P Rocket or get the imitation?
 

Well - I just have to round out my light collection with a lightweight torch that can double as a helmet light.

I am supposing the SB P Rocket has got be the best thrower possible in a 1x18650 format.

But on the other hand - Romison is nearly half the price.

Since it is unlikely I would use "high mode" that much - how do i decide whether to get the latest XML light or the Romison at about half price? Any thing else to consider?

This one is nearly as bright, not as hot and longer battery life. http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/t...-rocket/Detail
This would be easier on the neck and still bright on high. http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/t...sh-mini/Detail

I feel the reflector on the P Rocket is too small and too shallow to be the best 1 x 18650 thrower because it uses the XML. It will provide a lot of light but probably not the best thrower for a single battery light. The listing posted by davidad for the XPG Rocket claim a better throw than the XML Rocket.

That being said, I took my Shiningbeam XPG Rocket out in the backyard and tested it against my lower priced Kaidomain 5 mode C8 XML. Without the benefit of the doubt, the KD C8 outhtrow the XPG Rocket. I don't have a XML P Rocket to test my KD C8 against it, but I have little doubt the KD will out throw the XML Rocket. It is also cheaper.

The setback is the quality of the KD C8. You may have to tighten the Pill or the tail cap switch. The LED is not perfectly center although not noticable at a distant but you can see a slight imperfected beam at very close distant. The only other gripe I have about the C8 is the rough thread on the tailcap.

For the S-Mini, do you have any idea on run time? This looks like the perfect helmet light for my purposes.

SWince it only draws onw amp I would gues that 2.5 hours on a 2500 mah battery on high.

I used the L-mini which was the same form factor and it was a perfect helmet light, nice and light..

I received my XP-G R5 SMini this week and have used it for both rides home. Total time: 1.5 hours and the battery was at 3.84 V. I hadn't noticed that it was overly dim. So it still had some time left on it. I used fully charged Callies Kustom 3100s in it. I agree that the form factor makes a great helmet light. It's a bit smaller in both length and diameter than my other helmet lights. If you want to go total ghetto, The Uniquefire 2100 XM-L is a good choice. See the reviews on budgetlightforums.com

Richard Cranium and socalrider:

Since I ride with pretty bright bar light (700 Lumen Strykr), I decided to go with a little brighter torch than the s-mini for the helmet to avoid washout, actually the one referenced in the OP.

In honor of Cyber Monday, I splurged a little this morning. I put away a buck for every hour of riding I do in my piggy bank, then I usually use it twice a year or so to spend on whatever I want, be it an expensive pair of bibs or in this case, some new torches. I ended up picking out several new ones to supplement my growing light collection, including two helmet lights:

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/t...M-dsh-L/Detail
http://www.intl-outdoor.com/nlight-s...ght-p-233.html

I'll report back on these after they arrive in a couple of weeks. Since I am rapidly becoming a flashaholic (an order of magnitude below both of you and Colleen, of course), I also picked up a 'fun' light that I'll probably never use on a bike:

http://www.manafont.com/product_info...-218650-p-8100

This one received some great reviews from the friendly light geeks over at budgetlightforums.com. I'll probably only use it to find my black dog out in the yard on a dark night or to blow away friends with it's awesomeness.... :D

Finally, I picked up some spare batteries to power the above and 3 different universal bike mounts, just to see how they perform.

This one is a bit outside my ideal size for helmet. I prefer max diameter of 1" and length of 5". This would make a great bar light. I have a Uniquefire 2100 and it's probably the equivalent of your second light, but a bit cheaper.

A report on these lights would be great when you get them, especially the ST50.

Will do. I got the P-Rocket based on the dimensions (.094 inch body) and a relatively small head diameter (1.33) vs what I've been using, which was a C8 (1.76 at the head). That and the fact that many have said it is a great thrower. The ST50 looks to be a perfect size, we'll see how well it throws.