Aww, I do smartarse so well though, please don't take that away! :P

I run this light, the near-field version on a Shimano 3N80 dynohub--just got it. It's more than bright enough in the area it illuminates; it's like a mini car headlight, just narrow. The specs don't tell much of the story, since while the light is nothing super in terms of raw output, it makes very effective use of the light it has with its shaped and directed beam.

There's none of that middle bright spot with a mediocre spill of light that is barely adequate on regular flashlights. I used to use a Fenix LD20 (a regular flashlight), which... just didn't work as anything better than serviceable. In terms of raw output it's similar to the IQ CYO, but at max, the spot in the center is too bright, the sidespill too dim. The IQ CYO on the other hand has a very evenly lit inverted trapezoid of light from near to far. Not to mention it can run at it's max intensity as long as I'm going about 4-5Mph (a brisk walk holding the bike). The battery light at max only goes for a couple hours--less when it gets cold.

The only thing I don't like about my IQ CYO RT is that I wish the beam was a bit wider, even if it was a bit dimmer. It seems more than bright enough in the area it illuminates already, and I feel they could spread it out a bit more. Sometimes it feels like you're ridding on a claustrophobic path, especially if you speed up.

Been eying that Phillips LED SafeRide dynamo light as a future upgrade...
http://www.bike24.net/p219881.html

lol, I have one and agree as well - really decent beam pattern, but very very little side spill. In the cities on roads and open paths this works great as the ambient light lights up off to the sides well enough. And for the seeing the road itself it's great - totally see potholes and such, the light is very well focussed and doesn't have that annoying hotspot that I have in my other lights (including my Seca 900 unless I aim it up quite a ways). But I had a route that took a path through a forest at night and...it's creepy to not be able to see outside the beam area, lol.

A good flashlight is not less than a MiNewt. Less money, yes, but not less bright. Definitely less screwing around too.

Now thats an idea worth pursuing. Knowing what system we bought and discarded (and why) would be the best education a first time light purchaser could hope for.

I got two 5 watt cree q5 lights with zoom AND I feel its a very good and safe minimum what you need in complete darkness. If you are commuter u need stronger lights to see the road better, when u have dim street lights and lights from upcoming cars.

I have the non-T model (non-nearfield, no DRL feature). It's pretty good, especially in an unlit environment. Some people like the close-in light of the R versions. I'd rather see further out front, so I got the other type. I think my S-Mini XP-G is pretty much a match for the Cyo, though. 110 grams with mount and battery, ~300-350 lumens on high... makes a nice add-on.

Nonsense, it's perfect... for getting to the bathroom without tripping over the household pets ;)

The Cateye is not enough that's for sure, it's a to be seen light not a light to see with.

For price and brightness and compactness I like the Cygolite ExpiliOn series of lights. Their not horribly expensive but not so cheap they'll be junk in 2 or 3 years. They range in brightness from 170 lumens to 250 to 350 to 400 lumens, with prices going from $65 to $99 to $94 to $118 respectfully. These lights are rechargeable using a smart charger to do the work; but the battery is internal, in other words no external battery to run a wire to and then mount the battery somewhere.

I have the ExpiliOn 350 and I really like it, I can more then see the road at 20mph. I would buy the brightest one you can afford. I bought the 350 because the 400 wasn't out yet otherwise I would have gone with the 400. Anyway see this for the listing of the 4 lights: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...refix=cygolite

Here is a comparison web site that has quite a few head light and tail light comparisons: http://www.modernbike.com/light-comp...singleshotplus
Here's another: http://www.ivanhoecycles.com.au/ligh...t/cat_259.html

You could find a light just using the comparisons to settle on a light for your budget and needs. But note the various Cygolites and you'll see that for the money they represent the best value. I have the lowest costing Cygolite ever made, a Metro that cost me $45 about 12 or 13 years ago; it's seen rain and lots of night riding and the darn thing still works just fine, I just wanted something a bit brighter and used less battery.