Originally Posted by
rm -rf
Cheap lights
This "1000 lumen" external battery light (plus a tail light!) for $32:
Link
The reviews show an extreme hotspot in the middle of the beam.
And a reviewer said the beam gets dimmer as the battery runs down. Just about every LED light uses a "voltage regulator" so that the beam stays bright until the battery is quite low. For $32, they have to cut every corner, on electronics inside, on cheap connectors, on sketchy batteries that you might not want to leave unattended while charging. And the batteries might stop holding a charge fairly soon.
I have that very light set, which I use for commuting 30 minutes each way, on low, dark every morning. Used it last year on the Silver State 508 from Austin to Eureka, middle of the desert, 8 pm to 1 am. And again the next night up Six Mile Canyon into Reno.
I have found it to be acceptable and quite reliable but have the following comments: I have not used the taillight.
The full size USB electrical connector is steel and not sealed against the weather. If you purchase this unit, also purchase some dielectric grease to maintain the contacts in new condition. If it gets wet, it will corrode.
The connector loosened up and had to be squeezed a bit to maintain contact and not disconnect. I had to tape the connector together on the 508. I do not have it taped now.
The back of the light has a power indicator. It is large, normally green, and bright. When the battery gets low, the indicator turns red. You then have about 10 minutes to figure out how to run without light. There is no other charge indicator.
Charging time is quite long. If planned, not a big deal. It comes with a male to male USB charging cord and has power and charge indicators built in to the cord.
The mount is pretty cheap and broke pretty quickly. I worked around it.