EverLed vs new Cateye El-500

August 16, 2004

Hello all..

Back in May, I posted an inquiry about the EverLed PR bulb. The bulb had good
reviews but I was not convinced.

After reading a review by a respected bike rider Bruce Ingle in the topica.com
newsgroup.. I decided to do my own informal evaluation.

www.brightguy.com has the white EverLed on sale for $34.00 each for a limited
time.

As with everything I do.. I don't short change anything.. I go for broke.. I
ordered 4 EverLed ( on August 10 and received it on August 16.

To my disappointment, one EverLed was DOA on arrival.

On close inspection.. the quality doesn't seem to be there (at least from my
perspective for a bulb with price tag of $40 suggested retail price).

I am not an engineer but visually, the dark rubber like insulator that
separates the bulb from the PR flange looks like it was shaped with an utility
knife. The bottom tip (base) of the bulb seemed to have some oxidation residue
of sort -- similar to what a a leaky battery would leave. These
characteristics were on all 4 EverLed for whatever reason. Troubling?

The box the EverLed came in was stamped 0421 6 cj by Bright Guys..On the side
of the box, the bullet description states: Highest Light Output; Longest
Battery Life; Water / Shock Resistant; Reflector Focus-able; Runs on 1 to 6
Cells; Made in the USA. The jewelry like case the bulb came in is made in
China. Initially I thought the bulb was made in China. Hmmm..

With the three EverLED that worked.. I installed one EverLed in a Lumilight 4D
spotlight / lantern with 3 1/8" reflector. My second EverLed I put in a Aztec
4AA stubby flashlight ($2.99) with a 1 7/8" reflector; the third EverLed I put
in a Zefal HF635 bicycle light. All have very favorable results.

I compared the beam intensity against Cateye EL-300. Not even close.. EverLed
wins hands down. The ZEfal HF635 is not a good bike light.. The 3 yellow LED
are the best features of the light.. but the halogen bulb, reflector, lens
cover does a poor job of shielding residual light from your eyes. Read
additional product reviews at MTBR.COM.

With the EverLED light installed in the Zefal HF635.. the residual light is
even worse. To make the Zefal light practical, I will need to use black
electrical tape or something to shield my eyes from the residual light.. but if
I do so.. I pretty much render the forward and side visibility of the 3 yellow
led to practically nothing.

Zefal HF635 headlight is a POOR excuse for a bicycle light. Poor constuction,
poor bracket, poor reflector / lens implementation. Again the best part of the
light is the highly visible 3 yellow LED.

I wanted to use the EverLed on my old Cateye HL-1500s (I have four Cateye
HL-1500), but I have'nt got the EverLed to work (The EverLED did not work on a
Vistalite Road Toad either).

It might be the fact that the Cateye HL-1500 is wired differently and that has
negative connection instead of a positive connection is at the tip of the bulb.
Per EverLED que sheet; "Lights that have this type of connection need to have
the "diamond" version of the EverLED. Check your distributor for availability.

To cut to the chase... I highly recommend the EverLED if you can afford it.
The beam intensity in the Aztec 4AA flashlight burns much brighter / better
focused than a Vistalite 5w MR11 hotspot bulb. That's amazing from a 1W
Luxeon. The beam penetrates a tight focus beam 50 feet away when the Cateye
EL-300 blueish light is fading fast. The white light reminds me of the light
put out by my MR16 Solux 4700K bulb. As a reference.. the higher the Kelvin?
temperature rating the whiter the light.. A typical MR11 / MR16 bulbs are rated
at no more than 3000K. Many manufacturers get the whiter light by overvolting
the bulb.

CONCLUSION....(for the moment.. I am very pleased with the output of the bulb
despite the high price tag).. The issue of quality is suspect (one DOA bulb);
time will tell. When one pays $34 to $40 for a bulb, one expect quality,
finish, and peformance.

As for using EverLed for trail riding.. I think with two EverLEDs installed on
workable 2 Cateye HL-1500s combined with a 10 to 15w watt helmet light will do
you fine -- especially if you ride in sandy trails that reflects much of the
light and help illuminate the trail.

Finally.. Cateye has the new EL-500 now.. If the same Cateye marketing guy that
overhyped the EL-300 when it was initially introduced, EL-500 will probably
disappoint as well.

