brokenbetty
Über Member
- Location
- London
At the end of October I took a bit of a chance and ordered a new type of dynamo light from www.magtenlight.com, a company based in Hong Kong.
I couldn't find much about it on the web, but I thought someone has to be first and it wasn't that expensive (and ok, I'd had a couple of glasses of wine!)
Edit: was about 65 Euros, though I see it's now 99
I've been using it for about a month of regular commuting now so it's time for a review.
(The website seems to be down right now - I hope they haven't gone phut since I bought it)
Edit: it's back this morning
1. Customer service and delivery
I got an email the next day confirming the order. It arrived after about a fortnight, much sooner than I expected. As a bonus, there were two in the pack! There was an email telling me that the extra one was a gift
I have no idea why 
2. Product
It's a set of front and rear led lights powered by a magnet generator on the front wheel. Instead of being in the hub, you have a ring of magnets that clips onto the spokes and a dynamo unit that sits on the axle.
The front light is a bright white LED. According to the website it is 15 Lux and meets German road safety standards.
There is a low power standing light that stays on for several minutes after the wheel stops.
3. Ease of fitting
Pretty easy to fit, though the magnet rings will give you a nasty nip if you trap your fingers.
It's hard to get the dynamo in the right place so it is close enough but doesn't foul on the ring. The instructions say 6-7mm - we couldn't get it that close but it still works fine.
There are no clips to hold the wires in place on the frame so we used gaffer tape.
The lights connect to the dynamo with quite flimsy wires. The connectors are spring-loaded clamps.
The build quality of the generator kit isn't great - it feels like a prototype rather than a finished product. The supplied bolts were too small for the holes so we had to use extra washers. The magnet ring is held on by bolts but there are also wire clips to keep it tight. When fitted as shown in the instructions these rake across the dynamo unit and score the plastic cover so I turned them round.
3. Performance
I haven't mounted the rear light so the following applies to the front only
Pretty bright! I didn't think so at first as it's hard to tell when you only see it from behind, but I got BF to ride it round the block and it is certainly brighter than a lot of urban bike lights.
front view (sorry about the quality, it's a video cap)
angle view
I was worried about side visibility as I couldn't see it in shop windows as I rode past so I added a flashing cat eye SL110, but after watching it in action it is better than I thought.
video:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-ekUMld7I
4. Drag
Definitely some drag, though I'm used to it and don't notice it now. I feel it most going up the one hill in my commute in the morning (Stamford Hill heading south, for those who know the area)
5. Durability
It seems flimsy and I have to admit the reason I waited before posting a review was because I half expected it to fail within the month. It has surprised me and it still going strong, with nothing having to be adjusted or repaired. I suppose the lack of features like switches and removeable mounts means less to break.
We were worried about the contacts being pulled out so wrapped them in gaffer tape. On a couple of mornings the light didn't come on until I wiggled the wire. However since I've taken the tape off I haven't had a problem.
6. Would I recommend it?
So far, yes. It's a bit Heath Robinson, but for someone who isn't organised enough to have good batteries or keep a rechargeable charged, and who can finish work 3 hours or more later than she expected to, it's fantastic. I really hope my worries about durability are unfounded.
I don't know how it would compare to a hub dynamo performance-wise as I've never tried one, but it was cheaper and easier to fit.
I couldn't find much about it on the web, but I thought someone has to be first and it wasn't that expensive (and ok, I'd had a couple of glasses of wine!)
Edit: was about 65 Euros, though I see it's now 99
I've been using it for about a month of regular commuting now so it's time for a review.
(The website seems to be down right now - I hope they haven't gone phut since I bought it)
Edit: it's back this morning
1. Customer service and delivery
I got an email the next day confirming the order. It arrived after about a fortnight, much sooner than I expected. As a bonus, there were two in the pack! There was an email telling me that the extra one was a gift


2. Product
It's a set of front and rear led lights powered by a magnet generator on the front wheel. Instead of being in the hub, you have a ring of magnets that clips onto the spokes and a dynamo unit that sits on the axle.

The front light is a bright white LED. According to the website it is 15 Lux and meets German road safety standards.
The lights are mounted on the bike with bolts and are not removable. There are no on - off switches - they are on if the wheel is turning.Our 15 Lux Headlamp set uses the world's best CREE Q4 LED which provides a light intensity of 1500 Lumens per square meter at 1 meter distance, and result in an Illuminance of 15 Lux at a 10 meter distance as per German Road Traffic Act stVZO 22A No: 23 at a bicycle speed of 15 Km/Hour
There is a low power standing light that stays on for several minutes after the wheel stops.
3. Ease of fitting
Pretty easy to fit, though the magnet rings will give you a nasty nip if you trap your fingers.
It's hard to get the dynamo in the right place so it is close enough but doesn't foul on the ring. The instructions say 6-7mm - we couldn't get it that close but it still works fine.
There are no clips to hold the wires in place on the frame so we used gaffer tape.
The lights connect to the dynamo with quite flimsy wires. The connectors are spring-loaded clamps.
The build quality of the generator kit isn't great - it feels like a prototype rather than a finished product. The supplied bolts were too small for the holes so we had to use extra washers. The magnet ring is held on by bolts but there are also wire clips to keep it tight. When fitted as shown in the instructions these rake across the dynamo unit and score the plastic cover so I turned them round.
3. Performance
I haven't mounted the rear light so the following applies to the front only
Pretty bright! I didn't think so at first as it's hard to tell when you only see it from behind, but I got BF to ride it round the block and it is certainly brighter than a lot of urban bike lights.
front view (sorry about the quality, it's a video cap)
angle view
I was worried about side visibility as I couldn't see it in shop windows as I rode past so I added a flashing cat eye SL110, but after watching it in action it is better than I thought.
video:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-ekUMld7I
4. Drag
Definitely some drag, though I'm used to it and don't notice it now. I feel it most going up the one hill in my commute in the morning (Stamford Hill heading south, for those who know the area)
5. Durability
It seems flimsy and I have to admit the reason I waited before posting a review was because I half expected it to fail within the month. It has surprised me and it still going strong, with nothing having to be adjusted or repaired. I suppose the lack of features like switches and removeable mounts means less to break.
We were worried about the contacts being pulled out so wrapped them in gaffer tape. On a couple of mornings the light didn't come on until I wiggled the wire. However since I've taken the tape off I haven't had a problem.
6. Would I recommend it?
So far, yes. It's a bit Heath Robinson, but for someone who isn't organised enough to have good batteries or keep a rechargeable charged, and who can finish work 3 hours or more later than she expected to, it's fantastic. I really hope my worries about durability are unfounded.
I don't know how it would compare to a hub dynamo performance-wise as I've never tried one, but it was cheaper and easier to fit.