Sorry if this has been done before....
Does/would anyone still buy HID lights? I mean, they're still bloomin' bright, but does the cost of replacement bulbs effectively rule them out now?
answers on a postcard please!
Bike Forum
[closed]
Are HID lights still "relevant"?
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Posted 2 years ago #
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I wouldn't BUY another one for those reasons, no, but anyone with an L&M Arc will know how good they really can be...
IMO better than most LED stuff.Posted 2 years ago # -
HID technology has moved on (I was reading the other day that over 1000 lumens from an MR11 size lamp is available) & lamps can be had cheaply if you know where to look
Posted 2 years ago # -
http://www.solarc.net has new generation lamp specs.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Tell me more TS.....
Posted 2 years ago # -
When I phoned Lumicycle a few weeks ago, the chap I spoke to said HID was his preference (presumeably over their own LED4 system), so I guess if money is no object they may still have their place. Probably on a Ti framed bike!
Posted 2 years ago # -
HID still better as PP says but I wouldn't buy a new one when you can get decent LED systems for the price of a replacement bulb
Posted 2 years ago # -
Sod it! Call me daft, but I've just ordered a Lumi HID from their clearance section @ the bargainous price of £120. I reckon that's got to be worth a punt instead of some cheap chinese crap!
13 deg flood, endurance battery 7.5 hour runtime - I bet the battery's worth nearly £120!
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've still got a L&M arc ultra. My mate is a Distributor for Exposure (in NZ) and I've fiddled around with the biggest of them (Maxx-D?) and I'd say that although the Exposure is apparently 300 lumens brighter it doesn't look it in practice. And the Exposure can only sustain it for 3hrs at max and the L&M can manage 5. I still might buy one eventually as I like the compact size & single unit.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Sod it! Call me daft, but I've just ordered a Lumi HID from their clearance section @ the bargainous price of £120. I reckon that's got to be worth a punt instead of some cheap chinese crap!
I've just sold mine for £125!!
They are bonkers bright, but rather tightly focused........
Posted 2 years ago # -
I still use my HiD to shine bat shapes on to the clouds.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've still got an Edison 5, but have recently replaced it with a Maxx-D. The Edison is definitely brighter, but just not as versatile, and certainly more temperamental. I feel bad using it to commute because of the 'fragility' of them etc. Probably unfounded, but still. I wouldn't use it as a torch, for example, whilst I do that with my Maxx-D, and even more so my Joystick all the time!
Posted 2 years ago # -
I picked up a Hope HId for £115 new at my local bikehut last winter. Very happy with it
Ended up buying a second so I could have a spare head unit and battery...
Posted 2 years ago # -
Yup...currently run a TrailTech MR16 HID monster with c1800 lumens - fairly controllable and bought from the importer at a great price with great service. More than enough light for me and backed up by cateye Double Shot Pro.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I bought a(n) L7M Arc HID lasty year for £209 if i remember.
It's a fantastic lamp, brilliant output and a really good beam pattern.
Yes, if i were in the market for a new system i'd be looking at an LED jobbie but from the limited amount of LED systems i've physically seen running i would say my Arc is better. Of course, i haven't seen all the LED systems available so i've no doubt there are some LED's out there that produce even more light with a great beam pattern although the run times don't quite seem to be comparable as yet.By the time i'm looking to replace my Arc the LED's will really be something else and probably far cheaper than they are now - i hope!
Posted 2 years ago # -
I got bored last week & started experimenting with HID including new generation vs XRE & XPG LED
HID has much better throw, able to punch through the darkness better but LEDs had better spill & slightly better runtimes
Posted 2 years ago # -
Good to know people still have them.
I have some Ayups which are great, but they're (as the lumens war escalates!) just not bright enough any more really, and the battery life's dropped off (they're into their 3rd winter now).
Hey, if the bulb pops in the Lumi, at least I've got a nice big battery and a decent can to convert to LED!