So far.. the only Cateye in my inventory of lights that exceeded expectation
is the EL-200. The plastic case is not water tight, and slips apart too
easily.. but I used an old inner tube cut into strips of rubber band to hold
the case together.. the EL-200 when operating in flashing mode..is super super
bright, and as a being seen light.. I found no other better light in its class
and price range. I bought three of the EL-200 when it was on sale for around
$18.00.

Cateye lights in my current inventory:
MODEL / Quantity
1. Cateye HL-500 (3) -- great light for its vintage!!
2. Cateye HL-500ii (5)
3. Cateye HL-1500 (4) My all time favorite.. Only if it will work with EverLED
upgrade -- I'd be overjoyed!
4. Cateye EL-110 (2) original snow white
5. Cateye EL-200 (3) great flasher!! Won't leave home without it.
6. Cateye EL-300 (2) Over hyped.. disappointing even at $25 sale price.
7. Cateye MC-200 (2) (Luminux model) -- It sucks royally.
8. Cateye Luminux (5) (2C model aluminum body).. It sucks even more! But for
$5.00 each on sale; I bought it for the handlebar bracket)

NiteRider Trail (2)
Specialized Proview Solo (3) 12w overvolted bought at $20.00 from Performance.
Cygolite Rover
Nite-Hawk 5w Viper (4) - bought at Performance for $20.00 each..wanted the 5w
MR11 bulb.
Vistalite Code 15 --5w Hot Spot bulb..bluish tint.. not very bright.. Neat
design.. Looks like a bird egg. Handlebar bracket weak.
Vistalite Road Toad (4) -- wide beam spread.. worthless for seeing the road.
Vistalite 420 (2) - unique design.. frosted bulb -- focusable beam.
Replacement bulb not readily available. I still like it.

EverLED PR base flashlilght...You need one of these. NO KIDDING!

Much obliged.
Nick Lee
Sparks, NV
carless since January 2000
member of the 5 digit club (over 10,000 bicycle miles each year) since YR 2000.

Last week I obtained a Tektite LPR-2 LED replacement bulb and this
weekend tested it in two different Cateye 2-cell headlights, the HL-500
and the HL-270:

http://members.cox.net/lioninoil/lpr2.htm

--
"Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much
to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes,
it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877)

(NLee1875) wrote in message ...
August 16, 2004

Hello all..

Back in May, I posted an inquiry about the EverLed PR bulb. The bulb had good
reviews but I was not convinced.

After reading a review by a respected bike rider Bruce Ingle in the topica.com
newsgroup.. I decided to do my own informal evaluation.
cut
EverLED PR base flashlilght...You need one of these. NO KIDDING!
cut
Nick Lee
To summarise, I agree entirely with what Nick has written. For a
change, this is a product that exceeds expectations and where the
marketing claims match the product.

After reading this post I decided to try an EverLED to replace one of
the bulbs in my SMART BL201 (see
http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm?item8379.htm). The bulb (at
£28.20 from http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/product_i...roducts_id=605)
was more expensive than the lights new, so I was a little hesitant
about trying this.

I had previously replaced the 2.4W bulb with a 6W and made up a set of
5 AA NiMH rechargeables to replace the lead acid battery supplied
(actually 2 NiMH sets), the aim being to get acceptable illumination
for my daily commute (about 45 mins each way). This worked well, but
meant doing lots of recharging.

I wanted the Everled to give me the same illumination but with greater
battery life.

I considered the Cateye EL-500, but my experience with the EL-300 is
that, while it works quite well on fresh AA batteries, it isn't quite
so bright with NiMH's as with alkaline cells. I had hoped the EL-300
would replace my SMART system, but it was nowhere near good enough
(only small patch of road/path illuminated). I don't know if cateye
have included appropriate electronics with the EL-500 so that it will
work well with NiMH cells and couldn't find this out from their web
site. The Everled claims to work with a "1-6 cells" with "maximum
light from 3 or more cells", so should be a good bet with
rechargeables.

The Everled easily exceeds the brightness of the 6W bulb in my lights,
though it isn't as bright as the 10W one (subjective tests by using
pairs of bulbs in the two housing of the light and switching between
them illuminating the same spot on the wall).

The Everled is a pure white light, certainly much harsher than the
halogen it replaces, but without the blue cast of my EL-300.

Ultraleds supplied this next day and will certainly get an order for
another to replace the second bulb in my light set.

