Originally Posted by
Richard Cranium
In the old days there was a good old measure of power - it's called Watts!
And try to understand one other thing when shopping for a light - if it is not using at least a 6V or 7.2V power source then it should be considered either a very short run time or very dim light.
In other word, except for some exotic flashlights you need a 4xAA (6Volt) or Lithium Ion battery source.
Too bad more dealers don't let you "demo" ride lights - in real ride circumstances.
If all lights used the same type of light source Watts might be a good way to compare but not all types of lights are equally efficient. In the home a florescent light of 11W maybe bright and put out more total light power than a 60W incandescent bulb.
Also, the voltage of the battery is of less importance than the energy (WHrs) so long as the battery can deliver the required power for the required duration it makes almost no difference what the battery voltage is because modern electronics can convert it to whatever voltage is needed.
Most of the current lights are LED because they are more efficient than incandescent and even HID. I think florescent would be comparable in efficiency but the bulb shape would make producing a highly directional beam less practical in a small package. LED is also desireable because they are not nearly as vulnerable to vibration and bumping you experience riding a bike, particularly a mountain bike. Most lights have rechargeable batteries and most of them are sealed units that are designed to limit the use of cheap replacement batteries so you buy from them.
I have a 7 year old HID that's finally giving out and I plan to get a decent LED in the 600 lumen range.
Brian