Quick thought for those that think the beam isn't floody enough, have you tried taking off the lens and removing the reflector for one of the LEDs?
For such a cheap light the output is good but its not "ZOMG this light is amazeballs" bright, its not noticeably brighter than my C&B seen 1200 lumen single XML.
I thought it was noticeably better than my single U2 lamp. Medium was ample for road riding at speed (well, as good as my speed gets anyway), High didn't seem much of an improvement, Low was fine to pootle and get home.
For £25 delivered it's unbelievable value. I'm going to get another as a complete spare to carry.
I'm going to get another as a complete spare to carry.
Why not but three to be really, really ,really sure 🙂
Ok another update.
Went out tonight had a really good night ride, cheers Dave 😀
Swapped lights around, old single P7 on bars. New solarstorm on lid.
Great combination. Solarstorm is so light you cant even feel it on the helmet, much better angle of light than on bars less shadows etc.
Ran it on full power with my 8 cell battery (ebay £13) the 3 led`s were still lit after 2 hours on high.
Very pleased with the light, great for the money and when helmet mounted.
NorthCountryBoy - Member
Ok another update.
Went out tonight had a really good night ride, cheers Dave
Swapped lights around, old single P7 on bars. New solarstorm on lid.
Great combination. Solarstorm is so light you cant even feel it on the helmet, much better angle of light than on bars less shadows etc.
[b]Ran it on full power with my 8 cell battery (ebay £13) the 3 led`s were still lit after 2 hours on high.[/b]
Very pleased with the light, great for the money and when helmet mounted.POSTED 8 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
Sounds like a good battery, have you got any links to this, cheers.
I just got one of these X2 lights just to see what all the fuss is about
will be giving it a going over in the next few days but first impression
is its not that bright compared to what 2 XMLs can deliver
It got hot very hot on full and did not dim down at all I had to switch it off when it was too hot .
the battery weighs quite a bit less than a similar battery 7.4 volt 4.4 amp hour pack from Smudge so would explain the low runtimes some are reporting .
some comparison beam shots to follow soon
I bought mine through fleabay. It worked one time then stopped working. I am happy to report they sent me out a complete new light (inc battery/charger/etc) for free and I get to keep the broken one! Now how to take the light apart... Are they Torx?
Mine arrived Monday, took a couple of weeks ordered from lightmalls, packaging was pretty poor, but it got here safe enough...
I've not had a chance to use it in anger yet but it's mounted up on the helmet ready to go, I had a marathon battery charging session last night too so the bar mounted single T6 should be adequately powered, and I have a spare battery that works with either light should I require it, the 'X2's battery took ~3hrs to charge from its 1A charger, the indicators on the back of the light head seem to drop as soon as you cycle through the "High" setting which either means it's a rather basic indicator (linked in some way to a low current protection feature on the driver?) or the pack was already pretty low on juice, disconnecting and reconnecting the battery seems to reset the battery indicator So I'll probably not be paying much attention to it...
I think I'll be keeping an eye on exchance rates and lightmalls pricing, and ordering a 2nd X2 light head for the bars soon, I'm in no rush as I've got a couple of old single emitter XMLs available and those were already more than adequate.
My increased capacity battery plans are evolving a little, I think I'm back to 18650 cells as the size and cost of them is a little more sensible, having had a look at the available space I believe I could assemble anything up to a 16 cell pack (2S8P) in there and achive some utterly ludicrous run times (Having bitched about the "excessive" battery pack the new Hope R8 uses the other day), but what I might do first is find a means of connecting two of the "Standard" 4x18650 batteries in parallel as a cheap "runtime doubler" for whatever light I attach without having to change connectors about in the dark... Then start the new battery.
Wierdly the light head options aren't all that interesting anymore, there's far more "Cheap lumens" available than anyone could realistically [U]need[/U] now I'm more interested in how I now go about powering the death-rays for longer periods, as the stock reclaimed random 4x18650 batteries are probably not up to the task any longer...
