Out of nothing more than idle curiosity, is Troutie still making lights? Website down.
hands down the best light i own
I suspect he's still tinkering, but I seem to remember him saying that he wasn't going to be doing any new stuff for sale as the 'Chinese lights' were getting so powerful and cheap that it was impossible to compete.
I emailed him weeks ago about upgrading a light for me. No reply...
Yes have hung up the soldering iron sadly the chinese stuff finally ground me down .
when a driver board cost me $35 and folks were buying lightsets for not much more it became impossible
Riding the bike alot more but will need to build some lights for me this winter .
I did think about selling off some leftover housings and leds as kits for the tinkerers out there but even the cost of those would be more than a light set and probably involve hasstle for me
Cheers Tony. I must get down there one day for a bit of Jedi magic
Do you still do the vision 2 upgrade? Mines due a tinker.
It's a shame. My Troutied Vision 2 & R4 are ace. Then again, at least your riding your bike again 🙂
Yes, sorry to hear that. Had hope to persuade you to make a dynamo light 😛
What bits have you got left over Chris? Might be interested in taking some off your hands as I've got a couple of mates asking about me making them some lights..
Steve
That's a shame Chris, the quality build of my spidery eyes is great and still looks as new. Will you still offer a back up if there are any problems with the lights? < adds test lights to do list>
My liberator is still going strong. You may not have been able to match the Chinese on price but they certainly couldn't match you on quality!
I dropped you an email a few weeks back. I'm prepared to pay for quality. so if you change your mind, let me know. Are you interested in one off work?
Some good feedback there,in a short space of time.there is obviously still a market for your products/skills.
Chris - have been trying to get in touch for quite a while but not having any luck
Thats a real shame and I don't believe the market you aim at and the Chinese light market are the same thing.
Its a bit like waitrose giving up because Aldi are cheaper and gaining market share.
There will always be a place in the market for high quality products.
I have a liberator and again its the best light I've got.
troutie, would be a pleasure
troutie,
As with stevied I would be interested in and willing to pay for a self build option if that is something you reconsider.
Enjoy the trails,
Rusty
I've had my Liberator for 3 yrs and still going strong. Worth the extra brass for a quality product
See... that was your problem Troutie. You made the lights so well that no one needs a new one each season 😉
Makes you wonder how Lupine keep going...
I'm sure as above there will always be a market and people willing to pay good money for the right light.
So then, I'm in need of a new bar clamp for my Troutie Liberator and as Chris has hung up the Soldering Iron, any suggestions as to where to get another clamp from??
Cheers
Aww got a rosey glow on now
Stumpy was correct I am still tinkering just not full blown selling .
Yes can do a few self build kits if anyone is interested got a fair few Dominator / Mini / and Liberator housings left as well as lots of leds
and some driver boards
No Spidereyes left
Carlos which bits do you need for the lib all the clamp or just the plastic half.
If there is interest I will build up the remaining Liberators
Yes will keep some bits for backup services
Stevemorg My mails must be going astray as have tried replying on numerous occasions
Fourbanger Not sure if I saw your mail re a one off yes am interested
Steve What bits are you after ??
Bigdean will need to have a rummage to see if I have the bits for a hope vision should have .
People still comment on the quality of my Liberator. Sad to hear your not making them anymore 🙁
Chris - could you drop me an email to my profile email address when you get chance?
You may not have been able to match the Chinese on price but they certainly couldn't match you on quality!
THIS a million times THIS
Worth the price as I can give it to my kids 😉
Sorry to hear that but hey your choice
Cheers Junkyard you must have the oldest Trout light ever if its still going .
just sent email Stevemorg
Happy owner of a liberator and a spiders eyes here. Led to lots of examples roaming the malverns!
Another very satisfied liberator owner here....
The Chinese cheapo products I've owned last around a year and I've had the liberator for at least 3 winters already.
Don't mind paying for quality but can well appreciate the reasons for stopping.
My Liberator is going into its 3rd winter now, still excellent, still gets comments along the lines of "WTF is that light/photon cannon?".
Sorry to hear you've hung up your "rod of fire".
