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MagicShine or BikeRay

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Old 04-02-12 | 09:32 PM
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MagicShine or BikeRay

Hello there i have a question not sure if this IS a commuter question but i am a Commuter so i want feedback from fellow Commuters if you guys have any. OK I would like to know between the Magic shine 868 or the Bikeray 1 which is the better all around light. I live in Los Angeles and must compete with major light flooding from many many cars but also travel on low to unlit roads. I just what to know opinions or experience from users of ether lights.


Bike Ray

https://www.bikeray.com/a/en/product/...1/0307/12.html


Magi Shine 868

https://magicshine.com/product_view.asp?id=94

Thank you
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Old 04-02-12 | 09:35 PM
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I have the Magic Shine front and rear light. I cannot compare it with Bike Ray, but I can tell you that MS is an incredibly bright light and that I have been mistaken for a car (with one headlight out) several times.

You will probably hear from some detractors that the MagicShine battery was recalled, which is true, but that was awhile back and the new battery is unbelievable. I did a run-down test and it lasted for 4 hours on high beam (just the front).
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Old 04-02-12 | 09:50 PM
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The Bike Ray I is a P7 Led while the MJ 868 is the XML. The older P7 is less efficient and has more flood. I have yet to see a beamshot of the MJ 868 nor can I tell from the picture of how large is the reflector, but from my guess it is small enough that the XML from the 868 should provide flood and possibly a hotspot.

According to the link, the 868 is using Samsung battery which is not bad and a much better improvement from the original MJ 808 which had some issue with their pack.

Edit: The Bikeray 1 was design to be more of a throw using the P7. It was the Bikeray II that was design to be flood with P7. Having that said, the Bikeray I with the reflector as throw will probably be a better helmet light rather than bar light.

Last edited by colleen c; 04-02-12 at 10:00 PM.
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Old 04-02-12 | 09:51 PM
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IMO, you can't go wrong with either of those lights. They are both super good lights. I would advise getting TWO. One for your helmet, and a decent rear light..
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Old 04-04-12 | 01:51 PM
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well thank you guys guess im free to choose i will most likely go with the MS since it looks like a retro head light and my bike theme is retro .
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Old 04-04-12 | 01:53 PM
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Originally Posted by cehowardGS
IMO, you can't go wrong with either of those lights. They are both super good lights. I would advise getting TWO. One for your helmet, and a decent rear light..

I have 2 currently up front I have a BELL DAWN PATROL light which is no good for seeing but good for being seen and than i have a PB 3 watt for a decent throw to see what lurks in the dark
and in the back i have a PB superflash turbo and spoke lights up front and back. do want one for the helmet though
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Old 04-04-12 | 04:32 PM
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I like the MagicShine simply because I like their taillight too, and with a $2 Y connector I can run both off one battery. You won't find a better taillight for the price ($30).

I have an old MagicShine 900 - I guess 2 or 3 years old at this point, and I don't even use that at full brightness most of the time, For me, the tail is just as important if not moreso, because I ride at night on high speed rural 2 lane rural roads.
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Old 04-04-12 | 04:35 PM
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I never heard of BikeRay and I wouldn't buy any of their stuff just because of that obnoxious website of theirs with floating stuff. I'm very happy with my Magic Shine lights.
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Old 04-04-12 | 05:17 PM
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Hub Dynamo is what I have found best.. there are cheap ones of those too .
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Old 04-04-12 | 05:24 PM
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The BikeRay site triggered some of my anti-spyware protection apps, so I'd go with MS just for that. Although I use a different brand of high-output light, I know several people with MS lights and they are all very satisfied with them.
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Old 04-04-12 | 07:04 PM
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I have no experience with bikeray, however I own 3 Magic Shine lights. The Magic shines are killer for mountain biking in the dark with a nice focused beam perfect for helmet mount application (i have a niterider light on my bars) The MS lights are great for the price, the only concern I would have is that ive heard their warranty is essentially non existent. Take that into consideration as niterider lights have a great warranty and most of their products are made in the USA(but not all). Additionally, I have many friends who swear only by light and motion lights. Just food for thought.
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Old 04-05-12 | 08:34 PM
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Originally Posted by AdamDZ
I never heard of BikeRay and I wouldn't buy any of their stuff just because of that obnoxious website of theirs with floating stuff. I'm very happy with my Magic Shine lights.

Hey Adam just wanted to say while doing an essay on bike share programs in Los Angeles recently I stumbled apon an article you wrote with the same pic you have as your icon i dont recall the name or what site because i was opening so many windows on anything that poped up related to the topic but i noticed you and red the article i very much enjoyed it just wanted to let you know


and as far as the Light and Motion and Night Rider i like those lights also but sadly my wallet doesnt like them maybe one day right now im looking for a great light at about $150
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Old 04-05-12 | 08:56 PM
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Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
I like the MagicShine simply because I like their taillight too, and with a $2 Y connector I can run both off one battery. You won't find a better taillight for the price ($30).

I have an old MagicShine 900 - I guess 2 or 3 years old at this point, and I don't even use that at full brightness most of the time, For me, the tail is just as important if not moreso, because I ride at night on high speed rural 2 lane rural roads.

Where did you find it for $30 looking on the net i can only find them for 50-80 ?
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Old 04-05-12 | 09:14 PM
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The ones for $50-80 includes the battery. I just did a Google search and found the tail light w/o battery are running ~$30.
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Old 04-06-12 | 09:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Project88
Where did you find it for $30 looking on the net i can only find them for 50-80 ?
$30 is for just the head. As I said, if you already have a MS headlight, you can buy just the head and a Y connector.
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Old 04-06-12 | 09:18 AM
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here's my 2 cents for MagicShine :-)
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Old 04-06-12 | 10:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Project88
Hey Adam just wanted to say while doing an essay on bike share programs in Los Angeles recently I stumbled apon an article you wrote with the same pic you have as your icon i dont recall the name or what site because i was opening so many windows on anything that poped up related to the topic but i noticed you and red the article i very much enjoyed it just wanted to let you know


and as far as the Light and Motion and Night Rider i like those lights also but sadly my wallet doesnt like them maybe one day right now im looking for a great light at about $150
LOL, yeah, I'm an obsessive poster, used to be even worse Or maybe you stumbled across my blog.
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Old 04-08-12 | 11:05 AM
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OT but I just realized Geoman has closed due to the recall...sad news
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Old 04-09-12 | 01:17 PM
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"I just realized Geoman has closed due to the recall...sad news "

Well that sucks! My head light, charger, and original battery work great.
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Old 04-13-12 | 10:24 PM
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Just a quick question for all you magic shine 868 owners where can I buy one besides Amazon or eBay or are those my only options ? I live in Los Angeles CA
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Old 04-14-12 | 01:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Project88
and as far as the Light and Motion and Night Rider i like those lights also but sadly my wallet doesnt like them maybe one day right now im looking for a great light at about $150
I scored my NR MiNewt 600 Cordless for $130.00 (on sale 20% off of it's $150.00 price tag). You can get one for that I'm sure.
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Old 04-14-12 | 01:29 AM
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Originally Posted by Project88
Just a quick question for all you magic shine 868 owners where can I buy one besides Amazon or eBay or are those my only options ? I live in Los Angeles CA
Action Led is pretty good. I placed several orders through them and the shipping time was fast.
https://www.action-led-lights.com/col...bike-light-set
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