The screws are tiny torx ones - T5 from memory (i.e. 0.5)
Hi shaggmiester...
the battery I bought is this one, they have put the price up by a few quid since I bought one. It took a long time to charge when I first received it so I was a bit worried it was duff. But after using it last night it re-charged pretty quick and seemed to hold its charge well when using the light continually on full power.
The connector had a slightly different detail, in that the screw thread on the external plastic sleeve was a different thread, and it had a sort of plastic shroud at the end of the connector. i trimmed the shroud bit off with a sharp knife and found the pin connector detail is the same as the light unit and charger so no real need for the screw sleeve part. All seems pretty compatible.
Will be interesting to see trouts views on the lamp unit as perhaps with a bit of tweaking more can be gained from these lights.
I originally ordered a couple from Fasttech, but they are having problems with Singpost, so I asked to cancel and ordered from Dongx2011 via eBay - two turned up this morning. The batteries are six cells - a bit shorter than the ancient blue Trustfire 'protected' 18650 in my commuter light.
Three pin UK plug, takes a wee while to reach full charge.
The sending address is a distribution company near Gatwick airport. Looking at it, they act as a fulfillment arm for a bunch of online-only merchants that build a web page and then rely on the company to hold stock, manage shipping and returns. My guess is that the actual merchant is not this distribution company - and that the kit is cheap enough that returns will be handled on a 'ship 'em a new one' basis. No idea what all this means for QC.
Free rear blinky in the plain brown cardboard boxes they shipped in, as well. Looks cheap and 'orrible, but it's pretty bright on first click.
One for the Udderlet's cardboard box fire engine, I reckon. 🙂
Hey guys, battery boxes are here!! 😀 I'm going to be doing a full objective review tonight including all measurements, teardown and pics. I have one soaking in the bath just now 🙂 I'll email those who asked me to put one asside for them later tonight. All I'll say now is that they are really nice quality and match the quality of the head unit.
Until later, Ollie
Hey, sorry this has taken so long. Had to use a combination of my parents' decade old iMac and my android to upload the pics which was painful. I'll put more up tomorrow when I'm back in Dundee and email everyone who has emailed me previously.
Disclosure :I have some of these for sale. This is an objective review but just so you know.
So the case is nice quality, it's seriously strong, I think it would be impossible to break it even by stamping on it. Whatever plastic they used is good for the job. The manufacturing tolerances are very good. The lid and body come together tightly. The lid is lined with rubber which you can see in the photo to seal it against the body. There is an o-ring between the tightening knob and the lid to prevent water ingress. I don't know what the 'loop' of plastic on the side is for, you could pass webbing through it but I don't know why you might want to.
The connector is threaded for the X2's barrel nut.
The springs are nice quality and are firm.
There is no protection circuit so protected batteries or batteries charged in a separate charger must be used.
Panasonic protected cells will fit but it will be a tight squeeze.
It will take flat top batteries.
The cable looks like it could be fairly easily replaced by another of the same gauge.
All in all I'm really happy with it. Just need some decent batteries now.
MEASUREMENTS TO COME TOMORROW.
Cheers, Ollie
http://imgur.com/MaXCo35
http://imgur.com/jOwCK1u
http://imgur.com/qE4VtQu
http://imgur.com/4DHOhyx
http://imgur.com/zAwS0mn
http://imgur.com/VNBoj4z
http://imgur.com/lOVbZj8
http://imgur.com/L6nufaR
Discount code prot2cou gets $2 off your order from lightmalls
Great news, Ollie!
Will drop you an email. They look pretty sound - although the soldering looks a bit like my work. 😯
Did you send the emails Ollie?
nada here... (from Ollie)... <scuttles off to check email AGAIN> 🙂
There seems to be a lot of hassle and angst involved with some of these cheap lighting solutions. I can understand people wanting to get good light for not much money but for me I'd rather pay a bit more for a product that is just going to work. No hassles with dodgy batteries, iffy connectors and shonky mounts.
Horses for courses and a whatever floats your boat of course. If it gets you out riding more then its got to be a good thing.
Tell me if I have this right?
Could I just buy one of the headlight units,and one of those boxes off Marmaduke,and they will connect together and work with no need for me to solder or change cables or connectors or anything?
