Ive just recieved an Ultrafire Wa-606a for my handlebars and Ultrafire c3 for my head and my god are they bright,the run times are the same as bike specific lights too, why do people spend hundreds of pounds on bike specific lights when for $40 from DealExtreme you can get and light brighter than the Light and motion 150 for your handlebars and a light nearly as bright as that for your head, some 3000mAh rechargeable aa's and the mounts.

Madness eh.

spock, what bike do you ride…………

Well… the Q5 is all of 228 lumens. I'd need 13 of them.

I made one out of a house alarm battery, some plumbing fittings, a halogen bulb and an old saddle bag. Not light or pretty, but pretty effective. And cheap. Oh yes, cheap. That's me!

It't pretty satisfying to DIY it as well.

spock, bike?????????????????????

"Why spend 100's of £ on lights"

So all you DealExtreme boys can feel smug!

5thElefant – Member

Well… the Q5 is all of 228 lumens. I'd need 13 of them.

You NEED 2964 lumens? where do you ride ,down a coal mine. Crikey it can't be that much fun it must be like riding in full sun 😉

spock, bike?????????????????????

A kona

ton – it doesn't matter what bike you've got if its dark and you can't see where you're going.

which one

a real nice one what difference does it make, we're talking about lights

Buy cheap, buy twice.

which one……… 😀

enjoy your dx lights spock, they are good value and performance for the price… but they are not amazing, they dont like water and can break down like anything else… there are much better quality and brighter and lighter lights available… eg trout lights 😉

i suspect he may suggest you could ride the trails adequately on a cheaper bike.

I think most people pay more for reliability.
PS would like to see the shadow TON casts riding behind him

what do yoou ride ton???

trout lights 8)

Ton…. I think his new lights cost more than his Kona..thats why he didnt spend £100's on lights 😆 be worth more than the bike.

dano – Member

what do yoou ride ton???

Doesn't that change on a weekly basis. 😉

Explosion In a Spaghetti Factory – Member

dano – Member

what do yoou ride ton???

Doesn't that change on a weekly basis.

changed a hour ago…………….. 8)

Ton…. I think his new lights cost more than his Kona..thats why he didnt spend £100's on lights be worth more than the bike.

Id like to say your wrong ,its a kona shred frame (i know its a dj frame but it was cheap and is nice and beefy). With lx, hayes,merlin handmade shimano/mavic wheels (£65 for the set :wink:) and some dieing fox's up front

😯 **** me changing your bike hourly 's a bit much mate. 😉

Paying more doesn't always = reliability; from what I've read on here at various times Lupine lights have reliability issues, and they ain't cheap. DX lights just exist in larger numbers, so there's always going to be a percentage of shonky ones show up. I've got three DX torches and a DX Bike light, and all have been fine so far over the last year or so. As was pointed out in the linked thread, the cheap ones are so cheap you can buy a replacement and either get a refund, or better still get a replacement so you've always got a charged backup.

I bought a Hope 4. Why?

Because I wanted one.

i went to the marin trail today with 2 other guys… one on a yeti and one on a santa cruz… both stopping every 5 seconds to adjust their shock pressures, wind up their air pressure adjustable seat post, adjust the u turn fork travels, tyres, pro pedals… me on the old hardtail givin it sm and up the front all day…amazing really…

AnD wEt… 🙄

I bought a Hope 4 – why?

Because I wanted one.
To be honest if i could i would

show us your new bike ton!!!!! ❗

some stuff is dear, some is cheap, buy what you want………….
but don't have a go at people who buy dear or cheap……………

buying dear lights ……..madness, i think not
riding a cheap bike ……..madness, i think not. 8)

spock – Member

I bought a Hope 4 – why?

Because I wanted one.

To be honest if i could i would

Thereby with a little help from me, you've answered your original question.

There's more to it than just wanting expensive lights though; quality and customer service have a bearing too.

" DX lights just exist in larger numbers, so there's always going to be a percentage of shonky ones show up"

I fear the world is not being overrun with DX lights just because the STW massive has engaged in a buying frenzy, and on the evidence of past threads if its wet the batteries expire and if dry the chargers burst into flames.

I'll take my Maxx-D any day cheers

I don't know how many hours I have on my 2 Dealextreme torches… Couple of hundred probably, in all conditions (other than sunlight 😉 ) They've been flawless,and produce more light than most "proper" bike lights. So it's pretty much a massive and unequivocal win.

But I still want a troutlight.

Talking of reliabilty vs price, does anybody remember how many Exposure lights went wrong in the first couple of years?

I do. I knew of lots of them in use and all apart from one went wrong. I sent mine back and got a refund the third time they packed up and our LBS refused to sell them any more. They were total crap.

Because after years and years of building them then modifying Lumicycle ones I needed something that didn't need fixing before the start of every winter. 3/4 winters on L&M Hids which died in December last year so i needed new then and bought a LED L&M. I also require a UK warranty and one preferably supplied via my local shop so any breakdowns will be sorted quickly and I can borrow test lights if necessary.

Approx £100 a year is worth my sanity thanks.

cos we like bling and we are blokes……………..end

I do. I knew of lots of them in use and all apart from one went wrong. I sent mine back and got a refund the third time they packed up and our LBS refused to sell them any more. They were total crap.

My Maxx D is great.

Night riding is over rated and i'm just not prepared to pay more than my bike is worth (04 Spesh enduro) to get a set of proper lights, its just not practical. Night running however is a different story, £40 gets you a decent enough light to feel safe running anywhere.

Yes the new stuff is. But it's the 3rd generation. The first 2 generation Exposures were garbage. Which is why I wrote "the first couple of years"
The reason yours is so good is precisely beacase mine were so crap. They learned their lesson. Everyone is keen to slag off the DX but in the usual STW style, they've glossed over the EXPENSIVE rubbish because it's easy to pick on cheap rubbish.

Ring Mountain Trax in Wokingham and ask Chris about all the time he spent sending exposures back if you don't believe me…..

I spent the money for primarily for reliability, then ease of use and a decent, cable-free design. The former is the most important as I do between 20 and 50 miles a day on unlit country lanes. It breaks down then I'm faced with a long, very dark ride home / to the station. Cars have a tendency to bomb along the roads in the dark and if they can't see your lights they're going to be in the middle of the road likely as not.

It's the reason I sold my old home-built halogens (1st set) and then my HIDs in turn (generic make then Lupines) – after being stranded for the third time when a cable / ballast / bulb went I got them repaired, flogged them and went for decent LEDs with a company that I know has decent customer service.

My 2009 Maxx-D has seen 4000+ miles of use. Even in the summer it's on low to help traffic see me. Hasn't missed a beat – the battery power was waning a little so it went back for a (free) tune-up. Came back good as new. My Enduro-Maxx has been faultless

If I could afford to risk DealExtreme then I would have – just that amidst the rave reviews there were too many stories of failures (and I can't wait weeks whilst they get sent back and replaced).

Just my 2p's worth.

a real nice one what difference does it make, we're talking about lights

Why don't you ride a £50 bike from Asda?