A Tale Of Two Lights

[mstone]

Where are you riding? 250 isn’t much for riding at speed on unlit trails, but is probably fine for urban.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@mstone 61954 wrote:

Where are you riding? 250 isn’t much for riding at speed on unlit trails, but is probably fine for urban.

This. I have a 300L and it’s what I would consider bright enough to get by, but I eventually put a 600L (Cateye something or other…) on my commuter and that’s about perfect, but battery life is a major concern. This fall, I’m putting a front disc on my commuter, and I think while I’m at it I’m going to throw a dyno hub on there….no more charging, no more batteries, no more worrying about running out of juice.

[DismalScientist]

18650s seem to be available from reputable:rolleyes: Chinese sources for under $2 each on ebay. The pricing on LIR123As seems to be similar.

Ebay has high power flashlights for under $20. And cheap handlebar mounts for these flashlights for a buck.
These flashlight take 18650s, but also have inserts that will take 3 AAA cells (wired in series).

P.S. I ride with a 250 lumen Chinese flashlight on the bars and another tied to my helmet with a piece of tube. I found it sufficient for the deepest, darkest parts of the WOD in winter.

[hozn]

I run my lumina 350 in mid-level mode (250?), which is fine on the W&OD. I used to use a dinotte 200 which I also thought was fine. … But I would get the light that you definitely won’t need to change batteries on halfway home. In the pitch black, raining, etc.

[americancyclo]

I’ve been happy with a 250 lumen rechargable light for the W&OD for the past few years. I love being able to charge it at work by plugging it in to the computer, and I can usually get 2.5 of 3 hrs out of it. The idea of having to worry about replacing batteries is a non starter for me.

[krazygl00]

Grrrrr…literally a couple of days ago there were both lights at several online sellers for great prices. Now the supply of the Power Drive seems to have completely dried up. I had no idea there was currently a fire sale on them but I seem to have missed out. And it’s too bad because due to the comments here I had started to lean toward that one.

In any case, I snagged one of the mini drive loaded kits (extra battery, several mounts, storage case) for a great price. I’ll give it a shot and see how it does. I’m sure I’ll be able to put it to good use no matter what.

[hozn]

If you end up needing something with more juice, I strongly recommend the NiteRider Lumina line. There were issues with the old mounts, but no longer. And NR has great customer serice. In general lights have gotten so much cheaper; it is awesome.

I have been tempted by the Lezyne lights myself, though. I find myself slowly accumulating more and more Lezyne products; they make good stuff.

[americancyclo]

I’ve got the MiNewt USB which appears to be the precursor to the lumina line, 3 years on and no complaints other than the mount. Even that hasn’t been much of an issue for me lately

[dbb]

@americancyclo 61973 wrote:

I’ve got the MiNewt USB which appears to be the precursor to the lumina line, 3 years on and no complaints other than the mount. Even that hasn’t been much of an issue for me lately

The new mounts have a screw tightener. I wrote NiteRider and told them I really liked their lights but the mounts sucked and they sent me a new mount.

[DaveK]

I have a several-year-old Magicshine that’s been flawless, but I’m thinking of getting something like the Knog Blinder Road so I don’t have to bother with battery packs. It’s not quite as bright, but for the short distance I’m on NPS trails during my commute I think it’ll be fine.

http://www.knog.com.au/cms-new/no-ordinary-light.phps

[krazygl00]

Related to this thread, perhaps someone more knowledgeable about batteries can answer: how can one evaluate cheaper, non OEM batteries to make sure they’re safe to use in a light? Now that I have a mini drive on the way, I want to stock up on some cheap spare LIR123As, but I’ve heard the cheap ones can be “out-of-spec”, which very well may be FUD tactics to sell the more expensive OEM batteries. I have a multimeter; is it simply a matter of measuring voltage and current and making sure they’re within a reasonable range of OEM? Or is there some other test?

[mstone]

For anyone else looking, here’s a nice resource for comparing lights: http://road.cc/content/news/69237-big-roadcc-lights-test-2012 IF they have the light you’re looking at. You can compare the lezyne models and the knogs to get some idea of how lights can differ.

[Tim Kelley]

I just picked up a Light & Motion TAZ 1200, which in the few times that I’ve used it seems to be quite for nice for a really bright light in a small package with no external battery packs needed.

[CaseyKane50]

@dbb 61975 wrote:

The new mounts have a screw tightener. I wrote NiteRider and told them I really liked their lights but the mounts sucked and they sent me a new mount.

I contacted NiteRider and just got the new mount for my MiNewt. A much improved mount! The new mount is on the right.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3644[/ATTACH]

[mstone]

@CaseyKane50 63370 wrote:

I contacted NiteRider and just got the new mount for my MiNewt. A much improved mount! The new mount is on the right.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3644[/ATTACH]

wait, what held it on before? fairy dust and good wishes?

[Author]

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