Originally Posted by
cyccommute
I can't really say that I've seen too many "How do I make this cheap light work?" posts. Even the batteries of expensive lights have problems and can fail...and problems with lights are more often related to the battery than the lamp. If LED technology was mature and not in a growth phase, it might be worth spending more on lamps. But when the NiteRider MiNewt that you paid $200 for 3 or 4 years ago is way under performing the $40 Magicshine knockoff today, it's kind of hard to justify that kind of cost. On the other hand, if the $40 knockoffs are way out performing a $40 Planet Bike Blaze, it's hard not to choose the $40 knockoff.
I guess we differ in that I think Enough is available now. I've got lights that are bright enough for me to see, and to be seen, with mounts that hold them securely, optics that light the road more than the trees, and I don't need no steenking batteries (dyno hub).
I, too, have lights that give me bright light for the duration that I need them and I don't regret spending ~$120 to get 3 of them.
How long do you expect to keep your $120 of lights? Will you replace them next year, or two years from now, as LED technology develops? I see my lights as a capital investment, but many people expect them to last like a one-time capital investment, then find they're more of an annual, bi- or tri-annual, expense instead.