|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On Dec 29, 5:47 pm, Andre Jute wrote:
On Saturday, December 29, 2012 8:40:32 AM UTC, Dan O wrote: Well, getting long for initial impressions. But anyway in a world where the next class of bike headlights seems to jump in price about 3x, these two ~cheap little lights together - at less than a hundred bucks total - produce a lot of light - or ~adequate light for longer runtime and a variety of modes separately or combined. I enjoyed your test, Dan, but this last bit is misinformed. If you had a hub dynamo, for a hundred bucks you could get a BUMM Fly or Cyo at the front (or perhaps even a Phillips Saferide, which is a superior lamp) and a BUMM Toplight Line Plus at the rear, and then you would have what many consider the best lamps in the world, with no further cost for batteries. Here's my installation of specialist versions of the lamps I mention, complete with light-throw piccies: http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLINGbu...elec5.htmlYour installation would of course use a hub dynamo and the 6V version of these lamps. As noted later, not going to debate merits of dynamo systems, but just note that that *is* a *system* (and the key phrase is "If you had a hub dynamo"). Also, a Ridesalot notes, these lights can readily go on any bike (or *pair* of bikes), which was a big justification for buying the PDW when I already had the PB. If I last long enough, I suppose I'll inevitably get to try dynamo lighting (hopefully something like SON / Inoled... er, what's this? "New for 2013, Luxos IQ2 Headlights"... "... incorporates a handlebar mounted switch... " - SWEET!) |
Ads |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
Op 30-12-2012 7:22, Phil W Lee schreef:
Sir Ridesalot considered Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:59:55 -0800 (PST) the perfect time to write: On Saturday, December 29, 2012 8:47:33 PM UTC-5, Andre Jute wrote: On Saturday, December 29, 2012 8:40:32 AM UTC, Dan O wrote: Well, getting long for initial impressions. But anyway in a world where the next class of bike headlights seems to jump in price about 3x, these two ~cheap little lights together - at less than a hundred bucks total - produce a lot of light - or ~adequate light for longer runtime and a variety of modes separately or combined. I enjoyed your test, Dan, but this last bit is misinformed. If you had a hub dynamo, for a hundred bucks you could get a BUMM Fly or Cyo at the front (or perhaps even a Phillips Saferide, which is a superior lamp) and a BUMM Toplight Line Plus at the rear, and then you would have what many consider the best lamps in the world, with no further cost for batteries. Here's my installation of specialist versions of the lamps I mention, complete with light-throw piccies: http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLINGbuildingpedelec5.html Your installation would of course use a hub dynamo and the 6V version of these lamps. Andre Jute The advantage of Dan' lights is that they are easily transferred to different bikes. So is the Busch and Muller Ixon IQ, which runs on 4 x AA NiMH cells, and gives 5 hours on high (only necessary of unlit roads), That is another marketing 'lie'. I have one and it runs max 2 hours on high of which the last half an hour dangerously low for unlit roads. Again I was disappointed in the battery life of a battery powered light. Plenty of light but only for a short period of time that is the deal. Charge before every ride, that sucks for me. 20 hours on low power (fine in town) Also not true. or any combination of those. Extra mounts are available so fitting to different bikes (or an alternative position like the fork crown) is a doddle, and with a ride & charge adapter cable you can even run it (and charge it) from a dynamo if you fit one later. It's the same emitter and optics as the Cyo. The mounts all have lateral adjustment as well as vertical. That part is true. Lou |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On 12/29/2012 1:01 PM, Dan O wrote:
On Dec 29, 7:40 am, SMS wrote: On 12/29/2012 12:40 AM, Dan O wrote: The PDW produces pretty good light to see by - even on low. So did the PB. The PDW actually looks brighter, but I know this can be very much a peak battery thing, and all my NiMH's are pretty old and of suspect capacity, so not sure yet. But... the two of them together both on high are pretty awesome (complementary). While more slightly more expensive than the PDW Spaceship, the $28.20 UltraFire SH-3AA Cree XM-L T6 800LM 5-Mode is what I've switched to. It uses three AA batteries (side by side, not linearly). They claim 800 lumens, but I doubt that this is the case, 200 lumens on high is probably more accurate. But you don't need it on high very often, the low and mid settings are usually enough. It will run on three AA batteries or one Li-Ion 26650. A 26650 is