If yes to that,I already have 2 batteries from torchy that are 2400mah,he doesn't have those anymore but has 2600mah ones,can I use 2 of each?
Lastly,Marmaduke,how much are those boxes you're selling please?
yes...not sure about the mix and match batteries though. £12 was mentioned at one point (or that the figure I thought I'd seen...) but don't hold me or Ollie to that! Also not sure that included P&P
Sorry sorry sorry for being so slow with emails guys! I'll send them now. I have an essay due on Friday and my time management is terrible! So without further ado here are the measurements and all pics. If you want one just paypal me ollyboyd@hotmail.co.uk £12 (sent as goods) with your address in the paypal address bit and I'll send them out the next day (email me for combined postage). I have more on their way arriving tomorrow so there are enough to go round.
If you want one with Panasonic batteries I'm afraid you'll have to wait 🙁
Album is here -> http://imgur.com/a/z6rH9
More details of fit and finish are in my previous post.
[u]Dimensions[/u]
With nylon case
53mm depth
56.5mm width
118mm height
Bare box
Height 109mm
Depth (including strap loop) 50.6mm
Width 49.1mm
Cable thickness 4.19mm
Width of the tunnely hole thing on the side you could use for webbing: 18.4mm
Max thickness of webbing you could use: 3mm
Max width of battery that would fit 18.60mm
Max battery height with springs fully compressed=total height of compartment-(height of compressed springs+height of the lid's protruded battery contacts)
=72.51mm-(1.60+1.11)=69.8mm
I've repeated the battery length measurement many times so Panasonics will fit [u]JUST[/u]. Of course the lid has 7.87mm over overlap with the case body so the fit isn't crucial but it would be nice to get the lid fully tightened.
I have destroyed my case in the name of testing to get pics of the circuit board at the bottom. It is stuck to the bottom with those sponge sticky pads. You would need to heat it with a hairdryer to remove it without damaging your case.
The length of cable from tip to base is 52cm.
I can also confirm that the box does support the use of just two batteries in series.
I would describe the soldering as robust :p
The box's connector fits the X2s perfectly.
Cheers, Ollie
Hmm unless you've a absolute load in, might it not be prudent to arrange sale by sale... just my take, and Paypal gift or paypal goods?
Hey Z1ppy, I have more coming tomorrow because quite a few people expressed interest so don't worry also definitely as goods otherwise you're not protected in case I'm a scammer :p
cool, cheers
EDIT: TBH I asked about paypal, just incase you were expect gifting and got lots of goods payment.. then had to refund as you'd expect £12.63.. just crap all round, I wanted to avoid
Payment sent 😀
Interesting, my 'gonna burn your house down' lights turned up today, both complete with a UK spec charger, which is nice 🙂
Batteries have been charging most of today, charger is barely even warm to the touch.
I dug out my old DX lights (which I thought were dead) as well, chucked the battery pack on them & they also work, which is a nice bonus. I think these new ones will end up as bar mounted and the single spotty one on helmets will be the approach to take.
So, I need a couple of replacement battery packs for these helmet mounts - anyone able to point me in the direction of something?
Is it worth getting one of these box things a few posts & just buying 4 18650 batteries for inside it? Seems like the cheapest way.
Payment received, that was very kind of you to ask Z1ppy. I'm not going to bother emailing anyone payment confirmation I'll just post them out.
Cheers, Ollie
Apologies if running off topic but batteries have been mentioned a lot in this thread. For what its worth i run a pair of LiPo powered units. The batteries are these:- http://cpc.farnell.com/overlander/2145/battery-25c-sport-track-7-4v-5000mah/dp/BT05350
One goes in the camelbak and the other is slung under the bars in a pouch i put together for the job. Run time is well over 4 hours on high and i am powering dual XML head units (Thanks to Troutie).
I know the issue about balanced charging and invested in the right charger..
My interest? - anyone else running overlanders?
Has anyone else's light got a sort of frosting around the led, and does anyone know what it is?
Mine has just around the one.
It doesn't seem to affect the output.
[img] http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=10455386535 [/img]
[url= http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=10455386535 ]Photo[/url]
The ones I have are all crystal clear, i probably wouldn't worry too much if it doesn't affect your beam.
