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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2 for$24.99 at Costco
http://www.feit.com/conserv_energy/flahlights/led_flashlights/72322
Saw these yesterday at Costco. A very good deal and an ideal bicycle light. Very long run time since it's using C cells rather than AA cells, and has two brightness levels as well as strobe mode, and the beam zooms from spot to flood. Today is the last day that they are on sale, the regular price is $29.99 for two. Better than ordering from DealExtreme and if you don't like them, well it's Costco, they have a good return policy. |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2 for$24.99 at Costco
On Sunday, February 24, 2013 1:36:45 PM UTC-5, SMS wrote:
http://www.feit.com/conserv_energy/flahlights/led_flashlights/72322 Saw these yesterday at Costco. A very good deal and an ideal bicycle light. Very long run time since it's using C cells rather than AA cells, and has two brightness levels as well as strobe mode, and the beam zooms from spot to flood. Today is the last day that they are on sale, the regular price is $29.99 for two. Better than ordering from DealExtreme and if you don't like them, well it's Costco, they have a good return policy. What's the area of the road these actually light up? How big is the lens? |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2for $24.99 at Costco
On 2/24/2013 10:59 AM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Sunday, February 24, 2013 1:36:45 PM UTC-5, SMS wrote: http://www.feit.com/conserv_energy/flahlights/led_flashlights/72322 Saw these yesterday at Costco. A very good deal and an ideal bicycle light. Very long run time since it's using C cells rather than AA cells, and has two brightness levels as well as strobe mode, and the beam zooms from spot to flood. Today is the last day that they are on sale, the regular price is $29.99 for two. Better than ordering from DealExtreme and if you don't like them, well it's Costco, they have a good return policy. What's the area of the road these actually light up? How big is the lens? The range claims to be 300 meters at what looks like about a 20 degree beam angle. Based on my calculations it's about an area of 8000 square meters. Of course the actual useful area where the illumination is of sufficient intensity is far less than that. At a wider beam angle the total area should be the same but the distance will be less. Really there's no way to know the area any light illuminates without trying it, and even then it varies by the riders night vision and their own ideas of what is sufficient. I think that it would be comparable to something like the NiteRider Lumina 500. Of course with the NiteRider you get four levels of steady beam not just two, it includes a rechargeable Li-Ion battery and charger, as well as a handlebar mount, and it sells for $86 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008PENWMG which isn't a bad deal. By the time you buy three C cell NiMH batteries, a charger, and buy or build an acceptable mount, you're up to about $70 (assuming you don't already have a charger) for the Feit flashlight. |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2 for$24.99 at Costco
On Feb 24, 2:51 pm, SMS wrote:
snip I think that it would be comparable to something like the NiteRider Lumina 500. Of course with the NiteRider you get four levels of steady beam not just two, it includes a rechargeable Li-Ion battery and charger, as well as a handlebar mount, and it sells for $86 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008PENWMG which isn't a bad deal. By the time you buy three C cell NiMH batteries, a charger, and buy or build an acceptable mount, you're up to about $70 (assuming you don't already have a charger) for the Feit flashlight. Looks like a good deal, but the first poissible drawback that comes to mind: Isn't Li-Ion sensitive to memory effect if not fully cycled? And I do not like (anywhere near) fully discharging a headlight out on the road. |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2for $24.99 at Costco
On 2/24/2013 3:11 PM, Dan O wrote:
snip Looks like a good deal, but the first poissible drawback that comes to mind: Isn't Li-Ion sensitive to memory effect if not fully cycled? And I do not like (anywhere near) fully discharging a headlight out on the road. I'm not too fond of Li-Ion batteries for bicycle lights, even though they are all that make sense for stuff like laptops and cameras. I'd rather have NiMH batteries where I can have back-up (of course you could also buy a spare custom Li-Ion battery pack). The problem with most bicycle lights is their beam pattern, which is invariably a fixed pattern that is a compromise between spot and flood (some older commercial systems used two MR lamps, one spot and one flood, but I don't see these anymore). A light with adjustable optics has definite advantages for a bicycle light. I also am very unfond of most commercial bicycle lights' mounting system. Usually that have no adjustment to compensate for non-straight handlebars, plus they often use funky plastic mounts, rubber shims, and flimsy clamps. Usually it's the worst of both worlds, too fragile to want to remove the lights to avoid theft, but too easy for someone to steal if you leave it on the bike. |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2 for $24.99 at Costco
