Night riding light options

[PsyCro]

I'm on the hunt for lighting solutions and figured someone on here might have some useful info. I'm looking at grabbing one of these 3x XML clones which seem to be pretty solid.

http://dx.com/p/ultrafire-sky-3-x-cr...8650-961173167

http://dx.com/p/rusto-d32-3-x-cree-x...x-18650-172263

Anyone have experience with these lights and have any info/tips concerning performance, batteries etc etc.. ?

I figure one of these on the helmet should be fine for just about any type of riding.

[StiHacka]

I went a different route - two cheap XML clones ($twentysomething each) from ebay, one on helmet one on handlebar. I have not ridden much with them yet so I cannot comment on the battery pack longevity but they are very well made with orange peel reflectors and with the connectors and battery pack well sealed. The only catch is they did not come with a real charger but with a cheap AC/DC adapter. They give me plenty of light for my trails.

[PsyCro]

Nice option as well. I've looked at pics of 1x clones as well, and i'm pretty sure that one 3x clone is much much more light, so at the moment that seems like the best option for me. Unless someone has a better option!

[jonKranked]

gonna be totally honest... when it comes to lights to see the trail with, you get what you pay for. high quality lights cost $200+ because they are

A) bright

B) run for 3+ hrs

and

C) won't crap out on you after 1/2 a season.

[intensified]

I am really happy with my NR lumina 350, it was about 60 bucks on sale and gets me by. its mount is really easy to move the light from bike to bike to. it makes a great flashlight for hiking to.
the lumina 650 must be really bright and its around 150.

[johnbryanpeters]

gonna be totally honest... when it comes to lights to see the trail with, you get what you pay for. high quality lights cost $200+ because they are

A) bright

B) run for 3+ hrs

and

C) won't crap out on you after 1/2 a season.

My pricey NiteRider rig tended to crap out after half a ride. Currently running on a Cree XM-L T6, 1,200 lumens, cost me $33- or so on eBay. It's not clear to me at this time exactly what the pricey rigs offer.

[Burnt-Orange]

I have a lights in motion SECA 1700 enduro
it has been tested at 1800 lumens
most ebay lights are rated on theoretical output and often fall short
what makes my light worth the money is the beam pattern
wide and low
you don't waste light aiming at the trees
I used it to replace my cygolight 750 that was on my bars "now on my helmet"
the beam pattern is so much wider its not even close
I'm a rotating shift worker so night riding is sometimes my only option
someone has to keep the muskrats and possums company

[Sonic Reducer]

I have a magicshine 1400 that I got off deal xtreme for like $120 shipped. For the price it really kicks ass. Most of the other big brands are china made too so I don't feel bad. The quality seems good, at least good enough. I run it on my handlebar on my commuter bike, and on my helmet/pack for mtb or skiing. Trees at night on skis is interesting to say the least. I have gotten it wet though not dunked and no issues. I can go a whole week of commuting and it goes down to the 2nd power level. Charges fast and has a long ass run time on low. High is good for trail riding and I turn it off on fire road climbs. Hard to say the run time on high because I haven't gone on a long enough night ride yet.
I would go with one of the magicshines. Great value and there's too many other pieces of gear to buy to go deluxe on a light.

[weedkilla]

No matter what you choose, sooner or later you will have a problem. When you have 2 lights its a much more manageable problem than when you have one!
I've had lights crap out for various reasons, some of them not related at all to quality.

[Straya]

My pricey NiteRider rig tended to crap out after half a ride. Currently running on a Cree XM-L T6, 1,200 lumens, cost me $33- or so on eBay.

Any chance of a link to the ebay seller? I'm keen for a backup for my lights.

It's not clear to me at this time exactly what the pricey rigs offer.

I think its pretty much down to the quality of the batterys these days and even then the cheapies are getting pretty good.

[HardtailHack]

I have a Nukeproof set which is just some rubbish Chinese light re-branded. Going over anything rough makes it feel like you are in a ghey disco, the connector in the back of the light is crap and it causes crazy fast strobing.

[StiHacka]

Here is s picture of my chinese light. It was advertized as having 1000 lumens. See a silicone o-ring on the connector, an orange peel reflector and a battery bag with two straps. I fitted one of them with a fresnel lens for a flatter wide angle beam. It feels well made, nothing flimsy about it. I am sure the battery pack is its Achilles' heel though.

[slyfink]

I started night riding with a Jetlights HID. After about 4 seasons of reliable, dependable, solid performance, I got tired of the gigantic battery and went to a dual magic shine system, similar to the one abve. Then Gemini came along with their teeny tiny Xera. I was hooked. It puts out an honest 800 lumens, works great and weighs nothing. I run it with the Magicshine MJ872 on the bars (which I really don't recommend, the beam pattern is far too broad, and actually blinds you at the same time as its illuminating the trail).

A good value, solid, reliable system from Gemini Lights would be a Xera on the head, with a Duo or Olympia on the bars.

Check out Action-LED-lights.com. He's been super to deal with.

[jezso]

One of my buddies spotted these products so I bought two of these but I would not recommend it really.
It is funny as they claim more lumens on system level than the LED itself is capable of alone.
Anyway, it was extremely cheap so I bought them to see what they are really capable.
I have one of them measure in a goniometer, and I was a bit shocked as I was expecting more than 522 Lumens. The beam angle is really narrow, around 5degrees. While measuring the product the light output started to fade after 5 minutes. Typical thermal management issue.
Can not report on long term reliability of the battery and how it maintains the lumen output in time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1600LM-CREE-...item257695ddac

[jezso]

Here is s picture of my chinese light. It was advertized as having 1000 lumens. See a silicone o-ring on the connector, an orange peel reflector and a battery bag with two straps. I fitted one of them with a fresnel lens for a flatter wide angle beam. It feels well made, nothing flimsy about it. I am sure the battery pack is its Achilles' heel though.

It looksvery similar to what I have purchased.
You can be sure that it will not have the claimed optical performance.
See my earlier post.