EDIT: are the screws on yours philips? Not seen that before if they are
Again mine are clear, check out the rather large thread on MTBR.. I'm sure there was mention of something like that that... or why worry if it's not causing issues.
There seems to be a lot of hassle and angst involved with some of these cheap lighting solutions. I can understand people wanting to get good light for not much money but for me I'd rather pay a bit more for a product that is just going to work. No hassles with dodgy batteries, iffy connectors and shonky mounts.
Something I have every sympathy with, but there are two issues:
1. Even after buying an aftermarket 'reliable' battery and charger, they are still a lot cheaper than other offerings.
2. The stock stuff actually is fine for many people. Maybe even a majority, I don't have any stats. from my experience I have 3 Chinese batteries , some over a couple of years old that still work well and charge reliably. I had a scary issue with a charger (which I think was my cheapest acquisition .. I buy many of these out of curiosity) suffering a a smoky death whilst I was in the garage, now I charge them in a metal box with a timer, which probably isn't bad practice anyway.
If you buy with your eyes open, which thread like this contribute too, you can be riding when maybe you couldn't before. Which is nice.
If you buy with your eyes open, which thread like this contribute too, you can be riding when maybe you couldn't before. Which is nice.
Yep, they give access to the kind of light output that a few years ago would have cost you £300.
A decent lighting set up for riding off road through the winter can be had for less than the price of a set of tyres, that can only be a good thing
Many thanks to Oli for sorting battery boxes. I collected mine from him the other night.
One slight issue was that the screw connector on my light does not fit the one to the battery box. However it may just be a one off as the fit to the battery pack that came with the lights is not great either. My light was purchased form ebay seller dongx
Still I can live with that and big thanks to Oli
Paypal sent Ollie, cheers 8)
Now does anyone have a source for some decent Panasonics and a good charger ?
Cheers, cr500dom! I'll get that out tomorrow. If you're after a good wall charger i would ask/look on budget light forum, there's a lot of into there. Everyone who sent me paypal yesterday have had their boxes sent off this morning first class. Sorry about that Dukeduvet! it fits into mine perfectly as you saw :/ Maybe they used two different screw gauges? I wish china was more consistent!!
Someone posted a really nice 18650 standalone charger on here, not sure if this thread though, think it was around £12, with loads of leds on it etc. Any one remember?
no problem Oli 🙂
Ok, great seeing this being done BUT, from my point of view...
Make sure you only use protected cells - cells with protection circuits built in, never cells un-protected. The light or charger may not have any protection.
Never mix and match... ideally at least buy how ever many you need from the one source at the same time... each batch of cells is logged for capacity and impedance (or should be)from the manufacturer. if not, not every cell(battery ) you buy will have the same initial capacity... Bit like what I have seen this week a 6400Mah battery was only 3000mAh.
Just saying its brilliant doing what your doing but be careful, the batteries side is always the least thought off and abused... but from first hand experience with my first company I worked at the factory burnt down from a single cell hearing aid battery that shorted out!
So please be careful.
Battery box received, many thanks Marmaduke, looks to be /exactly/ what I was after.
For the record, the Xtar protected cells from Torch Direct ( http://www.torchdirect.co.uk/rechargable-li-ion-batteries.html) appear to fit fine.
Thanks Smudge - sounds like excellent advice.
Have you considered offering something like these boxes? I've a very neat, very good battery from you to power my old Nightlightning, but I also use a couple of the old Turboferret holders, taking the cells out to charge them. A bundle of box + good, protected cells + charger would be pretty cool.
Got my battery box from Ollie/Marmaduke and the connector works fine with my lightmall's SSX2. Looks good, just need batteries now. I have 4 old (2008!) 18650's but ones performance isn't great and I use normally them in my backup torches
EDIT: Cruzcampo.. I was trying to remember where I saw that charger too.. it is on this thread [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/5000-lumen-light/page/3?replies=361#post-5374060 ]Here on page 3[/url] posted by Kbrembo (£13). For sale [url= http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__29064__HobbyKing_50watt_5A_X_Charger_Balancer_UK_Warehouse_.html ]here from their UK warehouse[/url]
I've got quiet a few 18650's from when i used to run P7 torches as my main Bar lights. I plan on putting these in a battery box and charging them outside the box with my charger ive had for a while.
