Good helmet light ideas?
 

Hi guys,
I'm looking for a good helmet light? The Light and Motion VIS PRO 1000 seems like a good option being lightweight, with decent output / runtimes, nice beam and seems to be good quality. I also like that the battery is self contained. Are there any other nice helmet lights that I should be looking at?

The use is mostly for riding on the road. I have a good primary light on my bike so this would be a secondary light.

Thanks,
Dave

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...818bc64681.png

The Specialized Flux are good helmet lights. Low profile, lightweight, cut-off beam, and side power button is more ergonomic for helmet mounting.

Thanks Chaadster,
I added the Flux to the list. Looks nice. I read a review that it can be challenging to pivot the beam up or down once it's locked into place...you have to stop riding. They were talking about the handlebar mount. Do you know if that's an issue with the helmet mount? I would like to be able to adjust the beam up or down when riding if needed.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a4751d0af3.png

Hikers and climbers use head lamps, most of them will fit a helmet.

This was a recent thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...met-light.html

I don’t have one— yet!— but while the lamp locks solidly into the holder, it looks like the holder for the helmet mount is just like a GoPro mount and secured to the helmet mount with a thumbscrew, so depending on how much you tighten the screw, it will be more or less difficult to pivot the lamp. It seems pretty typical in that regard.

Niterider has their 1100 boost on sale for 56.00, 1.5hr at 900 lumen, 3hr at 450 lumen. Was another 15.00 for the mount which seems solid so far. Personally I'm finding even at this size the light is a little heavier than I want and plan to order a 900 boost model at the next pay day.

Thanks guys.
I wonder which one has the best reflector? I'm more interested in a good sized spot beam and less spill. I'm concerned that the spill could blind oncoming traffic.
I considered using a good headlamp (Zebra Light) but even their lights with a spot beam have 80% spill.
Anyway, I appreciate the options and thoughts.
Dave

I ordered the Specialized Flux. I have a Specialized bike and like the company.

Thanks for the input.


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Man! Just riding around in paradise, huh?! Awesome!

I’m not a Spesh fanboy, but I do really like their lights, the Stix Elite particularly. One thing for sure, Specialized pay attention to styling, which is what drew me to Flux and the reason I run AirStick pumps on two bikes. The pumps look great, but suffer a bit on the ergonomic front. They’re used so infrequently, it’s worth the tradeoff for me.

Oh, I also have a Spesh seatbag!

Those pictures are from a park on the East side of Oahu where I live. The electric bike has allowed me to get up and down the hills with ease. I'm 52 and just transitioned to an electric bike. Specialized has nailed it with the Como model.

I found another company that makes quality headlights, Gloworm. It's a less expensive version of the premium German brand, Lupine, which is supposed to be the gold standard. If the beam on the flux is not tight enough I will upgrade to one of the above. The Gloworm comes with a couple of extra lense styles so you can mix up the beam pattern.
Gloworm

One other thing I didn't quite get is that the separate battery pack allows you to distribute the weight of the light more evenly.

Later,
Dave

I saw a runner early one morning this week & she had a nice headlamp w/ a rear facing component. probably best for runners, but you never know what lighting units can cross-over. might have been something like this

WALKBRIGHT The Ideal headlamp for Walking at Night | Red Tail Light for 360 Visibility | Very Bright | Stay Safe!

got out w/ 2 lites last night. one on helmet 1 on bars. 1st time doing so. I knew the new light on my helmet is brighter that the bar lite but the difference was obvious when I was using them together. having a light on the helmet almost negates the need for a light on the bars. but maybe it's too soon to judge

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7deb801523.jpg


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...41319efc48.jpg

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https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...696b0f66e5.jpg
these are two very bright lites so I'm not sure I would use this combo on the road, certainly not a paved bike commuter trail. but I was away from ppl so it was good to have them both on high power

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f30c8499a8.png

I've used a number of NiteRider lights on my helmets (and bars) over the years.

For a helmet light, I would advise against the Pro 2200 Race. You don't want to be messing with a separate battery with a helmet light. Get a light with an internal battery.

With regard to the Lumina 1200 MX, I don't have experience with the stick-on mount. NiteRider sells a Lumina helmet mount that uses straps ($15) and works well with typical helmets. They are easy to adjust the beam up and down while you're riding. Mount them right at the very top of your helmet so they don't droop forward.

