Cycling lights on Dealextreme?
 

Dealextreme has a selection of cycling lights that are dirt cheap. They have rear blinkies for $3.81 that look similar to some that I see at the bike shop for $20+. They also have 5-led headlights for under $6. Does anyone have experience with any of these products? Are these lights any good?

wow. those look like some great deals and a few look like name brand lights without the name brand. How different could they be?

Dealextreme, from what I've read, is a bit chancy, their stuff is dirt cheap, some good, some not. The good thing is even if your $3.81 blinkie is crap, it was only $3.81 ;)

Try it out & report for us!

That's kind of what I was thinking.

This is also what I was thinking. And their prices include shipping!

Anyway - Has anyone actually bought their cycling lights who can report on them? Thanks.

If the DX bike light looks like a comparable light hanging on a peg in your LBS it most likely came from the same Chinese factory. Distributors will bulk order stuff like bike lights with custom OEM markings and drastically increase the price as it has there "brand name" printed on it. Our local Trail Watch group bulk ordered cheap bike light kits from DX to hand out to riders found riding the Rail Trail after dark with no lights. These lights are just as good as you would find in your local X-mart at drastically lower prices.

FWIW I just received a Seoul Z-LED U-BIN star from DX which cost me less than $6! It took a while for my order to arrive but they tell you that up front so thats not a problem. I ordered Jan 12, they shipped it Jan-21, and it arrived Jan-28. It replaced a 49 lumen emitter. The new emitter is more than twice as bright at 120 lumen. My upgraded dynamo powered LED headlight is now just as bright as a 5-watt halogen battery powered light!

I can confirm DX does decent business. I'm becoming addicted... Some products may not be good, but check the reviews and ratings, they seem genuine. As they state, delivery will take a while, but it's always 'free', which adds to the addiction potential. I just keep ordering some $5 or $10 item.

Hard to resist some things like 10 small bright keychain LEDs for under $5.

Dealextreme ships from China / HongKong, so it may take several weeks for the item to arrive. Their prices are unbeatable, and have generally good reviews from flashlight fansites.

I'm currently using a noname import rear blinky (not from dealextreme, but looks the same). It works ok, but one red led is a bit balky. The mount won't keep the angle, as it is made of soft plastic- totally inappropriate for the job. And last but not least, the thing pops open if I ride over a bumpy patch. Happened twice on my last ride. Not a lot of fun stopping and gathering up the pieces scattered on the road. It all snaps back together ok, but I think that is the root problem. Bike stuff shouldn't snap together, it won't hold up.

I should point out that it did work okay for one or two seasons before problems started. So I guess I got my 5 bucks worth. Having said that, I think I'll opt for a better brand next time. REI has red blinky stuff for less than ten bucks on sale. As I recall, the one from Planet Bike looked okay.

I got a couple of bike lights from them. In general the stuff is great for the price but I'd rather pay a few extra $ for something of higher quality.
Their cree flashlights are great when they work.
Check out kaidomain.com too.

I bought two of the $3.81 rear blinkies several months ago. They work great, and I use them twice a week for about three hours each day. Very bright, long runtimes. They are probably not as well built as a Viewpoint Flashpoint (which is what they are mimicking), but for the price they are well worth it. Shipping is slow, but since it's free it's hard to complain.

I just ordered a bunch of the 3.81 lights, I just spent 18 dollars on a light that has 5, rather than the 9 led' this one has, and is the exact same light. I lost my Blackburn mars 3.0 on a ride home one night (Zip Ties get so brittle in the winter) and had to buy something quick, so that was the answer. It's been a great light, but I figured if it's the same basic light, but with all the LED holes filled (I can see the empty spots on my PCB on my lite) then it's gonna be well worth it. I ordered 10 because I figured I'll find people who need em.

I've bought from Dealextreme before and I was happy with their service. I'd probably limit what I buy though to DIY stuff because their prices on the bare and regulated LED's is great and they have an awesome selection...

They may have great service, but the stuff looks like(and sounds like, going by some descriptions) junk. I would rather spend more and get a better product. Looks like the inside of a dollar store. I dont care if its only x dollars, I just want to purchase the product, have it do what its supposed to do, and not have to go look for all the peices on the trail behind me.

Dealextreme sku.3639 $3.81
http://www.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_3639_1.jpg

Serfas TL 2100 $30
http://www.serfas.com/images/medium/TL-2100.jpg

BLT Ultra Wazoo DX $30 as well
http://www.blt-lights.com/images/pro...lar/308570.jpg

Do they have a superflash knockoff? If not, I don't see any reason to buy any other rear light besides the Dinottes.

I'll post back when I get mine. I agree I like to buy something once and not worry, but there are times it just makes sense to buy two or three (Especially when 2 or 3 is still WAY less) I bought 10 of these for what 1 of the others that LOOK identical cost. I can't imagine it's 1/10th the quality. But, I've been wrong on that before, the curse of being cheep! :)

Joe

A bit off topic but while we're talking taillights, I can HIGHLY recommend the Cateye TL-LD-500 http://www.cateye.com/en/product_detail/268

Not uber-bright but also has built-in reflectors, so the closer the car is the brighter it gets! :) long runtime, well-made.

And MUCH cheaper than the Serfas or BLT. I got mine on sale for around $7 as I recall. Running one on each seatstay in addition to a Superflash on the post.

Apparently not. I don't see one on their website.

There IS a reason, namely $3.81 vs. $169. Actually, I already have a Dinotte headlight and taillight. I was considering these cheapo lights as backups or as additional blinkies to supplement my Dinottes.

How about much longer run time and ease of use? I for one hate dealing with O-rings and velcro straps several times a day in the cold with gloves on; it's a total PITA. QR is so much better under these conditions.

Agreed. There isn't anything on the market in between a Superflash and Dinotte. Thus I made my own.

Ditto on the dealextreme and kaidomain sites. It's all ridiculously cheap. Some is crap, some is awesome quality. Sometimes it comes in a week, sometimes it takes over a month. Sometimes it comes in multiple shipments. But it DOES get here. Stick with simple stuff; lights, toys, etc. Don't get electronics. Don't expect documentation or support. Expect bang-for-the-buck.

I bought one of those 9 led tail lights for $3.81.

Build quality is not that great, as I had to fiddle with bending the battery terminals to get it to work.

As for brightness, it is definitely brighter than my Cateye TLD1000. Similar brightness to Superflash, but bigger spot, and has integrated reflector.

There is, the Cateye TL-1100. Brighter than a SuperFlash, more visible to cars, and better side visibility.

I base the above on actually owning both lights and asking drivers which they find to be more visible.

have rcvd 2/3s of my order placed 1/7//08 in 2 shipments. the reviews are helpful though. still waiting for
this light sku8278
http://www.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_8278_1.jpg
want to compare large light to small and super bright for visibility.

free shipping also, that 9 led taillight is the exact same one i have from performace that cost $20, I'll order a few more for other bikes. Wow

well I ordered 3 taillights sku.3639 $3.81 and one of these http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9060 suppose to be better and brighter than fenix l2d, see the comparison. I'll let everyone know how long it takes to get.