Heard quite a few good things about them, anyone know if these are any good, only for commuting really...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131478228431?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Cheers
Great light. Perfect for off roading. We have one each in our household. The batteries aren't the best but good enough and easily replaced. Too bright for commuting, though. Maybe on low and pointed down you might get away with it but not ideal
Cheers mate, are they the type with a battery pack attatched to them by a cable?
Good light. Just remember the battery and charger could explode without warning.
I'll charge it at work then! cheers!
The lights are generally fine. If you go this route just be aware your warranty is basically non-existent compared to buying more expensive lights in the UK. Also buy a Nitecore charger from somewhere reputable, a waterproof battery box and some decent protected batteries. The 18650's (and the packs of them soldered together with tabs) that generally ship with cheap lights are garbage, and the cheap chargers [url= 
]like this[/url] are nowhere near the CE standard falsely stamped onto them.
I have some cheap batteries from years back that are still fine, a few have died (without exploding), but I've never left them charging them near flammable stuff or unattended. I bought a set of four good batteries for about £40 last year just for peace of mind.
@Nach that is some amazing advice thanks! So just buy the light on their own and buy decent battery and charger seperately? Really good tip on the chargers being falsley stamped with the CE standard! Have you got any links for the batteries and charger? Will look out for a Nitecore charger. I'm guessing I should go with a Solarstorm light or will any do? And tanks again!! that post was really really helpful!!
I have a couple of 'Solar Storm' lights like that. They are great off road (IMHO), but not so good on the road: The beam is too broad, and even on low, you have to aim the light down at a point a few metres in front of the bike to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic, so you lose the benefit of having the power.
The larger, singe LED lights like this*...
...have a narrower beam which reaches further, and are much more useable on the road (IMHO).
Even the cheap batteries that come with them will last for a couple of hours.
* Seller selected at random - I can't vouch for them.
I use one for commuting as I have to ride down some unlit country lanes (well less so now we're in Spring) and it is brilliant. Like everyone suggests I am careful when charging and have a Lipo charge bag the battery goes in on but haven't had any problems so far. My main bit of advice if you use the standard charger/battery for a while is to make sure the battery is fully run down before recharging.
Also come in handy when a cow needs a caesarian in a poorly lit cow shed in the early hours....
If you're in the UK, you can buy Nitecore stuff direct: http://www.nitecore.co.uk/Shop/Products/Batteries-AND-Chargers.html
(Beware of ebay, fakes have inevitably turned up here and there).
Batteries: Most quality, high capacity 18650s are rewrapped Panasonic cells. I got Xtar ones, Panasonic or not Nitecore will also sell decent ones but are on the expensive side. Whatever you go for, just do your research on fakes. (ebay user Big_f_d_d aka [url= http://www.torchythebatteryboy.com ]Torchy the Battery Boy[/url] has a solid rep and knows what he's selling, but often only seems to have lower capacity ones).
I got this one through the post at the weekend and am about to try it out tonight.
Seems very well constructed, with a regular looking ('phone style') charger and most importantly, the lamp comes in red.
The company I got it from claims to be UK based with a full UK warranty, which I've no reason to doubt. However if my head does explode, or house catch fire, burning me to a BBQ briquette, I will expect some sort of recompense, even if it's just a packet of Haribo. I'm pretty sure it's just the same unit as the Solarstorm, however I was swayed to pay up the extra tenner, by them stating that it comes with a CE certified charger.
Honestly don't know anything about these lights, it's replacing a cheap Cree lamp that cost about a tenner less, had an identical charger and mounting gear, but unfortunately didn't withstand the impact of a low hanging branch. Neither did my helmet or my neck to be honest though. Still looking around like Robocop!
I use it as a backup to my Lumicycle lamp which is getting on for it's 10th birthday now, but still running flawlessly.
Beagy 😉
is that CE Conformité Européenne or CE - chinese export...
By the time you have bought all the decent chargers and batteries you are approaching the cost of the lights from www.mtbbatteries.co.uk but have no warranty or support, and assurance of some QA.