One bit of advice - don't shop using maximum lumen output. Those run times are too short. Look at the lower settings and check the run times and lumen output to see if they work for your type of riding.

I have never found a light that produces enough light to see on the ground to be light enough to put on my helmet with out pulling the helmet down. You can get little led lights so you can been seen a night that weight almost nothing.

I wound up mounting the battery at the rear of the helmet. worked nicely as a counter weight. works ok for short MTB rides off-road. haven't been tempted to use it elsewhere tho

I use an L&M Taz1500 mounted on my bars, and an Outbound Hangover mounted to my helmet...awesome light.

Edit: I can't post a link because I don't have 10 posts yet...Google "Outbound Lighting Hangover".

interesting!
https://www.outboundlighting.com/products/hangover
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8e13d85c31.jpg

Pair the Hangover with the Evo. It really doesn't get any better.

Nice looking light.

I ended up getting the Gloworm X2 Adventure for a helmet light which puts out 2000 lumens.
https://www.action-led-lights.com/co...ireless-remote

It's a really impressive / high quality build. It's a little heavier at 290 grams than I would like for the helmet.

Way too bright for city riding. But, you can totally customize the output. The phone app is easy to work and the bluetooth remote works great. I'm getting a feel for how many lumens I really want / need on a helmet. For the city roads it seems like 500 lumens in a spot beam is pretty good. For dark, country forest riding 1500 lumens is sufficient but 2000 is fun. I'm running the 2 X spot lens configuration since you are able to mix and match different lenses (flood, wide, spot). Even with the 2X spot and 500 lumens I'm still paranoid about shining oncoming traffic with too much light.

I have 3 headlights now and some oncoming cars seem confused as to what is approaching them. I'm running one light attached to my fork crown and powered by the ebike. I have the Flux 1250 on the bars and it is bright...usually keep it on the lower modes in traffic. And the helmet light. I sit tall so it's 3 lights in a row. It must be an interesting sight because I have seen a few cars slow down or stop until they figure out what is approaching them. I know I'm not blinding them because I have the beams adjusted properly and I'm aware of that issue.

It's a work in progress.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Recently (so recently they haven't arrived yet) bought a couple of Cygolite Metro 800 Lumen lights. Have been using MagicShine 908's exclusively for the last 10 or more years. Have at least four lights and two battery packs. Batteries are by Gemini. There isn't any getting around it, a 4 x 18650 battery pack CANNOT be made into a helmet light. It has to be external. All in one helmet lights will be 2x 18650 and thus will have 1/2 the runtime. Which may be fine. Cygolite Expilion's allow you to carry 2x18650 removable packs for extra runtime. I decided I didn't need that and will charge every night.

this might not qualify as a good idea but it works surprisingly well & well balanced. the thing on top is a camera
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b9ce40b32.jpeg
Magicshine MJ-906 Light Head round plug (B07F2WXTL8) & off Amazon a "Stupidbright" brand 8800 mAh Cree 8 4v Rechargeable Battery Pack $37.40 mounted on the back of the helmet

cell phone pic

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a wider beam would be nice when out in the woods, but actually lights up everything I need as-is. might even work on the road, just not on high power. don't want to blind anyone, or maybe on high but not on the helmet. mounted down on the bars & tilted down lighting just the road in front of me?

btw there seems to be other threads on the topic that pop up in a google search
https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...met-light.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...endations.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...ts-safety.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting...-lights-2.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/electroni...met-light.html

Nice, you have some lumens on your helmet.
The added weight on my helmet causes an unsafe fit. If I jerk my head back, like whiplash, the helmet slides back and exposes my forehead...even with everything adjusted properly. I need a new helmet style for my light system. Any ideas?
The light is the Gloworm X2 Adventurer. I think 280 grams.

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looks good!, is that what the manufacturer recommends? it must be that the weight distribution is not even? I've read about & considered for myself, using an extension cord & putting the battery in a small backpack

for me, I wanted to capture a certain owl on video so I wanted to keep my camera where it is & add w/ a bright light on the front of the helmet. couldn't find any over the counter options so I DIY'd it. kinda hokey I admit. I haven't tried jerking my head back, to see it the helmet loses it's fit to a dangerous level. but now I will

again I love your light! just tried jerking my head & it stays put. maybe you can find the same helmet? I bought it some time ago. FYI - I had to remove the visor. I remember shopping for a helmet w/ a deep pocket for winter use, instead of light helmets w/ shallow pockets that sit mostly high on top of my head. yours looks to have a fairly deep pocket but of course I can't tell by looking. I guess you are sure it's snugged up correctly?