about 5000mAH at 3.7V while three Sanyo Eneloop NiMH batteries will give you only 2000mAH at 3.6V. You could also use an 18650 battery with an adapter sleeve and get about 3000mAH at 3.7V. Sounds intriguing (though I had the impression that the PDW Spaceship was not in the league of light output to see by that I have with the PB Blaze 2-watt). How does it fair in the monsoon season? Can't tell yet, but judging from the construction it should fare well. The tail cap has two O ring gaskets so no water is likely to come in that way. The front has one O ring gasket. The switch is sealed. The web site simply says "splash proof" but that's probably because they don't want to say "waterproof" and have people try to use it as a diving light. The beam is excellent, with sufficient spill to illuminate off to the sides. Lack of side illumination is a problem with a lot of the low end bicycle lights which tend to concentrate their limited available output directly onto the road in front of the bicycle. That's the big problem with most dynamo powered lights. I like the self-contained nature of these types of lights that lack wires and external battery packs. The problem I have with most commercial bicycle lights is the lack of lateral adjustment in the mounts. While there are a lot of flashlight after-market mounts with lateral adjustment, Many of them are not that great. The ability to use AA cells (disposable or NiMH) as well as a higher density Li-Ion battery is also a very good feature though if you're using the Li-Ion and need to use disposables in a pinch you can't do that unless you've brought along the AA carrier thingee. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On 12/29/2012 5:59 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
snip The advantage of Dan' lights is that they are easily transferred to different bikes. Cheers Even though I have five hub dynamo wheels, not many people are going to spend that the money even on one hub dynamo wheel. It's too bad that bicycle pricing and marketing has dictated that what would cost the manufacturer less than $5 to include when the bicycle is built ends up costing 20-40x as much as an after-market product. Of course the other issue with a dynamo light is that you can't remove it and use it as a light to do repairs so you still need to carry along a battery powered light anyway. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On 12/29/2012 1:01 PM, Dan O wrote:
On Dec 29, 7:40 am, SMS wrote: On 12/29/2012 12:40 AM, Dan O wrote: The PDW produces pretty good light to see by - even on low. So did the PB. The PDW actually looks brighter, but I know this can be very much a peak battery thing, and all my NiMH's are pretty old and of suspect capacity, so not sure yet. But... the two of them together both on high are pretty awesome (complementary). While more slightly more expensive than the PDW Spaceship, the $28.20 UltraFire SH-3AA Cree XM-L T6 800LM 5-Mode is what I've switched to. It uses three AA batteries (side by side, not linearly). They claim 800 lumens, but I doubt that this is the case, 200 lumens on high is probably more accurate. But you don't need it on high very often, the low and mid settings are usually enough. It will run on three AA batteries or one Li-Ion 26650. A 26650 is about 5000mAH at 3.7V while three Sanyo Eneloop NiMH batteries will give you only 2000mAH at 3.6V. You could also use an 18650 battery with an adapter sleeve and get about 3000mAH at 3.7V. Sounds intriguing (though I had the impression that the PDW Spaceship was not in the league of light output to see by that I have with the PB Blaze 2-watt). My mistake, I think you were talking about the PDW Cosmic Dreadnought, not the PDW Spaceship. |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On 12/29/2012 11:43 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op 30-12-2012 7:22, Phil W Lee schreef: Sir Ridesalot considered Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:59:55 -0800 (PST) the perfect time to write: On Saturday, December 29, 2012 8:47:33 PM UTC-5, Andre Jute wrote: On Saturday, December 29, 2012 8:40:32 AM UTC, Dan O wrote: Well, getting long for initial impressions. But anyway in a world where the next class of bike headlights seems to jump in price about 3x, these two ~cheap little lights together - at less than a hundred bucks total - produce a lot of light - or ~adequate light for longer runtime and a variety of modes separately or combined. I enjoyed your test, Dan, but this last bit is misinformed. If you had a hub dynamo, for a hundred bucks you could get a BUMM Fly or Cyo at the front (or perhaps even a Phillips Saferide, which is a superior lamp) and a BUMM Toplight Line Plus at the rear, and then you would have what many consider the best lamps in the world, with no further cost for batteries. Here's my installation of specialist versions of the