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1 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by Looigi
(Post 14735244)
Wow. Me too. Just got mine from Amazon yesterday and took it for a ride last night. It's replacing my 8 year old Light&Motion HID light which has (had?) a similar lumen rating. It's 2/3 the size and less than 1/4 the weight of just the NiMH battery for the old HID light, which was something like $350 at the the time. And it's significantly brighter and with a fairly wide uniform beam. I used to like the HID light because it was fairly hot in the center and had wide low level illumination. Even though the Expilion is brighter in the middle than the HID light, if I could shape the beam I would sacrifice some of the side intensity and make the center even brighter.
That was with the light on the bars. I want to try it mounted to my helmet and see how well that works. It has 5 steady modes. Walking, which is really very feeble, then Med, High, Boost, and low, in that order. The difference going between Med and High and High and Boost isn't that much visually, but according to the spex has a rather dramatic effect on run times. Low is pretty dim, maybe OK for riding very slowly or in well lit areas. I have not yet verified the run times. So far, the only place I have found spare batteries for it is the Cygolite website. 1. The little soft rubber cover for the USB port is really poorly designed. Second week of use and the cover fell off as I was trying to peel it back to charge the battery. It seems impossible to put it back in the tiny hole (you can also see in the picture). So without a cover for the USB port the light is not weatherproof, and that's a dealbreaker. 2. The handle bar attachment does not inspire confidence to me, especially if it gets exposed to the elements a bit longer. Having such an expensive light on the handlebars means that I will need to remove it each time I lock the bike outside (which is nearly everyday), so the constant mounting and removal will inevitably cause the mount to break. Of course it has not broken yet, but it's the engineer in me thinking ahead. Other than that it's really impressive and good bang for the buck. |
Originally Posted by permanentrecord
(Post 14768912)
1. The little soft rubber cover for the USB port is really poorly designed. Second week of use and the cover fell off as I was trying to peel it back to charge the battery. It seems impossible to put it back in the tiny hole (you can also see in the picture). So without a cover for the USB port the light is not weatherproof, and that's a dealbreaker.
2. The handle bar attachment does not inspire confidence to me, especially if it gets exposed to the elements a bit longer. Having such an expensive light on the handlebars means that I will need to remove it each time I lock the bike outside (which is nearly everyday), so the constant mounting and removal will inevitably cause the mount to break. Of course it has not broken yet, but it's the engineer in me thinking ahead. |
Originally Posted by rekmeyata
(Post 14769067)
Odd, I have the 350 version for over a year and half and haven't had any problems, in fact I really like the handlebar attachment, it's been very sturdy compared to some stuff I've seen. The little rubber thing on mine hasn't come off, but I've seen a lot of lights with similar cheaply built rubber crap even on much more expensive lights, you just learn to be careful, they don't want you to own stuff forever...sad but true. But the good news is that since you just bought it it still has a 1 year warranty, send it back for replacement or maybe they have a aftermarket thing they've come up with they'll send you.
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$120 seems cheap to me compared to what this level of illumination cost a few years ago. Anyway, I'm confident the mount is sufficient for the task.
Agree that the rubber usb cover is a bit tricky to close, but a little silicone grease helps quite a bit and also helps ensure its waterproofness. If it tore off and I lost it, I'd cover the hole with a piece of tape. |
Originally Posted by permanentrecord
(Post 14769182)
Thanks, that's good to hear about the handlebar. I ordered a Niterider Lumina 650 from Amazon to compare them, and I will decide which one to keep in the next few days. It's really too bad -- the Expilion looks like a great light if it wasn't for the silly cover
Phillips sent me a brand new light after I found out that burn rate on mine was less then half of what it was suppose to be, and they did that with a simple phone call that they actually answered quickly! Imagine that in todays world that first off a company would even have a phone number, and second a real person answers it and does so within 5 rings!! |
I just purchased an Expilion 700 yesterday from Amazon, along with a Hotshot rear light. Nice to see all the positive reviews here. Now I just returned a L&M VIS 180 Micro rear light to the LBS yesterday, because the USB charge port broke the first time I plugged it in, and also because I wasn't very happy with the way it mounts with just a rubber strap. Please tell me the Expilion 700 front light has something better than just a rubber strap that you have to remove each time you want to remove the light. Anybody?
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I've got a Pace 400, which is the version of the Expilion sold by Perfromance/Nashbar. Very happy with it. I usually run it at 300 lumens and just bump it to the full 400 when I need it on an unlit trail. I get between 2 to 1 1/2 hours out of it this way. Usually last me for a full ride, but I carry a spare battery just in case.
On the battery question, it is an 18650 in a proprietary casing. |
Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94
(Post 15234608)
...Please tell me the Expilion 700 front light has something better than just a rubber strap that you have to remove each time you want to remove the light. Anybody?
Nope, not sayin'. You'll just have to wait till it arrives and find out for yourself. |
Actually I did find some other pics online that appear to have a more substantial mount than just a rubber strap. Can't wait for these new lights to arrive this week!
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The Expillion 700 has one of those locks where you push down and remove the light from the mount. I've had mine for a couple of weeks and am very happy with it.
