I'm tired of buying batteries! so whats the best and most cost effective usb rechargeable light?

I love my NiteRider MiniNewt 600. Not cheap, but I am very fond of it, very bright.

I use rechargable AA's and AAA's in my lights. They work great, and I'm not limited in choice. I have various Planet Bike, B&M and Knog lights and never buy batteries. Just a suggestion.

You didn't say what it's for, to see or be seen. But Nashbar.com has been selling the Blackburn Fleas for something like 10 bucks. I bought another one just in case I loose or break mine. I use mine on my helmet to supplement the generater-hub powered headlight on my bike, and to see where my head is turning.

Yeah, what Ed said: do you want to see or be seen? I also use the Flea for city riding. If I was riding on dark roads in the country I'd want something brighter, but as a strobe which says "there's a bike here!" I think they're good.

Just ordered the 350 lumen Cygolite off Amazon for $73 + free shipping. Definitely the best deal going: https://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-350-L...4612600&sr=8-1

I also have a Knog Boomer I like, which will be relegated to flasher duty once I get the Cygolite: https://www.amazon.com/Knog-Boomer-Re...4612636&sr=1-4

Rechargable 18650 flashlights up front, Cygolite Hotshot or maybe PBSF with rechargable AAAs in back.

+1 for the Cygolite Hotshot. Really bright, long battery life, nice set of modes.

I hear you! I've used AA NiMHs, AA alkaline and whatever's in the Magicshine battery case up until last week, and never got the recommended run times out of any of them. I won a Light and Motion Vis 360 last week that uses a miniUSB to charge the battery, and got the low battery indicator after about 45 minutes use out of the 2 1/2 hour run time. I hope the run time will improve with use, that will reduce the amount of recharging I do.

If you really tired of batteries.... One word: DYNOHUB!

I just got one and am in love. I only have one complaint: it's too bright for my ride home and blinds other riders on the trail.

Try aiming it downwards a bit or running on a lower setting. But run it at whatever setting that you need to safely ride.

I like this light a lot too. The older MiNewt 250 is available for around $80, but IMO the 600 is worth the extra cost.

I have a Cygolite Expilion 300. Bright as the sun, but I don't love the mount, but I've definitely had worse.

What do I have to look forward to with the mount?

I bought one of those when they had them on sale for about $8 recently. Hate it. The strap system is awkward on the headlight, and there seems to be no reason to have an external USB charger that can get lost. The tail light is a little better, but still uses the same charger. Mine does not always recognize after charging that it has been removed from the charger and continues to flash periodically.

I'm much happier with this Axion headlight & tail light. About the same size as the flea, but the headlight is slightly brighter, the strap system works easily and they have a mini USB socket built into them for charging. The headlight is a "be seen" type, however. I just compared it to a flashlight that is rated at 50 lumens, and the Axiom is at least 50% brighter.

For lights to see by, I have a 200 lumen Cygolite and a 150 Lumen Nightrider. Plenty bright and relatively cost effective, especially on sale.

I picked up mine for $130 USD. LOVE that I can use it in daylight to try to prevent further daytime incidents.

+1 - for the rear Dinotte 300R - again not cheap but to me worth every penny - very bright

https://www.dinottelighting.com/LED_b...in-battery.htm

I have all the same gripes with the Flea. The straps don't hold very securely, and are a pain to have to remove and reinstall after charging each time. Not to mention the USB charger is easy to lose. I still use my rear one but the front one was replaced by the Knog Boomer, which is brighter and has the USB dongle built-in.

It works well, but it's kinda bulky...I have cross bars on my commuter and I can't make the mount fit where I prefer to have it, due to the extra cabling, so I had to move it further out on the top bar and it kinda gets in the way. But this many not be an issue for you at all.

Thee might be better deals out there, but I like my Serfas True 250. It's bright enough that I rarely need to use the top setting, and it's nice to just plug it into my computer when I get to work or home.

I'm not super pleased with the Blackburn Flea but I don't mind that it has a separate charger. I just leave the charger plugged into my USB hub at work and stick the flea on there when it needs a charge. Less hassle than plugging in a cable really.

The flea is limited to summertime city use or as an emergency backup.

The dinotte lights are obsolete now that cygolite has come out with a long-lasting 100 lumen usb rechargeable rear light for ~$27 on line. IMO, this light is a complete game changer.

the new 600 lumen minewt is kind of a joke. in the real world they only run 1-1.5 hrs on the highest setting. whats the point of a supposedly bright light that i have to charge for 5 hours every 2-3 days?

https://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cyclin...rear-light.jsp

Have been quite happy with the MEC Plasma rear light and the front is a good marker light but nothing to really see by... run time on the rear has been excellent.

I have enough things that use a mini usb plug that having a charger at hand is not a problem and the supplied cable is pretty compact and a second cable is not that great of an expense if you want one at work and at home.

My primary rear lights are PB Superflash... bought the usb lights as spares or for bikes that do not have a PB mount on them.

I have a Cygolite Expilion 250. It works great. Haven't had any issues with the mount, except occasional retightening. I got it for $100 on Amazon, which at the time was a good deal. If they're selling the 350 for $73, I wouldn't even hesitate. It's a great light & it will cover all your bases (see/be seen).