Originally Posted by
Dunbar
I have the the Planet Bike 2W and those pictures are very misleading. Even with new batteries you see almost nothing at night (and it dims as the batteries drain). It was a good light 2-3 years ago but was never suitable for actually seeing the road in the dark. I'd get a minimum of 200 lumens and preferably 350+. I'm going to get the 500 lumen Lenzyne Super Drive XL. It uses rechargeable 18650 batteries. Extra batteries can be purchased for $5-10 each online to extend the run time indefinitely. The power required to create 200+ lumens of light make disposable batteries cost prohibitive.
I guess they can be misleading, but they seem fairly representative to me of what I see using the Blaze headlights. I have both the 1W and 2W Blaze lights, as well as a new Expilion 700, an old 700 lumen HID light, and a number of others. I consider the Blaze lights to be just adequate for road riding at night in a pinch. I'll take one on a late afternoon ride where the bright flashing mode helps with conspicuity as the sun goes down... and if I'm late getting home, the steady beam provides sufficient light to ride by. For a dedicated night riding light, look for something much brighter...
Look at the other photos in that extensive comparison to give a better idea...
http://www.modernbike.com/light-comp...singleshotplus