Daily Commute

My Cygolite HID died after les than 18 months of use. I know the battery is charged. When I turn the light on, it fizzles for about a second, then goes out. I called Cygolite. The rep said it would cost $50 to fix. I thought that sounded fair.

Oops. The rep said he had mistook my voice for a dealer. The price went up to $100. Then he said it could be $200 if it also needed the ballast replaced.

I would never pay $200 for a used HID. I'm wondering if I should even pay $100 for a used HID. I'll have to think about that.

Other than do-it-yourself, does anyone have information on what's the most cost-effective (or least cost-ineffective) HID out there? What about do-it-yourself HID lamps that will attach to my perfectly fine 12 volt 4.5AH NiMH Cygolite battery?

This is sad. I really loved the light.

caloso

You might just have a bad switch in the light body and there's no way that should cost more than a couple of bucks.

Daily Commute

It looks like my only option is to send it to Cygolite and ask for a quote.

robtown

Batteryspace.com has a HID housing and bulb unit for about $110 https://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=1393
I cannot speak for the quality.

Daily Commute

Thanks. My plan is to send it back to Cygolite. If they can fix it for $100 or less, fine. If not, I'll keep an eye on HID prices over the summer. The Batteryspace.com lights look like a good value. You can get a much better light for the same price as the name brand lights, and it looks like replacement parts are cheaper, too.

This wasn't the first time I was disappointed with Cygolite service. A small rubber gasket ripped a few months ago (the one on the light through which the cord from the battery plugs into the light). I called them, they said they's mail me another one. That sounded good. two weeks later, I called back. They had no record of my previous call. I received the gasket about a week later.

ItsJustMe

I can. They are fine. I used mine all winter, every day, in conditions down to -5*F and had no problems. It doesn't flicker noticeably even on washboarded gravel, and has never gone out on me. It's a touch heavy since it's chromed brass, intended for ORV use, but when I say "heavy" I mean it weighs perhaps an ounce more than a plastic enclosure would (but it's probably that much tougher - I think it would probably be OK if it got run over by a car).

It's pretty sad that you can buy the housing, light, and ballast unit for $110 from TrailTech/BatterySpace, but Cygolite charges users $200 to replace just the bulb and ballast. Especially since, as far as I can tell, the bulbs are all made by the same manufacturer, and the ballasts are all very similar if not identical.

ItsJustMe

BTW, here are some pictures of my Trail-Tech HID and the rest of my setup (including BatterySpace 4.5 AH 14.4v NiMH battery)
https://www.hauntedfrog.com/gallery2/...g2_itemId=2701

NOTE: the rather complex bit, the voltage regulator, is only necessary because my battery is 14.4v, which is over spec for the HID. If used with a 12V pack, no regulator would be necessary since such a pack will put out a max of about 13.8V and the HID is rated to 14.8v. My 14.4v puts out nearly 16V for over an hour when freshly charged, so the regulator is necessary.