Apart from the flare I like explouse stuff and will buy another for this winter as my joystick is years old and finally died
Mk1 6 pack still going strong and love my revo dynamo light

Never had to return any of my stuff but the odd customer stuff has always been delt with very well

SSX2 with battery box and 3400 18650’s, if it fails i’ll drop back to my older chinese light, …. and wait for the replacement SSX2 to arrive through the post 😀

Once youve got a decent set of 18650 and battery box chinese lights are very cheap to own. Not had any fail so far either. Fasttech seem to sell the “genuine” solarstorm.

I use one and can’t fault it, currently looking at one of the road specific ones.

Exposure user here for over a year. I resisted for a long time, having tried a whole number of other options (including a Troutie Lumen Liberator). I reasoned that no light could be worth as much as they were charging, given their relatively modest outputs for the price.

The Troutie Lumen Liberator will always be the most impressive light I’ve used when it comes to power and beam pattern, but my Exposure Maxx-D (I also have a Toro and a Joystick) gives about 90% of the performance of the Lumen Liberator (and a lot more than just about any Chinese light I’ve seen) but at probably half the weight, and 10 times the convenience. I’m completely sold on the “all in one” construction, it means using the light on several bikes is easy, especially carbon framed bikes.

Exposure Lights are like iPhones. You either get them, or you don’t. Those that get them are more than happy to pay a significant premium, and those that don’t will never understand.

Overpriced with shit batteries/chargers. Loads better for far less.

I have two and the design is brilliant but they’ve been back to exposure several times. How many components in there can go wrong?

They also offer great support to the UK race calendar from what I’ve seen. I’d buy them if I could afford them but wouldn’t stretch myself financially.

We have a few Exp lights: joystick, 2x Maxx D’s, diabolo, equinox and a few old enduros.

They need to make the bar clamp quick release I think, as the allen key fixing is too slow and too fiddly. Chargers can be a bit flaky too (though we have some pretty old chargers). Other than that they are great lights. Backup is very good and race support is a godsend (thanks chaps!)

We do a fair amount of night riding in groups and those bloody chinese lights are a pain – always someone with one conking out mid-ride.

PS: mboy: Didn’t I buy a MaxxD off you at mayhem a couple of years ago? (or was it someone else?) – if so it’s still working great, ta! 🙂

Well worth the money.
I’ve been using a Maxx D for a few years now and it’s still going strong, absolutely no problems at all.
When I was looking for a helmet light I tried a Chinese thing as recommended on either here or Bikeradar and it was rubbish, the battery only lasted about half an hour and the beam was rubbish. I picked up a Diablo soon after that and realised that I should’ve done that in the first place.

I hired a Six-Pack at 24/12 last month and it was brilliant, better than the Maxx D and longer battery life so I think I might treat myself to one of them fore use during the winter.

I bought my first 6 years ago and still use it now, original batteries, now got a Sixpack and 2 diablos, used them on my 24hr this year despite being “supported” by 4th Lights, I just don’t like faffing with external batteries, although they probably are brighter as all mine are a few years old now

http://chris-noble-mtb.blogspot.co.uk

I’ve got two, six pack for the bars and Diablo for the head.. fantastic kit and I echo all the +’ve stuff already said.

I had the back fall out of my six pack during a ride (already had it two years), I contacted Exposure and they replaced FOC within a week.

Expensive, yes, but customer service, quality of light and ‘doing what it says on the tin’ more than makes up for it

+1 to what pretty much everyone has said …. they’re ace 🙂

MAXX-D, Strada, Trace and tracer all completely faultless, unlike an
exploding chinese one I had some time back !!!

I got given a Joystick as a present. Its well made and I like the programmable modes. The beam pattern is very good too. But I wouldn’t buy one full price too expensive for me.

There are good half way houses between the super cheap lights and Exposure lights. If I was buying again I’d go for these.

Four4th must have have on of the most confusing brand names out there – I’ve always understood it to be “Four Forth”, but it always seems to be pronounced/written as 4th or Four or sommat.

Do any of the Chinese lights come as an all in one package, with internal battery? That’s one of the biggest appeals of the Exposures, and yet they seem to have remained about the only people to do it. I know you can get the Joystick/Diablo-esque torches, but what about a full on handlebar mounted one?

