ed 

Here's a picture of the trail with B's new light


Here's my MagicShine the same night, same trail

dminor 

I think both of you ought to get your money back. Hick's is slightly dim and yours only seems to work in broad daylight.

plasticmaam12

Link fail.

ed 

That's the middle of the night, D.

dminor 

^^ I was pulling your leg . . . but then you were doing the same.

craigcraigcraig

truly magical shining.

mx_599

ed 

Okay, I got my MagicShine today. Man...lighting technology has really gone "big" in the last 4-5yrs. (sorry, no pic's yet...it's flippin' cold outside)

I did a quick comparison against my Nite Hawk Raptor with a new JuryRigged battery.

Nite Hawk Raptor factory spec's:
10 Watt Halogen Bulb
2.5 Hour Run Time
6 Volt Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) Battery
Fully Automatic Charger “Plug & Forget” With LED Charging Indicators
Weight: 1,150g / 2.5 Lbs.
Water Bottle Mount Battery
Light Switch At Your Fingertips
Quick Release Mounting System


Geoman's Magic Shine spec's:

•Emitter Brand/Type: Seoul Semiconductors SSC
•Emitter BIN: P7-C-SXO
•Color BIN: White
•Total Emitters: 1
•Power Cord Length: Approximately 12" on lighthead plus 1 meter extension (included)
•Battery Configurations: Powered by a separate rechargeable battery pack (4 x 18650 lithium batteries inside)
•Voltage Input: 8.4V max
•Switch Type: Click Switch
•Switch Location: Tailcap
•Modes: 5
•Lighting Modes: High Mode@900 lumens > Mid Mode@500 lumens > Low Mode@200 lumens > Fast Blink > SOS Mode
•Circuitry: Digital Regulated 2400mA Current Output
•Brightness: 900 lumens maximum brightness (manufacturer rated)
•Runtime: 3 hours on High Mode (manufacturer rated)
•Lens: Coated Glass Lens
•Reflector: Light Orange Peel Reflector
•Mount: Integrated bar mount. ORDER YOUR HELMET MOUNT HERE (CLICK)

•Accessories Included: 100V~240V AC charger (US plug), Pouch included
•Weights: Lighthead: 4.2oz/120g, Battery Pack: 7.4oz/205g, Total: 11.6oz/325g (approx.)




Taking into consideration that my Lead Acid battery for the Nite Hawk was shot and I was running an "overVolted" home made 7.5v 5xD battery pack...I'm still incredibly impressed. Running the Nite Hawk at 7.5v instead of the factory 6v makes it a bit brighter, but it's truly no match for the Magic Shine.

With the Magic Shine on "low", it was still much brighter than the Raptor. The crisp, white beam made the yellow Halogen fade into nothing. Kick it up to "high" and there's just no comparison. I'll get out to the trail soon and give it a good test, but just shooting across the back yard is gonna be ample grounds for me to "stand by" my purchase.

Run times were about 2hrs on my old 10w flood. The MagicShine is supposedly capable of 3hr on "high" mode. No matter what, it'll be enough for my ride times. I've never ridden longer than 1.5-2hrs in the dark.

The kicker is the weight. The 2.5lbs of the NightHawk is conservative. The lead acid battery is basically like a lawn mower battery. The Magic Shine is completely installed on my helmet (came with an extension cable if I wanna run it to my pack, or frame) and I don't feel any discomfort from the weight of the system. Longer test rides will tell more, but LED / LiIon technology is freakin' awesome!!

I bought the Nite Hawk raptor for $39 on clearance from Nashbar.com. I purchased the Magic Shine for $84.99 from Geomangear.com...it's probably 4x the light at 2x the cost.

mystolenbikes

Yep it is a great light. I love mine!

born2bahick

Well it seems my new lights are being shipped Hong Kong Postal, I recon that's as fast as a slow horse, I'm thinking april 45th for an arrival but, Ed And I Are going out in the snow tues! I'll use my old halogen system and he can give a good comparison to it with the new tech. I'll carry a decent camera for pics.

ed 

My HK shipping / tracking has said the same thing for 4 days now. Something about verifying the destination

born2bahick

Damn I just checked, It's been sent to Ed's house, Theifing SOB anyways. It's OK, Heck I stole his wifes van last fall. I guess were even

ed 

Yah, but I've been taking the Blur out for midnight strolls to make up for it!! (I used to be a locksmith, you know)




HK tracking says:

The item (####) was posted on 3-Dec-2009 and is being processed for delivery to the addressee. Forever, it will be.




I know it's a bit of overkill, but I wonder what it'll be like banging around the woods with mfgr rated 1800 lumens

ed 

NiteHawk with Ghetto 5D battery pack:
(I left it permanently installed on my old Azonic helmet b/c I never wear that thing anymore.




MagicShine:
(I got a dedicated helmet mount for it, so I'll put it on one of my Influx helmets PRN...easy on / easy off)




Since I've got that 900 Lumen P7 flashlight OTW too...I'm gonna see how well the LiIon batteries work with the Nitehawk. I may build a new pack for it out of some more of those.

ed 

As I stated in the "ride report" thread:

The light is probably not 4x better than my 10w halo, but it's 2-3x better. Still worth the 85bones.



Side note:
Departure - Foreign International Dispatch, December 12, 2009, 4:31 pm, HONG KONG AIR MAIL CENTRE, HONG KONG

900lm P7 flashlight is now en route.

born2bahick

I've quit checking on mine, It will get here when it get's here.

born2bahick

Update! The Hong Kong postal service horse has crossed the ice fields into Alaska! My order is now on Dog sled headed SW. Should make good time to the end of the snow Fields somewhere around Billings. It will then be loaded on a henway, pulled by giant Galapagos turtles that will follow the Oregon trail to Topeka. ETA, Augustober, 63rd 2010.

ed 

Well...I picked up my MTE SSC P7 5-Mode flashlight from USPS today. All I gotta say is it's an impressive piece of hardware. This thing is small...like "fit in y'all hand" small. Like the MagicShine, it's not a true 900lm, but it's dadgum friggin bright for a little flashlight. I think the MagicShine will beat it out in brightness, but the two paired together will be juss thuper.

The flashlight is more of a "flood" and the MS has a hotter "hot spot". The MS will RAWK as a helmet light and the MTE on the bars for a shallower flood.


This will be fun!

born2bahick

I'm still waitin..............

ed 

I ordered a 250lm micro light too. The MTE was so impressive, I got a micro that runs on either a 3v lithium (like you get int the store) or you can pppppput a rechargeable CR123 or RCR123 stubby battery running 3.7v for a little extra UMPH!

I got it with a pr of the RCR's. It's already shipped, so I'll expect to get it by the next vernal equinox.

craigcraigcraig

all this talk, where are the pictures at?