but eventually I got the Dinotte because I ride in all weather and conditions, and I decided I wanted a blazing beacon in the back for when I ride through heavy fog or rain, either night or day. The Dinotte punches through even fog in the daylight, which is probably the worst. The Dinotte gives me confidence that anyone that's paying any attention to the road knows I'm there (nothing can help against texting drivers, of course).

Honestly the MagicShine P7 workmanship looks fine to me, and they're using an identical LED as the Lupine Tesla 4 and the heat dissipation looks fine, and the soldering and parts inside look fine to me, so I don't think it's fair to just assume they're going to fall apart quickly. Besides, as someone else said, I could buy 5 of them for the price of one of the name brand lights, and by the time 5 of them in a row died, there will be way, way better lights on the market for less money.

Anyway, here's my review of the Magicshine light, make up your own mind:
https://johnridley.livejournal.com/266955.html

Honestly I think the name brand lights are going to have to move their price structure to react to the new lights hitting the market from MS and others.

Oh, and reflective stuff. A $4 reflective vest from Harbor Freight is surprisingly bright in the majority of cases (when the approaching car's headlights are working and pointing in your direction).
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Old 10-02-09, 10:05 AM
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P7 is good but short run time, I have a Q5 which does 230 lumens - more than enough to see and be seen.

It was about a third of what the p7's cost - I think it was $18. Don't forget you need the Li-Ions and chargers
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Old 10-02-09, 11:58 AM
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Originally Posted by twentysixtwo
P7 is good but short run time, I have a Q5 which does 230 lumens - more than enough to see and be seen.

It was about a third of what the p7's cost - I think it was $18. Don't forget you need the Li-Ions and chargers
Magicshine light is a P7 with a 3 hour (low) / 8.5 hour (high) runtime, with rechargable pack and charger for $80, which is really about where you'd be with a P7 flashlight, lockblock, batteries and charger anyway. Plus many people think the beam on the MS is a little better for cycling than a P7 flashlight. But that's just opinion.
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Old 10-02-09, 12:03 PM
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Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
Magicshine light is a P7 with a 3 hour (low) / 8.5 hour (high) runtime, with rechargable pack and charger for $80, which is really about where you'd be with a P7 flashlight, lockblock, batteries and charger anyway. Plus many people think the beam on the MS is a little better for cycling than a P7 flashlight. But that's just opinion.
I've noticed that the beam patterns are different on the different P7 models. My two mode MTE throws a different beam than my 5 mode Aurora.
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Old 10-02-09, 12:54 PM
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Agree with most of above, but I'd add:

- Do NOT pay more than $60 for a 200 lumen light. I would actually not pay more than $35. For $28, you can get a bulletproof metal 2 x AA flashlight from BatteryJunction.com that will put out 200 lumens. You don't even need to worry about runtime, as you can get more batts or even more lights for 2-3 hr rides. It takes seconds to swap the batteries.

- Lockblocks are perhaps the best and also cheapest flashlight mounts out there. You can leave them on your bike and never have to worry about it getting ripped off.

- I've found that the best flashlight helmet mount has been a homemade one that you can make from a spare inner tube in less than a minute. Just cut a few inches worth of tube off, make holes through the walls at the ends so you can fit the end of the flashlight through them. It's analogous to using a rubber band to hook the flashlight to your helmet by looping it through the helmet. Rock-solid stable, and works incredibly well, as inner tube rubber is extremely durable. On some longer night rides, I've even mounted 2 separate 200lumen flashlights to my helmet, and ran off one of them at a time so I could just switch to the other if the batts ran down after an hour. Also was handy for going "hi-beam" when no car traffic was around.
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Old 10-02-09, 01:27 PM
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Originally Posted by agarose2000
- I've found that the best flashlight helmet mount has been a homemade one that you can make from a spare inner tube in less than a minute. Just cut a few inches worth of tube off, make holes through the walls at the ends so you can fit the end of the flashlight through them
I keep thinking there is a niche market for helmets that have a builtin cavity/enclosure into which a specific kind of light would go. Something about the size of a Minewt perhaps. Or at least someone could design a helmet with a spot designed for mounting a light.

