Newbie Commuter Needs First Headlight - Here's the Lowdown
 

I am sorry to be a ridiculous pest and essentially try to have other people make my lighting decision for me, but I have done a LOT of bicycle homework on a lot of aspects of my bike, but I have secured the funds for what I want to budget for a light ($75-$125) and I would like to buy one as soon as possible (and my brain is fried from so much reading!)

I am looking for:

A good bright beam
Handlebar mount
Light beam of adjustable concentration
Very easy to mount

I do not care what the light weighs and since I am not a tough 'n tumble rider, it does not have to be extremely durable--nor does it have to hold up in inclement weather as I live in L.A.

Given my druthers, I prefer a blue-white beam versus a yellowish beam, but brightness is more important.

Within the price range:
Dinotte lights (when they are on sale) or fenix L2D (you can buy two of these)
you can't go wrong with any of them

There are a number of things you have to choose from. There are a number of passionate Fenix users here who are certain to pop up at any moment.

There are a couple of different types of lights. White LEDs have made huge strides in recent years, but there are still lots of good HID lights out there.

And then there are those who build their own - they obviously cost less, so you can get more light for your money. The thing will look like a bit of a kludge, but it will still work.

I got started with a Cygolite dualcross that I got on sale - I think mine was about $120 or so. New ones now are more expensive than that. And then of course I spent 20$ to upgrade the emitters and double the light output :D.

One of the questions you have to ask yourself is how many lumens you feel you need, and how much runtime you need before recharging or replacing the battery. Both of these questions are going to help narrow down which lights will work best for you.