It’s over 2 weeks since the Puffer. I’ve still got tennis elbow and white finger from it! Some of you may remember me blagging Trout’s latest incantation to test for the race. Sure enough it arrived the Thursday before and I got the battery straight on charge.
I unwrapped the light and the first thing that hits you is the fact that it does indeed look like a spider. Studying you. Waiting for its chance. It’s quite off putting actually so I don’t advise that anybody tries to stare one out 🙂

I got my Fox Flux out which is my normal night riding helmet but I couldn’t get the velcro strap fastening system supplied to fasten in a useable position so it went on the Giro Indicator. This wouldn’t have been a problem had it been my own light as a ty wrap bodge would have been quickly invented.
25 years of scrummaging has left me with a slightly tipped forward head posture where I look up. This means that any light fitted to my helmet has to angle upwards quite a way. Because of this a lot of lights I have fitted look quite high profile and this brings its own problems with low branches etc. I got the spider eyes fitted in what I thought was the right angle.

I tested the light in the living room with the obligatory shine it at yourself in the mirror job. OMGWTF!!!!! Do not do this! You have been warned. It hurts and you cannot see for 10 mins and that was only on medium.
This brings me on to the different modes. It clicks on into low mode and subsequent clicks toggle it between medium and high. A longer press and hold finds low again and an even longer press switches it off. I found this unusual but no problem at all once used to it. Because of the exceptional power though I did spend most of the time in low.
The light has a small 3 pin screw connector which attaches directly to the battery lead or via the extension lead which was provided. I used the extension lead but most of it was tucked into my camelbak with the battery.
Battery times were touted as high (2620 lumens) 3 hours, medium (1400 lumens) 13 hours and low (600 lumens) 36 hours. I figured I could leave the light on medium for the majority of my night laps. I had my trusty Hope 4 on the bars and a bastid as back up.
Come the first real night lap I realised that with me staring at the floor zoned out for most of the climbs, medium was too bright so the majority of the time I was in low.
The beam is most unusual. There is a lower flood area and above it a square of light. My eyes didn’t like the square on the climbs. This may have been because suffering for that length of time my eyes and the rest of me just hated everything and a not natural thing in my focus area just didn’t feel right and I couldn’t get used to it. I also realised that I couldn’t angle the light far enough up for the climbs to push the square further away. I tried adjusting various mount points in the pits but could never really beat this problem, it was as if the light is too low profile. I realise that for the vast majority this wouldn’t be an issue at all.
So, after the fireroad came the Haribo Hill station where the bar light came on too and the power got cranked up. All of a sudden it all makes sense. The flood fills in the near and the square lights up down the trail like nothing else. And that is just on medium. It’s like it’s too bright as everybody you pass complains and some even have to pull over because they can’t see their own lights for their shadow. Photographers whinge and spectators hold up their hands to shield their eyes! I didn’t even try a descent on high as to be honest medium is more than enough. I wanted to try my local trails with it on high but a ridiculous workload and tax returns have put paid to any riding since 🙁
It lasted all night comfortably and if I could have managed the weight during the final morning rounds I would have blasted around with it still on just to gloat that I still had loads of juice left. Unfortunately my legs didn’t.
This light is extremely well made, looks the part and lights up the trail ahead with obscene amounts of power. It almost makes a bar mounted flood light redundant. Trout says that he is addressing the mount point to allow more angle up and some diffusion is being applied to soften the ‘square’. I’ll miss Spider Eyes and my time with what most definitely is the brightest light I have ever seen. It’ll make you the envy and scourge of your pals as they won’t be able to compete with its sheer power, but that’s not all, it’s robust and will burn longer than their lights too most probably. If this was MBUK it would definitely get a MOST WANTED!

want one troute when are they available to buy?

Cool review Devs
Hope the puffer recovery is going well

Very soon amsterdan

Looks great in Orange/Red 😀

Trout, Sorry for using the forum to page you, however I think another of my emails might have been caught by your spam filter. Was sent yesterday from nixie_me at hotmail dot com. Did you get it okay?

Trout, am Very interested as the build on my Dominator is quality. Be an interesting ride with a dominator on my bars and a spider eyes on the lid.

I read with lots of interest but never see costs – Troutie – you’ve got mail mate.

robsoctane – Member
I read with lots of interest but never see costs

I would imagine he has to tread a fine line between info/interest/enthusiasm and blatant advertising. I think prices of his current range are on his website. The SpiderEye is just a prototype from his garage workshop, I’m pretty sure he’s said previously that he’s still to refine it, then go to the machining shop to get quotes for production.

Thanks B.A.Nana
Yes I overstepped the mark on a thread I had started and received a bollocking and had the rules explained to me so have to be a good boy .

