I have to disagree; You get what you pay for in a light system. There are huge differences in quality between the cheapest light sets, and the gold standard brands like NiteRider and Light & Motion. I've used all different types of systems from a homemade $30 solution, to bike lights from $50, to $100, $200 and can say, L & M blows them away in quality. You have to realize that the brightness and wattage of the bulb is not all that matters. The quality of the build is probably more important to a serious user than the wattage. Sure you can rig up a 35W bulb and a huge battery and it will give plenty of light...but is it waterproof, crashproof, and will it be around after turning the switch ON and OFF several hundred times? Not if it's a POS system. Cheap lights may be fine for the occasional night rider, but for anyone who does regular night riding, a reliable system, along with a backup LED is a big plus. I've been on many a group ride when a beginers' budget light system fails in the middle of the cold night...not fun for the rest of the group that has to come up with a fix

edit to add a little more....One of the guys who I ride with has a pretty well built homemade system that's fairly reliable. It's like 40 watts, and is very bright. He uses the homemade system to supplement his NiteRider 20 W system for really fast sections, or downhills. I don't think he would ever use it as his only light though. ....just my 2 cents