I got some Amazon gift certificates and now I'm thinking about getting a brighter headlight for my bike that is under $100.

I would go for the MagicShine but Amazon does not appear to sell it. I currently have a Cateye HL-EL320 which is great around the city but not quite bright enough to illuminate my path in pitch dark conditions.

Any suggestions?

Anyone have any experience with this light?

https://www.amazon.com/CygoLite-Hi-Fl...ef=pd_sbs_sg_1

A friend of mine mentioned a way to order stuff through Amazon that Amazon does not "carry." She did it with a Magicshine, in fact. Worth looking into.

Thanks I will look into it!

I don't have direct experience with that particular light, but CygoLite is a reputable outfit who have been in business for a while.

I wonder about the wisdom of an NiMH battery. Li-Ion is far superior in terms of total power stored (and hence runtime). The downside, of course, is the cost.

So if you're cost limited, and have to buy something listed on Amazon, this looks like a decent deal (much better than the EL320)

I have Magic Shine, but I wonder how long it will last. It sure is bright, but the quality leaves something to be desired. I've already re-wired it completely, and it's less than 6 months old.

Thanks - I might just go for the CygoLite. As long as it is powerful enough to illuminate the road in dark conditions and has a lower setting for the city that is all I really need.

Got one very similar to it. Mine is a 3hr battery life and only Hi setting. It is also 150 Lumen. Picked it up from REI on Thanksgiving weekend for $40 (1/2 off clearance sale). It is mounted next to my Magic Shine on my handle bar as a supplement to the MS. The MS light drowns it out as if the Cygolite is off. There is one noticable difference is the fact that the Cygo is more white color while the MS is slightly tinted green. The Cygo at 150 Lumen is not enough light for riding on the street or trail. It is OK for something like slow sidewalk riding for those who ride on the sidewalk. It just enough to light the raised sidewalk from tree root.

For that price, save your $$$ for a MS. Use the money to get something else. You will find your MS to do the job just fine. Instead buy something else at Amazon to help supplement your main lighting. You may want to buy a good strobe light and mount it on your helmet for riding at night, or use the Amazon gift certificate for a good rear blinky.

Planet Bike's 1/2 watt Blaze is a pretty good light and well under $100. It's bright, but I wish it had a bit wider beam pattern. It's a great light for the price though. I typically point mine down a bit so I can catch any "surprises" that may be lurking on the dark road surface. There's also the 1 watt Blaze which is still under $100 and presumably brighter (haven't tried it). The battery life is much shorter on this light, which was a deterrent for me (don't want to be replacing batteries a couple of times a week).

Sorry, I just checked into it. It's called Amazon's "Universal Wish List" and it appears that it's just a way to add items from other websites to your Amazon wish list. If you go to buy one of the items, I think it just jumps you to the item's website.

I actually wound up with $150 on Amazon so I just went with this for now:

https://www.amazon.com/CygoLite-Rover...681676&sr=8-13

From what I read the light beam has a really nice spread and it's bright enough for trail riding in the dark, plus it has three brightness modes so I can set it lower for city riding (supposedly the lowest 'SOS' mode could be on par with my current light). If it's not bright enough for my needs I'll still get an MS and use this as a backup.

Thanks for checking it out!

I was just in your neck of the woods recently - I ate at a restaurant called the 'Salt Lick' in Driftwood. Man I wish the northeast had BBQ like that!

Ah, the Salt Lick is legendary down here. You picked a good one! And if you were in Driftwood, you were just one small town over from Dripping Springs, where Lance Armstrong's ranch is. He rides the roads around there all the time.