I really wouldn’t want to go back to having to attach batteries to stems and top tubes and what not!

I’ve seen this monster on DX. Also comes in 4 and 3 LED versions.

Not tried them but I’m not convinced they are any good. Assuming they have designed good thermal paths and proper heat sinks (an area which these cheap lights usually are rubbish in) then I’m not sure what the beam pattern would be like.

They use smooth reflectors which can produce spotty beams with halos. Not sure what will happen if use multiple emitters? Will the uneven beams cancel each other out to produce a smooth pattern or will it just make things worse with a patchy beam pattern?

Same as most others in here. My Toro was a very expensive purchase for me 5 yrs ago, but has been faultless on the daily commute ever since (all weathers and every working day, and is used both am and pm when winter really sets in for around 1 1/2 hours a day).

I also use it to power the Red-Eye on the rear (cable-tied the cable along the top tube of my commuter). Also used on weekly 2+ hour MTB rides in the dark evenings and has been dropped / soaked and generally well used without fault.

Have now paired it with a £20 Chinese thing mounted on my helmet (with wire trailing down my back into my camelback to the battery). The Chinese things seem to last almost a whole winter before the battery pack stops holding charge.

Not sure I would pay the extra for another Exposure though. I don’t have that sort of cash these days and a ‘disposable’ Chinese thing suits me OK.

Echo all positive comments above – have had a MaxxD and Joystick for a looong time (both Mk1 IIRC) and they’re still going strong. MaxxD switch broke off recently and Exposure fixed it for a couple of quid.

I have used Chinese torches as lights in the past and they’ve been crap.

njee – the reflex is defo being discontinued, but if you look on wiggle the newest version of maxx d is using the same techonolgy (which is a great idea as per reflex) and its now got 2400 lumesn (so more thank the reflex too)

i guess it makes sense, as the price is lower than a reflex for the new maxx d and the maxx d is their best selling light so in that respect it makes sense to put all of the best bits into 1 unit, to save on costs etc

they are great lights, i had a period away from them but ive got a reflex again now and the quality is just amazing, everything from machining to the light itself (what limited time ive used it so far)

best thing is the run-time on the back, its absoutly genius!

I’d not noticed the Maxx D could do the Reflex thing for 2015, that makes sense then, and means there’s definitely one on my shopping list!

+1 for exposure. MaxxD on the bars and a gloworm X2 on the lid…..blinding, literally.

MaxxD two years old now and still going really well, especially as its used at least 2nights a week for a combined 6 hours. Battery still going strong with no drop off in performance. Crashed with it several times and only ever damaged the bar clamp.

+ 1 for all the positive feedback above.

Diablo helmet light , going into it’s 4th fault free year. Would happily buy again!

njee20 – Member

I’d not noticed the Maxx D could do the Reflex thing for 2015, that makes sense then, and means there’s definitely one on my shopping list!

it would be on my list too, but luckily i got an absoultly amazing price for a reflex @ 219 quid brand new so it was a no brainer

exposure really are the best around at what they do, and they have a market as clearly no one else can make all in light units anywhere near the same power/quality/finish so i truly hope they do well for themselves, a genuinely innovative product that is clearly hard to be replicated

I got a Maxx-D from Evans last winter at 40% off, which made it palatable / affordable. I wouldn’t have paid full whack. However, it’s been brilliant and I love the design. Better quality light pattern than my previous Chinese jobs. i’ll be using that and my Joystick when cycling from Carlisle to Edinburgh tonight!

Flash and Flare are ok, though the rear is a bit temperamental when I don’t have mudguards on the commuter and it gets covered in spray.

PS: mboy: Didn’t I buy a MaxxD off you at mayhem a couple of years ago? (or was it someone else?) – if so it’s still working great, ta!

Haha, so you did! I bought that one on a total whim, wasn’t doing any night riding at all at the time really, so couldn’t justify keeping it.

The moment I sold it to you, I regretted it! My light packed up that night, and I had to borrow one off someone else!

Bought a 2nd hand Toro a year or so later which isn’t bad at all, if a narrow beam. Now the GF uses that as I bought a newer Maxx-D.

