n4zou

To get to the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday quickie runs that start at 6:30 I need to do 6 miles and a breakfast stop so I will be running in the dark on my road bike. If I were on my commuter bike with its 20-watt halogen light this would not be the problem it has become! I simply do not like any of the LED bike lights I have seen. What I do like the looks of is the Mag-Lite 2AA, 3-watt LED flashlight I found in Wal-Mart today. I can easily clamp it to my handlebar with two EMT conduit clamshell type clamps so attaching it is no big deal. Removing it is not going to be hard either. It will easily fit in my blowout bag when not required. What I am impressed with is the ability to adjust the beam width by twisting the head as with all Mag-Lite flashlights. With a 3-watt LED it should be bright enough and it's half the cost of a 1-watt bicycle specific light. I am running blinkie lights so I don’t need the built-in sidelights all the bike specific lights have. Has anyone tried one of these lights? I am going to wait a few days so if someone here has tried one and has found it less than ideal I wont waste my money on it.

bmclaughlin807

Why would you be wasting your money?? Walmart has about the best return policy of any store around. If it doesn't work out, return it. It's not bright enough, or whatever.

Just keep the reciept and packaging, you should be fine.

Zero_Enigma

BTW sorry for the off-topic but on the subject of Wallys in the USA, what's your return policy there? 90 days with reciept? I'm in Canada and our Wallys used to be return anytime with/without reciept anytime which made it rather convient if/when you could not find your reciept ( had a dog back then and he's always curious ^_^; so my paperwork often goes dogwol ) but about 1.5 yrs ago they changed to 90days with reciept.

+1 on Wallys return policy. Can't beat that.

Hmm.. don't think they sell the 3watt AA maglites up here. I know NiteIze has a drop in convertor for the newer maglites to convert it to LED but it's light is the suck unles you're inside the house and such last time I tried it. I returned that because you could not get the head of the light to screw back in. >_<; Maybe it was jsut the odd defective one but I was put off.




Zero_Enigma

bmclaughlin807

90 days. But they'll take returns with no receipt... they'll put the dollar amount on a gift card. Which isn't so bad, considering the amount of stuff you can get at Wally's.

Zero_Enigma

Our Wallys (perhaps it's just my area specific in Ontario, Canada) requires a reciept now. I take it fraud and such from @-}{ole prick abusers wanting to scheme money off the company which makes honest folk that lost thier reciepts go through a headache.

I remember talking to some American folks that were visiting Canada while I was in the Wallys parking lot going to my car . They said our Wallys have like 2/3 what the USA has. We only at select stores have limited firearm ammo, sporting selection (GPS's and such), electronic stuff (I recently saw a cheap grey compaq laptop with lots of airvent holes that sells at https://www.futureshop.ca for around $599 CDN), etc. We don't have any grocery dept. in any of our Wallys. Some larger or exclusive Wallys have a fridge/freezer section and that's it.



Zero_Enigma

n4zou

I guess I will drop by and purchase the light today. I don't like to abuse the return policy! I remember when you could bring something back any time without a receipt but people started returning worn out thrift store junk and Wal-Mart went to 90 days with receipt.

MillCreek

The people over at www.candlepowerforums.com seem to like the new LED MiniMag.

geo8rge

You might be interested in:
https://www.flashlightreviews.com/index1.html

Maglite bike mounting.
https://www.niteize.com/productdetail...&product_id=79

FWIW, I do not night ride much so I use a flashlight (sometimes one I buy from a $1 store as it gets dark) and a bungee cord (or even tape). I also have a swivel mount I clip to the visor of my helmet.

Roll your own:
https://www.dansworkshop.com/Monster%...%20Light.shtml

n4zou

Yep! The flashlight review below has pretty much convinced me this light will do nicely for my requirements. Thank you geo8rge!
https://www.flashlightreviews.com/rev...minimagled.htm

I did an MR-16 halogen light setup myself for my commuter but it was a lot easier and cheaper than the project in the link above. I used a track light fixture made to hold an MR-16 bulb. Below is a photo of the almost ready to mount light. I use a 7.2 amp-hour SLA battery with it. This setup is fine for a commuter where weight and size is not too much of a problem but when you're riding with a bunch of roadies on a road bike for speed….

ken cummings

I have a basic 2AA size Maglite my company gives me for work. It is enough to keep me street legal on street-lit roads but not really enough on unlit trails. It is only back-up for my halogens.

slvoid

I'm waiting for the 5 watt 2-D cell version.

Zero_Enigma

Aww.. come on now, we all want the 6D 10W version for that Mad Max factor. Or maybe it's just me.


Zero_Enigma

n4zou

Just make the handlebar straight so you can load "D" size batteries through it and clamp lights on both ends. Handlebar, light, and battery problems solved! The only problem is your going to need new brake levers and shifters manufactured to fit the very large diameter handlebar. OH! I new way to force everyone to buy new bicycles!

mechBgon

Are you going to be satisfied with a 3-hour runtime on a flashlight that can only take Alkaline batteries (as per the review)? That sounds expensive over the long haul, as a bicycle headlight.

n4zou

I am only going to be using it for about 1 hour, 3 times a week on my road bike. I have been trying to use a Bell bicycle light with a halogen bulb and 4 AA batteries. This was only good for about 1 1/2 hours use before the 4 alkaline batteries quit and 4 rechargeable batteries would not last 45 minutes. Compared to what I have been running this Mag-Lite will actually be considerably less expensive to operate.