I think mine is the excursion?
https://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Excur.../dp/B01IGKVPOK

https://www.meijer.com/shopping/prod...867507685.html

#s inside:
Model# SW78427-2
Ref# PP00243418
Date? 01-10-17
Lot# K3Q4V1

Thanks. I need a new helmet that locks in the plastic cradle at the base of the skull. That part is slipping on my helmet.

At any rate, here's tonights ride at dusk. I'm running the Lyzene E115 that is connected to the motor. Plus a B&M Ixon Space (150 lux) and the 2000 lumen light on my helmet.

haha that's great!

On a Zero Dark Thirty, Friday morning commute on the tandem, with rain no less, no less than three (3) MagicShine 808 lightheads will do. On dry days, one on the bars, one on the helmet works well. If this were a familiar route I probably would not bother with the helmet light, but we recently moved 2 miles further away from DW's worksite. This was only our third run, and the first using this particular routing. Stoker is blind, Captain partially sighted. I Need all the Lumens™ I can find. Yes, you can buy 1200lm and more in just one lighthead but you will NOT look like an oncoming GP9 locomotive with all the light coming from just one source. Just saying.

I had tried some of the zip tie wizardry displayed in earlier posts to affix the Gemini battery pack (4x18650 4400mah) to the back of my helmet but what I did in the end was buy an extension cable with a battery compatible socket on one end and a lighthead compatible plug at the other. I probably got it from Action LED. More than long enough to put the headlamp battery in my jacket pocket. I could mount it on the bike but I would forget and try to walk away from the bike after locking up.

Incidentally, I mentioned upthread that I had some Cygolite Metro 800's coming. Well they're here. So why did I use the aging (some of the lights are over 10yr old) MagicShine getup this morning? Because when the new lights arrived I simply couldn't resist doing a head to head comparo after charging up the new ones. I turned on the Cygolite first and it was alright but when I turned on the MagicShine it was like WHOMP. Simply no comparison! The Cygolites are going back to where they came from. Today. There really is no free lunch. I've tried the Amazon bargain lights because of posters in this and other forums but there really is no free lunch. My 4400mah pack cost $50 at least 3 years ago. I didn't think it was a screaming deal but I didn't think it was objectionable either. But I got curious about getting a MagicShine knock-off AND an 8800mah battery for $50. On high power my 3+ year old pack stays on the green power level for at least 20 minutes. The then new 8800mah pack went to blue after about the same amount of time! Twice the capacity and brand new and it couldn't outperform an older system. The lighthead was crap too. The genuine MS808 has a bright central spot with a wide corona of less bright but still useful light. The knock-off did not have that corona. It was just the central spot. Not a very useful item.. I expected much more from Cygolite than from the unbranded Amazon landfill debris. They probably will appeal to many. They obviously do. But when you've (literally) seen the light ...

From now on, make mine, genuine, mighty fine, MagicShine.

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:thumb:
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I might rethink mounting my battery on my helmet (906). it died last night before I was done. so I had to move my better light (906) to the bars because I had another battery on the frame. that seemed easier than swapping batteries on the helmet. since I removed the 906 from the helmet I removed the battery as well. didn't have anywhere good to store the 808 off the bars, so I left it there. so they both wound up on the bars, but I only used the 906 to finish my ride. I love the 808 but the 906 is brighter & has a better beam pattern (more directional). I like having both. but if I run into this issue again & want to swap batteries then I don't really want to be messing with my helmet more than necessary. I still have an original extension wire & now that it is getting colder I'll be wearing jackets w/ pockets. just might give it a go. I might miss the counter weight at the back of the helmet. any suggestions for routing the extension from your helmet to your battery in your pocket?

fwiw profile pic of the 906
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9ff961dd44.jpg

It's the batteries that make a light heavy. The lighthead part of a separated combo should actually be quite light compared to the battery. Systems like the MagicShine don't IMO need counterweighting. Especially since the majority of helmet mounts sit the light pretty much at the top of your head right at the center of gravity. There is a slightly forward weight bias since you are (probably) canted forward a little bit, but it shouldn't be objectionable. As for running the cable. I like to put the battery in the pocket of an inside layer or even pants pocket and then put the shell layer on so the cable exits at the back of the neck. Keeps cable from flopping around at your back and catching on things you walk past like your handlebars.