some light advice ;-)

[fossyant]

The light linked is nothing like 4000 lumen. More like about 1500.

I have had one a year, its bloody bright, but needs to be used with other lights.

It is not an on road light. Run with one T6 LED and you will get 2.5 or 3 hours. Run with two or three, then less than an hour.

It's a spotty light, but just running two makes a huge light throw over just one LED. Running three makes very little difference over two. You can't use this on the road though, it's an off road light. If using on the road, you have to point it to the floor on one LED. Don't use two or three.

The battery packs supplied with these wont run it long. I made a custom pack for mine.

It's bloody awesome off road, but you really don't need more than the two mode.

 

[chriss2.0]

im planning of off road use, its for a long unlit cyclepath in the middle of nowhere

 

[Linford]

Woohoo, I just had these turn up (took 1 week), very bright on highest setting. I just need to make sure I don't dazzle others with them.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....ADME:X:CPSOB:GB:1123&tid=931103823010&guest=1

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Woohoo, I just had these turn up (took 1 week), very bright on highest setting. I just need to make sure I don't dazzle others with them.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&&item=200843523518&view=all&ssPageName=ADME:X:CPSOB:GB:1123&tid=931103823010&guest=1

That link gives the following message:

This purchased item information is no longer available.

GC

 

[Linford]

That link gives the following message:

This purchased item information is no longer available.

GC

Try this one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cree-T6-B...K_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item2ec3e8ea21

 

[chriss2.0]

thanks

 

[Linford]

If I manage to get out on it tonight, I'll do a direct comparison with the 1 watt Raleigh light I have which is a bit pants

http://www.woollyhatshop.com/Lights...P-Night-Sabre-1-Watt-Headlight/prod_3678.html

 

[Lanzecki]

I've got a single Version of that (same case) that has 1600 Lumen's that's more then enough for country roads. I have added a lens that makes the spot wider to suit the road now.

4000 will more then enough, probably too much if honest. I assume it has a low, med, high mode etc. €10 says you'll find the high mode too high.

All that said the quoted numbers are very inaccurate. Don't expect to get 4000

 

[Linford]

The difference between the two...money very well spent

 

[Cycling Dan]

4000 fark me. I have a 400 one and it lights up the darkest of country roads a good 25-30m in front before it starts to dim.
Make sure not to blind the wildlife. Although im sure Mr Hawk would appreciate the blinding of rabbits.

 

[Linford]

That dim one i posted a pic of claims to be 400 lm

 

[Cycling Dan]

For all your lighting questions, see Torchy the Battery Boy's site. Lots of good info on there, plus he's a trustworthy retailer on Ebay with excellent customer service. I've used him a couple of times.



GC

Torchy B01 for £30 is mental.

 

[Lanzecki]

Here's a response to a similar question I made on another (lesser) forum :

I used a cree 1600. It has High/Low and a vicious flash. Since I'm very rural in the winter I have it on High on unlit roads and flash thru towns. It's pointed down to light the road around 20 feet in front of me. 1600lumems is pie in the sky though. Pick a random number and advertise your light as that

Battery life is acceptable, and the build quality is surprisingly good. The LED it's self generates a load of heat (as any light will) but cycling keeps it cool. The Ali case acts as a heatsink.

It's waterproof enough for general usage, but I wouldn't go swimming with the battery. That said I've often been out in enough rain to think I'd be dryer swimming.

Mine has recently died after I added more batteries and got the cell count a little wrong (Should have been in parallel not series). So I had the opportunity take mine to pieces. I felt the LED it's self wasn't very well attached to the Heat sink, but that has never been a problem.

The latest ones (as seen on ebay) seem to use a rubber o-ring to mount to the light to the bars. My old one had a removable mount that made taking the light a doodle. the mounts are screwed into the light with a single screw, so are interchangeable.

The battery pack comes in a nylon fabric pouch with a belt loop and a Velcro loop that I used to connect the battery to the head tube.

Cable length is more then enough. Too much to be honest. With the light mounted, you'd get the battery on the seat tube if you wanted.

One issue is that these cheap cree lights have a plain glass front IE light goes everywhere much like an old fashioned everyready light. There is a replacement lens that can be used that controls the lightbeam giving a more direction wide beam similar to a car.

Check out ebay for "lens for magicshine" these lens fit the Cree lights (the front unscrews) also.

See here for before and after.

Thinking about it.

These lights use a 18650 battery. A pretty much standard battery used in many devices such as laptop batteries. I happened to have an old laptop battery kicking around that was redundant. 5 mins with chisel and safety glasses liberated 4 18650 batteries.

My Cree has 2 cells in Parallel (increase the available amps, no the voltage) adding 2 more cells would give (in theory) double the usable life time.

Since the batteries are in parallel the charger that was supplied will still charge the extra larger battery pack. It just sees a higher capacity battery.

Just a thought for anyone with a chisel, soldering iron and a need for more battery life.

 

[tincaman]

I have used two of these Nitefighter BT40's for the past year, compatible with magicshine connectors and battery packs, its a clone of the Magicshine MJ872

Bought from this Ebay seller

They are not XML Leds's but the older XPG R5's, but with four of them in there they will rival any dual XML heads units.

This combination of lens and frosting gives a great spread of light, perfect for dark country roads