Bike Forums - Bright and reliable, but inexpensive, headlight?

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- - Bright and reliable, but inexpensive, headlight? (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/737544-bright-reliable-but-inexpensive-headlight.html)

OP, if you haven't gotten anything yet, I can give you the Luxeon 3W LED head from a flashlight I had and make a DIY unit. Just needs a battery pack, I have a computer PC molex power plug on it or you can cut it off, add a switch if you want to fancy it up. Should be enough for NYC use.
I use a Cree LED head on my bike now, Learned my lesson, Romisen will be the only lower end flashlight brand that I will buy, no more UltraFire or SacredFire.

I bought a Romisen and a flashlight mount based on the info in this thread. Here's to hoping I can see things at night now! :)

If you're just looking for a "be seen" light, I've got nothing but praise for the PB Blaze 1W headlight:

http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3044.html

It can usually be found for much less than the MSRP of $44.99... I paid $29 for mine from MEC. I wouldn't rely on it to light my way down a dark trail, but its strobe setting is hard to miss for oncoming traffic, even in the daylight.

I believe that lighting is ONE area where it's always better to spend as much as you can possibly afford. Brighter is better. A Twofish block and a super bright LED flashlight is a far better option than a cheap bike light.

In response to the recommendation for the Blackburn Flea. I have one, and it's plenty bright to be seen by, but not enough to see. Seems good for OP. My issue with it is a fairly short battery life and a mediocre mounting system. In defense of the short-lived batteries, the USB charger is really cool and makes them super easy to charge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoatw (Post 12688703)

You go over to the Electronics, Lighting and Gadgets Forum and you'll see people griping about the problems they've had with their Magicshines. Not to mention the hassle of shipping from Hong Kong. Maybe a $140 flashlight might outperform a $25 flashlight. Who knows. But the OP was asking about inexpensive lights. And for $27 you get a lot of flashlight out of the Romisen.

Like Eds said, you can get a headlamp for $90. The $140 was for the 1400 lumen + taillight. I bought mine used from an eBay member, which came with the new battery (with the LCD attached to the case) along with the older battery. Haven't had a single problem with either one of them through rain and snow.

I read the ELG subforum for quite some time before deciding on the magicshine. It was popular for a reason. All the bad things you hear about it are going to be heard about any light. People are vocal about bad experiences, and rightfully so. You don't always hear the praise when things go right (just listen to the news, all you hear is "this man was killed" "new case says lightbulbs cause cancer").

I know what the OP was asking about, but the person I quoted said that the $25 flashlight was better than a magicshine because you don't hear problems about it.

Pros and cons of the Magicshine aside, it doesn't really matter in this thread. The OP stated a $30 price point.