They'll do for now to make up another battery but they are getting a bit old. Can anyone link me to some decent high quality protected 18650's to put in the box? ......Is it possible to get 3+ hours on full brightness with some decent quality cells?
Thanks
Can anyone link me to some decent high quality protected 18650's to put in the box?
If you have a decent charger you should be fine with unprotected. http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10001980/1345500-panasonic-ncr18650b-18650-3-7v-3400mah if you don't mind the wait these should be good.
Hmm im not sure if my chargers classed as decent or not tbh. Ive had the thing years.
[URL= http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/JIM273/2013-10-25183252_zps27a94afc.jp g" target="_blank">
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/JIM273/2013-10-25183252_zps27a94afc.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
Edit: After doing a quick search it seems this is as basic as a charger as it gets and will overcharge so i dont think its much good even though ive been using it with no problems.
Maybe a noob question but the charger posted above which looks like its for RC batteries how would i charge 18650's from it? or is that even possible if they are not packed 😳
Off topic but a user with the initials P.D emailed me about the battery box. Just to let you know I can't reply because your mailbox is full.
Ollie
If you have a decent charger you should be fine with unprotected.
You wouldn't have protection against over-discharge or over-current. Over discharge of Li-Ion is not good, as it can lead to the formation of copper shunts in the cells, leading to particular or complete short circuit.
Unprotected cells should be used with an external protection circuit.
I do agree that a protected cell would be much better for someone who isn't used to looking after lithium polymer batteries. But for them to be over-discharged enough to become dangerous they would need some serious, repeated abuse at very low voltages.[url= http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20100022570_2010023645.pdf ]this[/url] NASA study shows how many cycles of heavy over-discharge the Lithium cells can take.
If anyone was using unprotected cells they would need to disconnect the light when it started to go dim to preserve the health of the cell.
Well, despite the batteries in that study not displaying any anomalous behaviour, they still conclude that that you should have over-discharge protection in a LiIon cell module. I recall reading elsewhere that an important factor was how long cells were left in a overdischarged state was an important factor in the formation of copper shunts, which isn't mentioned in that study.
If anyone was using unprotected cells they would need to disconnect the light when it started to go dim to preserve the health of the cell.
Except that if you're using a constant current driver, as is normal, the LED won't go dim until after the batteries are overdischarged. For example, the b2flex driver would keep a typical LED in regulation down to about 4.5V, which would be 2.25V/cell assuming 2S, which would definitely be overdischarged.
And, of course, over-discharge isn't the only concern. Over-current protection is also quite a good idea in the event of an accidental short.
Just for info:
Ordered mine from [b]Fasttech[/b].
Shipped email received on the 4th Oct (which was while they ewre on holiday iirc).
Delivered today. (so 25 days)
It didn't show on the tracking website for 15 days, then just showed Arrived in GB (last Thursday).
All looks good though. Charging now.
If there are copies around, I'm reasonably confident in this one. Very crisp printing and machining - and with half-decent instructions!
Box Received thanks Oli 😀
Now need to find some cells
Got boxes cheers, Oli
Just need batteries too.
@zippy that's the charger, any good you reckon?
no idea m8 your post asking about it jogged me into searching it out (as I was interested), but I'm happily using a a cheapy chinese jobbie I bought in 2008 - it just works, [and the house still hasn't burnt down 😉 ]
Drop Kbrembo a email, though to be fair the site have stuck their name all over it, so their rep is reliant on it being decent...
I'd also ask him how he's connecting 18650 batteries to it, as the supplied connector don't look very useful.
Further update.
Charger is a PoS, Battery is unknown due to charger being a PoS.
Connectors don't match my single XML DX special.
Lamp unit gets absolutely roasting even on Medium.
Beam pattern is somewhere in between Single XML and my modified Single XML (which used original Bastid peel reflector).
Not as floody as I like.
