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Had a go at homebrew lights 5 years ago, got a modest system working but it was clunking and a little unreliable. A few things changed in life and recently decided I needed to get decent lights so I can make the most of every opportunity.
I bought the following: -
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/flood-to-throw-zooming-cree-p4-wc-3-mode-led-bike-light-with-mount-3-aaa-26800 as a backup and general torch.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-waterproof-xml-t6-3-mode-1200-lumen-white-led-bike-light-with-battery-pack-set-82510 expecting it to be very focused from what I read on here.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/p7-waterproof-ssc-p7-3-mode-900-lumen-white-led-bike-light-with-battery-pack-set-82509 to contrast against the one above.
The bar mounted torch is great. Perfect for comuting, clamp works well, fits all sizes of bar. 3 x AAA batteries, it's all good.
The T6 and P7 lights are almost identical. One has a dimpled mirror, the other smooth. The T6 is marginally brighter, with a slightly smaller 'hotspot'. Both the lights are too focused, but with one on the bars and one on the lid it's a pretty effective setup compared to anything I've used before. I can imagine having a LOT more light and still enjoy night riding, but having said that I was still riding close to daytime speeds along familiar trails with what I now have.
The bill came in at under £69, with two weeks from order to delivery. Batteries for the big lights came semi-charged, had to buy the US-UK adapter (£4 from boots, bound to find cheaper online).
Also, I've discovered that you can remove the dual o-ring clamp arrangement and replace with one of these:
http://www.lumicycle.com/product/214/qr_cam/qr-camlock-bracket.html
which makes for much quicker fitting and removal, and gives me a bit more confidence on the mounting.
Sorry if I'm teaching any folk to suck eggs; yes I'd love Hope/Trout/Lumi/whatever's latest offering which I'm sure will give me more and better quality light for twice the money, but I don't have twice the money and I am now night riding (hurrah!)
See some folk up at Haldon, Exeter soon?
Might have to try Woodbury/Dartmoor too, see if I can scare some trainee Marines...