Two things you want from a lamp- To be able to see----And to be able to be seen. On the road with street lighting- It is that being seen that is more important. Over here a flashing light is not a legal lamp and I like to have 2 lamps fitted. My Use has a flashing mode- so I set it to that and the other lamp is a constant light so makes the bike legal. Roads without lighting and you want to see and be seen. Two lamps again- one as a distance lamp and one shining in front of the wheel.-Unless you have a Use or other such power in your lamp and then the second lamp is just a spare. However- On trails or Mups or Even offroad and you want to see. The lamp you get must be powerfull enough for you to see with at the speed you are going at. Pointless wanting to do 20 mph if your lamp will only let you see far enough in front at 10mph. Our Use lamp is good for 30mph offroad but downhills do require caution at that speed. The shadows are different at night and "Is that a big puddle or is it 6" of Mud" Or even a change from dry soil to damp stuff.

I used to use the EL 500 and this is a spot lamp. Fine for seeing where you are going to go at 15mph but not a wide enough beam if set up in front of the wheel to see the broken surfaces or holes. Then we added an EL300 to it and this was a Wider beam. The pair together worked but By far the most usefull lamp was a helmet lamp. It shines where you look and not just where the bars point.

You can spend a fortune on Lighting for a bike but you have to get the right lighting for your use. And don't forget to carry spare batteries as a lamp turning into 1 candle power does not make for enjoyable riding.