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LED headlights
B"H
I'm looking for an advice regarding headlights for night time commuting because on Tuesday a battery for my 3-year-old ViewPoint headlight finally expired. Before buying a new battery, I would like to explore other options. I'd rate importance of different features to me as follows: being seen 60%, road illumination 20%, battery life 15%, weight 5%. Looking through Performance catalog I found two interesting LED headlights by Planet Bike: Super Spot (SS, and Dual Spot (DS). SS is a single LED, steady mode for illumination, up to 30 hours battery life with 4 AA batteries, sale price $30. DS steady and flashing mode, up to 100 hours battery life with 2 AA batteries, sale price $20. Does anyone have a first hand experience with these headlights or others with similar characteristics? I'd also appreciate any interesting ideas on the subject. Thank you, Victor |
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#2
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#3
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the new LEDS are better but still not very good to see buy unless you get one of the better setups a couple companies sell in the UK. -- Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions. |
#4
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(avgrin) wrote:
Does anyone have a first hand experience with these headlights or others with similar characteristics? I'd also appreciate any interesting ideas on the subject. Thank you, Victor Victor, There's a good thread about this going on over at rec.bicycles.tech. Here's a direct link: http://makeashorterlink.com/?L1AB236A9 I use LEDs for the lighting on my cargo trike: http://drumbent.com/trike.html Cheers, Mark |
#6
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If you commute, visibility and vision are 50/50, cost and weight and
battery life are non-factors if your safety is concerned. Why would you risk not being seen by a driver on her cell phone or failing to see that pothole just so you can save a few dollars? You wouldn't drive your car with only one headlight or with all of your taillights burned out. For serious commuting, in addition to proper clothing that might might include some IllumiNite fabrics or AlertShirts, that means fore and aft flashers, side marker lights, a head light, and a helmet lamp. For me, that's four ultrabright 5-LED red flashers from Cateye on the rear and sides, two Cateye ultrabright white LEDs in front, and a very expensive NiteRider HID helmet mount. The front LEDs do a good job of lighting up the road immediately in front of the wheel but it's the helmet mount that gets me safely to and from work. And, because I've dropped the HID once (a $90 light bulb!!), I carry a spare headlight, my old 6v halogen; hmm, it's also a Cateye. You can get by with fewer units, sure, but why? It's fun to shop for bike lights these days. Do I look kinda silly? Not really, I look like a serious bike commuter who insists on being seen. I often notice drivers noticing my lights and I have avoided glass or some other hazard uncountable times. I buy my AAAs and AAs at Costco in bulk and recycle the wasted batts at my pro camera shop. david boise ID |
#7
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For serious commuting, in addition to proper clothing that might might include some IllumiNite fabrics IllumiNite does not work well at all. I was sure disappointed in it. or AlertShirts, that means fore and aft flashers, side marker lights, a head light, and a helmet lamp. why would you need a helmet light and a headlight? there comes a point where more light does not do any good. because it is not just how much light but that the diver will actually see you. a lot of drivers are blind to anything but cars and no amount of light will fix that. For me, that's four ultrabright 5-LED red flashers from Cateye on the rear and sides, I can see a light on each side and one in the back but why do you need two in back? get the new cateye http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=68186 this has two separate lights for back and LEDS on each end too. all in one package. two Cateye ultrabright white LEDs in front, and a very expensive NiteRider HID helmet mount. The front LEDs do a good job of lighting up the road immediately in front of the wheel but it's the helmet mount that gets me safely to and from work. And, because I've dropped the HID once (a $90 light bulb!!), two LED front lights and a HID? that's a bit much. I use a flashing light in front and a powerful headlight to see by. but I really don't need the flasher as the headlight is blindingly bright. I buy my AAAs and AAs at Costco in bulk and recycle the wasted batts at my pro camera shop. no rechargables? man what a waste with all of those lights. you must be rich (G) -- Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions. |
#8
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I'm buying a couple of 3 watt LED emitter (think 30 LEDs packed into one
bulb) flashlights from electrolumens.com. One on the head, one on the bar. A head light is good to get drivers attention with, and spot things like wildlife along the road. 1. A 3 watt LED is going to be about as bright as a 5 watt halogen - plenty bright for commuting. 2. It uses AAs. 3. It is power regulated, meaning a pair of rechargeables is as bright as brand new alkalines. It will last plenty long for my commute home, and unlike a bike light, popping in freshly recharged batteries is a snap. "avgrin" wrote in message m... B"H I'm looking for an advice regarding headlights for night time commuting because on Tuesday a battery for my 3-year-old ViewPoint headlight finally expired. Before buying a new battery, I would like to explore other options. I'd rate importance of different features to me as follows: being seen 60%, road illumination 20%, battery life 15%, weight 5%. Looking through Performance catalog I found two interesting LED headlights by Planet Bike: Super Spot (SS, and Dual Spot (DS). SS is a single LED, steady mode for illumination, up to 30 hours battery life with 4 AA batteries, sale price $30. DS steady and flashing mode, up to 100 hours battery life with 2 AA batteries, sale price $20. Does anyone have a first hand experience with these headlights or others with similar characteristics? I'd also appreciate any interesting ideas on the subject. Thank you, Victor |
#9
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O
1. A 3 watt LED is going to be about as bright as a 5 watt halogen - plenty bright for commuting. depends on your speed I like a minimum of 10 watts and prefer more. soon we should see LEDS that will replace halogen lights. there are a couple companies in the UK that have good units but nothing in the us. -- Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions. |
#10
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why would you need a helmet light and a headlight? there comes a point where more light does not do any good. because it is not just how much light but that the diver will actually see you. a lot of drivers are blind to anything but cars and no amount of light will fix that. I use a five LED white flasher on my helmet in addition to the Halogen front lamp. The helmet lamp can be pointed towards the oncoming car (usually at a sideroad) to (hopefully) get his attention. He might not see the halogen lamp but the flashing lights usually do the job. |
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