Vertigo

Hello everyone. Woo Hoo my first post.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has tried out the Planet Bike 5000X lights. I did some searches but didnt come up with much. If anyone has a pic of the beam or anything, plz, post it up

PWRDbyTRD

I am not trying to be picky, but with a run time of 1.5 hours on high beam and uses FOUR aa batteries...that is going to burn a hole in your pocket bigger than picking something like the cygolite night rover for $50.00 ...just a suggestion

Vertigo

well... I have those energizer rechargeable thingys. so hopefully the battery thing isnt an issue.

And thanx for mentioning those cygolites, they just might be my next set

PWRDbyTRD

just so you know..those type of batteries won't run as long as alkaline batteries due to how they hold their power, so I would expect even a lower runtime than advertised with rechargables. If you insist on the light though, doesn't look too shabby for a "hey I'm here light" but you won't be seeing much with it.

2manybikes

If you buy a four AA light, some good Nimh batteries and a battery charger, you are up to the price of a good $80 10 watt halogen rechargeable on sale for $50.
But, you have a weaker light that is a lot more trouble to recharge. Almost every month Performance and Nashbar have a good light on sale in the back of the catalogue. Lately it's been every month.

PWRDbyTRD

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4320 I was going to buy it til I saw Cryo's HID and knew I had to have a HID

willtsmith_nwi

In high current applications an NiMH battery will whoop your typical alkaline.

BTW, if you crack open those water bottle rechargeable batteries, you'll probably find multiple C or D NiMH cells. Same thing goes for notebook batteries (save Li-On).


The 1W Luxeon stars are often compared to 5W halogen systems. Just wait till you see the 3W Luxeon star systems coming out. They will be brighter than 10W halogens and last 3 times longer on AA batteries vs the C or Ds in those bottles.

Under THOSE conditions, it makes a lot more sense to use off the shelf AA and AAA batteries. A set will cost you $10 vs $80 for a replacement bottle. You can easily keep multiple sets. AND, you can buy a cheapo set of alkalines off the shelf for when you forget to charge.


One warning about NiMH batteries. They have EXCELLENT power and current capabilities. But they self-discharge over the course of a couple of months. NiMh batteries should basically live in the charger until they are used. And it is best to keep a spare set of Alkaline or Lithium batteries for in case your NiMH batteries give up.

PWRDbyTRD

Is there some reason you dig up threads and reply to things I've said?? this is the 3rd one I've found

willtsmith_nwi

Umm, no. When I have something to add, I add it. Did you find my response without substance???


I'll add one more comment (not about you). In a couple years, you won't see any xenon or halogen bike lights anymore. It will ALL be either LED or HID. The latest 5W Luxeon stars are equivalent to 20W of halogen. Just wait till you see what they have coming. Because the LED guys SERIOUSLY want to get into car headlights.

HID will remain because nothing gets close to it in terms of light output. Though, they will remain married to expensive battery systems.

PWRDbyTRD

yes...without substance...how you could ever base it that some AA alkaline batteries will be cheaper than a NiMH battery pack in the long run is beyond me. He was going to get 2 hours of run time on a set of 4 batteries...even at a quarter per battery thats 50 cents an hour...or take my cygolite for example...300 charges (to be on the safe side) at 4 hours of run time...so that's 1200 hours of runtime...at the going rate of batteries to compare to this it'd be 600 dollars in alkaline batteries...right? the headlight wasn't even 1/2 of that....

Vertigo

I just looked at my batteries and it turns out that they're NiMH. So thats kinda cool that I already had a couple sets of those batteries. Also, I got tired of waiting for the shipment so I went ahead and made my own 20w halogen setup. I couldnt believe how bright it was!!! It was pretty much brighter than most car headlights on the road. I think I'll stick with my home made setup for a good while. It cost me a grand total of $5.95 ... I'll post some pix of it tomorrow.

Raiyn

Personally I like NiMH AA batteries. They have a flat power output which means that they give at a steady rate until they die, then I can go recharge them and use them again. Over and over. One set of these puppies is rated to be good for at least 500 charging cycles. Sure the initial investment is few bucks more, but they pay for themselves, and are recycleable

Vertigo

Well if anyone is interested...

I went to pick up my Planet Bike 5000x riding light today at the post office. I was ready to get home and test this puppy out! First impression was good. The light, on high setting, was just about as bright as a car headlight but with a more narrow beam. The beam doesnt get drowned out by the city lights, unless you were under some kind of metal halide. The website says the light will last up to 2hrs on high beam, but I got 3.5hrs with my 2500mAh energizer batteries. All n all, this light was most definately worth the money @ $14.75

PWRDbyTRD

Glad to hear it! best of luck with it, take some pix of the beam if you can!

chirkut

absolutely fantastic. I am a newbee and just got my lights today. I just love them. Popped in rechargables and its been 3 hours and still running strong.

(keeping one set regular batteries under the seat though, for just in case)

-Chirkut

iamthetas

how does 1 watt LED compare to 10 HId? I have a 1 watt LED flashlight and am wondering which way to go. once you get away from the standard "wattage" stuff it gets confusing. I wish they all used candlepower as a benchmark because thats actual light and not resistence. I am clueless about outdoor lights other than the flashlights I have for camping and the camp lantern. I want to get a bike light that is better than my road toad but am not sure the best way. and BTW I agree with you Raiyn, in that the rechargables do pay for themselves $ wise AND environment wise also

2manybikes

If a one watt LED would be like a 3 hp lawnmower engine...........

Then a 10 watt HID would be like a 500 hp v-8 engine.

Redhed 

Well, where are the pics????