Yeah, you could do the thing with the innertube, but that's so....... Fred .
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Old 10-02-09, 01:49 PM
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Originally Posted by agarose2000
Agree with most of above, but I'd add:

- Do NOT pay more than $60 for a 200 lumen light. I would actually not pay more than $35. For $28, you can get a bulletproof metal 2 x AA flashlight from BatteryJunction.com that will put out 200 lumens. You don't even need to worry about runtime, as you can get more batts or even more lights for 2-3 hr rides. It takes seconds to swap the batteries.

- Lockblocks are perhaps the best and also cheapest flashlight mounts out there. You can leave them on your bike and never have to worry about it getting ripped off.

- I've found that the best flashlight helmet mount has been a homemade one that you can make from a spare inner tube in less than a minute. Just cut a few inches worth of tube off, make holes through the walls at the ends so you can fit the end of the flashlight through them. It's analogous to using a rubber band to hook the flashlight to your helmet by looping it through the helmet. Rock-solid stable, and works incredibly well, as inner tube rubber is extremely durable. On some longer night rides, I've even mounted 2 separate 200lumen flashlights to my helmet, and ran off one of them at a time so I could just switch to the other if the batts ran down after an hour. Also was handy for going "hi-beam" when no car traffic was around.
Assume you mean the Terralux LightStar EXTREME 3W LED Aircraft Grade Aluminum Flashlight 2XAA up to 220 Lumens... fyi, they spoec it for one hour at high power. Assuming you have one, how is it to use with rechargeable 2000-2500mAh NiMHs?

Love to see a side by side with a Magicshine, from what I read, it may actual be putting out less than 900...

Was thinking about hitting a fabric store and getting some stretch material, like 1.5" wide. Sew on some velcro.
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Old 10-02-09, 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by ericy
I keep thinking there is a niche market for helmets that have a builtin cavity/enclosure into which a specific kind of light would go. Something about the size of a Minewt perhaps. Or at least someone could design a helmet with a spot designed for mounting a light.

Yeah, you could do the thing with the innertube, but that's so....... Fred .
There's NOTHING fred about that innertube thing. You can't even see that it's an innertube if you cut the ends short enough.

I rode at night a few days ago and ran into a pack of roadies all sporting fancily mounted helmet and handlebar lights. Nearly all of them asked me how I mounted my flashlight so compactly, as their mounts stuck up a good inch off the helmet, where mine was snug and stable.

I seriously don't know how you could manufacture a superior helmet mount for small LED flashlights.
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Old 10-02-09, 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Riverside_Guy
Assume you mean the Terralux LightStar EXTREME 3W LED Aircraft Grade Aluminum Flashlight 2XAA up to 220 Lumens... fyi, they spoec it for one hour at high power. Assuming you have one, how is it to use with rechargeable 2000-2500mAh NiMHs?

Love to see a side by side with a Magicshine, from what I read, it may actual be putting out less than 900...

Was thinking about hitting a fabric store and getting some stretch material, like 1.5" wide. Sew on some velcro.
Yes, I use both Fenix and Terralux. (Fenix is smaller and I use it for running fast at night.)

With 2000-2700mA batts, all 200lumen AA lights run at max brightness for about an hour to and hour and a half. An hour minimum.

I haven't tried a Magicshine, but from the tested lumen rating, it would be 3-4x brighter than these flashlights. (Caution in traffic though - 200 lumens is already hella bright to oncoming cars, especially targeted.) I'd love to get my hands on one of those, although with my short bike commute (<1hr), I can't justify a purchase of it. Plus, I love my flashlights.
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Old 10-02-09, 03:12 PM
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Originally Posted by agarose2000
There's NOTHING fred about that innertube thing. You can't even see that it's an innertube if you cut the ends short enough.

I rode at night a few days ago and ran into a pack of roadies all sporting fancily mounted helmet and handlebar lights. Nearly all of them asked me how I mounted my flashlight so compactly, as their mounts stuck up a good inch off the helmet, where mine was snug and stable.

I seriously don't know how you could manufacture a superior helmet mount for small LED flashlights.
For my first night ride, I took a small LED flashlight I had and... used a broccoli rubber band! Added a zip tie for safety, but it worked great. Cheap DIY.
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Old 10-02-09, 03:21 PM
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Originally Posted by agarose2000
Yes, I use both Fenix and Terralux. (Fenix is smaller and I use it for running fast at night.)

With 2000-2700mA batts, all 200lumen AA lights run at max brightness for about an hour to and hour and a half. An hour minimum.

