Originally Posted by
TimmyT
I disagree with the "bigger is better" option here. I have owned a bunch of lights from the small front blinkies to the 1200 lumen things The Golden Boy suggests. If you are in oncoming traffic, particularly bike traffic, like a MUP or crossing a bridge (common in NYC), then the super bright lights blind the riders coming toward you.
Better optics, rather than more power, make better lights.
For my bicycles without dynamos, I prefer lights that use batteries. The reason for this is that you can get batteries *anywhere*. If your charge goes out on a rechargeable light, you are out of luck.
I have a
Planet Bike Blaze 2 Watt Micro that is my preferred light. It throws 139 Lumens, and is plenty bright for much of the riding I do. I also have a
Serfas SL-255 that I have on the handlebars if I need more. The mount on the PB light is great. The Serfas one is not as good because it is not as stable.
I use the Eneloop rechargeable batteries and have a recharger at home.
Catch being higher output lights typically have lower-output modes. Many of them also have good optics as well. The result being for instance my NiteRider 750 is bright enough in 300Lumen mode to be useful for seeing and being seen on dark roads with a very long burn time....versus a 300Lumen rated light that will need to run at full-power that therefore will have a short battery life....and if I need it, I can crank up the output for badly-lit sodium-lit streets. Also the much higher output levels are far better for rides when surfaces are wet. White-top concrete is easily lit when dry to become blinding, but after a good rain the stuff scatters light away from the rider's POV. I've known folks with good 150Lumen lights who hate riding in the wet as their light is barely bright enough in the dry, and useless when it is wet.
The amount light that counts as "plenty" also varies greatly depending on where you are riding. Personally I'd never want even a quality sub-200Lumen rated light for a headlight. They just aren't bright enough even with good optics in an urban environment or a wet environment.