How reliable are those Busch lights? And where can you get them cheapest (notably the premium version)? And when was that light released? I don't want to buy one that will be outclassed in 3 months for the same price.

Bolted on , Metal and Hubdynamo powered , the E Delux LED headlights lights have been fine.

Schmidt hub over shimano .. 2 spade lug connection solider than shimano's ..

had to push back down on the Shimano Plug last night when It wouldn't come on.

The Ixon Iq Premium is self contained, so no wires to have problems with. Only worry would be scratching the front of the lens.

You definitely want the "Premium" version - the older non-premium version is not anywhere near as good. I owned one, resold it because it wasn't bright enough (the Cyo was the light where they finally got bright enough, imo, it came right after the Ixon).

I've read that ordering from overseas is the cheapest, though it takes a while to get to you and returning it if needed becomes an issue.

There are suggestions on where to order from in the thread I linked to earlier -
http://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...e-ranking.html

Also, if you just do a google search for "Ixon IQ Premium" you'll get sites that sell it from overseas (make sure you double-check that the listing says "premium", so it's not the older model).

I ordered mine from Harris Cyclery, for some reason they stock them, but don't list them on their site, I called to order it and they sent me a special link.

The Ixon IQ Premium just came out this winter. It almost certainly won't be replaced until next year, and most likely won't be replaced until at least 2 years with how B&M often does things.

What did you pay for it?

+1 on NR Lumina 700!

I don't recall exactly, because I bought some extra stuff with it.

I believe it's the same as the Peter White prices (except it came with the glare shield for free) -
Busch&Muller battery powered bicycle lights

Ixon IQ Premium without batteries and charger, 80 lux, Part # B&M1922QM, Price: $ 123.00
Ixon IQ Premium with AA batteries and charger, 80 lux, Part # B&M1922QMLA, Price: $ 161.00

If you want the plug in charger (which I did), it's cheaper to buy the light without batteries and charger, get the charger as an accessory -
Spare Charger for Ixon and Ixon IQ headlights: $ 16.50

Then buy eneloop AA's from amazon.

So Light + Charger + AA's is $123.00 + $16.50 + $9.95 = $149.45.
If you don't get the plug-in charger it's $132.95, if you already have the AA batteries it's $123 (plus something in shipping I imagine).

Lights sure have come a long way. I had a AA light similar to this except in brightness years ago. Never thought I'd see one put out serious light. And the price isn't even that bad.

Yeah, it's a huge improvement!

Though I will also say that pics often make lights look brighter than they actually are. As I've written elsewhere (hopefully not in this thread already), the only lights I've seen that actually make night look like daylight is using combination of a Seca 900 and Seca 1400 (on medium). Problem with that combo (besides the cost and short battery life) is that it's absolutely blinding towards around you. Even other bikers didn't want to bike in front of me when I was using that, because if they looked back they'd be totally blinded.

Also, read my notes (I updated the 1st post of the thread) on the Ixon IQ vs the Phillips Saferide. The Ixon IQ provides that light you need but it's a more like a "somehow I can see the road" kind of feeling. The Saferide is more like "OMG I'm a light!" throwing out a ton of obvious light in front of you. Problem with the Saferide is battery life, I haven't received my v2 version yet, but I've read it's only 1.5 hours on high before it switches to low power.

A bit cheaper from europe even when accounting for shipping.
B + M Ixon IQ Premium LED headlamp offers at the cycling shop Rose Bikes UK
Busch & Müller Ixon IQ front light Premium matt black 2014

I guess it makes sense that it costs more than the $110 I paid for my Cyo Premium from Harris a few months back, but that seems steep. I know they raised US prices too.

I find the price annoying, wish it was $125.

Still, with no batteries and no charger it's $123 for just the light. Dynamo hub and wheel is going to add a lot more than $25 or so in cost in order to run the Cyo...

Reliable and durable are related concepts. You can only get annecdotal reports from users and I surveyed all the websites and blogs before making my recent lighting purchases. Both criteria (reliable and durable) were at the top of my list. I chose redundancy to ensure reliability.

Two separate Fenix BT-20 lights sit on my bike to "ensure" that I will never be without light on the road. (I also bought a Magic shine but it is on the bench)

1. Superb connectors and very good wiring
2. Changable batteries in the field
3. Completely redundant systems with interchangability
4. Weighs less than a pound total
5. Burning 300 lumens, each can easily power me thru a full night's ride using Panasonic 18650 batteries and it is very bright on country roads and I have spend plenty of time riding next to the Schmitt SON riders.
6. Excellent quality and easy to use switch (unlike Magic shine)
7. CREE Led
8. Easy on off mounting
9. Waning when batterery is at 50% and it powers to lower settings at 20% (first version had a FW bug that only let you run "Turbo" mode for minutes)
10. Light can be swivelled by hand

The beam pattern of the Fenix is much better than the Magic shine but not as cutoff as the superior German reflectors.

IF I were to be doing multi-day touring or lots of 1200k Brevets, I would have a dyno for a host of reasons including being able to charge other electronics.

Most reliable Bike light ? : Original OP question
 

Getting back to the original question; To know something is reliable you have to have used it for a time to know for sure. While it's nice to read reviews done by others no matter what lamp you read about someone will almost always have something bad to say about it. With this in mind I'm sure there are many lamps that can be deemed reliable. Going forward if you're trying to decide which lamp to buy there are "things" you might want to consider before you buy. First, "What is it that makes a lamp reliable"? Well, for one you want the lamp to work without problems. That said I've come up with a short list of things that might indicate if a lamp is reliable or not. ( Note: I'm not going to discuss battery quality or battery vs. dynamo issues...just lamp heads per say )

1) If you turn the lamp on and see no abnormalities while using the UI that is a good sign of reliability. This said, over time this could change if the lamp is poorly made. if you've used the lamp for an entire season without problems it should be reliable.

2) If the wires coming from the lamp look flexible ( with no cracks ) and there is no indication that the wire is going to pull out of the lamp this is another good sign. Good electrical connection plugs are also important. Good ( shielded ) plugs will shed most water and keep dirt out.

3) If the lamp can stand up to typical bad weather this a very good sign of reliability. Once again this is something that you might want to test yourself before you take it out into the field ( only to find out that the lamp failed under a good downpour of rain. ) Personally I always ride with at least one lamp that I know will hold up in bad weather. I own lots of lamps so I've not tested them all for their ability to function in a rain storm.

4) Good quality electrical components, particularly the switch that operates the lamp is very important to ensure reliability. It also helps if the people doing the assembly know how to tell a good soldered joint from a bad soldered joint. Regardless when it comes to these things sadly you really do have to go by reputation. Some brands have better quality reputations than others but this doesn't mean you will get a bad lamp if you buy something with less reputation. Sometimes you get more than your money's worth and sometimes you don't ( when buying cheaper equipment ).

Most times you get what you pay for. That said I have many cheaper lamps that are holding up to typical use. This doesn't mean that they won't fail at a later date. If you're the occasional weekend warrior who rides night a dozen or so times a year the cheaper stuff can work and will likely work for years ( not including the batteries of course ). On the other hand if you're into extended epic rides in various weather conditions or take part in the 24hr race scene than you should buy equipment with proven reliability. While cheap lamps with good batteries can work for most, better quality lamps with the best batteries are for people into the really serious venues.