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Originally Posted by lolguy
(Post 15235716)
The Expillion 700 has one of those locks where you push down and remove the light from the mount. I've had mine for a couple of weeks and am very happy with it.
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Originally Posted by lolguy
(Post 15235716)
The Expillion 700 has one of those locks where you push down and remove the light from the mount. I've had mine for a couple of weeks and am very happy with it.
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Wow I can't believe it! Ordered the lights from Amazon on Sunday and they're already here today, even with the free standard shipping!
Initial thoughts: omg WHOA this Expilion 700 is BRIGHT!!! Even the lowest setting is brighter than my old light. Can't wait to get out there on some night rides. I guess I should probably pick up a spare battery, and will also get a second mount so I can use the same light on both of my bikes. And yes, I'm VERY impressed with the mount. Seems extremely sturdy, much more so than what came with my old light. Also got the Cygolight Hotshot rear light in the same order. Also much, much brighter than the other 3 tail lights I already have. Impressive choice of flash modes, also. I actually brought my road bike to work today and was afraid I would have to ride during lunch with no lights (transferred my other lights to other bikes already). But since these came in this morning I've already got them mounted on the bike and ready to go. Will also be testing the night performance this Saturday night during the local monthly "social" bike ride. |
Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94
(Post 15239477)
... I guess I should probably pick up a spare battery, and will also get a second mount so I can use the same light on both of my bikes...
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but a battery and mount is less than $50.
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$55 to order the mount and battery through Cygolite. Was able to order a new 600 (primarily for those parts w/ the bonus of the additional lamp) from Amazon for $89 total.
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I'm no fan of the Expilion 700, finding the user experience barely acceptable. It's heavy, ugly, and awkward in most every sense, and is just a clumsy piece of equipment. The pricing is excellent, however, and if you can suffer the lousy design elements, you've gotten a good deal.
My full review is here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...e+expilion+700 |
Good gosh man, super picky eh? I'm thoroughly pleased with this light so far, although I only have a $20 Walmart light to compare it to, so obviously I'm not going to be too picky with it. To me the light is outstanding. My only wish is that the beam spread was just a touch wider, without such a sharp cutoff at the edges of the circular beam. But other than that it should work great for me.
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Originally Posted by lolguy
(Post 15241442)
$55 to order the mount and battery through Cygolite. Was able to order a new 600 (primarily for those parts w/ the bonus of the additional lamp) from Amazon for $89 total.
I dunno, getting the 600 seems like a good idea actually. It doesn't come with a helmet mount, but I could use the helmet mount that came with my 700, and then put the 600's mount on my MTB. |
Hey sorry chaadster I didn't mean to come across as hating on your review or anything. It's just that I only have that one cheap light to compare this E700 to and it is leaps and bounds better (better be for 6 times the price haha). I might not like the E700 as much if I had experience with other lights. But for now I love this E700.
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With two lights, run:
both high for lots of light one flashing one steady or one high one low (alternate to extend battery life) one on bars one on helmet leave one home charging your spare battery (battery only charges installed in light) Agree switch and usb cover are problematic. A smidge of silicone grease on the usb cover helps a lot. Weight is not out of line (it has a large aluminum heat sink) and it looks fine to me. |
I have no problems with the switch. I agree the USB port cover can be a littler cumbersome getting it back on, but it probably seals out the elements better that way, once you do get it in. Really that's an extremely MINOR annoyance with me. And almost everything in life has some minor annoyance or another. Rarely is anything ever 100% perfect.
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By the way, the price of the Cygolite Hotshot 2-watt just got reduced to $21.36 on Amazon.com today. Crazy! Why do LBSs even bother to sell parts?
http://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Hotsh...golite+hotshot |
dangit I just paid $28 for it on Sunday!
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Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94
(Post 15242971)
Hey sorry chaadster I didn't mean to come across as hating on your review or anything. It's just that I only have that one cheap light to compare this E700 to and it is leaps and bounds better (better be for 6 times the price haha). I might not like the E700 as much if I had experience with other lights. But for now I love this E700.
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Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94
(Post 15241942)
It doesn't come with a helmet mount, but I could use the helmet mount that came with my 700, and then put the 600's mount on my MTB.
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Looks like the Metro lights come with the same bar mount, and the Metro might work better on a helmet due to smaller size and weight. However I'm guessing it doesn't use the same battery as the Expilion lights, right?
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Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94
(Post 15248517)
Looks like the Metro lights come with the same bar mount, and the Metro might work better on a helmet due to smaller size and weight. However I'm guessing it doesn't use the same battery as the Expilion lights, right?
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Originally Posted by Garfield Cat
(Post 15250647)
If you're referring to the 420 Metro, it has a built-in battery (not removable) and the re charger for the Expilion works with the Metro 420.
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Originally Posted by permanentrecord
(Post 15245483)
By the way, the price of the Cygolite Hotshot 2-watt just got reduced to $21.36 on Amazon.com today. Crazy! Why do LBSs even bother to sell parts?
http://www.amazon.com/Cygolite-Hotsh...golite+hotshot |
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