Dinotte 1200L headlamp?
 

I've had my Dinotte 400R tailight for about a week now and it's performing well and up to my expectations. Time is the real test.

I'm considering Dinotte's 1200L headlamp as my next attachment. I live and ride lots around the Pacific Northwest, about 9,000 miles / year. As such, I need something that stands up to lots of rugged use including rattling from poor condition roads, and months and months of rain.

This forum was very helpful for info. regarding the 400R tailight, now I'm curious if anyone has experience -- specifically -- with Dinotte's 1200L headlamp. There are many reviews out there on all Dinotte's other headlamps, but little on the 1200L. Dinotte has changed the design some in recent months from the round to oval shape.

Let me know what your experience with this headlamp is, good, bad, or indifferent. Does it stand the test of time; is it impervious to water; are the run times decent?

Well, check this picture out and guess which one I am--I own a Dinotte 1200L+

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesncoffee/5177446228/

At least one of the other lights is a Fenix and another is a Magicshine. I don't know how many lumens theirs is.

And, sure, someone is bound to say that maybe the others' lights weren't pointed as directly at the camera as mine. Could be true.

There's the 1200, and the 1200+. I have one of the latter, which I bought primarily for off-roading. For road riding, you might actually be better off with the 800L in the long-throw model if you like being able to see a long way down the road. With the 1200+'s floody beam pattern, to see as far as I'd like on the road, I run it on HIGH, which of course results in the shortest runtimes.

I like the low weight and the compact battery, which fits under my long-ish 120-135mm stems. I don't like the rubber-strap mount very much, but I may pick up Cateye quick-release bar mounts and transfer the head to one of those. In cold weather, it also signals "low battery" rather early, a trait my 600L had as well (but it'll keep running).

So far, mine hasn't had a chance to face serious rain, so no firsthand info on that area yet.

are you saying there is different models of the 800? (long throw and short throw) or are you saying the 800 happens to have a longer throw simply be the way its lens works?

Thanks
Dan

Yes there are different models of the 800.
http://store.dinottelighting.com/sha...t=products.asp

I am not seeing different models of the 800, only that it is included in different packages.........????

Look under lens option. There are different lens options. I have a 400L which is pretty bright. Hard to see how/why someone would use a 1200.

edit: yeah, what he said ^

In the Store listing, it's under "Lens options."

I guess you're not an off-roader :D Rocketing down skinny hillside trails at speed calls for lots of light.

Here is a copy and paste of the second paragraph of the link provided.

The 800L+ is a four LED product (3 hour run time on high) sure to impress any road or mountain bike user. The traditional beam is similar to previous model 800L+ (with a little more brightness) and the 800L+ - Long throw has a focused beam for road riders who just want to go really fast and see way off in the distance

I've had a 600L for a few years now. The light itself is great. The batteries are giving me shorter runtimes after daily use for 2.5 years, but that's expected.

The light has handled potholes, vibration, torrential rain, and a couple of falls without an issue.

That said, I eventually plan to switch to hub dyno lights to avoid the battery issues.