lamps I mention, complete with light-throw piccies: http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLINGbuildingpedelec5.html Your installation would of course use a hub dynamo and the 6V version of these lamps. Andre Jute The advantage of Dan' lights is that they are easily transferred to different bikes. So is the Busch and Muller Ixon IQ, which runs on 4 x AA NiMH cells, and gives 5 hours on high (only necessary of unlit roads), That is another marketing 'lie'. I have one and it runs max 2 hours on high of which the last half an hour dangerously low for unlit roads. Again I was disappointed in the battery life of a battery powered light. Plenty of light but only for a short period of time that is the deal. Charge before every ride, that sucks for me. 20 hours on low power (fine in town) Also not true. or any combination of those. Extra mounts are available so fitting to different bikes (or an alternative position like the fork crown) is a doddle, and with a ride & charge adapter cable you can even run it (and charge it) from a dynamo if you fit one later. It's the same emitter and optics as the Cyo. The mounts all have lateral adjustment as well as vertical. That part is true. Peter White lists the run time on low as 13 hours, and high at 6 hours. Users that have done actual tests have gotten around 5 hours of run time, and not with the highest capacity NiMH batteries available. So if you got only two hours then something was wrong with your batteries. It's not a suitable light for commuting for other reasons unrelated to the run time. |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On 31/12/12 03:59, SMS wrote:
On 12/29/2012 1:01 PM, Dan O wrote: On Dec 29, 7:40 am, SMS wrote: On 12/29/2012 12:40 AM, Dan O wrote: The PDW produces pretty good light to see by - even on low. So did the PB. The PDW actually looks brighter, but I know this can be very much a peak battery thing, and all my NiMH's are pretty old and of suspect capacity, so not sure yet. But... the two of them together both on high are pretty awesome (complementary). While more slightly more expensive than the PDW Spaceship, the $28.20 UltraFire SH-3AA Cree XM-L T6 800LM 5-Mode is what I've switched to. It uses three AA batteries (side by side, not linearly). They claim 800 lumens, but I doubt that this is the case, 200 lumens on high is probably more accurate. But you don't need it on high very often, the low and mid settings are usually enough. It will run on three AA batteries or one Li-Ion 26650. A 26650 is about 5000mAH at 3.7V while three Sanyo Eneloop NiMH batteries will give you only 2000mAH at 3.6V. You could also use an 18650 battery with an adapter sleeve and get about 3000mAH at 3.7V. Sounds intriguing (though I had the impression that the PDW Spaceship was not in the league of light output to see by that I have with the PB Blaze 2-watt). How does it fair in the monsoon season? Can't tell yet, but judging from the construction it should fare well. The tail cap has two O ring gaskets so no water is likely to come in that way. The front has one O ring gasket. The switch is sealed. The web site simply says "splash proof" but that's probably because they don't want to say "waterproof" and have people try to use it as a diving light. I'd rather the electronics were potted or have a conformal coating, and the switch a sealed unit in itself. Wet batteries is of little concern. Sealing is then of little concern, and in fact it would be nice to be able to disassemble and clean any crud with water and a soft brush. Seals don't last, and don't often work well enough. I'd rather something that didn't rely on them. The beam is excellent, with sufficient spill to illuminate off to the sides. Lack of side illumination is a problem with a lot of the low end bicycle lights which tend to concentrate their limited available output directly onto the road in front of the bicycle. That's the big problem with most dynamo powered lights. I do not agree. Nominal 3 Watts of electrical power from a dynamo is plenty to produce more than adequate light output using LED lights, including a good amount of side spill. Around 500 lm is quite doable. -- JS |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On 12/30/2012 1:28 PM, James wrote:
I'd rather the electronics were potted or have a conformal coating, and the switch a sealed unit in itself. Wet batteries is of little concern. Sealing is then of little concern, and in fact it would be nice to be able to disassemble and clean any crud with water and a soft brush. Seals don't last, and don't often work well enough. I'd rather something that didn't rely on them. Well those O rings are replaceable but they will last a very long time, and seal better, if you apply a dab of O ring lube (buy from a pool store). Don't use petroleum jelly. I do not agree. Nominal 3 Watts of electrical power from a dynamo is plenty to produce more than adequate light output using LED lights, including a good amount of side spill. Around 500 lm is quite doable. If you're riding on well-lit streets a dynamo light is sufficient, and in fact I do use one. I have five wheels with dynamo hubs. But the dynamo output is inadequate in very dark conditions. The other issue with most dynamo lights is that they lack a strobe mode which is extremely desirable for daytime use. |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On 31/12/12 09:13, SMS wrote:
