RichCT

With daylight waning, I am in the market for a new head light (or 2). I have a short commute to class and had been previously using a single cateye opticube. It was just OK and now the magnetic switch has malfunctioned and is stuck in the on position. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the princeton tec eos or can recommend similar small-format lights with no external battery.

substructure

Go to the commuters forum or here: https://www.bikeforums.net/electronics-lighting-gadgets/

There's tons of useful info to help you out.

RichCT

Thanks!

substructure

No problem.
If you can't find what you're looking for there, then you better go take a nap and try again later.

Biker395 

The technology is a little old (I've had mine for almost 3 years), but I recommend the helmet mounted Princeton Tec Eos.

https://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Tec-.../dp/B000BIWN8I

Why? It has a nice collimated beam that actually qualifies it as a "see" light when mounted on a helmet. I use mine when starting double centuries (often riding 1/2 or so in the dark before sunup).

It takes 3 AAA batteries, and it works great with rechargables. It's well made to the point of bulletproofness.

For a lot of cheap lights, access to the battery compartment is an afterthought ... they use a cheap slider and plastic latch. The result is that the door eventually breaks. The EOS battery compartment uses a hinged door and a metal screw. Batteries can be replaced over and over without fear.

The best part? Even if you decide to buy more light later on, you'll always like having this one on your helmet. Either as a back up, to see around corners, or as a flasher.

chipcom 

Best bang for your buck are the P7 flashlights, which effectively give you 400+ lumens and about an hour run time per battery (which take seconds to swap).

Light: https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12623 - $35.36
Battery: https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5790 - $8.18 (2 pack)
Charger: https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13820 - $7.44
Handlebar Mount: https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274 - $1.54
Total: $52.52 + shipping

ElJamoquio

No joke... I have a rated 900 lumen setup, and just ordered two more.

substructure

^^ Same one I have.

shuffles

Sub had it right; go to the Electronics, Lighting, and Gadgets forum that he linked to. For $50, the only real option is to go with the P7 flashlight. I've been using one for over a year now, and even on medium (where it will last 2.5-3 hours), it's much brighter than my MiNewt.

If you can part with just a little more cash, you can get the bike specific P7 for $85. I've seen these and they really are a great value. More light than just about anything out there except for the Lupine (but they're $500+).

agarose2000

I agree with the above with the P7 lights. The "Magicshine" is the best of that generation, and is well worth the $85.

Some warning with the P7 lights from "DealXtreme" - it's a Chinese company, and generally has a good reputation - but shipping takes at least 3-4 weeks. Also, the P7 flashlights require a special battery and charger (18350) that you also have to buy but Dealxtreme's batteries/chargers also work great.

An easy $28 solution that works GREAT for commuting (but is not as powerful as the P7) is to buy a Terralux 200 lumen 2 x AA flashlight from a US vendor (Google it); you can mount it with a rubber band on your helmet (or inner tube with holes cut in the walls to clamp it down) and it works amazingly well for commuting, and is super convenient. I prefer this one as I've got tons of rechargeable AAs lying around and the light is inexpensive and bulletproof. This one will arrive in one week - get two, and you're definitely good to go up to 20 mph with one on the bars (lockblock mount $5) and one on the helmet (rubber band).

chipcom 

bout 7-10 days has been the average for me.

agarose2000

Last point - all this talk about "flashlights" is for good reason.

NONE of the bike-specific solutions by major manufacturers (Cateye, Blackburn, NiteRider, Princetontec) can come close to matching these new LED flashlights in terms of price/performance. A typical $50 light from these bike companies is a strictly "to-be-seen" light throwing 50-80 lumens max.

That $28 flashlight I mentioned throws 200 lumens for over an hour on 2 AA batts, and is definitely strong enough for a "see" (as well as a to-be-seen) light. It's literally 4-5x as bright, and throws a useful beam pattern. To compare, the venerable Dinotte 200 lumen light costs $100+, and is the most inexpensive of the bike-specific solutions. (Most of the other manufacturers push into $150-200 for 200 lumens.)

The Magicshine P7 light ($85) outperforms $400 lights easily from major manufacturers, and is preferred on the lighting/electronics forums to even the venerably Dinotte lights in terms of bang for buck. See those forums for 10 pages of detailed reviews on it including pics.

yak

+1 for the Magicshine. If you can afford the $89 including shipping, you've got yourself a sweet upgrade to what you're using now.

McTufferton

Awesome... thanks.

Biker395 

900 lumens for 3 hours, and only $85? Holy crap.

helmut

I've got the Princetontec Eos. It's a great and versatile light. It comes with helmet strap, which is good for flashing across drivers line-of-sight to alert them to your presence at intersections. It also mounts to your bars, and as a bonus comes with a headband attachment to use while fixing things around the house or hiking at night.

It's surprisingly bright, although I don't have much to compare it to. It is probably about the very least you could use to see in full dark, but in twilight situations, it helps a lot and you will DEFINITELY be seen on the road. That being said, I'm seriously considering ordering a P7...

ElJamoquio

Yeah, no joke, but the 900 lumen setting is only ~1.5 hours, IIRC. However the batteries are small (18 mm (3/4 by 4-ish inches) and easily fit in the jersey pocket. Literally, carrying 10 or 20 of them wouldn't be a problem.

shuffles

Nah, that's for the P7 flashlight. For the MagicShine bike specific light, it's 3 hours on HIGH.

Of course it's not really 900 lumens, but it's 600+ anyway, and that's brighter than anything else in practical reach.

ElJamoquio

Hmm


You mean I get to buy more bike stuff?

substructure

P7 on bright mode for 2.5hrs today. Just started getting dim before I got to work.

mrvrsick

Winner, winner!
Some help to push you a bit:It's your life! How often do you ride at night again? hoe long are you going to own this piece of equipment?.... And so on, and so on...

datlas 

+1 on the Magicshine. Get it. You won't be disappointed. Even if your budget is 50 bucks, stretch it to 85 and get it. Get it from geomangear.com, great customer service.

Doug

chipcom 

Actual output of the MS and other P7-based lights is more like 400 lumens...which is still plenty of light.
A bike-specific light of comparable output from one of the major vendors would run you north of 300 bucks.

NRRider

I've ridden with my Magicshine light once so far and while obviously not a lot of experience with it, the thing outshines my $300+ TriNewt. Great value, if it lasts.

McTufferton

Has anyone experienced any interference from the Magicshine light?

I have a "be seen" light which when too close to my cyclocomputer interferes with it's wireless signal.