I ordered a LL 3.0 and a Mini for the other half…

I’ve been like a kids waiting for Christmas with these lights, spending half my time refreshing Chris’ website to check if there’s been another blog update and the other half my time checking my email just incase.

Well today they arrived.

They are beautiful, first impressions are that despite the lack of corporate branding on the packaging and having the instructions emailed… i do not regret a single penny spent based purely on how beautiful they are before i’ve even tried them on the trails!

The quality of workmanship shines through and i’ve plugged in the batteries to check if all works… spot on with no problems. The new IP67 connectors are sturdy and attaching the battery means the cable is screwed in as part of the connection (no wires coming loose on the rough stuff!).

After recieving an email yesterday saying they were dispatched they arrived the next day well packed and via special delivery.

As mentioned i’m yet to test them out on the trails but first impressions are that i’ve made a great decision and Chris’ products are stunning.

Anybody else get their’s in the post today? (oh and you’ve got mail Chris)

Mines due today but im at work 🙁 might be outside my door, might be at the PO.

I think mine is waiting for me at home, something has been delivered but I haven’t had a ‘dispatched’ email or instructions so maybe it’s not my Liberator! But I haven’t ordered anything else.

Anyway, I can’t wait to give it a go. I haven’t been this excited about a new bike bit for ages, good to hear it impresses on the first look though.

Prepare to set the countryside alight!

Had similar levels of excitement when the 601 was on the way (similarish light with 6 XPG LEDs)!

mine came today, black instead of red i ordered (this aint a moan btw), do i use it tonight or be patient and wait exchange it? really tough decision.

Lovely bit of kit.

hummm i hope i got a puple one by accident if trouties gone color blind, i keep thinking i was too boring ordering black !

Just tested them out in a pitch black garden…

WOW!

No more taking my sunglasses off at night!

8)

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/liberation-has-arrived

I hope you used it Molly

I am color blind but think I managed to send you a black one. Titusrider 😕

no branding on the box don’t want them going missing so plain wrapper 😆

Eco instructions to save paper ( well my paper )

paulio
not sure who’s went out but if it was an endurance battery then probably not as I am waiting for the chargers to arrive

it wasnt a complaint about the branding and instructions 🙂 i think i mentioned it as its the kinda thing my OH would comment on… but its perfectly understated and suits the feel of buying something hand built in england 🙂 none of the major brand assumption that the buyer needs comforting… for example the ay-up case that crams everything in so tight its only good for shipping and once opened is near impossible to re-pack.

Another happy customer here – got it yesterday morning and worked a dream on the commute home. We’ll see how it copes with a winter of daily usage!

Well The red light arrived today so I can only think that troutie sent me before he received the black one back for exchange. Top man!

Sorry to drag this up again but had a play with mine now and its sweet. hopefully gonna be used in anger tomorrow 🙂
I am finding the velcro strap far too long though anyone else? I know the bike radar review said the strap was too short, have you got any of those left?!

Got mine on thursday, done a couple of rides with it, very impressd with light output & build quality, its fantastic, highly recommended.
Iain

Mine arrived last week and I completely agree – it’s really a beautiful thing.

The garden test indicates that its VERY bright,, but I won’t get to use it properly until the weekend… 🙁

Really like this guys products and has done a great job.

How much was your lights and did they come with the batteries?

Mine was £287 including the standard battery and postage. I think this deal was for pre-orders only so it may have gone up a smidge since.

Thoughts so far (deep breath, mini review on it’s way) 🙂 :

+ : scarily bright. Really, really, stupidly so. Boost has been wholly unnecessary and it knocks my old Maxx-D into a cocked hat for the commute. The beam is just right IMO – there’s also a fair bit more downward spill onto the road which increases my visibility to other road users (another good thing). So far it’s been easy enough to see on low for the whole commute – including some fast sections down country roads and it encourages a decent speed too. I think it’s rather anti-social in traffic though on anything other than it’s lowest setting so being very careful to be a good boy and keep it angled down as well.

+ : Really well engineered – feels like a quality bit of kit – the cable connectors are better even than my old Lupines which used to be the standard for external battery setups. There isn’t a bit that feels like there hasn’t been a lot of thought and care gone into it’s construction. I also like the fact its British made by a bloke in a shed (though some may feel this is neither here nor there). It’s certainly smaller and lighter than I had expected – there’s a heft to it but it’s surprisingly compact for the amount of output it generates.

+ : Mounting position (and color 🙂 ) – I like the fact that it sits centrally over the stem – whilst you could adjust the angle of the Exposures, with the Maxx-D especially it took a fair amount of room up on the bars (the bars on my commuter are quite narrow). The Liberator has meant that I can move my Garmin back next to my right-hand rather than mounting it on the stem. From an aesthetic point of view the shiny red is a pretty much exact match for my red Hope stem – sad I may be but this made me smile when I first put it on the bike.

Crappy picture from a commute earlier in the week to illustrate setup / mounting (excuse temporary tape on stem, to be sorted this weekend) :

+ : Price. For the money you’d be hard pressed to get similar lumens in a decent setup (I think it was lab tested at 2000 lumens or 1800 depending on which mix you went for). Previously I’ve had Exposure lights and the 6-pack is a lot more £££ for the same output (admittedly internal vs. external battery though). I think Luminous does a few models that are similarly priced mind you (and I know you’ve got the whole Bastid light thing which is another debate in itself)…

+ : External battery. As mentioned, I’ve previously had lights from a number of manufacturers and went from Lupine > Exposure when LED’s became a serious alternative to HIDs. This meant going from a bottle battery to an onboard one and I found it great – easy to take on / off the bike. Never had cables fail on me prior to the switch I’ve heard can be a problem (but it wasn’t the reason I changed, it was just down to bang for buck).

There are +/- to the whole internal vs. external battery argument but for me I’ve gone back to external because my lights get a LOT of use and eventually they degrade. I had this issue with my Exposures. It is a lot easier and cheaper to go to Smudge and get another backup / replacement than sending the whole unit off to Exposure and waiting 2/3 weeks to get it sent back. If you only use a light at weekends over the winter then I dont suppose degradation is likely to be an issue if you charge and store properly and there is something to be said for the ease of removal etc on the Exposures.

I also plan on doing a fair few longer rides over the winter and switchable batteries will help enormously – I know you can get piggybacks for Exposures but they’re silly expensive for one thing. Next month hopefully I’ll be buying an extra standard battery and keeping it in the pack too.

Negatives?

The only one so far is that I got used to the indicator on the back of the Maxx-D that showed you briefly what level your light was at. At dusk etc this was still legible – with the Liberator it’s not so easy to tell (although sticking your hand in front of the light whilst flicking levels is easy enough). That’s nit-picking though.

Oh, and maybe an externally mountable switch might have been a nice addition but that’s one for the wish-list rather than a direct criticism.

We’ll see how it fairs after a couple of months of daily use (between 2 and 4 hours). So far impressions have been pretty wholly positive…