Whats the best helmet light for 150 dollars
 

A litte about the light I want. Must be water proff sence I ride year round. I would like it to be rechargable. I also want it to attach to the helmet. I also want it to be street legal. I have gotten a few good ideas but I know if I keep looking I should find the one that tells me its the one. The buget is 150 no more. Thanks for the help

I like the Dinotte 200L (200 lumen) light. Unfortunately, the current price for the Lithium-ion version exceeds your budget. However, the AA-powered version is available for $119 (no charger or batteries). For helmet use, I'd get the long-cord model. My light is the older short-cord model, so I zip-tied the battery holder to the back of my helmet. I use mine now mostly as a secondary light (I have a 600L on the handlebars) for commuting, but it's "primary" when I am on my road bike and works well. The various intensity & flashing modes are useful for different needs for visibilty and getting drivers' attention.

You can find a decent AA recharger locally and you might already have one. For batteries, I recommend the high-capacity/low-dishcarge versions, Sanyo Enloops or similar; anything over 2000 mAH capacity will provide decent run times. While the Lithium-Ion version has longer run times, a 2nd set of AA's are cheap. You can use regular AA's in an emergency, so I carry single-use lithiums in a 4-cell holder (from Radio Shack) as a back-up for night/winter commuting.

Check your state laws for what is required for night riding. In Virginia, I need a white headlight and a red reflector, regardless of what else I have.

Read up on the 18650 flashlight threads here. You can get batteries, a charger, a helmet mount and a waterproof flashlight that will give you more than enough light for less than $100.

If you wanted to devote that much to a helmet light you may want to decide what you want from the light.

I would guess that different people have different priorities.

Total weight / comfort ?

Total power / switchable power ? Ease of operation - chargeable battery run time

Type of beam / flood to throw ratio / focus control?

Portability / multiple mounting capability - hand-flash light - head light etc

I guess these priorities might be considered for any bicycle lighting system as well......

1 Waterproof, rode in hard rain a few times. Used it to commute in 10F weather
and so far 90F + summer days.

2 Came with rechargable 18650 batteries.

3 There's plenty of ways you can attach this lite to a helmet.

4 Street legal? I don't know NYC's rules on bike headlites,
other than you have to have one.

5 These cost $100 for 2 flashlights and 2 batteries. I'm sure
you can find them cheaper now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGpBHbEYqeo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Thanks...i found a light at sears. 100 lu and it is zip tied to the helmet. I'm not looking to buy anything new for my bike till winter.

Yeah - what you discovered is "missed" by many cyclists that ride at night.

Any light that you can point at your area of interest is way more beneficial than even a powerful light pointed directly down the road.

There are dozens of good lamps and several great ones. My favorite is the Coast Lenser - it is even more effective then most lamps. Even though it runs on three "AAA" batteries and is rated around two watts - it has as much or more "throw" than a MS 900 head light or 200 lumen Fenix LD20.

When my Coast is in "spot mode" the "focused spot" will still show as brighter than any 200-300 lumen flash light thrower - "its the focus" that makes it powerful.

To anyone who cares - buy either a Coast H7 or a FenixHP11 - these are the "sweet" choices - unless you want to spend a lot more.......