I haven't tried a Magicshine, but from the tested lumen rating, it would be 3-4x brighter than these flashlights. (Caution in traffic though - 200 lumens is already hella bright to oncoming cars, especially targeted.) I'd love to get my hands on one of those, although with my short bike commute (<1hr), I can't justify a purchase of it. Plus, I love my flashlights.
Read through the whole 11 page MS thread... wow. Seems it could be overkill for what I might need... how long IS the Terralux? Price-lumens seems far better than Fenix. I have a cheapy that I can cob a mount quickly, but it's only 4+ inches long...
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Old 10-02-09, 05:30 PM
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I have the 200 lumen Dinottee but don't count me as one who thinks they are end all for bike lights. Here are some reasons that I am not in favor of this light.

1. Not a big fan of the rubber band attaching devise.

2. Battery bag and strap are second rate.

3. Helmet mount is second rate. Stella Light and Motion has one that is much better. I use it to mount the Dinottee on my helmet. I mount the Stella L/M on my bars.

4. Dinottee batteries have to be removed from cheap plastic case (one of mine has broken already). Stella L/M comes with a battery pack that you just plug into and charge. The down side of the Stella L/M lights they have to be charged for 10 hours.

5. Dinottee cost me $120.00 no charger no batteries
Stella L/M lights $129.00 + tax with batteries and charger.

6. Plus side for Dinottee 200 lumen's vs 120 lumen's for the Stella L/M. The Dinottee is a flame thrower as long as the batteries are fully charged. Have yet to get 2 hrs at full power.

7. Dinottee has a indicator light to tell you when your batteries are low (blue light turns red).

8. The finish on my Dinottee seems to be deteriorating around the edges. Finish seems to be blistering around the edges.


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Old 10-02-09, 05:37 PM
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The 200 lumen Stella comes with a smart charger...which you can also buy separately to cut down your charge time.
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Old 10-02-09, 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted by chipcom
The 200 lumen Stella comes with a smart charger...which you can also buy separately to cut down your charge time.
I am very pleased with the Stella L/M 120 lumen lights. After using then for about a month I only wish I had bought the 150s or 200s. The 120s along with the Dinottee on my helmet are very adequate for my use but I guess I have a bigger is better complex.
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Old 10-03-09, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Riverside_Guy
Read through the whole 11 page MS thread... wow. Seems it could be overkill for what I might need... how long IS the Terralux? Price-lumens seems far better than Fenix. I have a cheapy that I can cob a mount quickly, but it's only 4+ inches long...
The Terralux throws the exact same bright spot and intensity as the Fenix. No difference whatsoever. The FENIX also has more modes, including the seizure-inducing high-strobe, which is ok for daytime use only. Terralux just has high and medium - although I and most FENIX users use the max setting only 99% of the time, so the modes are irrelevant.

The FENIX, however, is smaller and lighter by a small amount. This is insignificant on the bike, and I would just buy the Terraluxes. However, for running (I mount the FENIX on my head), that small weight difference is huge enough that I would only recommend the Fenix.

I use 2 terraluxes - one on my bars (lockblock) and one on the helmet (inner tube mount) and last night was doing 22mph on a downhill fairly safely. For sure, it's more than adequate for urban commuting where you don't want to blind oncoming cars.

I haven't yet tried the pricier Dinottes, but I believe these flashlights are more than the equal of a pricey Dinotte. With these flashlights, you're throwing out 360-400 lumens on the cheap. 2 x $28 flashlights + 1 lockblock for $60-65ish. Plus, these Terraluxes seem bulletproof and fit in your pocket - you'll see when you get them - you can drop it over and over again and it'll do ok (I have.) Plus flashlight+lockblock = easiest bike removal ever - all of one second to pull off & drop into pocket - you can even remove it while riding without any problems whatsoever.

The main place where this setup may fall short is if you absolutely need 2hr+ runtime without stopping (like a night-time endurance race). Still, for commuting, I've gotten around this by carrying an extra flashlight in my pocket with fresh batts (they're so inexpensive that I've got 3 of 'em!)and swap the handlebar light at a red light in seconds without dismounting. It's still cheaper than a Dinotte even if you get 3 of 'em.

Last edited by agarose2000; 10-03-09 at 09:14 AM.
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Old 10-03-09, 10:47 PM
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Torches on the bars: 900 lumens P7 for some flood, 230 lumens Q5 or throw. And one on the helmet to direct at drivers who are approaching from side streets.
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