Originally Posted by
Hirohsima
The biggest difference between your lights and the ones on a car are that car lights have a horizontal cuttoff and so they focus the light onto the ground rather than in a circular pattern which can impare other drivers.
I have been through many, many light configurations and I assure you that I know all of their limitations and their benefits. Car lamps may have cutoffs to focus the light on the ground but those are hardly perfect. Why do you think that there is glare from any automobile headlight coming at you? You may be able to see the cutoff when you pull up to your garage but if you move back a few meters, the light from the bottom part of the reflector goes upward. That stray light is what creates the glare you see.
As for the round reflector, don't assume that I have my lights aimed flat and level. My lights are targeted to shine on the road approximately 10 meters ahead. I want to bulk of my light hitting the ground to illuminate the road and not spraying off into the dark.
I've already made the point of lane position but I'll reiterate. We cyclists travel outside of the right wheel track. You'd have to have a very wide angle reflector or very, very poorly angled lights to shine glare into the eyes of a on-coming motorist. A very wide angle reflector or poorly angled lights do nothing for illuminating the road and, if the point is to illuminate the road, why would anyone ride with that setup?
Originally Posted by
Hirohsima
Plus its illegal to operate a directional light on a motor vehicle (like the ones police cars used to have on the A-pillars) as far as I know it most states. Your 1500 lummen helmet light, as you stated, is the rough equivelant of a car headlight,... which you can and have pointed at motorists.
I do not, nor have I ever, flashed my helmet light across someone's face gratuitously. The few times I have to result to that tactic is only when a car fails to yield in situations where they should yield. Left turners who fail to see me (not something that happens often now
), people turning right on red, people pulling out for stop signs, etc. For those incidences, I only do a real short sweep aiming for their dash (I can see where the light goes and can target it with great precision
) to get their attention.
Some times people may even see me and proceed anyway. Those people get the full face effect because a bit of a blue dot in their vision is better than me laying on the pavement under their car. But I only do that as a last resort.
Originally Posted by
Hirohsima
I have some family members who have had eye surgery which produce halos around lights. Driving at night where bright lights are involved produce multiple halos in their vision. Shining a light at them may produce your intended result of them stopping, but it may confuse them as well since they may not be able to pinpoint your location because of the intensity of the light.
Again, I don't shine my light at cars coming at me. Only in situations where they haven't yielded the right of way properly and my safety is at risk. Additionally, if you see multiple halos from bright lights that can confuse you at night, you probably have no business driving a car at night. I have restrictions on my drivers license that require me to wear corrective lenses for driving. If I don't wear them, I don't drive. People who can't see at night properly should have the same restrictions.
Originally Posted by
Hirohsima
You are knowledgeable for sure, dispense your knowlege freely and are open to helping others which is GREAT..... but your delivery often comes off as boastful when you post you lumen output.
For sure, I would like brighter lights, and am a bit envious of your output...... but to put it another way.....
One of my best friends does really well for himself. He has a Lamborghini Gallardo which he bought new.... but when people ask him what he drives, he says a Honda Pilot. (Because he has one of those too). Just becuase he has the Lambo, does not mean he always has to SAY he has it.
Everyone here boasts of how bright their lights are. Hickeydog did it, 10 Wheels did it, mrbubbles did it with this quote
You are not overboard at all. Light geeks aren't impressed. Some of us own single system that has more than double the output you have on your entire bar, those are blinding at 50 feet. It isn't really bright unless you are cranking out at least 900 lumens (you have no more than 300).
Here's what a 900+ lumen setup look like.
mrbubbles (and others) have even implied that since I run halogen (Oh, the Horrors! An old technology! Shield the Children!
), I should basically sit down, shut up and keep my opinions to myself. I see lots of people boasting about how bright their 200 lumen LEDs are and I do, for the most part, keep my opinions to myself. Frankly, I think 200 lm is pretty poor for lighting and is about where I was 20 years ago with 5 W Cateye HL500 lights and RC car batteries. 15 years ago I was able to get more 3 times that light out of lamps with MR11. Today I get nearly 8 times that out of one bulb. Why should I be proud of what I've been able to do. It's not like it's hard to do nor am I the first one to do it. I just seem to be one of the last ones who see the value...even with the light's limitations.