Like Nick, I am interested to know if the EL-500 would have done just
as well in terms of light output (with rechargeables) and battery life
(potentially it could as, I understand, it uses the same Luxeon Star
LED technology), but if you are currently using a 5W or less
incandescent bulb in a 4.5V or more light, you would certainly benefit
from an EverLED bulb for increased light output and battery life.

Andrew Webster

(NLee1875) wrote in message ...
August 16, 2004

Hello all..

Back in May, I posted an inquiry about the EverLed PR bulb. The bulb had good
reviews but I was not convinced.

After reading a review by a respected bike rider Bruce Ingle in the topica.com
newsgroup.. I decided to do my own informal evaluation.
cut
EverLED PR base flashlilght...You need one of these. NO KIDDING!
cut
Nick Lee
To summarise, I agree entirely with what Nick has written. For a
change, this is a product that exceeds expectations and where the
marketing claims match the product.

After reading this post I decided to try an EverLED to replace one of
the bulbs in my SMART BL201 (see
http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm?item8379.htm). The bulb (at
£28.20 from http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/product_i...roducts_id=605)
was more expensive than the lights new, so I was a little hesitant
about trying this.

I had previously replaced the 2.4W bulb with a 6W and made up a set of
5 AA NiMH rechargeables to replace the lead acid battery supplied
(actually 2 NiMH sets), the aim being to get acceptable illumination
for my daily commute (about 45 mins each way). This worked well, but
meant doing lots of recharging.

I wanted the Everled to give me the same illumination but with greater
battery life.

I considered the Cateye EL-500, but my experience with the EL-300 is
that, while it works quite well on fresh AA batteries, it isn't quite
so bright with NiMH's as with alkaline cells. I had hoped the EL-300
would replace my SMART system, but it was nowhere near good enough
(only small patch of road/path illuminated). I don't know if cateye
have included appropriate electronics with the EL-500 so that it will
work well with NiMH cells and couldn't find this out from their web
site. The Everled claims to work with a "1-6 cells" with "maximum
light from 3 or more cells", so should be a good bet with
rechargeables.

The Everled easily exceeds the brightness of the 6W bulb in my lights,
though it isn't as bright as the 10W one (subjective tests by using
pairs of bulbs in the two housing of the light and switching between
them illuminating the same spot on the wall).

The Everled is a pure white light, certainly much harsher than the
halogen it replaces, but without the blue cast of my EL-300.

Ultraleds supplied this next day and will certainly get an order for
another to replace the second bulb in my light set.

Like Nick, I am interested to know if the EL-500 would have done just
as well in terms of light output (with rechargeables) and battery life
(potentially it could as, I understand, it uses the same Luxeon Star
LED technology), but if you are currently using a 5W or less
incandescent bulb in a 4.5V or more light, you would certainly benefit
from an EverLED bulb for increased light output and battery life.

Andrew Webster

If you want bright, you won't be happy with the EL500. It's much better
than the EL300 though, and you can certainly ride with it on a
dark, pothole-free road with no problem. The road surface will
go invisible if there are many competing lights though.

I have 3 of them on my handlebars - I just added two and like the
size and construction and the battery life, which makes it possible
to make it home without rationing the light - and ordered a 4th for
a spare spot I think I can squeeze it in. Three of them is getting
up there in light, maybe 4 will do it. $40 at bikeman.com

I was happy with the Cateye halogen HL-1500 (also uses 4 AA's) pair
I had but the batteries didn't last long enough without rationing
the light to long half-power periods.

The EL500's look very bright from the front, and they're instantly
spotted as vehicle-like by traffic itching to pull in front of you
otherwise, anyway if you have more than one of them on the handlebars.

They turn on their mounts very easily, so you're reaiming them a lot,
compared to the old Cateye mounts. Not that they turn on their own
so much as that operating the switch will turn them.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

If you want bright, you won't be happy with the EL500. It's much better
than the EL300 though, and you can certainly ride with it on a
dark, pothole-free road with no problem. The road surface will
go invisible if there are many competing lights though.

I have 3 of them on my handlebars - I just added two and like the
size and construction and the battery life, which makes it possible
to make it home without rationing the light - and ordered a 4th for
a spare spot I think I can squeeze it in. Three of them is getting
up there in light, maybe 4 will do it. $40 at bikeman.com

I was happy with the Cateye halogen HL-1500 (also uses 4 AA's) pair
I had but the batteries didn't last long enough without rationing
the light to long half-power periods.

