Originally Posted by
Zero_Enigma
Well if AA is the route you want then for the best bang for buck to use what you already have the 2 x L2D option from Fenix would serve you well. Just pick up a package of TwoFish bike adaptors on the same site and you get free s/h. Out the package you load your 2xAA into both lights and mount on your bike and have instant 175lm x 2 = 350lm for the same price of a Dinotte. Also you have the flexibility of using one light as a flashlight or to give to a friend. Because you have dual lights now (I use duals myslf but I us the
http://www.planetbike.com Blaze 1/2W 2xAA which is a make shift TO-SEE light in a pinch but mainly they are my BE-SEEN lights tilted up and give the appearance from a distant of a motorbike which many drivers slow down a block or two in response to seeing it and to see WTF that is which means to me they notice me) should one unit fail you have redundancy of the lighting. Hard Adonized Aluminum (often called H3 or H-III) if I have the name right , means the coating of the light is extremely scratch resistant and pretty much the best coating you can get. Check out
http://www.candlepowerforums.com and you'll see a ocean of people that own it and the reviews have been positive, reliable, durable, and a true preformer. You can't get a better crowd like the CPF people as they are lighting people and will in the name of testing/science abuse the hell of the light to see how well it survives in the worst case situation which you will rarely encounter.
Excellent points and good suggestions. I certainly want to look into these options before I make a final decision. Thanks once again for all the pointers in directions to look and things to consider.
Originally Posted by
Zero_Enigma
Dinotte is a winner as well in the eye candy but for bang for buck right now it seems 2 x L2D's gve you the most light for the same price as a Dinotte. I'm not knocking the Dinotte. I love the look of it as well but the extra cables I want to avoid having been down this route already. I am taking off about 5 items on the bike easy time I stop and go. Only thin now a days I want wired it seems is the helmet light which I can either carry my helmet in to places or lock it up on the bike and take the light on my body.
I hear you on the extra wires/cables thing. There's already enough of that going around and I don't really have a compelling desire to add ANY extra wires to a bike that I don't have to have. The idea of something that is self-contained and an excellent performer is a very attractive idea to me. Anything that leans toward simplicity and efficiency coupled with great performance is what I want to consider first.
What I see as a main problem with a lot of the really desirable bike lights is the cost. And while I want to buy the best I can, I am definitely limited from a budget standpoint. I see why so many folks want to explore other equivalent options that get them the same (or better) results without paying higher, niche-based prices (and specialty bike lights seem to fall into that niche category -- if you want something really nice that's specifically designed for bike use, you're going to pay for it). But using a creative approach might (like you're suggesting) might easily produce more bang for the buck. Like you say, looking into the candlepowerforums sounds like an excellent route to explore for tapping into exceptional levels of knowledge on this very subject.
Great stuff, Zero_Enigma...
