I choose the 3w luxeon in the 100 degree spread pattern, knowing that I was sacrificing "throw" for width. I chose to do that for two reasons: I'm old enough that my eyes don't adapt well to the dark outside that restricted little spot I was getting with my 10W halogen spots. Also, I have the sneaky feeling that my spot light doesn't make me all that visible to cars that aren't straight ahead. I would say that the 100 degree spread pattern light is about equivalent to a 5 to 6W halogen spot, but much wider. Given that the 1W nighthawk emitter is as bright as my 10W halogen, I think that if I had chosen a narrower angle it it would easily be as bright as my 15W halogen. As it is, with the 3W on, the spot of the 10W halogen gets lost. I really had meant this to be more of a running light or "be seen" light but I'm finding it pretty comfortable to ride with, as long as I use my helmet 1W also.