The EL500's look very bright from the front, and they're instantly
spotted as vehicle-like by traffic itching to pull in front of you
otherwise, anyway if you have more than one of them on the handlebars.

They turn on their mounts very easily, so you're reaiming them a lot,
compared to the old Cateye mounts. Not that they turn on their own
so much as that operating the switch will turn them.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Having recently perchased an EL-500, I thought I'd chip in with my 2
cents worth.

Following a tip in another post I installed Lithium batteries in the
light. (which I found at a good price on E-bay)

These batteries put out about 1.75V as compared to the Alkalines,
which put out about 1.5V.

In my opinion, this light works quite well and is a noticeable
improvement over both my EL-110 and my EL-300.

Unfortunately the beam pattern is in the shape of the Cateye symbol
and I think it would be better if it was a circle. Maybe they wanted
to advertize to spy satelites how many people use their product?

Lewis.

*************************



(Andrew Webster) wrote in message . com...
(NLee1875) wrote in message ...
August 16, 2004

Hello all..

Back in May, I posted an inquiry about the EverLed PR bulb. The bulb had good
reviews but I was not convinced.

After reading a review by a respected bike rider Bruce Ingle in the topica.com
newsgroup.. I decided to do my own informal evaluation.
cut
EverLED PR base flashlilght...You need one of these. NO KIDDING!
cut
Nick Lee
To summarise, I agree entirely with what Nick has written. For a
change, this is a product that exceeds expectations and where the
marketing claims match the product.

After reading this post I decided to try an EverLED to replace one of
the bulbs in my SMART BL201 (see
http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm?item8379.htm). The bulb (at
£28.20 from http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/product_i...roducts_id=605)
was more expensive than the lights new, so I was a little hesitant
about trying this.

I had previously replaced the 2.4W bulb with a 6W and made up a set of
5 AA NiMH rechargeables to replace the lead acid battery supplied
(actually 2 NiMH sets), the aim being to get acceptable illumination
for my daily commute (about 45 mins each way). This worked well, but
meant doing lots of recharging.

I wanted the Everled to give me the same illumination but with greater
battery life.

I considered the Cateye EL-500, but my experience with the EL-300 is
that, while it works quite well on fresh AA batteries, it isn't quite
so bright with NiMH's as with alkaline cells. I had hoped the EL-300
would replace my SMART system, but it was nowhere near good enough
(only small patch of road/path illuminated). I don't know if cateye
have included appropriate electronics with the EL-500 so that it will
work well with NiMH cells and couldn't find this out from their web
site. The Everled claims to work with a "1-6 cells" with "maximum
light from 3 or more cells", so should be a good bet with
rechargeables.

The Everled easily exceeds the brightness of the 6W bulb in my lights,
though it isn't as bright as the 10W one (subjective tests by using
pairs of bulbs in the two housing of the light and switching between
them illuminating the same spot on the wall).

The Everled is a pure white light, certainly much harsher than the
halogen it replaces, but without the blue cast of my EL-300.

Ultraleds supplied this next day and will certainly get an order for
another to replace the second bulb in my light set.

Like Nick, I am interested to know if the EL-500 would have done just
as well in terms of light output (with rechargeables) and battery life
(potentially it could as, I understand, it uses the same Luxeon Star
LED technology), but if you are currently using a 5W or less
incandescent bulb in a 4.5V or more light, you would certainly benefit
from an EverLED bulb for increased light output and battery life.

Andrew Webster

Having recently perchased an EL-500, I thought I'd chip in with my 2
cents worth.

Following a tip in another post I installed Lithium batteries in the
light. (which I found at a good price on E-bay)

These batteries put out about 1.75V as compared to the Alkalines,
which put out about 1.5V.

In my opinion, this light works quite well and is a noticeable
improvement over both my EL-110 and my EL-300.

Unfortunately the beam pattern is in the shape of the Cateye symbol
and I think it would be better if it was a circle. Maybe they wanted
to advertize to spy satelites how many people use their product?

Lewis.

*************************



(Andrew Webster) wrote in message . com...
(NLee1875) wrote in message ...
August 16, 2004

Hello all..

