Cyclist0084

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Mode-1200-...item19d9e95b64

These Cree XML T6 bike lights seem to be all over ebay. Looks like they range in price from about $30 upwards to about $80. Just wondering if anyone here uses them and if so, what your impressions of them are. I've looked at a few videos of them in action on YouTube, but it's hard to tell just how well they work.

Need to get a new headlight soon, and this may be on the table when it comes to what light to buy.

Any comments / info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks is advance.

jcollinsia

I just bought the same one from Amazon for $30. It works well for a $30 light but it definitely isnt 1000 lumens. I'd guess more like 500 or so but for myself that is enough. I would suggest getting the wide angle lens that they suggest because the beam on this light is pretty tight.

Ray Dockrey

I saw some on Amazon for $23. I have one I got off of Ebay for $30 with free shipping and I love it. It is very bright and a deal for $30. I agree with above that they aren't 1000 lumens but are very, very bright.

zacster

At that price you really can't go wrong. It will be very bright.

Cyclist0084

Thanks for the comments. This type of light will definitely be considered when it comes time for a new headlight. Was in Performance Bike yesterday getting some new gloves (just missed their 25% off sale, bummer) and looked at a few different models of lights they had there. Certainly a lot to choose from.


Guess I haven't seen a wide angle lens discussed anyplace before. Does sound like a good idea; from what I saw on YouTube, the beam does look kind of tight.

PhotoJoe 

I love my Magicshine MJ-808E. So bright we run them on medium most of the time. I put the wide lens in my wife's, but I prefer the stock beam pattern. Worth $4.50 to have the choice. I bought mine from Action LED Lights and recommend them highly. One died on my last night. No questions asked, they're sending me a replacement! Can't get any better than that!

ragnar.jensen 

Yes, the beam is narrow. I did a comparison a while ago with my Xeccon XML T6 lights:



Another satisfied customer of Action LED Lights here. I've bought a bunch of lights and lenses from them, superb service!

10 Wheels

I bought Two them when they were $21.
Will never need anything brighter.
Runs 4 hours on Strobe. 8.5 Hours on Low.
I prefer the standard beam.

Check the 3rd one down for $21.65 + $4.99 = $26.64

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new

Cyclist0084

The more I hear and read about these lights, the more I'm leaning towards getting one. I do have another question however; how good are the o-rings (rubber bands?) that secure the light to the handlebars? Does the headlight slip around any, or is it a tight connection between the bar and the light?

Thanks again for the comments. I really appreciate them.

10 Wheels

Mine came with two sizes of quality o-rings.

Cyclist0084

Do the o-rings attach the light securely / tightly to the handlebars, or does it have a tendency to slip?

Thanks.

vol

Aren't those lights inconvenient to take off frequently when parking outside?

ratdog

Mine slips, I ended up cutting a small strip of bar tape and wrapping the bar where the light sits for a better grip.



No, you can take them off rather quickly as long as you tie up the wiring to make it short and don't wrap it around you bicycle tubes.

Cyclist0084

Ah okay, thanks. I use a couple of turns of electrical tape on the handlebars for the light I have now. If I do get a Magicshine, I'll probably leave the tape on the bars.

jyl

I put mine on the helmet. Light on the front, battery pack on the back. The narrow beam isn't a problem since it shines where I look.

no motor?

The xml lights are great lights. I've got a magicshine 808 with the wide angle lens and 2 of the 18650 powered single cell flashlights and they all make me wonder how I saw where I was going before i got them. I only use 2 of the 3 at night, and that's enough light for most of the time.

10 Wheels

Add this to your T6, use it as a tail light.

It then may be the brightest tail light out there for around $32.

https://www.action-led-lights.com/col...angle-lens-red

cyccommute 

I have 3 of these and have been using them since July, 2012. They are well worth the $30 they cost and far out perform any other light you can get for $30. They do a very good job of out performing lights that are $100 and may even equal some lights pushing $300. I run 3 of them...2 on the bars and one on a helmet.