On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:11:24 -0800 (PST), Dan O
wrote: Looks like a good deal, but the first poissible drawback that comes to mind: Isn't Li-Ion sensitive to memory effect if not fully cycled? And I do not like (anywhere near) fully discharging a headlight out on the road. Nope. It has worse problems. You shouldn't leave a Li-Ion battery either fully charged or totally depleted. You also should not let it get too hot. Light reading: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries http://www.mpoweruk.com/lithium_failures.htm -- Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558 |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2 for$24.99 at Costco
On Feb 25, 1:24*am, SMS wrote:
On 2/24/2013 3:11 PM, Dan O wrote: snip Looks like a good deal, but the first poissible drawback that comes to mind: *Isn't Li-Ion sensitive to memory effect if not fully cycled? And I do not like (anywhere near) fully discharging a headlight out on the road. I'm not too fond of Li-Ion batteries for bicycle lights, even though they are all that make sense for stuff like laptops and cameras. I'd rather have NiMH batteries where I can have back-up (of course you could also buy a spare custom Li-Ion battery pack). The problem with most bicycle lights is their beam pattern, which is invariably a fixed pattern that is a compromise between spot and flood (some older commercial systems used two MR lamps, one spot and one flood, but I don't see these anymore). A light with adjustable optics has definite advantages for a bicycle light. I also am very unfond of most commercial bicycle lights' mounting system. Usually that have no adjustment to compensate for non-straight handlebars, plus they often use funky plastic mounts, rubber shims, and flimsy clamps. Usually it's the worst of both worlds, too fragile to want to remove the lights to avoid theft, but too easy for someone to steal if you leave it on the bike. Try a real bicycle headlamp, a modern one that meets German specifications. Mount it properly above the front wheel, bolting it to the bike. Until you've done this, you can't know what a really good bike headlight is. But here's one major clue: It's nothing like a flashlight. I know, because I've tried both. - Frank Krygowski |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2for $24.99 at Costco
On 2/24/2013 11:10 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:11:24 -0800 (PST), Dan O wrote: Looks like a good deal, but the first poissible drawback that comes to mind: Isn't Li-Ion sensitive to memory effect if not fully cycled? And I do not like (anywhere near) fully discharging a headlight out on the road. Nope. It has worse problems. You shouldn't leave a Li-Ion battery either fully charged or totally depleted. You also should not let it get too hot. Light reading: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries http://www.mpoweruk.com/lithium_failures.htm Well this is how Toyota feels about the NiMH batteries in their hybrid vehicles. One reason they can offer a 10 year battery warranty is partly because they don't discharge the NiMH batteries very low or charge them very high. On older Priuses sold outside the U.S. there was a button to press to discharge the batteries further down, but they left that off of the U.S. models (some owners hacked it in). The other reason they can offer a 10 year warranty on the hybrid battery is because _they_ decide when the battery is worn out. A battery that no longer takes as much of a charge as when the vehicle was new is not a battery that is replaced under warranty. |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2 for $24.99 at Costco
On Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:25:43 -0800, SMS
wrote: On 2/24/2013 11:10 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote: On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:11:24 -0800 (PST), Dan O wrote: Looks like a good deal, but the first poissible drawback that comes to mind: Isn't Li-Ion sensitive to memory effect if not fully cycled? And I do not like (anywhere near) fully discharging a headlight out on the road. Nope. It has worse problems. You shouldn't leave a Li-Ion battery either fully charged or totally depleted. You also should not let it get too hot. Light reading: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries http://www.mpoweruk.com/lithium_failures.htm Well this is how Toyota feels about the NiMH batteries in their hybrid vehicles. One reason they can offer a 10 year battery warranty is partly because they don't discharge the NiMH batteries very low or charge them very high. NiMH and Li-Ion chemistries are very different. Li-Ion batteries do not like to sit idle at full charge. This is why you don't see Li-Ion batteries in UPS power systems. The batteries would self destruct rather soon. Making Li-Ion work in a vehicle (as in the Tesla) requires quite a bit of engineering, computer power, and cooling, usually not found in the average bicycle light. You can also replace batteries rather easily in a bicycle light, while it's not so easy in a Toyota. Methinks the comparison is somewhat of a stretch. In order to make a Li-Ion battery work in a