Back in May, I posted an inquiry about the EverLed PR bulb. The bulb had good
reviews but I was not convinced.

After reading a review by a respected bike rider Bruce Ingle in the topica.com
newsgroup.. I decided to do my own informal evaluation.
cut
EverLED PR base flashlilght...You need one of these. NO KIDDING!
cut
Nick Lee
To summarise, I agree entirely with what Nick has written. For a
change, this is a product that exceeds expectations and where the
marketing claims match the product.

After reading this post I decided to try an EverLED to replace one of
the bulbs in my SMART BL201 (see
http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm?item8379.htm). The bulb (at
£28.20 from http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/product_i...roducts_id=605)
was more expensive than the lights new, so I was a little hesitant
about trying this.

I had previously replaced the 2.4W bulb with a 6W and made up a set of
5 AA NiMH rechargeables to replace the lead acid battery supplied
(actually 2 NiMH sets), the aim being to get acceptable illumination
for my daily commute (about 45 mins each way). This worked well, but
meant doing lots of recharging.

I wanted the Everled to give me the same illumination but with greater
battery life.

I considered the Cateye EL-500, but my experience with the EL-300 is
that, while it works quite well on fresh AA batteries, it isn't quite
so bright with NiMH's as with alkaline cells. I had hoped the EL-300
would replace my SMART system, but it was nowhere near good enough
(only small patch of road/path illuminated). I don't know if cateye
have included appropriate electronics with the EL-500 so that it will
work well with NiMH cells and couldn't find this out from their web
site. The Everled claims to work with a "1-6 cells" with "maximum
light from 3 or more cells", so should be a good bet with
rechargeables.

The Everled easily exceeds the brightness of the 6W bulb in my lights,
though it isn't as bright as the 10W one (subjective tests by using
pairs of bulbs in the two housing of the light and switching between
them illuminating the same spot on the wall).

The Everled is a pure white light, certainly much harsher than the
halogen it replaces, but without the blue cast of my EL-300.

Ultraleds supplied this next day and will certainly get an order for
another to replace the second bulb in my light set.

Like Nick, I am interested to know if the EL-500 would have done just
as well in terms of light output (with rechargeables) and battery life
(potentially it could as, I understand, it uses the same Luxeon Star
LED technology), but if you are currently using a 5W or less
incandescent bulb in a 4.5V or more light, you would certainly benefit
from an EverLED bulb for increased light output and battery life.

Andrew Webster

Ron Hardin wrote in message ...
If you want bright, you won't be happy with the EL500. It's much better
than the EL300 though, and you can certainly ride with it on a
dark, pothole-free road with no problem. The road surface will
go invisible if there are many competing lights though.

cut
I'm really more interested in decent battery life. I generally only
cycle at night on roads I know well and have front and rear xenon
strobes for being seen.
I don't think anyone wanting super-brightness would be considering LED
lights.

I do prefer to use rechargeable batteries. Do you have any experience
of these in your array of EL500s?

They turn on their mounts very easily, so you're reaiming them a lot,
compared to the old Cateye mounts. Not that they turn on their own
so much as that operating the switch will turn them.

I'm not sure what you mean by the "old cateye mounts".

Is this the same bracket as the EL-300 (cateye web site doesn't make
this clear)? (having invested in an EL-300 bracket for four of my
bikes it would certainly influence me if the EL-500 were the same).

Andrew Webster

Ron Hardin wrote in message ...
If you want bright, you won't be happy with the EL500. It's much better
than the EL300 though, and you can certainly ride with it on a
dark, pothole-free road with no problem. The road surface will
go invisible if there are many competing lights though.

cut
I'm really more interested in decent battery life. I generally only
cycle at night on roads I know well and have front and rear xenon
strobes for being seen.
I don't think anyone wanting super-brightness would be considering LED
lights.

I do prefer to use rechargeable batteries. Do you have any experience
of these in your array of EL500s?

They turn on their mounts very easily, so you're reaiming them a lot,
compared to the old Cateye mounts. Not that they turn on their own
so much as that operating the switch will turn them.

I'm not sure what you mean by the "old cateye mounts".

Is this the same bracket as the EL-300 (cateye web site doesn't make
this clear)? (having invested in an EL-300 bracket for four of my
bikes it would certainly influence me if the EL-500 were the same).

Andrew Webster