mountainwalker

I need to pick up 3-4 front and 1-2 rear blinking LED lights. Who has the best price on decent ones now? Thanks! I have seen ones with flat round watch-type batteries, but prefer AAA ones because AAA batteries are more commonly available and available in rechargeables as well.

PaulRivers

For front lights, these are the only ones I've been able to find for front blink AAA's (like you I want recharge and commonly available batteries, non of those disposable tiny batteries where I always have to order more) -

[h=1]CatEye Reflex Bicycle Front Safety Light TL-LD560-F[/h]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FTHGZU8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=WY4I3K3W4NW4&coliid=I3PD07QJRWCCLZ

[h=1]BV Bicycle 5-LED Headlight and Taillight[/h]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FTHGZU8/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=WY4I3K3W4NW4&coliid=I3PD07QJRWCCLZ



For back lights there are a million choices, I use the Planet Bike Rack Blinky myself.

mountainwalker

Thanks PaulRivers, the BV is a great find. I just wish it they sold the white lights alone as well, or in sets of just white lights, because I just did a count and it looks like I need 3-4 front headlights more than rear lights (had a bunch of reserve rear red lights). Anyone know any other good sources for a good value on front blinking AAA lights alone or in sets of two?

dougmc

For a headlight, I'd suggest something that takes AA's instead of AAA's -- AA's hold 3x as much energy as AAA's but cost about the same.

I've gone with Lipo/Li-ion powered headlights lately, but the Planet Bike Blaze one watt or two watt are some of the best AA/AAA lights I've seen.

For a taillight, AA's usually aren't an option, but they last longer so AAA's are more acceptable there. I'm fond of the Planet BIke Superflash chinese clones for $5, or if I want to go name brand I get a Radbot 1000 for around $20.

And you are definitely doing the right thing by avoiding the 2016/2032 and similar button cell battery powered lights. They're nice and compact, but they don't have much energy, so you either get little light or short runtimes. And they're expensive and you can't get rechargeables ... run away!

CompleteStreets

I'm not sure what budget you're looking at exactly but Bell makes a great AAA blinky headlight for $20. It's bright, can be seen from the sides, which is a major safety benefit, and the battery life is the best I've experienced of the half a dozen or so headlights I've tried.

[h=1]Bell iPulse LED Bike Torch. 4.5 stars out of 100+ reviews on Amazon: https://amzn.to/1q9tQ3E[/h]

1nterceptor

Rear light that runs on a single AAA, US$20:

[h=1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi8BAsw8Uiw&list=UUHyRS8bRu6zPoymgKaIoDLA&index=1[/h]

Don in Austin

I think USB rechargeable is the only way to go these days.

Don in Austin

a1penguin

I am not a fan of USB rechargeable lights. I like batteries! You can carry spare batteries. You can replace batteries. Once the custom battery in USB rechargeable light dies, you throw the light away.

dwmckee

I am not going to tell you that you need something other than what you asked for. If you want a AAA set of lights then here is the best deal hands down on a set of front and rear AAA lights. The rear is a 1/2 watt identical to the Planet Bike Superflash, the front is a 1 watt multi mode that is a great blinkie and bright enough to be used as a headlight in a pinch. I have 3 sets if these now and have tossed my DX lights that break when they are 3 months old.

BikePakmart - Super Bright 1-Watt Headlight, 1/2 Watt Taillight, Safety Light Set, Quick-Release, Weather Resistant

$29.99 per set. It is like buying the Planet Bike rear and getting the front free.

This headlight is significantly brighter than the CatEye mentioned above and the tail light is brighter than the Planet Bike BH mentioned above. This is cheaper too. The link I pasted if for the importer's web site which sells direct only to keep prices low; I do not believe you will find this combo anywhere else online.

mountainwalker

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions. dwmckee great find on the BikePakMart lights. Is the blinking light from the white headlamp in the set visible from the sides? It's hard to tell from photos. And is the headlamp bright enough to function as a decent headlamp (not necessarily the best headlamp)? Otherwise you can get the BV white/red blinking set from BikePakMart or Amazon for less than $10.

dwmckee

Side visibility is okay, but it is indirect (you can see white diffused light but not the LED source from 90 degrees. From 45 degrees not bad at all. I found the set on Amazon for $17. If you found for $10, please post the link! I have owned a dozen tail lights and about 20 headlights over the past decade and this is the best deal for the money (not the best light set, but the best deal on a light set). The headlight is bright enough for limited riding as a headlight and you can see the road with it but if you ride at night all of the time you will want two of these or something brighter. I use mine to supplement day blinking with my Edelux 2 headlight.

mountainwalker

That BV light set is only $17 from Amazon Prime. While I would not consider it for riding by headlight in complete darkness, would you say it's bright enough to handle a bit of headlight duty?

mountainwalker

There is a Bikepakmart BV blinking light set that was only $7.99 on their site last week (seems they doubled the price this week), but still only $10 from Amazon prime - this is just for the BV basic white front and red rear blinker. The set with the larger front headlamp type blinker is $17 on Amazon Prime.