Originally Posted by
Sherbona
Burton, sounds like you received some defective ones there. My experience with the MagicShine MJ818 is very different - super bright and the modes work as advertised for me.
Not junk, and yes I've tried others. My experience with mine mirrors the descriptions made by many others. Perhaps you need to consider the option that you are the victim of a bad batch instead of automatically assuming the worst about other people? MJ818 is bright and a great value IMO, especially for those on a budget and if they already have a battery pack. Sure it's not perfect - two negatives that come to my mind are that mounting requires some 'do your own tinkering' to get the angle right and there's no 'dim' mode (too bright when I'm riding in a group). Good luck with the return and happy riding!
Thanks for the input. I have absolutely no doubt that there are a few happy campers out there. However, just the fact that your experience is so different from mine kind of underlines the lack of consistency that these have a reputation for. So you might get lucky - or you might not. I guess I'd rather deal with products that cost a bit more and are a lot less of a gamble.
There are some real contridictions on these forums. Walmart bikes seem to be considered 'not real bikes', but at least you can dissasemble those and straighten out any mechanical problems. Electrical appliances are more complicated, usually not meant to be disassembled, and troubleshooting one is generally beyound the reach of the average cyclist.