Exposure all the way for me. I have a toro and joystick. The toro used weely on night ride and the joystick in almost constant use for commuting due to working a crazy shift pattern. One issue with the joystick which was sorted for free very quickly. customer service has been great for me all my riding mates use exposure as well highly recommended. Expensive yes but you get what you pay for. I had a cheapo chines light prior but reliability was just not good enough.

My Diablo’s just been through the washing machine and it still works fine. I would definitely recommend. Although I wouldn’t recommend the heart failure when you realise whats banging about in the washing machine!!

since about four years I´m very pleased with my diabolo…used for commuting, nightrides and as back up light for the alps trips..
it never let me down..
after several quite good chinese lights, with poor batteries, a melted charger , and some issues with my current handlebar light a leyzine SD, I decided to get another exposure
the Maxx D MK7 has a very good price at eavenscycles right now and will be available next week ..
but I`m in no need for the reflex/accelerator thing and not really convinced by the capacitive switching..(touch the backplate of the light to change the mode )..
so I will go for the Maxx D MK6…

Well after reading all that I’m glad I didn’t go for a cheap Chinese light. I went for a slightly less cheap Chinese light which has been flawless.

Well after reading all that I’m glad I didn’t go for a cheap Chinese light. I went for a slightly less cheap Chinese light which has been flawless.

Indeed. Perfect STW logic.

Cheap lights are rubbish so I absolutely HAVE to buy the most expensive ones.

Ive had a number of exposure lights . Lovely ide and build quality but i found the batteries to be awful. They just seem to fail to hold charge far too quickly

Cheap lights are rubbish so I absolutely HAVE to buy the most expensive ones.

Has anyone said that? Exposure Lights are good. Some very cheap Chinese lights aren’t. These two statements are unrelated. No one’s saying it’s exposure or tat.

Four posts up from mine…

Again, someone saying they had cheap Chinese lights, but the reliability was poor? That’s not saying “the only alternative was therefore an Exposure”.

Sure there’s a degree of ‘once bitten, twice shy’, and everyone seems accepting of things like inability to leave chargers unattended, which for me would be a massive red flag, but again, not seeing anyone saying “my £20 ones were shit, so I had to spend £400”.

No one’s saying it’s exposure or tat.

An awful lot of people on this thread appear to be choosing between those two options. The general theme is that experience of cheap tat makes Exposure worth it – which does suggest people haven’t really considered the alternatives to those options.

Admittedly I don’t use the charger which came with mine, but the quality charger I already owned is only £20, which still leaves a lot of change.

So? You’ve paid your money and made your choice. As have I, and everyone else on this thread. It differs from yours. I’ll buy Exposures again, although I’m well aware of the other choices out there.

I could’ve bought a Chinese carbon frame instead of my Trek, would probably have been every bit as good, may well have been lighter. But I didn’t.

Out of interest are your lights a fully self contained jobby, or are you hanging bits off your bike?

If it’s not such a big deal, why are you so defensive?

the pic shows the reason why I decided to go for the diablo..
riding down from a valaise peak on a fantastic tech trail after a long day exploring,the batteries of my magicshine light collapsed, they where well charged and worked perfect on the evenings before..
I had to push my bike for another two and a half hours down to the ground of the valley with the help of a tiny petzl emergency headtorch..
(no way without these !!)
there are very good cheap chinese lights …but for me reliability has first priority..

…but for me reliability has first priority..

Plenty of examples up there of exposure lights failing. Yes they get fixed quickly under warranty but you’d still have been walking down that hill in the dark….

no…since that happened I always go with two lights.. 🙂

Diablo here, helmet mounted for MTB, on the bars for the Road. Piggy back if needed. It’s been repaired twice at two years foc and three years for £12 but never let me down on a ride.

What’s not to like?

What’s not to like?

Price?
And the fact they have been repaired twice?!

😉

Still tempted to save up and get a diablo. Already own mj-872, ay-ups and a Joystick. The Joystick v7 was £56 in the wiggle price drop sale and is brilliant for the.money but not quite bright enough for proper mtbing. Good as a road headlight with the micro red eye rear though and a great occasional bar light for spring/autumn when I don’t want to lug the big battery magicshine for 30 mins use at the end of the ride.