People can't even agree what `usable lighting' is. For example, I find that this 1w 50 lumen light makes plenty of light to see with, and lasts about 4 hours at maximum brightness. I wouldn't go offroading with it, but for road riding it's adequate -- it lights your path. If not enough light, I guess I could get seven more of them and rechargeable batteries and a few chargers for all of them for under $100, mount them all to my bike.

Though perhaps they don't qualify as a bike manufacturer? If not, the Planet Bike Blaze 1w is similar -- similar brightness, lasts longer, uses more convenient 2xAA rather than 4xAAA batteries, but costs considerably more. Still, you could get two for under $100.

I'm quite happy with my P7 lights and they're a great deal, granted, but as far as I know they don't go cheaper than $30 or so, and you need to spend $10 more for two batteries and $5-$12 more for a charger and $1.50 more for a mount. It's not quite $20.

I also have a Cygolite 135 lumen light that was $75 or so after sale and discounts, and it's very adequate. It lasts about 4 hours with the included NiMH battery. It puts out less light than the P7 flashlight, but the beam pattern is far superior. It's not a better bargain, but it's also bike specific and under $100 and puts out a lot of light exactly where you need it.

Tactical is a marketing term. What you really want to discuss is "mil-spec" or torches for proffesional LEO/Mill use. I only have experience with Inova, surefire and the DE P7. The reason some of these lights are so expensive is becuase of their durability. Would you trust your life to a P7 mounted to a rifle for weeks? I am not sure the quality of my P7 is even close to a US made mil-spec torch.

The new surefire e2d led fits in your pocket and can blast 200lumens with a tap of the tailcap. Combine its light output with some of its physical atributes and you have a great self defense tool.

There are also intresnically safe lights. These are designed for high hazard enviroments, think flammable/explosive atomsphere, e.g. mines or hazmat cleanup.

I just recently needed a lighting setup for a new bike I've gotten, and I did it before I found these forums. I looked at bike specific lights, and was very unimpressed with the price/performance ratio when it came to lights - I did some research, and found a good deal on a pair of flashlights - I got two of these for $52 shipped, spent $14 for six rcr123a batteries and a charger off ebay, and $5 for a helmet and a bike mount on dealextreme. I'm considering buying four more batteries for about six bucks, so I could throw 'em in my wedge pack.

Each light puts out 220 lumens for 2 hours, I've got one on my helmet and one on my handlebars. If I look like a dork because I have a "tactical" flashlight on my bike, I don't really care. I've got two 220 lumen lights so I don't die. Also, the eagletac lights don't have strobe mode, so I don't have to worry about that. All told I'm out $71, $77 if I decide to get more batteries so I have a four hour runtime instead of two. These are also waterproof, which is handy in Washington.

Also, these have a 14 hour runtime in standard mode if I need a "be seen" light without a "see" light.

I don't really feel any need to argue with people, this just seemed like the cheapest way to eat up some dark. And hey, if I'm going camping, I've got a couple pretty damn bright extra flashlights I can take with me. That's pretty cool too.

edit: In case anyone's curious, here's the two mounts I got off dealextreme and my ebay cheapie batteries. I've had good luck with the ebay batteries.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12000 (works good on the helmet)
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15642
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...%3DI%26otn%3D2

No. They're waaaaay overpriced. In fact the last time I looked at a Surefire LED it didn't even have regulation - ie the circuit that keeps brightness constant as the battery runs down.

Fenix, for example, guaranteed a higher standard of toughness than Surefire the last time I checked. This "MilSpec" justification is mostly nonsense. Most soldiers wear Casio G-Shocks not "MilSpec" Marathons - exactly because the Casios are MUCH tougher.

The picture of the gun in this article has a mounted flashlight - perhaps that's what they mean when they say "tactical" operations?

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009...op-killer-gun/

Switch your light on momentarily to locate your target, move, turn the light on again and open fire if necessary. That's the "tactics" in "tactical."

That's why a tactical light will have a forward-clickie (allowing momentary-on operation), often a grip ring to facilitate a "cigar hold," and a button that protrudes from the rear of the light for easy operation (as well as remote pressure-switch options, e.g. for a shotgun). Weapon-mounting hardware, filters and diffusers may also be available for the specific light in question. If they're built to be weapon-mounted, they should also be able to handle recoil forces.

I imagine DealExtreme classifies any light as "tactical" if it has an assault bezel, of course ;)

I just came back from a Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan and one of the USMC Gunny's I work with showed me his SureFire light somebody absconded for him and I was sufficiently impressed that I intended to buy one when I got back.

Then I got back, saw how much they were and what the run time was and decided to pass. Great light. Highly overpriced.

Best tactical thing I've ever used on a bike was an Essential Gear VIP light. We use a variant of them in my job.

John