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Has anybody used one of these? I'm just wondering how it compares brightness wise to my "900" Lumen Magicshine thingy. I know, it's going to be crap-ish- but at £30...
I'll let you know on Thursday when mine arrives, bought it as stop gap while my other light is being fixed!!!!!
About twice as bright as your magicshine, not 5x.
Ordered one last week. Interested to see what it's like when it turns up.
And Spicer said, "Let there be Light," and there was. Bloody loads of it.
I often blind dog walkers with my 2 magic shine 1600 jobs, its plenty of fun.
See this [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/talk-to-me-about-trail-lights ]thread[/url]
and this [url= http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/solarstorm-fandyfire-x2-844802.html ]one[/url]
Got one coming in the post, from what I've heard you can't really go wrong, although the battery life isn't fantastic at about 3 hours on medium (which is plenty apparently)
Well it certainly wont be 5000 lumens, but at £30 its worth a punt.Deal Extreme sell this particular light.
I've got one and have used it but haven't actually just compared it to mine or my m8's lights. Definitely not 5000 lumens, but seemingly loads better than the single XML light around over the last couple of years.
I wouldn't say it was "crapish" but mine came with a rubbish battery, other ppl report theres to be better, hardly the end of the world or unexpected.
Only quick comparison I did was side by side next to a Inton Dual XML (MS880 type jobbie), and it's definitely not quite as bright as that, but is substantially smaller & lighter.
I've ordered a couple.
Hahaha, the Chinese lumens are really getting ridicules!
A few years ago you would divide the silly figure by 50% and that would give you a top end estimate, but WHF 5000!
Divide that by 50%, then 50% again and then if you take another 20% off that, then thats the likely max output.
Divide that by 50%, then 50% again and then if you take another 20% off that, then thats the likely max output.
Wow, that ends up at 100,000 lumens then, that really is a bargain to be had! 😆
I got one last week and very impressed! Bargain!
Yeah cheapo 18650 battery pack but that's easy changed.
Anyone use a lipo battery pack?
5000ma lipo can be bought pretty cheap from purplepower or giantshark
problem with LiPo cells is they can be really tetchy if you don't charge them properly (balanced charger).
Make sure to put the LiPo in a hard shell/case too, if you get one.
Wow, that ends up at 100,000 lumens then, that really is a bargain to be had!
That'll be next years Chinese Lumens figure for 3x XML 😉
Nah the triple unit are only 6000 lumens (check out ebay), though I'd stick with the smaller x2 (lower profile) for helmet use.
i have had an 1800lm for a year and it's been fantastic, reliable, long battery and very bright.
Bought the 5000lms couple of week's ago for night ride outs and to be honest very hard to tell any difference between them. Still good light for the money though 🙂
*EDIT
There is also a 9000lm as well
How does this compare to a magicshine 872?
I don't need new lights but I can't help myself.
Says its using "XML U2" emitters, anyone know how those might differ from the T6?
5000 lumen , what a joke. I would be amazed if the actual output was offer 1200
It's a little more than £30 but it does produce a real, measured (by whom I don't know) 4,500 lumens! http://www.full-beam.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SYS_X12_2013
I've got their little 2,500 lumen light and TBH that's plenty, just over 3hrs at full whack, days and days on low.
Divide that by 50%, then 50% again and then if you take another 20% off that, then thats the likely max output.
I make it 16,000 - still pretty good though 😉Wow, that ends up at 100,000 lumens then, that really is a bargain to be had!
The latest XM-L will produce around 1000 Lumens in optimal lab conditions, stick that in a light and you would be looking at around 700-800 max accounting for losses.
Those 2x XM-L lights would likely only be putting out 500-600 each max, so 1000-1200 max.
And its pretty unlikely that they will have the latest ones too, despite what it says.
To properly measure lumens, you need to use a sphere, the best most of us could do is to use a light meter and find the lux, but that only tell you how bright a light source is.
I have a 9x XM-L flashlight which is advertised as 11000 Lumens, tests showed it was about 5000 max when first switched on, going down to around 3500-4000 after the heat etc... kicked in.
These ebay cheapo lights are great (i use three of last years XML's myself), buuuut the mounts are ****. Really need to bodge something much better... Batteries are defo on their way out now too, but unlike everyone warned me the lights themselves still work great!
The hope qr light mount works..you may need a shorter screw.
The Magicshine headmount also works....
Fiddled with one tonight. Nicely made little light. Really is very bright for the money. I don't understand why you need to spend hundreds, when these work better than I would have expected. I can also agree on the battery case being a bit cheap but with a locking ring on the connector to prevent it pulling out by accident and the weight of it, they are good. And all for £30. Going to get one myself now, after handing it back to its owner.
a bit? you look like his brother
Just ordered one, do they come with a helmet mount or do I need to get my bodge on?
Didn't see one in the box, just a pair of rubber rings for mounting to bars
Wouldn't want to catch my knee/leg on that in an over the bars fall.
If it's more than 1100 lumens I'd be amazed. Probably reclaimed laptop cells in the battery pack I would imagine. Definitely one to charge in a metal box.