Chris - YHM
While I agree with the sentiments about paying extra for quality, I don't get the impression from this forum that this is what most people are after.
Pretty much every light thread that has popped up for the last two years ends up in a barrage of links to £20 5000 lumen lights. When people suggest pricier alternatives, most responses go along the lines of 'what's the point, when you can get x/y/z light for buttons, so long as you don't mind making your own battery and buying a charger that doesn't explode'.
It's weird because people seem happy to suggest Hope hubs, Thompson seat posts etc and pour scorn over Superstar pads, but when it comes to lights, it seems that the priority is 'cheap as chip's.
Double post...
Liberator here and still going strong, I don't mind paying if the quality and backup are there, excellent bit of kit..
As gavgas said.....I got my Lib at the same time, Also got the Dominator.....Far and away the best lights out there
Chris, can you do me a Mini for the helmet? am i correct in saying the Minis are 1200 lumens?
Ta. 😛
stumpy01 - MemberPretty much every light thread that has popped up for the last two years ends up in a barrage of links to £20 5000 lumen lights. When people suggest pricier alternatives, most responses go along the lines of 'what's the point, when you can get x/y/z light for buttons, so long as you don't mind making your own battery and buying a charger that doesn't explode'.
There's room for both... But the expensive light market's got to be shrinking like mad, and there's already a lot of known brands out there fighting for that share.
TBH I thought the light retrofits/updates were awesome though, with the pace of LED progress over the last couple of years there's got to be millions of quality-but-outdated lights in drawers out there... I rode with the Vision update a while back and it was mint.
Chris - it's the complete clamp (originally with the fish engraved in it) but I'll take whichever fits. Just let me know where to send a payment too or of it's easier to mail you?
Got the charger issue sorted by Smudge (good shout by the way) it was actually the battery that wad the problem. New one on the way and with a clamp I'm all god and ready for the dark again
Cheers
Carl
The Vision 2 upgrade is a peach and Hope missed out on a cracking little light they could have just made it better for nearly zero tooling costs when the XML leds arrived on the scene .
But the upgrade parts for me cost £35 inc return postage I also had 2 hours work per light as some machining and heatsink parts I had to make
bumping the cost up to £70
which is now 2 or 3 new light systems in the throw away world we live in.
I have done over 400 Hopes and only had 3 back for remedial work and that was due to fatigued cables which has been a Hope fault for ever .
Certainly Knowing what top quality parts go into a light costs and also what it would cost from China to do a clone of that light the playing field is somewhat tilted against a UK manufacturer and I never wanted to be a reseller of chinese stuff as the buzz for me was the research and developing a cutting edge light for the dark riding .
There are a few led improvements mainly now in power consumption not lupins but no big jump so I can not be 1 or 2 jumps ahead of the main players who must be finding it a dwindling market now .
I can not be 1 or 2 jumps ahead of the main players who must be finding it a dwindling market now .
Dynamo lights, I tell you 😛
Yes I agree but know not a lot about Dynos and leds
Rob Dean has done extensive dyno light testing and the magic is in the driver and control circuits plus stand light capability .
something I was going to look into but never did .
Carlos Yes can supply both bits no problem
Carlos Yes can supply both bits no problem
Nice one, Just sent you a mail
Chris, you converted my Vision 4 and, because the battery was old it would flash after a short while,we took off the warning flash by a series of button pushes over the phone. I bought a new battery from Smudge and would like to put the warning back on if possible. Cheers In.
I'd like to see some modular lights out on the market.
Something like a head unit the size of the spider eyes or hope vision 2 that you could remove the back plate on and replace it with a piggy back cartridge with 2x protected cells. For a batteries inside light for on the helmet or use it as a bar mount light for when you want to remove everything quickly. Or with the option of the lamp unit and separate battery pack for longer rides.
Other accessories could be a opaic hooded front cover for road use so you get the side visibility of the front light and prevent dazzling oncoming traffic.
I cannot say enough how much I like my Liberator. I had the prototype and it's still going strong and used it last night for the first time since winter, be nice to have a LED upgrade though 😉
I only trust my "Toutie" light with me.
Rusty Mac,
As If! 🙄
Chris - did you get my email?
