On Mon, 6 Mar 2017 10:47:34 -0800 (PST), wrote:

As a very occasional night rider I am interested in battery
powered lights but I think that I was attempting to give
a thought to a commuter that would use his light a great deal.

Do "occasional night riders" buy $150 headlights?

I notice that a large number of the people in our group
have flashing red rear lights and it isn't long before
these batteries run down enough that the taillight even
blinking is almost entirely unnoticeable. So I don't have
much respect for battery power for a great deal of use.

Well, that's one of the advantages of a dynamo. You never have to
worry about a dead or discharged battery or remember to carry a spare
dead or discharged battery. (Yes, I've done that).

I think you'll find a fair number of riders in your group using low
cost rear flashers like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/142066277090
$0.97 gets you a two AAA batteries packaged inside a flasher (postage
included). That's about the same price as the batteries, assuming
that they're alkaline and not carbon-zinc. One of my friends says
that he picks them out of the trash at the end of club rides because
people just toss them instead of trying to figure out how to pry open
the case and change the battery. It wouldn't do them much good even
if it was easy to open, because the COB (chip on board) electronics,
buried under a blob of epoxy, will self destruct if you touch, bend,
or push on it. As for not noticing a failure, most club riders will
inform your if they see a problem.

I don't think it's fair to compare a $150 headlight, with a $0.97 tail
light. Others have mentioned various schemes to get more out of a
tail light. There are tail lights available or under design that have
motion sensors, LiIon battery, low battery indicator, solar charging,
USB charging, dynamo charging, wireless charging, side lighting,
programmable flashing, high brightness daylight mode, motion alarm,
automobile tailgating detection (via a bright headlight detector),
Bluegoof telemetry, and whatever else I forgot. Of course, they don't
cost $0.97.



--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558