Not sure I can be bothered to persevere with it tbh.
Box came in earlier this week too - thanks Oli! Looks good, and works perfectly. The connector is threaded, so it links together with the head unit just like the stock battery.
There does seem to be a complete variation of quaility of lamps as well as batteries. Look at beam shots, mine doesn't seem quite a floody as some (I know beam shots are difficult to use as comparision), and had a 'slight' hot spot in the middle of a large lit area, but no where near as bad as the single XML.
Mine not exactly happy with the battery box/batteries I'm using as the 'meter' went to one bar and started flashing in just over an hour last night, but still ran for another 30 min on a the medium setting.. BUT I've just run it for 15-20 mines on full now on my desk and it's only just getting too hot to touch.
How are you charging with the battery boxes?
Charger for 4x18650 [url= http://dx.com/p/universal-intelligent-4-slot-rechargeable-battery-charger-2-flat-pin-plug-100-240v-156756 ]like this one [/url]
Or something else?
Oh, and if anyone's looking for a helmet mount, I've just seen these on at Halfords. Looks like you could take the mounting plate off and bolt the light on directly - which is what I've done with mine.
[url= http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_708511_langId_-1_categoryId_165636#tab3 ]Halfrauds helmet mount[/url]
£3.99 with a further 40p off at the mo.
Is this the best 'value' deal?
2 x head units
1 x battery
1 x charger
1 x cheapo rear light
£25 delivered?
You aren't getting two head units... though I was taken in by that initially due to all the pictures with two head units included.
Package include:1 X 5000Lm Bicycle Flashlight. It have 2 CREE XM-L U2 LED ( Black or Red Colour) (Can be used as Headlamp or Bicycle Light)
4 X Rubber ring for installation two of them in green and two of them in black as in the picture.
1 X 8.4v 6400mAh Battery Pack with battery bag in black colour
1 X Li-lon Charger ( Please choose the suitable plug type from UK, EU, US and Austrilia).
1x 5 LED Front Rear Bicycle Light with Install Holder( Not include battery )
Though £25 still seems very reasonable (not searched ebay to confirm if this is the cheapest TBH)
PS: AlexS - I'm just using a very cheap chinese 2 battery charge I bought in 2008..
£25 is 72p less than I paid from Fasttech, and the UK charger option is nice. Seems pretty good to me, spare O rings are nice too, keep losing them on the garage floor.
Is anyone getting batteries through from Fasttech?
Seems to have been / still is a problem with HK post now refusing to ship any batteries at all
deleted
My lights never made it past the battery police so have ordered a head unit and use UK battery suppliers.
bent udder -
Oh, and if anyone's looking for a helmet mount, I've just seen these on at Halfords. Looks like you could take the mounting plate off and bolt the light on directly - which is what I've done with mine.
Picked the same one up on Tuesday, going to try and get the light mounted really low and out front of it though.
Straight on top will put it up too high for me (Same height as just Cable tieing to the helmet)
Though £25 still seems very reasonable
i got mine from lightmalls. no back light but with battery pack and uk charger it was 20quid. great bit of kit for the cash, makes my trusty old 900lumen p7 look quite dull.
Glad you guys like the battery boxes! 🙂 I'm still getting people after them, so they seem to be popular.
How are you charging with the battery boxes?
Charger for 4x18650 like this one
If you have PROTECTED cells you can just charge them in the box using the charger which came with your lights (but please open your charger up and check for a little glass fuse because another user's charger plug blew up!)
Ollie
[i]Picked the same one up on Tuesday, going to try and get the light mounted really low and out front of it though.
Straight on top will put it up too high for me (Same height as just Cable tieing to the helmet)[/i]
I picked one up at lunchtime. You can unscrew the latching section on the mount, and remove the mount on the light, and fit the two together.
To do this, you'll need to take the mount apart and drill through the bottom to get a bolt in to the mount to screw into the thread on the bottom of the light.
I'll have a tinker this weekend and post pics - should be lower profile than my existing hacked mount - which is at the front of my lid, by the way - you can articulate the mount enough that it doesn't need to be on the top of your lid, although there is a slight issue with my lid tipping forward / waggling more than usual on lumpier descents if the mount is right at the front. Having it nearer the centre would address this problem.