A cheaper option is to look at C & B seen lights.
The solarstorm SSX2 is pretty decent but most of them for sale seem to be clones. The 3 XML solarstorm unit I got looks to be genuine, but it is pants compared to my clone SSX2.
For commuting you would be better off with some commuter specific lights - you can't use the flashing mode on those cheap lights in my opinions as it is way to bright, and the only time I get cars pull out on me, or even hit me, is when I use a solid light.
Anyone for any experience with the Torch style ones that incorporates a battery?
Thinking might be a good light to keep in the bag in case the evening ride overrun sand it gets to the point where one on the road home might be good to be seen!
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=171555120551
I have a couple of the torch ones. Used them as a main light before I got the ssx2 and use them as a back up now. Handy for evening rides that might accidentally become a night ride. Again they aren't really suited to road use for being seen. You get very little light to the edges of the beam and the middle is too dazzling so must be pointed well down. Will get you home but I wouldn't buy one for that as main use.
trail_rat - Member
is that CE Conformité Européenne or CE - chinese export...
"China Export" is a widespread myth. It's just badly done counterfeit CE marking and always has been.
Whats a myth ... Its slang for saying is it genuine ce or is it a fake.... Regardless of what it "means" if its not genuine ce it might as well not be on it it might as well mean cheese extrusion .... Not worth the plastic its made from ....
All im saying is check thats its a genuine ce .... There is a specific font , spacing and sizing for ce.... Most of the chinese crap comes with some variation from the format.
Does anyone have any reccomendations on standalone lights? Just going to get the Nitecore charger but man the batteries are expensive at £14 each for the 18650 3100mAh...
Well, I went out and used my cheap (£25), Brite-R light for the first time last night.
Firstly I was pleasantly surprised that my head didn't instantly explode, like the guys in the Running Man, nor did I catch fire at any point. Having read stuff on t'internet about cheap lights, I figure I was just lucky last night, but hey, what's life without a wee bit of risk, eh?
As for the light, it has a very solid 'click-in' connection with the battery. An easy to find ON button which cycles through Low-Mid-High and flashing, it's very lightweight, low profile and didn't melt through my helmet on what was quite a warm spring night.
As for the 'quality' of the actual light it casts, well, I've only been night riding since the very early 90's when I used to go out with a 5w / 10w Cateye with regular little bulbs and a lead acid battery, so I'm probably not as qualified to comment as some, 😉 but what I can say is that the unit appears to throw out as much light as my £280 Lumicycle system (Single LED lamp with the big Enduro battery, as I can be out in the dark for 5 or more hours in the winter months), but it maybe has a slightly tighter beam.
I certainly couldn't see any dark spots, flickering or Creatures from the 8th dimension. Did see a huge Alsatian with glowing eyes come looming out of the woods at me though!!!
Very pleased, albeit in a slightly disappointed way as the light is very nearly as good as my Lumicycle (obviously with only a fraction of the burn time), but at a silly tiny price.
I still wouldn't use it as a main light though, it doesn't have the burn time I need and I certainly wouldn't trust it the way I do my Lumicycle. As a cheap, 'if it breaks bin it and buy a new one' item, I'm well pleased with it.
C. 🙂
officerfriendly - Member
Does anyone have any reccomendations on standalone lights? Just going to get the Nitecore charger but man the batteries are expensive at £14 each for the 18650 3100mAh...
Most of them are based around XM-L2 LEDs now, which is what you want to go for. As Beagleboy says though, the lights are cheap and might break. I've seen a couple of people's Brite-R style bodies falling to bits (and plenty more intact on the MNPRs), have had one of five P60 flashlight drop-ins fail, and currently have [url= 
]one of these UniqueFire[/url] branded ones that's lasted through the winter (including some truly minging rain and an OTB that fully submerged it) without any signs of falling to bits.
I'd say these are for people who enjoy hacking mounts together in the garage, maybe even looking at battery discharge graphs. If you want better support, as TurnerGuy said MTB Batteries is a good shout.