He was talking about the proprietary, closed lithium-ion battery packs that DiNotte also sells.

So which is better, the Dinotte or the Fenix light, here.Fenix is 175 lumens on highest level. Is that a huge difference from the 200?

I like the three brightness settings, variety of flash patterns and one-button operation of the DiNotte.

Exactly. The poster I replied to said he had a 2 cell Lithium Ion pack already, and that's not the same thing. If he buys the AA light he'll find incompatible connectors.

you could use Li AA batteries. the dinotte li is diff voltage therefore diff light
---

holy fark ! I just got the light it is FARKING BRIGHT

It is everything they say and wow I blinded myself. the light and battery pack
are smaller than they appear on the internets....

and the light modes are sweeeeet.

hold switch for 6 seconds to switch between blink mode or solid mode

then it will stay in the mode until you hold switch for 6 seconds again.

other switch presses under 6 seconds run you through the light levels in whatever
main mode the light is in.

pretty neat idea

this is a good deal I saved 40 bucks off the standard cost of a light minus charger

The light that DiNotte has on sale is the AA version. The poster I replied to said he had a 2 cell Lithiium Ion pack at home. That would not work with the AA light. Different connectors. Not the same as the Lithium AAs.

OK, so I have a few questions about the AA versions... (pardon my ignorance!)

Does anybody have photos of the AA cable connectors? The photos on DINOTTE's site don't show the connectors.

Are the lights themselves and the connectors waterproof?

I'm an 'international customer'... when I go through the shopping cart procedure and click for the express mail shipping,
for one taillight, I get a shipping price of US$30...
for two taillights, US$15...
and for three taillights (hey, it's a SALE!), I get a shipping price of US$0...
does that sound right to any of you guys that have ordered from DINOTTE before?
Is it just a browser glitch?

+1 - different connectors and different light engine.

Well, did a little search, and found this thread, which sort of answers my question...
although the answer from DINOTTE, "We sell our lights in the worst of conditions and they're fine."
is unfortunately, poorly-worded, and never directly answers whether they're actually waterproof.

Also searching around, I get the idea that the AA version's battery connector is the old 9-volt battery connector type... right?


Still wondering about the shipping price... should the shipping price go down as the purchase price goes up?

Right -- that's the kind of connector that came on the kit I got from Nashbar. The non-replaceable cord from the light terminates in the snap-on connector you'd see for 9V batteries, and it snaps onto the 4-AA cell carrier. I'll post up if the other sets I get are any different.

Dinotte's have been used extensively by the rando crowd so I'm not worried about any weatherproofness issues.

No idea about the shipping price, but as long as you choose the Express Mail option for international orders I'm sure they will honour the price provided by their online store.

The AA lights have the 9 volt connector. DiNotte upgraded the connector on the 200L and 140L to a much sturdier connector than on my old 5W Ultralight. The connector on the 600L to the lithium ion pack is totally different.

Yep that was me. I made a silly assumption, but when I ordered, I discribed what I wanted to do in the comments section of the order form. And the guys at Dinotte actually read the comments and they sent me an e-mail directly telling me that the AA light isn't compatible with the Li Ion batteries. We were able to make the proper change to the order. Now that, to me, is the sign of a company that pays attention to detail and has great customer service, even when the customer is clueless.

The battery pack in the nylon case isn't completely waterproof. The light itself appears to be totally sealed. I'll use mine in the rain, and just dry out the battery holder when I get back if it's wet.

There's a few pictures in my Dinotte and Fenix review thread. It shows the Dinotte on my bike, too.

Okay, I bought both lights. I've never used rechargeable batteries - is there a better brand than others to buy? Also, what charger do you recommend? Where to buy online? Thanks!

I got 3 hours on the first test of a new set of Duracell 2650 mAh batteries. The higher the mAh rating, the longer it runs. I timed it again: 3:08 before the low battery warning, 3:12 dropping to low power.

At Meijer ( similar to Walmart, etc)
4 Duracell 2650 $10.99
Energizer CHDC7 mini charger $10.49

I picked the largest capacity name brand batteries, and this charger handles any capacity battery, and has separate status lights for each of the 4 slots.
It's about a 7 hour charger for 2650s. I didn't need a 1 hour charger, which is more expensive.

Any store that has a big battery section should have rechargeables.

Can any Canadians that ordered fromt he Dinotte website comment how fast the shippping was to thier place? Also state where you are in Canada. I'm in Toronto whichI think Dinotte is in New Hampshire which is not that far from me but not that close either so I'm thinking a faster shipping time.

I prefer replies ASAP as I'm about to lock and load, take the safety off, and pull the trigger on buying one.

DiNotte's customer service is great. I must have conversed with Rob a half dozen times before I bought my lights from him. So far I've bought a DiNotte 5W(from Performance) and a 200L/140L/600L from DiNotte. Each time Rob has been very cool, given me an excellent deal, thrown in extra stuff, AND shipped fast for free. Good company, and Rob is exceptional.

The light uses 4 AA batteries - and I do mean use. They normally come with 2500mah NiMh rechargeable batteries. Once the battery charge runs down the light comes on steady and won't turn off. The best policy is to throw them in the charger after an hour or so use. I've been using some 9v RC batteries to run my 6v cygolite helmet light so I'm considering adapting its 6v water bottle batter for use with the dinoette.

It is a wicked bright light. I had been using another blinky on two bikes but both of them have had issues with going dim [or out] even when the batteries had enough charge.

I placed my order Thursday evening and it shipped by Friday mid-day. Typically USPS takes 5-9 business days to get a parcel to me in Calgary from the US.

I ordered a single AA light during the sale also but I have in the past made some orders with them and it is pretty fast. Expect your shippment in less than two weeks. The last order I made was for the upgrade offer and they shipped my light back and it arrived in less than a week ( I live in the Ottawa region).

I ordered the on sale tail light dispite already have 2 x LuxIII red-orange LED's here outputting 190lm x 2. I used the USPS Express Mail option so I'm not sure if both of your experiences have been withthe most eco shipping costs. If not then let me know what shipping option you took. I just hope I don't get dinged up the wazoo on customs. I've been hit a few times and the worst was on a graphic novel I got and I got hit with taxes and such was something like 1/3 the books cost.

I wonder if Dinotte has a storefront. Might have to drive down and bring the 'spare tire' and work out a group buy for Canada or something.

I have a feeling that this is the Rob that we refer to, and this is his storefront:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=w9OED8P9ybE

That's definitely Rob, but I've called DiNotte before and they're definitely bigger than a garage operation. I've spoken to folks in the shipping department, and Rob has spoken to me about the company's engineers.Still, I can't say enough good things about Rob and DiNotte. It's just too bad they can't get a writeup in BUYcycling, but he says BUYcycling wants to tie a review into ad space, and their ad space is very expensive. He did say he's going to place ads on Velonews and Pez, and I think the roadies will love the lights.

Ah, ok. I was thinking about how cool it was for him to be putting out such excellent stuff from his house.