Originally Posted by
mrbubbles
Just face it, dynamo system is expensive compared to battery, they're very expensive compared to the new offerings from China. People who buy dyno system (like you and me) don't care about the cost, the convenience factor trumps the cost. I have 3 dynamo setups, and 3 battery systems, my cheapest dynamo setup is more expensive than my 3 battery system combined. Frankly, imo, people who ride often at night but won't get dynamo systems are just cheapskates, it's so much more convenient.
I have to disagree that I'm just a cheapskate. The lights I choose to use are chosen because of their output and utility. I've been doing this night time dance for 30+ years and I don't choose lights frivolously. There's a lot of thought that goes into my light choices.
Quite frankly, the output of even the best LED is still only a fraction of an overvolted halogen. I used to run MR16 12 volt halogen overvolted to 14.4 V and they would throw out 3 times what any single Cree XML T6 puts out. Considering that the halogen had the same run time (about 3 hours) on a 4.5 ahr battery as the LEDs I'm currently using, I considering going back to them.
In the last 5 years, dyno have started to do much better compared to the old incandescent lamps and a little bit better compared to halogens but other lights have gotten better as well. Even if I don't use the $25 Cree lights and bought Magic Shines, I can still buy more light output for less money than a single dynamo system. That's not being cheap, that's being economical.