New Front Light, please

[Bluebell72]

I was a bit late cycling home last night, and noticed that oh no, a phrase of my Dad's 'the night's are starting to draw in'.

My front light is not the best, and as I'm commuting more than last year, I'd like a new light for the upcoming months.
Your suggestions please - perhaps for something rechargeable if it's going to be a battery eater, as my journey is mostly 28 - 32 miles (depending on where I leave from) I do this about 3 times a week.
I am cycling on mostly B road in a rural area with very little other traffic, but what does pass me tends to be going pretty quick.

My back lights are fine - I suppose I'd spend up to around £40/50.

 

[gaz]

How well lit are the roads you cycle on?

The magicshine mj808 is the best light for your money and if you get one from dealextreme then it's about £50.

 

[Bluebell72]

How well lit are the roads you cycle on?

They're not. The first five miles is urban sprawl, then they're unlit apart from the occasional house/farm light.

Goin to look now at both of your suggestions, magic shine and the lux one.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Everyone is raving about this

http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...=HVY1TrH9NNSFhQfolLCWCw&sqi=2&ved=0CE8Q8wIwBg#


Its £75 though. It's on my shopping list. I think its the best you can get ?

 

[Bluebell72]

Oh great, thankyou - I looked at the magicshine yesterday, but £75+ for a light is too expensive for me.

The torch one seems a good solution, looking now, thankyou User.

 

[al-fresco]

+1 for the Hope Vision 1. I agree that it's expensive but it's a great light and a quality piece of kit. Once you've bought it you have an effective and reliable light that will last for years. On level 2 it will light up every ripple in the road and the QD clamp stays pointed where you aimed it. I don't do a lot of night riding but lighting is not really an area where you want to cut corners.

<div><br></div><div>edit: I got mine from Tredz for £71.99 but I think they've sold out.</div>

 

[gaz]

Compared to the magic shine, the hope vision 1 is pretty crap at night time. It barely lights up the road in comparison.

 

[PpPete]

The Hope is very good but beware it cuts out suddenly if the batteries get too low when you are running on the brighter settings. You can switch back on a low setting for a "get you home". It's about the best thing out there running on AA batteries.

The Smart 35 Lux at it's regular price of over £40 is not too bad by comparison. At £15 it's unbelievably good. Buy two and spend the rest of your budget on a some decent rechargeables and a "smart" charger that will keep your batteries in good condition.


Edit - I've not tried the Magicshine, as I've so far avoided Li batteries and their dedicated charging systems. If I want more light than the Hope I use a hub dynamo powered system.

 

[cyberknight]

Oh great, thankyou - I looked at the magicshine yesterday, but £75+ for a light is too expensive for me.

The torch one seems a good solution, looking now, thankyou User.

£50 approx from dealextreme.

You do need to pay this sort of price to get a light that will give you enough light to cycle confidently on unlit roads, i have mucked about with torches and other lights over the years and i have found that they have been a waste of time unless you go for a p7 torch and they are around the same price by the time you factor in batteries and a charger.

the hope vision 1 does not really cut it i have seen them and they are overpriced for what they do, i have a very similar commute on unlit country lanes and my magic shine was the best buy i have made.A guy at work has a hope 1 and not long after he saw my MS he got one .

 

[Bluebell72]

If I'm looking at the right site, dealextreme.com, the magicshine is $79.62 which works out about £47.25, but as its coming from the US won't I get a letter from the customs asking for another £15-ish?

That's what happened last time I bought something from the US 'customs handling charge' or some such nonsense.
If there's a way round this, I'll get it from dealextreme, otherwise I'm going for the led lenser p7.

 

[cyberknight]

If I'm looking at the right site, dealextreme.com, the magicshine is $79.62 which works out about £47.25, but as its coming from the US won't I get a letter from the customs asking for another £15-ish?

That's what happened last time I bought something from the US 'customs handling charge' or some such nonsense.
If there's a way round this, I'll get it from dealextreme, otherwise I'm going for the led lenser p7.

It comes from Hong Kong/China, all prices are in US dollars , they mark items as "gifts " so you do not pay import tax, well so far i never have and i have had 5-6 items from them in the past.
If you can get the one with the sealed battery pack as the older versions of the battery were prone to water damage if it got really wet .

just checked , yes it is $79.62, this one ...


http://www.dealextre...light-set-44459

They do come with a us charger but they fit into a shaver plug adapter which you can pick up anywhere .

 

[gaz]

As cyberknight said, they come in from china and are marked as a gift so you don't have to pay taxes.

 

[cyberknight]

Just did a google search and as i expected a p7 poweerd by AAA batteries will not use the full potential of the emmiter..

MY $12 ones from DX do the same job on the same battery source and with 2 on i was not confident enough to do full speed ont the back lanes at night.

This is a screenie of a MS , i think gaz also has his own piccies?

 

[cyberknight]

Just something to be aware of the mount that comes with the light is a bit naff , very cheap mod here which works a treat !

https://www.cyclechat.net/

 

[gaz]

I do indeed have some pictures

Hope Vision 1 on full Power

Magicshine MJ-808 on full power