Originally Posted by
no1mad
I could either go with any number of the bike specific lights that ran off of AA or AAA for the money, which research indicated that anything I could afford would be too weak to be even close enough to 'see by' for me OR I could take a chance and get a flashlight that runs a 1x18650 format. I ended up with a flashlight rated at 510 lumens (claimed, no way to verify, but can attest that it is bright), 2 protected 18650 cells, a charger, and a mount for roughly $45.
As far as MS lights being better than flashlights, well, that's not entirely true. It depends on what you are comparing to. If comparing a MS to a flashlight with a XP-G emitter, sure the MS is gonna win the output category. However, the MS against a XM-L T6 or better yet a U2, then the difference in brightness is a coin toss.
In
this post mechbgon links beamshot photos to compare the
Ultrafire WF-501B Philips Luxeon K2 Red LED Flashlight, currently $10.40 without a battery, to several bike-specific tail lights. The Ultrafire holds up well against the more expensive Cygolite Hotshot; the Hotshot has a more focused beam but the Ultrafire has a little wider coverage. I assume the Hotshot has dimmer settings which would be good riding in a pack at night, and the Cygolite comes with a bike mount.