Originally Posted by
Robert C
No, I haven't bothered. The reality is that when it is dark i turn on the regular light (the Magic Shine Clone). Once that light is on I cant even see the dynamo lights output.
The reality is that it adds nothing. I have to look down at it to even see if it is on (it is mounted above the fender). It is so dim that if there is much light out I have to put my hand in front of it and look at my palm to see if it is on. As I often describe it, it is a minimum legal light.
Some time soon I will take pictures of the two lights on the road so you can see the difference. The trouble is that dynamo lights are hard to get good pictures of.
With all due respect, even with an intro level cheap minimum dynamo light - it sounds like your front light is simply defective. The long startup time and low light output - I suspect - are not a result of being a cheap minimum level dynamo light, but instead the result of something being defective. Maybe the electronics in the light have a short or something in them, maybe the dynamo has a physical problem and it's not putting out much power, etc.
Taking a block to turn on sounds like it doesn't even meet any minimum legal specs, sounds like it's defective and not getting the power it usually would. Even for a cheap, minimum spec light.