If it's more than 1100 lumens I'd be amazed. Probably reclaimed laptop cells in the battery pack I would imagine. Definitely one to charge in a metal box.
1100 lumens is plenty. I've got a 500 lumen lamp that I can ride as fast as I can with.
Even if the battery is rubbish you can pick up a 4400mah in the UK for £30 or 6600mah for £35.
Wouldn't want to catch my knee/leg on that in an over the bars fall.If it's more than 1100 lumens I'd be amazed. Probably reclaimed laptop cells in the battery pack I would imagine. Definitely one to charge in a metal box.
Is there perhaps a reason you are being so negative about this light? Ulterior motive perhaps?
Everyone who's bought one seems very happy.
Wouldn't want to catch my knee/leg on that in an over the bars fall.
Its only a bit bigger than a fag packet :roll:. Probably more problems with banging your knee on the stem or just ride within you're capability or stay indoors 😉
or just ride within you're capability or stay indoors
HAHA stay indoors? Are you mad when we can have a laugh at me falling off again. not forgetting the beer after 😆 Thrusty, don,t tell them about my home made batt. Packs
Ha ha, FFS, every year they draw me in with their promise of more lumens than I'll ever know what to do with. Ordered.
(I'm justifying it as it means I can now leave lights permanently on my road and mountain bike helmets and the bars of three bikes too.)
Got to admit, I was just drawn to the pretty red anodising with the excuse I needed a backup light 😳
Is there perhaps a reason you are being so negative about this light? Ulterior motive perhaps?
He sells lights, but it can't be that. Probably just genuine concerns.
.
The battery will be pap, though. Which always seems to be the weak point with these lights.
I'm very open about the fact that I sell lights but that doesn't exclude me from holding an opinion.
Lots of people on here work for specific bike brands but share opinions about loads of bikes.
I'm in a bit of a quandary here, Yes I already own 3 single emitter XML lights and an aged P7 all of which are still functional... But £30?... it's really not bad VFM, and it’s hardly like we don’t know what we’re getting now after what ~4 years or so of: P7 & XML emitter, 4x18650 batteries (with questionable weather tightness) and patented ,[I] firestarter [/I]chargers we’re all used to Chinese “Bastid” lights.
To those that own or have played with one, what's the beam pattern like? anyone got a beam shot yet?
Is it just a slightly wider hot spot with a big bastard halo (as I'd sort of expect two £15 XMLs side by side to be)?
How about weight? much heavier than a single? I'd see this as more of an option for noggin than bar mounting...
Similar claimed output from lights like this. Fairly obvious that it'll be nowhere near those figures but even so I'd be interested to see just how bright they are and how usable the spread of light is.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycle-HeadLamp-Headband-6400mah-Charger/dp/B00E59JOMC/
Painey - there are 2 things I would watch for with that light you linked to on Amazon.
Please never over-charger or over-discharge the 18650 batteries, which means when the brightness of the flashlight is going down clearly but not totally dark, it is the time to charge it, or the battery will be over-discharged and it will be broken or short-circuit when you charge it the next time.
Would that suggest that there is no protection circuit to protect from over charging or discharging of the cells. Li-ion cells really don't like being discharged below 3v - it kills them. That would suggest the user must watch for when the light dims and turn it off or kill the cells. There are other cheap Chinese lights that offer some protection so I'd look elsewhere.
I'd also wonder about heat management of the emitters with 4 XMLs in a fairly small light head. If they have no protection against over heating the led's will simply get less and less bright until they die.
There are better cheap lights out there than that one.
There some beam shot [url= http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/solarstorm-fandyfire-x2-844802-9.html ]here[/url]. You'll need to be a mtbr member to see them & the shots are too cluttered to make a great comparison, other than there a lot spread but not huge increases in overall output.
I have one, as I couldn't resist one for £25. I can't tell you what the beam is like as I've simply used it to ride (with another light) & not sat in a field playing with the beam - very bright is all I'd say.
I have quickly compared it side by side with one Neninja's old Inton dual XML (the MS880 is similar) & that had the edge on the X2 output wise, but is a huge light/reflectors & cost £125 (£150 for a MS880?)
It's a small unit, so I'd say a great head light, the head unit being half the height of my single XML light (though the Luminator and gloworm I've seen quickly, were a lot smaller). My scales report it as 97g including mount, my old MTB Batteries V1 XML (with a Electron handlebar mount) weighs in at 140g. Though I'd want to use a different mounting to attach it to my helmet (not seen a good way yet), as mounting it on the [url= http://www.bikelightsuk.com/accessories/magicshine_helmet_mount_for_all_magicshine_lights_mj872_mj816_mj808e_P577.html ]'normal' MS helmet mount[/url] will lift it away from the helmet and lose the point of the low profile
It looks like i've given this company a decent amount of business here.
Maybe I should ring them up and demand commission?
(....right after I order mine....)
Anyone know of anywhere that sells 8x 18650 cells that will fit the SolarStorm light?