bicycle lamp, there are a few compromises that need to be made. The big one is to not charge the battery to full capacity. Another is to keep it from getting too hot or cold, and to prevent it from discharging below about 20% capacity. Most of this is controlled by the internal electronics. If the battery doesn't hit the extremes, it could last nearly forever. It gets stressed, it will fail rather soon. In the battle to produce the bicycle light with the most output (lumens), and the longest operating time, such minor consideration such as the life of the battery is often ignored. An easy way to tell is to connect a voltmeter to the LIPO battery terminals. If a fully charged battery reads 4.2VDC, it's at 100% of capacity and will have a short but brilliant life time. If it's less, the battery will last longer. See Table 4 and 5 at: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries This also works with cell phones. -- Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558 |
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500 Lumen, 3C, Adjustable Beam, 3 Mode Cree LED Flashlight 2for $24.99 at Costco
On 2/25/2013 10:06 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:25:43 -0800, SMS wrote: On 2/24/2013 11:10 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote: On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:11:24 -0800 (PST), Dan O wrote: Looks like a good deal, but the first poissible drawback that comes to mind: Isn't Li-Ion sensitive to memory effect if not fully cycled? And I do not like (anywhere near) fully discharging a headlight out on the road. Nope. It has worse problems. You shouldn't leave a Li-Ion battery either fully charged or totally depleted. You also should not let it get too hot. Light reading: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries http://www.mpoweruk.com/lithium_failures.htm Well this is how Toyota feels about the NiMH batteries in their hybrid vehicles. One reason they can offer a 10 year battery warranty is partly because they don't discharge the NiMH batteries very low or charge them very high. NiMH and Li-Ion chemistries are very different. Li-Ion batteries do not like to sit idle at full charge. This is why you don't see Li-Ion batteries in UPS power systems. The batteries would self destruct rather soon. Making Li-Ion work in a vehicle (as in the Tesla) requires quite a bit of engineering, computer power, and cooling, usually not found in the average bicycle light. You can also replace batteries rather easily in a bicycle light, while it's not so easy in a Toyota. Methinks the comparison is somewhat of a stretch. In order to make a Li-Ion battery work in a bicycle lamp, there are a few compromises that need to be made. The big one is to not charge the battery to full capacity. Another is to keep it from getting too hot or cold, and to prevent it from discharging below about 20% capacity. Most of this is controlled by the internal electronics. If the battery doesn't hit the extremes, it could last nearly forever. It gets stressed, it will fail rather soon. In the battle to produce the bicycle light with the most output (lumens), and the longest operating time, such minor consideration such as the life of the battery is often ignored. An easy way to tell is to connect a voltmeter to the LIPO battery terminals. If a fully charged battery reads 4.2VDC, it's at 100% of capacity and will have a short but brilliant life time. If it's less, the battery will last longer. See Table 4 and 5 at: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries This also works with cell phones. Well then I guess a bicycle light using standard cells, either Zn / Mn O 2 or NiMH is a better choice. I'm glad I've been doing this all along. Of course sealed lead-acid also works. It's interesting that the more costly lighting systems are all moving to Li-Ion, but I suspect that it has more to do with size, weight, and duration, than battery life, since they aren't using sophisticated charging systems (to the best of my knowledge). They need a better charging system for Li-Ion, such as what Boeing used on the 787--or not. It's rather ironic that if you go to a bicycle shop and buy an expensive lighting system that you're likely to end up with a significantly poorer result than choosing something like the device mentioned in the subject above. One problem is that most cyclists have never even tried the better lighting options. The good commercial systems are very expensive, and the alternative options are not understood. They automatically assume that the bicycle light manufacturers have their best interests in mind, and they have absolutely no idea what a good bicycle light actually is. I think what we need is a standards body like an industry association (not necessarily a government body) to set some reasonable minimum standards for bicycle lights, just as there are government standards for vehicle lights. Germany has bicycle light standards but they're ridiculously low, 10 lux and 30% dynamo efficiency. That's why most dynamo powered lights, an incandescent lamp powered by a tire driven dynamo, are so poor. They should be requiring much higher levels of illumination but this would raise costs for bicycle manufacturers. |
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