On 12/30/2012 1:28 PM, James wrote: I'd rather the electronics were potted or have a conformal coating, and the switch a sealed unit in itself. Wet batteries is of little concern. Sealing is then of little concern, and in fact it would be nice to be able to disassemble and clean any crud with water and a soft brush. Seals don't last, and don't often work well enough. I'd rather something that didn't rely on them. Well those O rings are replaceable but they will last a very long time, and seal better, if you apply a dab of O ring lube (buy from a pool store). Don't use petroleum jelly. I do not agree. Nominal 3 Watts of electrical power from a dynamo is plenty to produce more than adequate light output using LED lights, including a good amount of side spill. Around 500 lm is quite doable. If you're riding on well-lit streets a dynamo light is sufficient, and in fact I do use one. I have five wheels with dynamo hubs. But the dynamo output is inadequate in very dark conditions. I have no problem riding on unlit roads with my dynamo lights. There is enough electrical power available to produce adequate light. Your light is obviously not appropriate. It is a poorly aimed accusation to say the dynamo is somehow inadequate. I don't use a dynamo hub. Not all dynamos are equal, just as not all lights are equal. The other issue with most dynamo lights is that they lack a strobe mode which is extremely desirable for daytime use. There is usually no need for strobe lights in daylight hours. I always use a battery powered red LED blinky at the rear anyway, but only turn it on when visibility is poor - like in early morning fog or rain. -- JS. |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
entry level lights to see by
On 12/30/2012 2:33 PM, James wrote:
On 31/12/12 09:13, SMS wrote: On 12/30/2012 1:28 PM, James wrote: I'd rather the electronics were potted or have a conformal coating, and the switch a sealed unit in itself. Wet batteries is of little concern. Sealing is then of little concern, and in fact it would be nice to be able to disassemble and clean any crud with water and a soft brush. Seals don't last, and don't often work well enough. I'd rather something that didn't rely on them. Well those O rings are replaceable but they will last a very long time, and seal better, if you apply a dab of O ring lube (buy from a pool store). Don't use petroleum jelly. I do not agree. Nominal 3 Watts of electrical power from a dynamo is plenty to produce more than adequate light output using LED lights, including a good amount of side spill. Around 500 lm is quite doable. If you're riding on well-lit streets a dynamo light is sufficient, and in fact I do use one. I have five wheels with dynamo hubs. But the dynamo output is inadequate in very dark conditions. I have no problem riding on unlit roads with my dynamo lights. There is enough electrical power available to produce adequate light. Your light is obviously not appropriate. It is a poorly aimed accusation to say the dynamo is somehow inadequate. A 6V/3W dynamo is fine if you're not depending on your lights as the only source of light. On dark roads, where you need to see not only in front of you, but off to the sides, and when you're riding at moderately fast speeds (10+ MPH) a dynamo can't provide sufficient power no matter how good the lights are. Well there is one exception, and that's if the dynamo is charging a battery powered light all the time, not just at night. That's probably the best solution, banking power during the day by having the dynamo engaged so at night you have sufficient power for your lights. I don't use a dynamo hub. Not all dynamos are equal, just as not all lights are equal. That's true. The 12V/6W dynamos can supply sufficient power and those are not hub dynamos. There is usually no need for strobe lights in daylight hours. In the U.S. there is a need. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Entry level recumbent purchase very soon | Ken M | Recumbent Biking | 41 | February 2nd 06 04:38 PM |
entry level full suspension | Doug Jordan | Mountain Biking | 8 | August 15th 04 05:00 PM |
Entry Level Bike? | musashi | Mountain Biking | 7 | August 12th 04 02:42 AM |
Entry level mountain bikes | Andrew Lighten | Australia | 22 | December 23rd 03 09:53 PM |
Entry Level Bikes | vwyob | UK | 8 | August 13th 03 08:39 PM |