A Tale Of Two Lights

[krazygl00]

It was the best of times, it was…whoops, wrong story.

I really like Lezyne products. Fall is approaching and I’ve been wanting to make the switch from a two-piece light system to a one-piece, so I want to choose between the Power Drive XL and the Mini Drive XL.

This would be for commuting (2.5 hrs per day) and evening rides about 2hrs each several times per week. For me it comes down to a few main pros and cons for each.

Power Drive XL
Pros: more lumens, longer battery life (1:30hrs@475 lumens, 3:30hrs@250 lumens)
Cons: 18650 lithium ion batteries are more expensive and have to be ordered online. You can get them from Lezyne for a premium price but a quick search shows them available from other online sellers for around $7 or $8 each.

Mini Drive XL
Pros: LIR123A batteries are much more common than the 18650’s and much less expensive. Prices online seem to be around $2, and it may be possible to find them in a store with their increasing popularity.
Cons: fewer lumens, shorter battery life (1:00hr@250 lumens, 2:30hrs@100 lumens)

One of the most appealing features of these lights is the Infinite Light design (Lezynes ridiculous marketing term for “replaceable batteries”), which means you can carry spares and have as much light as you need. With the Power Drive these will be more expensive. With the Mini Drive they’ll be cheap (and small) enough to keep a stash at home, in the office, in the messenger bag, in the saddle pouch, etc. This would mitigate the shorter battery life, but it might get to be a serious PITA to have to change them out constantly, and I’m sure I’ll forget to charge them, etc.

Which would you choose?

Topic

[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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