Lights Camera Action!

Well, the days are getting shorter and I have a minimum 1hr 20min commute
home each day.

I have the obligatory crappy flashy be seen light, but I am looking for
something a whole lot brighter.

Torpedo 7 have a special on a 24w dual system with lead battery (Nightpro
Expert) for $99.
http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/NPLIHNNEX

Does anyone have experience with lights of this kind?

I see there are several types around but I do not really understand the
difference between the various set ups around.

Weight does not matter much to me, and these bottle batteries won't be a
problem when I manage to get another bottle cage on.

I think cheap is good, but I worry when things like this are too cheap. Any
horror stories or recommendations?

Thanks

BtC

Bill the Cat wrote:

SNIP

Torpedo 7 have a special on a 24w dual system with lead battery (Nightpro
Expert) for $99.
http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/NPLIHNNEX

Does anyone have experience with lights of this kind?

Not I... although I'm in a very similar situation to you and I have been
looking at exactly the same light on special and wondering exactly the
same thing.

$99 is a lot less than the basic Ay-Up 2008 roadie kit @ $249...

Wanna buy one and let me know what the tordedo light is like? ;-)


G-S

Bill the Cat wrote:
Well, the days are getting shorter and I have a minimum 1hr 20min commute
home each day.

I have the obligatory crappy flashy be seen light, but I am looking for
something a whole lot brighter.

Torpedo 7 have a special on a 24w dual system with lead battery (Nightpro
Expert) for $99.
http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/NPLIHNNEX

Does anyone have experience with lights of this kind?

I see there are several types around but I do not really understand the
difference between the various set ups around.

Weight does not matter much to me, and these bottle batteries won't be a
problem when I manage to get another bottle cage on.

I think cheap is good, but I worry when things like this are too cheap. Any
horror stories or recommendations?

Thanks

BtC



The price should tell you something - like there finished and no one
wants them.

I would consider the battery replacement, charge time, etc. before
rushing out and buying one. Your going to charge that up once a day at
1.3hrs each day commute time.

Look for a good LED lamp with small rechargeable, easy replaceable,
safe, keep in the pocket, batteries. They are available.

LED lamps are still cheaper than the $99, what's more just as efficient.

http://www.torpedo7.com.au/division/...title/Lighting

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:51:10 +1000
Rob. wrote:

The price should tell you something - like there finished and no one
wants them.

Or you can spend more - $140 for a hub dynamo and $65 for a light -
and never have to manage batteries again.

I have the more expensive option - SON and Lumotec - which lights up a
twisty unlit bike path well enough to do 25kmh easily, as far as I
know the Shimano and E6 should do as well.

I just like the Lumotec Senso, because that really is a no-brains
light. It turns itself on when the surrounding area is dark enough to
need lights.

Zebee

Lots of discussion here on Fenix headlights. I'll be giving one a go for
this winter.

http://forums.transitions.org.au/ind...27676&hl=fenix

DaveB

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

Or you can spend more - $140 for a hub dynamo and $65 for a light -
and never have to manage batteries again.

I have the more expensive option - SON and Lumotec - which lights up a
twisty unlit bike path well enough to do 25kmh easily, as far as I
know the Shimano and E6 should do as well.

People have to watch hub abd other dynamos. Fine if you do 15km/h plus,
but not so good ifyou are a slower rider.

I'm still waiting for a reply from that last generator/solar bicycle
light that features on ABC's New Product^h^h^h^h^hInventor.

On 2008-04-09, (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
The SLA battery it comes with will probably be heavy rubbish, but
replacement NiMh 12V cordless drill batteries and chargers are so
cheap I'm not really worried.

Er, cheap cordless drill rechargers are rubbish. I bought mine
(complete with drill, naturally, which I still use by plugging into a
12V supply) for $20, knowing it would be crap, but I didn't even get
to see how crap the battery was, because the charger had destroyed it
within 3 months, as one day I missed the vital "disconnect after 3
hours. No, you can't have a light to say it is already charged" step
as I was busy at the time.

insert standard rant about wishing there was a step somewhere between
$20 plastic rubbish and $600 good tools. In this case, $20.30 plastic
rubbish with an extra LED and mosfet in the charging circuit would
almost certainly be sufficient to render it worthwhile. insert
another rant about a $300 set of halogen cycling lights, where the
idiot designer forgot to include a LED on the battery to say that 1)
it is connected, and 2) whether or not it is charged. I am also not
convinced that it is even a smart charger, which I didn't expect for
$300. And of course there's no LED on the torch head either, so I
don't know whether there is no light because the battery is flat, or
because the bulb is blown, or because it is still too light outside to
see the reflection off the road, and that yes indeed, the bulb is
still glowing

--
TimC
Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product.
-- Ferenc Mantfeld

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:57:22 +1000
Terryc wrote:

People have to watch hub abd other dynamos. Fine if you do 15km/h plus,
but not so good ifyou are a slower rider.

Dunno about the Shimano, but the SON will light up quite well at
walking pace.

I know, because I have accompanied walkers, and we were using my light
to see by.

Zebee

Zebee Johnstone wrote:


Dunno about the Shimano, but the SON will light up quite well at
walking pace.

Standard SON light?
Is it a LED?

"Bill the Cat" wrote in
:

Torpedo 7 have a special on a 24w dual system with lead battery
(Nightpro Expert) for $99.
http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/NPLIHNNEX

Does anyone have experience with lights of this kind?

I bought what looks like the same light from T7 a year or two ago (I think
just the battery case is different). Having previously used a fairly cheap
halogen CatEye light (that looks like an electric shaver) I was very
impressed with the performance and the quality seems good. It's handled a
lot of rough treatment (like a shelf load of decorating equipment falling
on it in the shed). I've not used anything more expensive, so I can't say
how it performs relative to higher end lights.

--
Graeme