Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
Ha, cool. :-) Will be curious to see what you think having used both in person - if you think the Ixon IQ is about the same, or a better light (for the light distribution part, it's clearly a better light for battery life :-)).
If it was **just** replacing the batteries that would give an adequate runtime I probably would have encouraged you to just buy new batteries, but in my opinion 1-2 hours isn't enough. A decent bike light needs 2+ hours of runtime to be sure it doesn't run out while you're still riding. 4-5 hours is just awesome... :-)
So I got the Ixon IQ Premium today. Cost was $106 shipped from
Bike Discount and it included the charger, batteries, and they threw in the glare protector as an unmentioned freebie. It took six days to arrive halfway around the world. So no complaints there. I found a plug adapter at my local hardware store for $4.
Compared to the LBL and ignoring the LBL's dismal battery life, I thought the LBL was substantially better. The Ixon Premium's main positives are that it takes up less handlebar real estate and the included glare shield does an excellent job of keeping the light out of your eyes. The LBL by contrast glows with a bright ring around the edges of the lens and you'd need to paint that or tape it for a tie with the Ixon. But purely as a light the LBL wins. It puts a lot more light on the road than the Ixon Premium and it's a much more pleasant, easier-to-see color. The LBL also gets points for being USB rechargeable.
But a light's no good if it can't stay on for your entire commute.