I got home this afternoon with the 2AA Mag-Lite with the 3-watt LED and all I can say is, WOW! It's bright, very bright! Being able to select a pattern via the adjustable head is wonderful. A quick twist provides a wide pattern for moving slow and dodging stuff and a tight pattern for use on the road. I used a plastic clamp from a defunct blinkie light on my handlebar and used a 1/2" EMT conduit clamp and a little rubber strip to hold the light in the clamp. This is more than adequate mounting. This light is more than a simple "be seen" LED light, you can actually see where you're going with this light. The only problem I can foresee using this type of light is being seen by cross traffic at intersections. Unlike bicycle specific lights, which provide light that shine to the sides, this flashlight has no provision for that. I use blinkie lights front and rear, which provide lighting to the sides as well so this, is not an issue for me.

2manybikes

A cabbie would barely notice that ...

Lupine 12 W LED

Wilma X Pro comes with a bigger 6.8 Ah Li-Ion battery for a maximum runtime of 46 hours!
Very possibly the most powerful LED head light available, the Wilma uses 4 High power new generation LUXEON® K2, combined with our dedicated lens technology to produce a light output of 420 lumens. This is brighter than a Passubio XC and the blue/white intensity of the beam makes it even look brighter then this.
The weight is kept to a minimum thanks to the tiny 6.8 Ah Li-Ion battery. With its various dimming levels, burn times of up to 46 hours with an excellent light output are now reality. Details like a 3d adjustable mount, several programmable light levels from 1 - 12 W, adjustable capacity monitor, reserve tank etc. are a matter of course.

dynaryder

2 things about the MagLite. First,they're water-resistant,not water proof. This could come into play if you ride in the rain. The twisting action used to turn the light on/off and adjust the beam will eventually wear the O ring out and water will get in. Second,they also make a 3AA version(saw it at Home Depot) that should burn longer/brighter.

n4zou

I just got back from a roadie group ride and put my Mag-Lite flashlight to the acid test. I road the MUP back in total darkness with thick trees shielding even the starlight IE: total darkness. It lights up the path even better than a 4.5-volt .8 amp halogen bulb in a Bell bicycle light with 4 AA batteries. I am exceptionally pleased with it. I had to try Ni-MH rechargeable batteries in it and this is what I found. The light functioned properly for about 15 minutes and then totally quit as if I had turned it off. I replaced the rechargeable batteries and put in real alkaline batteries and continued home for another 45 minutes. I checked the charge on the Ni-MH rechargeable batteries when I got home and got a reading of 2.23 volts. This corresponds to a discharged voltage reading for alkaline batteries but not for Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. Obviously the electronics in the light are setup strictly for alkaline batteries to protect the LED from low voltage heating and subsequent burnout. I consider this acceptable considering the light output and battery life of a little over 3 hours. I will be using this on my road bike where weight is an important factor. As for cost, I will be using two AA batteries a week and I just purchased a 12 pack of Rayovac AA batteries for $5.36 so my road bike lighting requirements will cost me 90 cents a week.

dynaryder

Note that most rechargeable batts only put out 1.2v. Fresh alkalines are good for 1.6. LED's are sensitive to voltage,so it's not surprising rechargeables wouldn't last as long as alkalines,even with a higher mAh.

ModoVincere

Won't the vibrations from the road/handlebars eventually ruin the mag lite? I don't know what kind of vibration damping that light would have in it.

Bolo Grubb

https://www.batteryspace.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=1391

Could try this one.

Bolo Grubb

dang lag and double posting

HarveyRich

I purchased a 2AA 3 watt LED mini maglite last week. I put NiMH rechargeables (2000 ma) in and found that it works just fine. The runtime was a full 4 hr 45 mins. It's clear that there's a regulated circuitry because the amount of light (subjective) dropped only very slightly during the entire run and then just cut off entirely. It was very bright and an excellent value, IMHO.

Two days ago I purchased a 3AA 3 watt LED mini maglite. I again charged up some 2000na NiMH batteries and ran it against the 2 cell version. I expected the beam to be the same brightness, the pattern the same with constant light over time, but a longer run time. I was quite surprised to find that after 2-2 1/2 hr, the mini mag with the 3 cells lost power and brightness. After 2 3/4 hr it was clearly less bright than the 2 cell mini maglite. Originally, the 3 cell one was slightly brighter than the 2 cell one. After this amount of time, the 2 cell contined its brightness dominance until it cut out after 4 3/4 hr. The 3 cell continued, to more than 7 hrs, but at substantially lower light level. I was quite disappointed in the performance. I suspect that the circuitry allowed a brighter initial beam and compensated by dropping way down after a couple of hours.

I called Maglite and they implied that the 3 cell flashlight should not work like this, that it should work like the 2 battery version, but longer. I've returned the 3 battery mini. I'm going to purchase another and try the test again.

mlts22 

I may be on crack, but I remembered seeing a retrofit solution allowing a Mini-Maglight to have a bright LED bulb, and a switch on the other end. Since the twist-on feature doesn't work with the LED retrofit, they have the endcap on the other end provide a switch.

n4zou

Yes, I remember seeing a project on doing that. With the mini Mag-Lite that uses a T-1 bulb you simply plug in a 5mm LED in place of the normal bulb. LED lights are polarity sensitive so if you plug in the LED and it will not light simply remove the LED, rotate it, plug it back in and it should light. 2-AA batteries will not provide enough voltage for a 5mm LED. You need more than the 3 volts provided by 2 AA batteries. The solution for this is pretty simple. Just use 3 N batteries and small plug inserted with the batteries to take up the remaining space. The plug was made from a wood dowel with a brass screw going thorough the middle providing an insulated plug with conductor. IMHO just buying the new 3-watt LED Mag-Lite is the easiest and best way to go and it will provide many times the light output of any 5mm LED.