What's a lumen, and how much to pay for good lights?

[Bman]

Well, $55 for three rear lights, two front lights and the Magic Shine T6

I think its gotta be done

 

[DrSquirrel]

Bongman - I have ordered hundreds of £ worth, and im sure other people have. It's cheap because its direct, and its cheap because most people don't declare it and thus do not pay duty/VAT (granted most of my purchases are small bits here and there).

Just so you know the T6 isn't a Magicshine, its a clone (the Magicshine bieng a clone of the Lupine Tesla) . It has a different connector to the Magicshine group so make sure you check when you buy new batteries etc.

I have returned things to, you do get a 180 day "they pay for return" warranty (if its cheap they just refund or replace). Sites like this are good for tinkerers that are able to fix minor problems as sometimes the finishing can be a bit lax.



MJ808 all the way, £45-50. Order now if you want from China, as the christmas rush starts very soon. Add on 10-15 quid if you order from a UK stockist.

There are cheaper versions out now, with P7 and other LEDS, but apparently use a different connector.*

Magicshines brightest light so far is the MJ872 which costs around £100 and is "1600" lumens. (these are mostly overated, so are local lights, but do serve as a rough comparison)


You can pay loads more for a light, that might be more reliable - but that or a warranty doesn't help you in the dark.

So - always run/carry 2 lights, maybe a cheap named manufacter/reliable - a Smart 35 Lux? - as a backup/to be seen light, and a bright cheap knock off light from china for your main running light.


*I even have the MJ818 3W rear light, which uses the same connector as the 808 etc so you can use a Y cable on a single battery if you wish.

 

[fossyant]

Has anyone successfully ordered from www.dealextreme.com yet?

The prices seem cheap, too cheap.....

Yes. Takes 2-3 weeks - just got my MJ-808E. If it's in stock, they usually ship within a week and then it's about 2 weeks to get to your door.

If it's from the UK warehouse, it will be with you much quicker. (the item description tells you in red if it's UK stocked)

 

[pshore]

My MJ808 was from deal extreme last year, my brother got his as well, both came fairly quickly with no problems. I have not had to return anything though, that might be more fun, they have iirc opened distribution centres in other countries recently.

I have ordered something the previous two winters. Both times items have taken about 6-8 weeks to arrive. I have not tried upgrading the postage.

Whilst browsing for something to buy this year I only came across one item that was stocked in their UK distribution centre and it was last years lighting technology.

If anyone wants a bit more detail, I made a blog post last year with some info on the lighting setup I have:
Night Riding Thetford Forest

 

[fossyant]

PS if using the Magicshine cheap clone you can get adapters to fit the magicshine batteries from Maplin for less than £2 as the pin on the copy is 2.5mm, and 2.1 on the MS !

 

[DrSquirrel]

EMS "upgraded" postage isn't always faster. The delays are usually DX waiting to receive them (they are not a stock holder) which can take ages.

HK items can often take 4 days if posted immediately (stock holder, no delays at HKP, hong kong post) etc. Any other delays are likely to be part local issues.

 

[Bman]

Order placed

Thanks for the reassurance guys

 

[ShinSplint]

Which ones did you go for Bongman?

 

[Bman]

2x of these (Front flashers/backups if the main beam dies.)
2x of these (Rear flashers, I intend to mount either side of the wheel, on the seat stays)
1x of these (Rear main, if its bright enough)
and this (Front main)

I think that should do me

 

[DrSquirrel]

Be careful, that doesn't look like an OS clamp to me.

They have a smart 1/2W rear clone on the site too

 

[Cubist]

My T6 Smooth Crown XML arrived today, so that was ordered on 5 September, and arrived in just over a fortnight.

Initial thoughts?

It's VERY bright.

The battery pack needs to be sealed in a placcy bag or water bottle.

The unit is solid and appears well made.

I will helmet mount the head mount using cable ties.

Night ride tomorrow night, so I'll give a bit of a review as an off-road helmet lamp.

 

[jay clock]

I have the MJ808 from Deal Extreme. Good service and no idea how this compares with other lights but it is SODDING bright and seems well made. Only gets occasional use

 

[Radman]

My friend ordered the t6 it took about 2 weeks to arrive, i think he said it cost around £28 ,he brought it in today its well bright and a lot smaller than expected, i will see how he gets on with it over the next few weeks and if its any good ive got a birthday coming up.!!!!!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Mine took about 10 days to arrive from HK.

 

[cyberknight]

Be careful, that doesn't look like an OS clamp to me.

They have a smart 1/2W rear clone on the site too

I have a couple of the clones, i reckon they are about 75 % of the brightness of the original, i used to run a proper smart 1/2 watt and a clone and you can tell the difference, but they are still very bright and for the price they are good.
In fact i prefer the proper button as i find the touch sensitive switch on smart lights a bit temperamental, the new smart r2 has a proper switch and thats a really good light.

Just dug out my magicshine in readiness but atm i only need to use two of these at 6 am on unlit roads.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/flood-...-3-mode-led-bike-light-with-mount-3-aaa-26800