Front light suggestion (under $40)?
 

I'm looking for a front light to shine on the ground because it's very hard to see at night. Any suggestions on which light system to use and good websites to buy them from?

Thanks!

romisen and fenix are brand name flashlights that use a CREE DIODE. the one I have is a few years old, it puts out 200 lumen using 2 aa batteries, its wicked bright. this one says 500 lumen! for 25 bucks it will do the trick. that leaves you another $15 to find a mount for your handlebars. (ebay search " flashlight mount"). the cool thing about them is, its a flashlight! take it with you camping, put it in the glovebox, blind a would be mugger...

http://www.gadgettown.com/rce4-p4-cree-led-flashlight-torch.html?ref=shopzilla-light

2 of these: http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/t...II-CREE/Detail

For versatility one (or two) of these http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/t...h-C8-II/Detail might be what you want. Works on a variety of batteries and as either a flood or spot. It can start as a bar flood and later as a helmet spot when you add more lights.

Mounts like these and others can be found at DX, KD etc.

And of course there is a sticky thread all about lights under $50.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39359 $20 UltraFire WF-501B
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790 $7.88 two 18650 batteries
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274 $1.88 bike mount
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13820 $7.10 charger
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$36.86 total

If you have a few extra dollars, get this tail light too --

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.35036 $3.46 tail light

And if you want redundancy, buy another $1.88 mount and another $20 light, or you can get this cheaper (and not as bright) one --

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.29096 $13.56 UltraFire A10B

You've already got two batteries (each light needs only one) so you don't need more, but another set as a backup would be nice.

Well, this is what I'm planning to use:

Solarforce L2P body $19.99 w/ shipping (if you want a cheaper host, there are some under $10)
Kaidomain lens $2.29
DealExtreme 1.4V XM-L drop-in $13.20 (I would prefer an OP reflector, but they are replaceable)
XTAR WP2 charger ~$16 on eBay after Chinese New Year
18650 batteries (these are popular and cheap)
Mount $1.55 (also available here)

These are some cheap (<$10) hosts:
Skyray S-R5
Ultrafire WF-501B (eBay)
Ultrafire WF-502B (eBay)

One thing with the TFT2400s (flame wrap) is that the wrapper is extremely thin and fragile - it isnt PVC but a film. The tolerances on most chargers being what it is, the wrapper gets torn from inserting them and from your fingernails when removing. Its a little less likely to happen with this style charger vs the other kind.

Both of mine are well frayed with one peeling off from over the strip. PVC tape works as a repair but using much increases the size enough that it becomes difficult to get it in and out of a P60 style body. These may be a better choice in terms of durability or the ones dougmc listed.

Might want to look here for the light and p-60 module. http://www.lighthound.com/Solarforce...ed_p_2629.html

I'm leaning towards buying Panasonic NCR18650. AW and Redilast are more than I'm willing to spend, and I don't think that using quality unprotected cells in single-cell applications seems terribly risky. Still on the fence... I already bought a charger, but I haven't bought any batteries yet.

The problem is when they over discharge, and kill the battery. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish; protected cells are well worth the few extra dollars.

So when the light dims, change the battery. It doesn't seem like it would be difficult to avoid over-discharging them.

Yes, but the dimming is gradual and you may miss it until you suddenly realize you can't see anymore, and what if you leave the light on and forget to turn it off? Also, I'm not sure if the 18650 cells can be puffed or not (thanks to their metal case) -- but if they can, that would make them hard to get out of your light.

Just spend the extra dollar and get the batteries with the protective circuits!

They can be fragile, but I have a pair that's a year old and a couple pair of the blue ones that are 2 years old. If you drop them, they're toast. But if you take reasonable care of them they can last.

The price difference is not that insignificant; the protected versions of the batteries that I mentioned are about $19 a piece. And I don't know how I could possibly forget to turn off my bike light.

Anyway, it feels like we are drifting too far off topic.

The cells you mentioned are the top of the food chain as far as 18650 cells go.. Protected does work better.. Shining beam sells a trustfire 2400 for about $9.00 which work fine.. Lighthound also sells a few different model of 18650's that goes from 9.00 to 18.75 for the 2900 aw model..

The soshine 2800's are also well reviewed cells for a lot less than the aw or redilast

http://cgi.ebay.com/18650-SoShine-Re...item35a815a3b0

Good to know!
I think the SoShine hi cap NiMH cells are great - same capacity as Sanyo for a lot less. I had considered SoShine Li Ions but the label and packaging was different than shown on their website, making me think counterfeit.

I am a long way from being an expert, but my lights have a low voltage cut off above 3 volts. The protected circuit on one failed after I droped it. I use it on a light with the voltage cutoff and haven't had any problems.

Good luck. Personally I don't see the value in trying to save three dollars on something that could be easily ruined. If you want to be penny wise and pound foolish it's your choice.

Here is a nice deal for two lights ... :thumb:
Available on February 8 only at http://www.woot.com/

Serengeti 160 Lumen Cree LED Flashlight 2 Pack $12.99+ $5 shipping
Features:
High Intensity Tactical LED Advanced CREE XRE - 160 Lumens
Spotlight to Flood Adjustable Focus
50% & 100% light output levels
4 Position Momentary Tactical Switch
- Position 1: Off
- Position 2: 50% (Medium: approx 70-90 Lumens)
- Position 3: 100% (High: 160 Lumens)
- Position 4: Strobe (160 Lumens) Flashing Emergency
Water Resistant – 30 minutes at 1 meter & Shockproof to 1 meter

http://sale.images.woot.com/Serenget...glStandard.jpg

You can buy the Panasonics for under $5 vs $19 for the protected version of the same battery. So you could buy three or four, ruin two or three, and still come out ahead. And it's a stretch to say that ruining them is "easy." Anyhow, you've made your opinion clear, so you can stop being a condescending jerk about it now. There is no point in repeating what you've already said.

I agree with both sides: The uber protection on AWs and Redilast is nice but does make them very pricey. OTOH, I am not all that thrilled with the basic quality of most of the DX level cells - in capacity, construction, protection reliability, service life etc. Even the good ones like the TFT are mainly just not as bad as the rest.

Something in between the $19 premium level and $3 DX *Fire brands seems sorely needed. The SoShine cell socalrider posted looks like a promising middle ground.

Where can you buy them for $5? EBay and China sellers are full of counterfeits, and I wouldn't waste my money on them.

Btw, do you actually have any experience using 18650 or other Li-ion cells, or do you simply assume that they are like ni-mh cells?

This Romisen Looks good and the price is right.... any comments on durability?

Been using this light for a while, dropped a few times, no problems.. This is a good starter light if you have not committed to 18650 cells yet. If you are using 18650 cells already, I would look at: http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/t...4-II-R5/Detail

This is much brighter light for under 40.00 price range..

That light is only 2 bucks more, do you own one?....can you recommend a good 18650 charger+battery kit/combo that wont break the bank?