Thanks for all the responses!

Colleen C, that mtn bike setup is an absolute Howl !!! I love it! This is a great discussion on the topic. I like the ingenuity of the folks working things out to best suit their needs. I like to engineer a little myself and getting the hear/see what others are using is a big help to this newbie.

This gives me a lot of info to sift through. I like the CREE XLM's but I'm not sure about using one as a helmet light. Granted, it works very well but, I'm a bit concerned about blinding drivers by my looking around. I did pick up a "TwistLit" yesterday. It's an elcheapo LED. Seems to be a fair amount brighter than the spider lights. At least its something until I decide which route to go on a better light. I'm a fair weather bike commuter. When it's raining, I bum a ride. The rain makes a huge difference in night time visibility. My entire route is on lighted streets so, just getting drivers attention is what I'm after.

Thanks again for all the replies. Everyone be safe.
Ed