But I believe I am allowed to answer questions on this thread .

the spider is in the machine shop and I have been promised some housings by the end of jan and as soon as I have them more details will go up on troutie.com

Nixie your mail I cannot find but your Hope was posted today

Cool, thanks trout 😀

Trout – sorry to use this thread, i am trying without success to contact you about the post mortem on the joystick.
thanks

Sorry Camerone I have a mountain of emails to reply to only just getting back on my feet after a prolonged attack of illness
so hopefully normal service will be resumed over the next few days

Not done a stroke of work yet this year 😥

Sorry to hear that Chris….. 😥 Hope you`re feeling better now

FTAO MANTASTIC ❗ I was lucky enough to have both the Dominator and Spider Eyes demo`s at the same time and i can only say there was enough light to drive a car with. 😉

Cheers Stoney just been out for a pootle with the dog and not wheezing so much improved

Trout – arrived yesterday, will test on monday evening hopefully
looks very impressive in the scientific shine at the shed test – not far behind the diablo by the look of it.
hope you are feeling better…

I am going to say rather than a spider, it looks more like Roberto and Clamps from Futurama.

Or like someone decapitated Wall-E…

Camerone

I am very puzzled by that Joystick ran it through 2 full charge and discharges and it worked perfectly .

one idea is if say it was in your pocket and a key touched the pin in the charge socket it would short and trip the protection circuit this gets reset by the charger but that doesnt explain why the charger did not work for you so it may have a hissy fit in the future .

yep thanks feeling heaps better at last

I can confirm that Devs removed the optical nerve off the back of my eye ball with that light at the puffer…….it is AAA-mazingly bright!!!! 😯

hi trout does that mean the 700 lumen joystick is back on 😀

Bring on the end of Jan, trout I have money burning a hole in my pocket

Amsterdan

Possibly will have to wait and see if castones performs ok

spent 3 hours on sat made a wood clamp whacked it in the vice and still could not unscrew the maxxd getting annoyed now and frustrated

Re: The white square of light – Troutie could you machine a 35mm slide hole – so I can project a ‘rad ghost rider’ on the trails – a la Scooby Doo ‘Phantom racer’ 😕

trout if its to difficult dont waste to much time on it just means i will have to buy a nice new one off you instead 😆 the spider looks good

That light freaks me out…it is the mad cockroach off mosters vs aliens

trout if its to difficult dont waste to much time on it just means i will have to buy a nice new one off you instead the spider looks good

Well got into it finally the force needed was crazy and trying to apply that force without damage to the light was not easy .
now to see what is possible .

@ Whytetrash
its been freaking quite a few rabbits out now I am using one as a dog walking light

I want that headtorch please.

fingers crossed trout 😆 looking forward to seeing what you can squeeze into it could do with getting them back asap thanks

The one on the right just moved.

wall-e

Instead of scaring rabbits, get to the PO.

Was just wondering what the battery life is in all the different settings? Could I get away with just running one of these on the front with something small on the bars?

Ska, I found that the spider made my bar light redundant. I’d take one for a back only.

My mini review of the Spider eyes light.

As I have a giro helmet no problems attaching the light, maybe an issue for other makes.

The light is only 2g heavier than my current head torch so no issues with the extra weight, with the pivot bolt it allows micro adjustment on the move to get the beam to the ideal position.

Onto the beam, WOW how bright is it! To bright? Some will argue that it is no doubt. The 2 round “eyes” produce a square beam ( how does that work?) which easily will throw light a good 200m or so and the lower light gives a nice flood to light up the near distance. As its higher mounted there’s less shadows cast that you get from a bar mounted light.

I left the house with my bar lights on when at the woods I put the spider, full beam of course. I had to stop to check my bar lights were on! I ended up riding with the bar light off the spider light means that there is no requirement for me to use my bar light. Used it a couple of times on night/ early morning rides really enjoyed it, just remember not to look at your riding buddies when they talk to you.

Battery life is impressive ran it on full power for the best part of 2-3 hrs with no problems. Build quality is superb, well done chris.

Liked the demo so much I bought one, Good marketing. just nip on and get to the bloody PO 😉

Gosh! Well im sold. I like the fact that its ‘made’ in the UK. Guy seems to love what he does too. Will get in contact once my student money comes through 🙂

Was just wondering what the battery life is in all the different settings? Could I get away with just running one of these on the front with something small on the bars?

Battery life with the large battery is approx 2 to 3 hours as Bruneep says
or with a half sized battery 1.5 hours on full power

on the medium setting you would get about 8 to 9 hours big battery and 4 to 5 hours small battery .
low would run for ages 30 plus hours .

Since getting the housings I have also removed my bar light as it was redundant it is like having two lights with the flood and throw .

@ Bruneep was posted yesterday for a before 13.00 delivery sorry I missed your ride this morning
I hope you like the not as square and slightly more diffused main beam
but still no reduction in throwing distance,

B.A.Nana I am coming into Skipton today will drop it in for you to have a play with .

So are these avaliable yet? Look amazing and been in the hunt for a new light! Any link to web-site for cost etc?

Cheers

http://troutie.com/

Chris,

YHM from dnwsmith.

Cheers

Dave