I currently use a Lumicycle 20W halogen light with a glow ring for commuting. I think that the glow ring is an excellent way of making me visible from all angles. The only downside really is that I have to charge the battery more often than I'd like, and it would be nice to have the option of using the same head unit for uber-bright off road duties – hence I'm considering an LED upgrade.

I have a nearly new 4.8Ah Li-ion battery, so really would like to buy just a head unit. The obvious solution is the Lumi System 3 with a glow ring, which comes to something like £170. However, are there any other options that I should consider? I'd love to get a Trout light, but presumably they don't throw out too much light at right angles to the main beam?

Any suggestions?

Speak to Mr Trout – no doubt he'd beaver away in his garage for a night and come up with something for you 😀

I upgraded from the halogen lumi to the led system last year, its brilliant.
I use it for maybe 4 hrs commuting (pitch black country lanes / canal tow paths) and 2+hrs mtbing each week in the winter, and i put it onto charge over night on sunday.
Thought i better charge / discharge it the other day as its been sat there unused for months, and it took nearly 9 hrs on med / full setting (it switches down if it gets too hot, which it will with no breeze over it) before it was fully discharged.
I've also got the lumi rear led cluster.
With the glow ring you get plenty of side light (i've also plastered my commuter in reflective tape on the sides as well)
Recomended, and the Lumi folks are nice as well!

Get the 1W Lumi flood LED and use it with a glow ring, it will fit into your existing halogen can and is perfect for commuting/country lane use….

I don't think that the 1W Lumi LED would fit the bill. It would have increased run time, sure, but it wouldn't be very bright. Where I commute, the car drivers are not always the most careful, so I want BRIGHT (i.e. at least as bright, if not brighter, than my 20W halogen).

1W for commuting? Jesus.
As Gray says – I'd want as bright as bright can be. Brighter than the sun, if possible.

the led3 system is pretty bright, cars slow down becuase they dont know what it is coming towards them.
I've had a few cars flash me and i now point it down a little, its defo bright enough on the high setting and on the boost, i think it just about outshines the sun…

makes me wonder how on earth did we ever cope with commuting before the advent of the uber-light 😯

The concept of being seen by cars is not using 20W of focussed blue light but disperesed lighting & reflectors – dazzling drivers with lights does no-one any favours and makes you the "audi-driver of the bike world"

😉

Who said anyone wants to dazzle drivers with focussed light? A 1W light with glow ring will be relatively dim from all angles. I would like something that has the option of being bright enough to see (some of my route is on unlit country roads, often in bad weather, and it would be nice to use the same light offroad sometimes as well) as well as being seen. A glow ring with a brightish light (or some other mechanism for making me very visible from all angles) would satisfy these criteria. What I have now is adequate, but could be better, hence my question.

There is nothing noble about 'coping' with something that isn't ideal, if something better is available.