Posted 2 years ago # -
snaps - is that the output from the lot!? Surprised you could look at it TBH!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Still running the lumi HID's here, bulbs are expensive but I've only had to replace one in 4/5 years.. when the next goes I WILL look a bit closer at the LED options buit likely just buy a bulb.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've still got a set of Cateye Stadium 3's replaced 2 years ogo with two Exposure Enduro Maxx units. Don't use the Stadiums any more, due to weight, size and faff value but they are still mega powerfull - 21w Metal Halide bulb and 3 1/4 hr run time. I think it is equivalent to about a 63w halogen bulb.
However, still think LED's are better and where all the R & D is at the mo.Posted 2 years ago # -
From the left,
NGX HID 1050 lumens
Hope HID 500ish
Twin XRE quad R2 LEDs 830ish lumens each
Trailtech NGX HID conversion 1050
Very early trout triple LED 600ish
Standard Lumi halogen 20w spot
Single XPG with narrow reflector 250 ish
Triple XPG with XRE optic 750ish
Triple XPG with Kiadomain optic 750ish
This is about 3400 lumens LEDs for spill & the bright blueish spot on the wall 35m away is the NGX HID.
I've got loads of parts for sale!Posted 2 years ago # -
I'd still be using my Trailtech HID if it wasn't so unreliable now, it's 4/5 years old and the ballast is more than a little flaky. Beats any LED for output though. Having said that the LED I've got is tiny in comparison the battery weighs about the same as the HID lamp, and the output's more or less enough...
Horses for courses
Posted 2 years ago # -
The Stadium was an incredible light, I remember when I got my Edison the Stadium was certainly brighter, but it weighed >1kg and took up your water bottle, and you had to find somewhere for the ballast, and then it flickered loads. Still, mental!
So actually my choice of lights have been getting steadily dimmer, but more usable.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The Hub in Glentress had a couple of stem mount Hope Hids for £150 each a few weeks back. I was tempted myself as I'm still running Lumi halogens!
Posted 2 years ago # -
"So actually my choice of lights have been getting steadily dimmer, but more usable."
njee - snap!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Sod it! Call me daft, but I've just ordered a Lumi HID from their clearance section @ the bargainous price of £120. I reckon that's got to be worth a punt instead of some cheap chinese crap!
I've just sold mine for £125!!
They are bonkers bright, but rather tightly focused........
actually £107
when I was looking for a second light for my gf budget was not an issue. I already own a l&m arc ultra and would not consider a led unit at the moment - BTW I only paid £110 for my l&m arc which retailed at £450 a couple of years ago!
HID'S are great and last well as long as you lookafter them.
Posted 2 years ago # -
"MFCat - Member
The Hub in Glentress had a couple of stem mount Hope Hids for £150 each a few weeks back. I was tempted myself as I'm still running Lumi halogens! "Lumi 20 w flood on the bars, hope hid on the lid. Perfect:)
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've still got an Edison 5, but have recently replaced it with a Maxx-D. The Edison is definitely brighter, but just not as versatile, and certainly more temperamental.
I've had two Edison 5's and another HID (make forgotten) in the past - fantastic but as above, just too temperamental for commuting. After repeatedly finding myself facing a ride of 10+ miles of unlit country lanes in the pitch black down to random failures (ballast / bulbs / cables) I sold the lot and bought a Maxx-D. Mine's seen over a year of daily use without a hitch - the battery was beginning to wane a little with reduced run-times but went back to Exposure for a free tune-up and it's returned as good as new.
There's a darkside cyclist who gets on the same train as me some mornings who runs two Lupine Edisons on a bottle battery. Over the last year I think twice so far he's been down to one of the pair as the other is being sorted.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Cheers for the heads up on the lumi ones.
bloody cheap that, just bought one.
(going to convert it to LED, but don't tell anyone)
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ordered my bargain Lumi HIDs yesterday afternoon + arrived this morning all in £126 including postage! bargin.
Posted 2 years ago #
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