I’m thinking of pulling the trigger on one of these to get into night riding.

The 2013 model can be had for cheap via Torchy. The 2014 model is supposedly 20% brighter and has a, again supposedly, better lens.

Should i stump up the extra £25 and go 2014 or can a 2013 owner convince me to save the cash?

If this is your first light, I’d be tempted to say to get something a little less expensive… try and see if you like it 1st.
Also two lights (bars & helmet) are better than one big-un, so if that your total budget, spend it on two instead. I’d suggest a dual (2x) XM-L unit(s) of some kind, maybe Torchy’s Oriole or a SolarStorm x2 but definitely NOT a single XM-L led unit! You could buy one, see if you think it’s good fun then bay a the second and increase your speed

I’m not suggesting the Fluxent 3x XM-L (2013/4) are bad lights in any way.

Thanks z1ppy. I was looking at a single XM-L Fluxient but the throw test videos on Youtube made it look pretty crappy for use on its own.

The Solarstorm x2’s look really good for the money but I’m not too convinced about their longevity just yet. Seems like there’s a lot of happy people with them but let’s see how they go 6 months / a year down the line 😀

I’ve got one of the single XM-L2 Fluxient lights and it’s a really good quality bit of kit (see here).

Matching it with a more floody twin LED light on the bars makes a good setup.

If you have a look on ebay there’s a seller doing the 2014 3x U2s for £110, if that’s what you’re after.
They look like a good light and should throw out more light than you’ll ever need. The thing that’s stopping me getting one is the size of the battery needed to run it – the 8 cell pack that comes in the kit is a big lump of battery to strap onto the bike. At the moment I’m using a 4 cell battery for the bar light and a little 2 cell for the one on my helmet.

Mark, I assuming he comparing Torch (Big_f_d_d) 3x XML U2 (2013) on ebay @ £110 with Bikelights 3x XM-L2 (2014) £135

As for the SSX2, I can understand your reluctance, as there definite quality worries, even between seemingly identical head units. Though if you wait a year, they’ll simply have been replaced it with a newer brighter/better (?) lights to temp you..

Can I suggest the Yinding units, as an alternative better made and more professional looking unit & it’s bloody tiny. A pretty brilliant headlight IMO, though has to be sourced from china (latest LED’s, head unit only), so a long wait and you still need a battery/charger.

I understand though, that some ppl simply don’t want the hassle/gamble of the cheaper chinese units, that said let me make it clear, I wouldn’t put the likes of the fluxient in this category.

Can I suggest the Yinding units, as an alternative better made and more professional looking unit & it’s bloody tiny. A pretty brilliant headlight IMO, though has to be sourced from china (latest LED’s, head unit only), so a long wait and you still need a battery/charger.

The Yindings are a nice little light – mine only took 2 weeks to arrive from China. You can avoid most of the shipping problems if the package doesn’t contain a battery.

2014 3x XM-L2 here for £110.

damn I’d not seen that XM-L2 on ebay, looks to be the same seller as I linked to @ £135 (going by the name), that’s really quite good value.

Mark, which supplier did you get your Yindings from out of interest? (nice quick delivery)

EDIT: Ahh I see in the other thread, you used Aliexpress

My SSX2 is a perfectly good little unit, even the battery has worked out better than expected. (not as good as a quality unit, but still gives a useful lifespan) Charger went in the bin though! Downside is, it took about a month to arrive.

The Yinding looks a lot nicer, but then it would, the head unit alone costs about 4 times what I paid for the complete SSX2. OTOH it’s still not expensive for what you get, and you’d end up wanting at least a better charger anyway.