I'd suggest trying the tight beam before you decide. People make all kinds of (unjustified) claims that these kinds of lights are blinding to on-coming traffic but a wide beam is going to cause more glare problems than a tight beam is. A tight beam will also appear brighter to you from the saddle. You get a higher lux (lumens/area) with a tight beam which makes it appear brighter.

I'd also suggest ditching the o-ring mount for this mount. You can by all the parts you need from Hoffman for a very reasonable price. The mounts are far superior to the o-ring mount.

Cyclist0084

Well, I guess the decision as to what new light I'll be buying has been made for me. My wife surprised me when she got home from Work Friday night with one of these lights. I didn't think she read the Bike Forum, but it turns out she does. She saw that I had posted about them, and wanted to get me one as an "I love you" surprise. Ain't she sweet? LOL!!

Anyway, tonight was the first chance I've had to test it out, and all I can say is, "WOW!! That sucker is freakin' bright." Tested it out on a few side streets first. There were a few street lamps along the way, so I kept it on low and medium intensities. I then rode over to our local MUP, which was pitch black, and fired it up to its high setting. Whew, that thing really threw a beam of light quite a ways down the path. This thing makes my old light (on its "high" setting) look like puny flashlight whose batteries are about to die. I have to say that I am very impressed with this light.

Not sure if I would want to get the wide angle lens for it. I was pretty impressed with the narrow, "tight" beam it was throwing out. I see that they are available pretty cheaply (is that a real word? LOL) on ebay, so I may order one just to see if I'll like it any better.

01 CAt Man Do

I just wanted to add that if you need/want another ( inexpensive ) light ( with battery ) that you might consider shopping somewhere else other than ebay. I only say that because quite a few people ( including myself ) have bought from ebay vendors and did not get a very good battery. Personally the battery I received with my tri-clone only ran the light for 70 minutes on high.

Another reason to shop around is because at this time there are a good number of lamps out using two of the XM-L emitters in the light head. Most of these new duel set-ups are just as inexpensive, brighter and offer better mode UI's. I bought one myself on D/X called the Fandyfire D99. Nice little light for the bars and only cost me $33 for the lamp head only. D/X has three or four new offerings that you really might want to take a look at.

Cyclist0084

Well, now that I have been on a few rides with my new headlight, I am still as impressed as I was on my first ride with it.....well, except for one thing; the way it mounts to the handlebars. In my opinion, the mounting system sucks. Thankfully, necessity (and desperation) is the mother of invention.

Scrounged around my apartment and wasn't able to find anything to use, but got to talking with a neighbor who rides sometimes, and he said he had an "old" (looks almost brand new to me) handlebar mount he used to use with his 'point and shoot' camera that also shot videos. Anyway, he said it was mine if I wanted to try using it. The part that attaches to the camera has a screw in the middle, kind of like a tripod mount. After looking at it and thinking for a while, I finally hit upon the idea of bolting a piece of metal or wood to the mount, and then using zip-ties to hold the light to the mount. Found an almost perfect sized piece of wood in my closet, used a phillips head screwdriver to "drill" a hole through it and bolted it down (after digging thru my box of assorted junk screws, nuts and bolts to find something that fit). Did the zip-tie thing to hold the light in place and slapped the whole assembly on my bike and took it out for a ride.

Worked like a charm. Stayed in place the whole time, even when pressing the button to change the intensity of the light. I was a happy camper in regards to this light before I tried my homemade mount. Now I am a VERY happy camper.

Snapped a couple of pictures to share, in case anyone else is looking for an alternative mounting method....

robble

I love mine. Dislike the oring. My oring is only 4 months old and is cracking badly. I am sure it will break soon. I like that mount somebody posted a link to above.

hermes07

I suggest you not to buy these lights with xm-l t6 leds. They have 550 lumens at 1,5 ampers and yes as Mr. jcollinsia say angle suppose to be wider. Light with ssc p7 led is better.

Cyclist0084

Well, wether it has 1200 lumens or 550 lumens, I am a happy camper. It's plenty bright enough for my needs. I did go ahead and get a wide angle lens, but I prefer the narrow beam. I don't feel like I'm blinding oncoming drivers and cyclists as much as when the wide angle lens is installed.

10 Wheels

You can get better O-Rings at ACE hardware if that is what you need.