I came across this Halogen light. For $120 it seems like a really good deal. Should I go for it or can I get something else?

Pros:
- Only weighs 20oz (Li-On battery)
- $120 + shipping
- 20 watts total (good enough for me)
- Smart Charger!

Cons:
- No brand name

https://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=1367

Looks like a decent deal. This just reinforces that the big company light guys are ripping us off.

I am getting my perfoirmance viewpoint battery rebuilt and it will go from 500 milliamps to 4000 milliamps, which will ensure longer run times for $65.

Can you tell us more about this project? What is the best way to extend battery life and maintain the input specification of the lamp?

I am having the work done at Batteries Plus, which is a chain. Their website is www.batteriesplus.com

The new pack will maintain the same voltage as the old pack, but the milliamps will increase from 500 to 4000. I will pick up the battery on saturday and will give a report after my Monday commute.

I've just been working on my lighting project. The only real downside to LiIon is that it degrades badly when it gets cold. I've seen some estimates that when it gets well below freezing (10*F and below) LiIon may only be able to deliver 20% of its normal capacity.

Since I mainly need my lights when it's really cold, I opted for NiMH.

NiCad actually degrades the least, but since it also has less capacity per ounce than NiMH, it comes out about the same when it's cold, and NiMH has more guts when it's warmer. Also NiCad isn't very environmentally friendly.

I’ve had good experience with Marwi nightpro (ProElite – 35W NiMH)
They also have a $140 15W alternative (NiMH)

Marwis look interesting. I'll check them out.
Now I'm thinking of just going to HomeDepot and getting a 55W handheld spotlight. If I manage to strap it on it will be cheaper (less than $30), long-lasting enough (in energy conserving mode) but heavier than bike lights at 3.5 lbs. Has anyone else considered this?

https://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...prod_id=165066

What sort of voltage was that? The rebuilt sounds alot heavier also. Wonder what the weight differance will be.

The batteries are the same size and are 1.2 volts each. There will be 10 batteries in total.

It looks like a decent light, will the place you buy it from stand behind it if there is a problem? That would be my only question. How long is your commute?


I have seen a couple of them duct taped to bikes. I thought one guy told me his only went for 30 minutes? How long does it run, and how much power does it have in energy conserving mode? It looks funny taped to a bike.

You beat me to it.

I have been using a marwi nightpro elite now for 3.5 years. I ride 3-6 nights a week. I'm still using the original battery and 1 lamp. I converted it to single lamp a couple years back. I'm amazed the battery is still going. I believe its an 8amp-hr battery with 12 x 4/3A cells.

Bought mine at aebike.com for ~143USD. Its gone up some to 160.

https://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=LT7515 note these QBP links change nearly every night so you might have to hunt it.

If you really wanna know this lighting stuff you sould read this, it's excellent. Pay special attention to comparison table with HIDs.

https://nordicgroup.us/s78/#Myths%20a...ting%20Systems

this table:

https://nordicgroup.us/s78/wattslumens.html

You can build your own light system, many have. Some end up spending a lot for a fugly light so be careful. The cheap route are 12v MR16s from home depot/lowes and a 3-5 amp-hr lead acid battery.

Instructions say it will only last 40 mins on the lowest setting. I am testing it now. If so, I will resign to returning it to HomeDepot and continuing the hunt. I like that the Marwi Pro elite has the clip on lights rather than thumb screws.

Is there anywhere else to buy the Marwi Pro Elite for less than $160?

I found two, one was $235 the other place had it for $199.

It seems like a good value for $160. If it runs long enough for you. I don't think it has a smart charger. It
says "overnight charger" . That's a negative to me, I won't buy another light without a smart charger. I have had two without.

Exactly how long do you need a light to run? Also do you need it to run that long in the cold? If so how cold?
You don't get full run time in the cold so you might have to buy more run time than you need in the warm weather.

Do you need to have a smart charger, that will take care of itself? If you don't have one you have to use a timer or shut off the charger at the right time of you will ruin the battery. If the battery is half empty you have to charge it half the time to get it full. I would recommend a smart charger.

Do you have an absolute budget limit?

Start narrowing down the features you want, Then make a list to start comparison shopping. There are many good lights out there.

The first one seems pretty good if it has the run time you need. I would buy it. It has a smart charger. Li ion is the best battery BY FAR and in the cold too. It goes three hours at 20w (high). It will go a long time on low and 4 hours on 15 watts. It really has everything. I would risk the $120 myself if I didn't already have 2manylights.

The price seems great to me. The battery will beat the other batteries by a lot. Lighter, more capacity, and better in the cold. And a smart charger. That's about everything, if you don't need more power for off road. 20w Is good enough for on the road. 15w is ok under most conditions.

2many thanks for the info. I figure I'll only need light in the evening for one hour. I commute 4 to 5 days a week -> 4/5 hours of runtime per week. The entire commute is on a paved bike path. 85% dimly lit and 15% pitch black park. I will contact batteryspace to see what kind of warranty it has.

Sound like a great light for what you are doing. Good choice.

Duct tape won't last long. Consider instead looking for the "Total geekiness" thread in this forum. It talks about making your own halogen light. I've done this for a couple of bikes:

* Malibu light: $17 (Home Depot)
* Battery : $20 (Pep Boys)
* Cabling : $6 (Radio Shack)
* Clamps : $2 (Pep Boys)

For my folding mountain bike, also had it set up to run a flasher as well ($16 incl postage from AllElectronics). This arrangement shortened battery life a bit. Because the battery has a cigarette adapter, I can use the same battery to run a small air compressor.

Pretty easy to setup -- biggest piece of equipment needed is a hack saw. Haven't used it on my newer road bike because the battery is heavy, but might if an LED light doesn't turn out to be bright enough. Was looking at a nightrider raptor system as a possible "professional" upgrade, but its battery is even heavier.

Roc -- Did you get the batteryspace light? If you did I'd like to know how it works out.

BTW: I've bought stuff from them for my mobile recording rig and was satisfied.

I bought one of these nib off of ebay for $75.

25W total and it comes with a NiMH battery, not a NiCad. Even if you buy it from rei, it's less than $120.

https://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...ory_rn=4500819

How useable is the REI on unlit streets with just one lamps on? The 1 hr battery life at full power would not be enough for me. The batteryspace seems to have longer battery life -- don't know if that's higher capacity or because 5w less lighting.

I haven't had it long enough yet to comment on the battery life, but just using the 10W bulb is fine for tooling around on unlit streets. Riding at higher speeds, I prefer using the 15W bulb. Using them both at the same time is not significantly brighter than using just the 15W.

I don't know, you guys. I rode for three months a 15km stretch of mostly pitch-black MUP, at top speed, with one 10W halogen on a helmet mount (https://www.blt-lights.com/gammaraysl42.htm). I paid $40 USD for it, and the old school battery was pretty heavy, but it was plenty of light, enough to bring out every bug out for miles around, with the hungry bats not far behind! (see bat story in very long commute thread).

Looks like the light you are considering is made by these guys:

https://www.bicyclelights.com/bikelights.html

I run a Marwi NightPro Torch and am happy with it. Does what is says it will do, nothing more, nothing less. Would like a bit more that 1.6 hours of run time, but I can live with. Bought mine at Outdoor Sports, good price and free shipping.

https://www.outdoorsportz.com/BGLTOOOO1010.html