Originally Posted by
davei1980
All good points, and yes I do think 8K LM is an exaggeration in this example, but I have no frame of reference of what's a high number, etc.
On the non UL approved - I didn't think of that, I have all very high end and/or bullet proof parts on my bike; however, stuff like this is not necessarily "mission critical" like a crank arm or a tire so I don't mind saving a few $$.
I don't mind spending good money on good lights if that's the most reasonable conclusion here.
There are plenty of good sites about bike lighting...Consensus seems to be that around 800lm is probably fine for riding on nice pavement in the dark, and more output is necessary for riding off-road in complete darkness.
FWIW, I recently bought
this. I might use the full 1300lm in an off-road event that may go past sunset, but around town I would probably never use it higher than the medium setting, which is 850lm. It's got a good beam pattern, warm-ish light, a solid mount, and good run times. But there are plenty of good lights on the market.