Any news on those batteries, I've had 2 replacement s from eBay seller both lasting 40mins...my rucksack weighs a ton carrying 3 of them!
Any news on those batteries, I've had 2 replacement s from eBay seller both lasting 40mins...my rucksack weighs a ton carrying 3 of them!
Which seller did you get yours from?
I got mine from DONGX2011 and he is refusing to replace my battery. He said I should turn the light on and off for long rides or that I should buy a 6 cell battery from them.
I had some Ultrafire supposed 4000mah off an ebay seller - they lasted about half an hour on full charge with an X2 and one of Olly's boxes. After advice from Olly, it seems like the cells are bosh.
Contacted ebay seller and he's offered full refund, don't even need to return the cells - it shows how cheap and rubbish they are.
Not having much luck - one of the X2's LEDs has died as well after one use.
My battery life doesn't seem that bad compared to what some have been reporting here, but I'm having more than a bit of annoyance with the battery level lights - three lights means there's some juice, but two lights means there's about five minutes left on low, and I've not seen one light, I assume it flickers through it as it dies. Caught me out twice so far. Quite annoying.
Is that a problem with the light or a symptom of a crap battery?
It's a symptom of a crap battery. Think it was explained somewhere earlier in this thread or one of the other threads about this light.
You've effectively got the battery for free anyway so splash the cash on a decent battery from smudge or torchy.
not sure what happened to mine last night, it was on full with 3 bars showing then went straight to one bar flashing after turning itself off. unpluged it then pluged back in and it was ok for the journey home,(40 minutes on medium). dont trust it anyway and have ordered a smudge 5.2Ah.
Is that a problem with the light or a symptom of a crap battery?
Crap battery, It means that the discharge isn't nice and linear like you'd find in a Panasonic/Samsung cell, in the knock-offs the voltage will stay relatively stable for a while then suddenly plunge.
I have a battery discharge tester and I think it would be interesting to see a discharge log graph of the cells and their real capacity but I don't have a knock-off pack. Maybe I'll get one off ebay out of curiosity.
My head unit has just arrived. Plugged straight into my magicshine battery.
Not as bright as my 872 or floody.
Found these on the mtbr forum
[url= http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/gemini-duo-clones-876449-6.html ]gemini duo clones[/url]
[url= 
]beamshot[/url]
Having ridden with somone who runs an 872 and I now have the ssx2 L2-U2 I think its got the balance between floody and spotty right. If you're riding slow on very technical trails YMMV
I've just ordered one of the Yinding duo clones from China to try out - there was a thread on here a couple of days ago about them.
As far as the X2 goes I'd say it's an OK cheap light. I've used it on a couple of rides and it has quite a nice near to mid distance flood, but for faster more open trails it needs to be used with a longer range light on the helmet.
I noticed the light output didn't seem that great on full power the other night - when I tested it at home I found the current drain was dropping from 2.4Amp to 1.7 Amp when it gets hot. You can't just leave this light on full power - the design doesn't dissipate the heat well enough.
The battery and charger supplied are worthless, and I definitely wouldn't trust it as my only source of light.
Mine arrived yesterday, a 30 day wait as someone walked from China with it in their pocket. The battery pack appears to work, but after charging it until the green light on the charger was lit only two of the charge indicator leds on the lamp lit up. My old T6 battery packs all fit the connector, and a walk out with the dog show that it's a good, bright light with a good spread. It didn't get very hot. Mine's the U2 version by the way. On the strength of that I've just ebayed a head unit only for £9, and ordered one of Olly's boxes. Now all I need to do is find some quality protected batteries. So. Where can I find some quality protected cells to charge in Olly's box? How much notice do we need to take of mah claims, as there now seems to be an arms race in ludicrous mah labelling.
I keep meaning to order some protected Panasonic 3600mAH's.
From what I've read, 4x 2600mAh units should last 2hrs on full (aprox figures) with the SSX2, so a set of 3600mAH should be more than fine for my needs & hopefully next years power hungry monster light.