Budget Illumination

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Location
The Burbs
Help and advice please as last winters set are knackered and the commute is getting quite murky again.
I am not looking for a cheap as chips, generic LED set, but some mid range dependable lights.

Different retailers/manufacturers refer to Watts, Lumins, Lux and candlepower can anyone suggest how these measurements compare or for that matter suggest what lighs they would go for? That preferably use AAA batteries.

Thoughts please.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Is your commute on lit or unlit roads?
 

Mrs M

Guru
Location
Aberdeenshire
My rear light is a Cateye TL-LD610, available from Wiggle for £19.99, nice and bright, good battery life and solid or flash. Front light is also Cateye but think it's not made now, cost around £40-50 and for this amount should get a decent one.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Well Ed, if you really want no-more-lemons I suggest you spend a little more so you get something more dependable. I've had quite a few budget lights in the last eighteen months and most have failed in very short order. Just about to order a Cateye set for seventy quid odd so will let you know. There may well be some good cheapie stuff out there but I haven't come across them.
 
OP
OP
Ed no-more-lemons
Location
The Burbs
May just get a large tail-light array for the time being. As the front one still works reliably. And front and rear sets don't look much cheaper?
Looking at some of the wider Cateye jobs.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Same as an r2 but cheaper, more robust imho as i replaced my r2 with it and its as bright and sturdier.
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/LIPHBPDRL/phaart-bleep-dual-05-watt-led-rear-light

These are worth the money. They are the RSP Astrum basically, but with a better bracket at a third of the cost. PX sometimes sell them even cheaper.
 
Location
London
Ditto - that phaart light looks like great value but what about mount flexibility? Cateyes can be swapped between different bikes/different positions.

Can i ask why the OP favours AAA cells?
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
Each and every one of the three Cateye rear lights that I have owned either fell off or stopped working. I fell out of love with them. I really like the Blackburn Mars 4.0 and also the Lezyne Micro Drive.
 
Location
London
Can I ask how they fell off/why?

It has mostly lit roads, although it would be nice to have a reasonable front beam for park rides and rural touring
Lit roads and rural touring are very different applications.

If you try to satisfy both in one light IMHO you risk getting a mid-range light that is more expensive and bigger than it needs to be for the former and not up to the demands of the latter. So you'll then end up spending more money than you need to to get yourself sorted. This comes from someone who has bought stacks of lights in his time. Way too many.

Sorry to be a bore, but can I ask if there is any reason you favour AAAs? It may affect anything else I proffer on the subject.
 
Ditto - that phaart light looks like great value but what about mount flexibility? Cateyes can be swapped between different bikes/different positions.

Can i ask why the OP favours AAA cells?

I prefer these as well as the lights are smaller than those taking AA
 
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