RichardR1015

I currently have a Bontrager 800 mounted to my bike. It does fine but I’d like to mount a light to have a little extra visibility. I need some good ideas on lights that can be mounted to the helmet. I prefer a 800 lumen or better.

a1penguin

800 lumens on the helmet seems fairly bright, if you are riding on the streets rather than off road. Shining 800 lumens into the eyes of a driver might adversely affect their vision enough to cause them to run into you :-)

I think 400 lumens on the helmet is more than enough. The idea of the helmet light is that you can point it in direction other than where the bike is going. An 800 lumen light is also going to be heavier and some people complain that helmet lights are "too heavy". I have a small 400 lumen cylindrical flashlight (0.9" diameter, 4.5" length), 18650 battery on my helmet and it's more than adequate.

RichardR1015

Thanks. Hadn’t thought about that.

TimothyH

Light & Motion Vis 360+. I own this light. Beam pattern is excellent, makes it seem brighter than it is.

Light & Motion Vis Pro at REI.

Anything by Lupine. I'm seriously considering the Piko R4 Smartcore.

Everyone seems to use their own light as the threshold above which everything else is too bright. The fact is that a brightness has more to do with runtime then it does max light output. A higher output light will have a longer runtime compared to a lower powered light at the same light output. A 5000 lumen light for example, will run 10+ hours at 900 lumens where a 900 lumen light will run two or three hours.

I have been using helmet lights for a decade. If you don't shine the light directly at drivers then blinding drivers is not a problem. It's is literally as simple as that.


-Tim-

VegasTriker

I rode with a guy this weekend who uses the L&M Viis 360+ light. It's effective but at MSRP $150 it is not cheap. He's a retired cardiologist so money is no object. It will last at least 8 hours on flashing mode but a lot less on steady.

In contrast I rode with flashing lights front and rear which together cost a bit over $10. Both are USB rechargeable. The front one has a 650 mAh internal battery and the rear 500 mAh so are good enough for a couple hour ride before petering out. The 100 lumen rear is a bit lower in lumens than the L&M on flashing mode (100 vs 125). The front one is similar to the Zekto Drive 100 lumen light - same LEDs and similar case. BTW, L&M leaves you completely in the dark when it comes to battery size for USB lights.

If you don't mind looking a bit dorky, there are some who have posted pictures of a helmet mounted XML-T6 flashlight. The advantage is you choose the battery instead of guessing what the heck the company put inside it. The ones I bought most recently weigh 145 grams (5.7 oz) and with a Panasonic 18650 battery 190 g (7.5 oz). You would get your 800 lumens with the T-6 bin. The flashlights are sub $10 too.

no motor?

I ride with a Vis 360 and a C8 flashlight on my helmet. After many years of riding motorcycles the weight is barely noticeable and the 2 lights give me more flexibility than running just one light on the helmet. I use the Vis 360 on flashing during the day and low at night when I also use the C8 on medium. This gives me plenty of light with longer run times than if I'd bought a dimmer light and ran it on high as well as the ability to use more light if needed like I have in the past when riding in the rain etc...

Aubergine 

Another vote for the Vis 360.

1nterceptor

Been riding for a while with a Niterider Lumina Flare on my helmet:
Large pizza; tiny bike - challenge accepted by 1nterceptor, on Flickr
It's rated for 650 lumens; but there are more powerful models that will fit their helmet mount.
Lumina 750, 900, 100, etc. I like the mount very stable and has a ratcheting action to tilt the
light up or down a bit. I thought I lost my light during my last move. Got a Planetbike Touch800.
Also a nice light; though not really designed for helmet mounting. Will come up with a review/comparo
in a little while if you can wait. If you need one right away; can't go wrong with the Lumina sries
and an optional helmet strap.

1nterceptor

PS, In my experience - if you're already using a medium range light(800 lumens);
you won't be satisfied with a light that has a lower rating/output.

TimothyH

I own a Vis 360+.

It was $109 at REI recently and burns three hours on high.

Beam pattern is outstanding, better than any light I have seen.






-Tim-

angerdan

So what're your reqirements regarding weight including battery (mounted on helmet too), what do you call "extra visibility", which battery runtime you need and how much you're able to invest into your safety?

As already told, 800lm are way to much to just get some extra visibility.
Just an Cateye Rapid X3 white for the front and an X3 red for the back of the helmet would increase your visibility very sure.

Or you just go for the new Cateye VOLT400 DUPLEX (HL-EL462RC-H).