Actually this whole experiment had more to do with overall system flexibility and non-propitiatory power sources than anything else.


Many of the other commercially available LED bicycle lighting systems operate off voltages below 12V. Anything from 5V to 7.5V depending on who makes it. That also locks you into their battery system and puts you at the mercy of product availability.


And then there's charge time. The concept of 1.5 hrs runtime and 5 hrs charge time would just leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'd much prefer the 6 hr runtime/3 hr charge time I'm currently getting.


And although the idea of one light that does everything might appeal to some people - it doesn't too me. Multiple lights give better depth perception and have the option of being split up and used across more than one bike simultaneously.


Of course most people look immediately at weight and lumen output and look at run time last. Personally I'd rather have more run time than 1.5hrs or 2.5hrs and guess what? As soon as you start adding batteries to increase run time on something like a Lupine Betty or a Seca 1400, the weight jumps and the price starts to get even more ridiculous. For a single light anyway.


So the lights I'm using will actually take anything from 9V to 60V as an input which means I can source an amazing range of high quality SLA, NiMh AA power packs, high energy Li Ion Polymer or LiFeO4 cells at a fraction of the cost (typically 25%) of the cost of lower capacity batteries for some of those other popular systems. And some of those I use for other purposes anyway. LiPoly batteries can range from $26 to $160 for the same capacity - the big difference is the discharge rate they'll handle. No point in paying a premium for a battery thas rated at 200A continuous discharge. I'll never need it and the battery won't last any longer.


And since I personally have several bikes, this has worked out quite well. They'll plug directly into the output of the electric bike so no additional batteries required. And because the lights need a minimum of 9V to operate, it's also possible to use unprotected 3-cell high capacity Li Ion Polymer battery packs without over discharging the batteries.


On a run-time per lumen and overall system cost I'm way ahead and total weight is dependent on how many lights I want to run at one time and the size of the battery pack(s) required to do that. These lights are actually mudular in design and can be clipped together to form a rigid light bar if that much light output is required. To arrive at an equivalent point for runtime at equivalent light outputs, I'd have to add several battery packs to a Seca or Lupine system. Those systems would be slightly lighter (slightly), but based on overall flexibility - I wouldn't swap for one.