go to http://www.mtbr.com and look at the light shoot out. The 2012 one is being finished now. The 2011 has been up for a while. Before you buy, there are some really outstanding lights coming out this year at some surprisingly low price points. If you are looking at what was done last year, you'll be surprised at how far LED technology has come in less than a year. Output is far higher, price points are surprisingly low and the lights are getting really excellent. Looking at last year's stuff is - literally - a waste of time.

Some notes:
1. Magicshine is no where near 900 lumens. That's the theoretical output (maybe even that's a stretch). They had a mass battery recall because they died and caught fire. Cheap but lots of issues. Think that doesn't matter? Have your light die way out on a rural road at night with no moon.

2. There are several new 600 lumen (true lumens) lights out this year - whoever makes the Mini Newt has one out that 600 with a rechargeable battery for <$150. There are several like that.

3. If you want to do serious riding, 600 lumens is really not enough. I ride a lot at night and like 1500 and even more than that. That said, a lumen is not a lumen and a lot depends on the beam and beam quality. I wouldn't ride full speed and certainly not descending at full speed with 600 lumens. With 1500 probably and 2200 definitely.

4. Best headlights IMO are the Lupine Piko 3 at 750 lumens (fantastic light) and probably followed by the Exposure Diablo. Also excellent are several choices from Dinotte lighting that are pretty excellent and cost effective.

5. Riding at night, what you really need as well is an excellent taillight - not a little blinky thing but something that puts out 100 lumens or more and flashes. At about 100 lumens the behavior of drivers change - they slow way down and give you LOTS of room. Best lights for that are from Dinotte but others are starting to come out with some. One of these tail lights is just about the best safety investment you can make in your night riding.

J.

Good to know. I do like the fact it has an internal battery which is something I've been looking into. The external battery on the MagicShine isn't such a big deal because I put the battery in my back pack then mount the light on my helmet when commuting, but I am getting tired of having that annoying cable hanging around.

Look at this one:

http://www.exposurelights.com/produc...8/diablo-mk.3/

A little on the pricey side, but nobody has a better helmet mount.

J.

Also, here's the main page of the 2012 MTBR light shoot out. The reviews are being populated in this week, I think. But you can see the relative costs and lumens comparison.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/2012-bike-lights-shootout

J.

Yeah a bit pricey. I don't want to spend too much because I only use the light for a relatively short commute during the late fall and winter, most of which is on an MUP. The MagicShine serves its purpose well in this regard because it illuminates the stretches of that path very well, and is bright enough for motorists to see me when I'm riding in traffic.

When looking at run times, keep in mind that the run time listed might be cut by half in very cold weather. I use a Magicshine with a Gemini replacement battery. When it's in the teens and 20s, I might get two hours on high, whereas I'm good for nearly 4 hours on a warm summer night. Same is true for my AA-powered Fenix flashlight backup. And I seem to have trouble getting more than one season out of a pair of lithium batteries that I alternate nights with. That's riding nearly every evening all winter long.

Would love to hear about a light as bright as the MS, with a nominal run-time on high of close to four hours, whose battery will last through more charging cycles. Oh, and a real flash mode instead of the MS hysteric warbling would be nice, too.

Make sure you carry a backup light then. Been there, done that.

J.

Cygolite expilion 250 :http://www.amazon.com/Expilion-250-U...8558019&sr=8-1

Excellent!

Thanks for all the help. Lots of lights i never even knew about.

Just received a Nite Rider Minewt 600 cordless. I have a couple of old 680 lumen Light & Motion HID systems and I love 'em but I wanted something simple with no wires for my road bike. I came across the Minewt 600 for about $125 shipped on Amazon. I couldn't believe it because I paid around $500 each for the L&M Arc back in the day.

I took them out to the streets to compare. The color of the Minewt is much more natural. The HID system is very blue in comparison. But the HID beam is a good 30 degrees wider and seems slightly brighter. The Minewt 600 definitely isn't a pencil beam flashlight though. The flood light of the L&M is VERY wide. The width of the 600 isn't uncomfortable. It's plenty wide to ride fearlessly through town. I've noticed that there really isn't a hot spot. The beam is very smooth.

Down side, the mount is a bit quirky. It's not the typical thumb screw type. Rather a ratchet clamp style. Not terribly reassuring. The helmet mount is probably never going to be used because, although this light is a lot smaller than I pictured, it's still a bit heavier than I'm used to because the battery is built in. Charging took quite awhile. It took about 3 or 4 hours to fully charge it. But it's a common 5V 500mA mini USB charger so you can pretty much charge it off of your laptop at work or from a car charger.

I like that it has a "walk" mode good for 10hrs rated at 100 lumen. Incase you're far from home with a mechanical failure and you need to trek it on foot. The only thing that I would like is a different mount available. Probably won't be a problem on my road bike but on my mountain bike, dunno.

Anyways, definitely glad to see such a powerful and effective light for a fraction of what I paid a few years ago.