Originally Posted by AlexanderLS

[MENTION=21724]cyccommute[/MENTION] $20 isn't an amount of money I'd just throw away. I'm glad your eBay lights work for you. The risk of getting faulty stuff from China is just too great IMO. It's not limited to the light simply not working. The li-ion batteries direct from China are known to catch fire. I'd not risk my house burning down to save a few bucks on bike lighting. If you are buying the batteries separately then the $20 lights really aren't $20 lights are they.

You don't really specify the specific lights you're talking about. Many of the eBay lights I've seen claiming high output have a separate battery compartment and require 18650 batteries. Getting good 18650 batteries that are reputable and reliable will put the light budget well over the $30 offerings from Cygolite. Then there is the irritation of not having a single piece light. You need two mount points and the connecting wire only serves as a potential fault.

EDIT: All that being said, If you do spend the money getting good 18650 batteries, You could easily pack extras in your bag for extended battery life. While good 18650 batteries are expensive, they are cheaper than replacement expillion batteries and are going to be more flexible/useful. There are so many cool things you can buy and run off 18650 batteries.