Long term lights: real world reviews

[redefined_cycles]

Just thught I'd start this topic off as its an interesting and hopefully useful one for many.

Try and review your lights that you've had and used/not used (then why) for while. The - what (what you got); where (you use them or don't cos their crap); how (much you like em and versatile/useful they are... could include batt life and charging time/ports/spare batt stuff); why and when - approach might help in giving readers useful info.

Thanks...

[whitestone]

Hope Vision 2.

I bought it when I was mainly fell running as it comes with all the mounting options (ooh, err missus!) that you'll need: Handlebar; helmet; head. There's also an extension lead for cold weather so you can keep the battery somewhere warm. At the time I bought it (nearly ten years ago now) there were very few decent bike or running lights available. So many local runners bought the Vision 2 that a night "timed run" series was set up.

You get 800 lumens on the full setting which at the time was insanely bright. There's four brightness settings but the top one is basically "showroom mode" and is little different to level 3, there's also a flash mode. If I'm riding uphill then I'll have the light on the lowest setting and bump it up to the next level for the downhill bits, occasionally I'll use level 3. There's just one button on the unit so you have to cycle through all the settings to get to the one you want. Light spread is good but as with pretty well all MTB lights isn't really focussed in any way so there's a lot of light leaking into areas you don't need it.

Battery life is pretty much as quoted, if you leave the unit on the lowest setting then it's good for the best part of 30hrs, level 2 is just 6hrs with 3hrs at level 3. On this year's BB200 I had the light on low for a couple of hours before switching to level 2 and got around 9hrs life before I needed to switch batteries. Not bad for ten year old batteries. There's a low battery warning mode, once this starts you've about 20 minutes before everything turns off. I haven't opened a battery case but from its size there's probably two 18650 cells in there. There's also a 4 cell option. Charging does take a while with the old cells and needs to be done via the supplied wall plug charger, no USB option, so perhaps not ideal for multi-day rides. Hope quote 3hrs for new batteries but it's so long ago that mine were new that I can't remember if this was the case or not.

Some people have noted that the strain relief on the cable exiting the light mounting isn't particularly good but I've not had problems with it, you just have to make sure that you hold and pull at the cable joint not by holding the light and battery and yanking it apart as indicated in the manual. This brings me to Hope's customer service: legendary or needed according to your point of view. The only time I've needed it was due to the light switching off at random, this was several years after the warranty expired. Rang Hope and the lad at the other end of the line said, "Before you send it in, have a look along the connector at the inside ...". He then described the problem and the fix.

The only problem I've had is with the handlebar mount. This is a plastic QR mechanism and after mounting and unmounting the light a lot of times it broke. Something silly like £20 for a new one! Other niggles are that the lengths of cable on both unit and batteries is, shall we say, stingy. To have the battery inside a frame bag like the Wildcat Ocelot means you need to introduce the rather generously proportioned extension cable (it's about a metre long). This is also a niggle when you have the light mounted on the helmet: you either have to strap the battery to the helmet or have a huge length of cable as part of the system. Swapping between mounts requires a hex key so isn't simple. For a ride you really need to decide beforehand how you want the light mounted.

On the "this would make it better" front, I would have liked to have seen newer models divide the output of the two LEDs into "spot" and "flood" to give finer adjustment to the light pattern.

The fact that I still use it ten years down the line is probably as good a recommendation as any. It's not the lightest unit around and some won't like the separate battery. For a two or three day ride, i.e. one or two nights, then it's pretty much spot on (sic). For multi-day rides then I'd look at something that can be run or charged from a dynamo setup.

Pros:
Everything you need is in the box
Very well made
External battery
Good after sales service

Cons:
Expensive
Quite heavy
Potentially weak handlebar mount
External battery

[RIP]

OK I'll bite:

Petzl e-Lite: 26g, 3 white settings,1 red; everywhere round "camp" and any faffing en route.
Cateye SI110 loop lights red/white: 23g each, red one on rear of seatpack, very bright indeed for weight/size
Lumicycle Explorer 3500 lumens: 613g including lamp/cable/helmetmount/battery/charger. 2h on boost, 22h on low.
V easy to use - single toggle on lamp. Bombproof (see website showing playing ice-hockey with one, and boiling another in a kettle). Mounts securely. Superb UK service(*). Contravenes strategic arms limitations treaties. Also useful for cutting through steel.
Small piece of candle: 15g. Emergencies. Very reliable. Superb UK service from local hardware store, re spares/repairs/etc.

"Reg"

(*) Had one of their halogen jobs a while ago. Riding along road, pinged off my bars, just about to pick it up and lorry drove straight over it and flattened it completely. Posted it to them tongue in cheek "any chance of a repair please?". Posted back a brand new one and tongue in cheek "hope this looks good as new"

[Wotsits]

Exposure for me.

Programmable run times, the smart port & tap function are all very useful.

Diablo (+support cell when needed) on my helmet & Maxx-D on the bars..

Uk made (assembled) & back-up also make the premium cost easier to swallow..

[Mariner]

Fixed Light – Edelux II
Not super bright but adequate for night use off road at the speed I travel. One setting on/off via twist ring on body. Also has sensor on/off but never tried it. Being German it has their Technischer Uberwachungsverein or TuV approval for road use which means a flat top beam pattern. Flickers a bit when first switched on but once fully charged a good steady light and long duration stand light. £100 off ebay as new. Requires dynamo to power.

Helmet Light – Joystick 10
Good example of heavily over engineered product. More settings than anyone needs and my guess is that once you decide on a setting (3?) it will never get changed again. Backs up the Edelux by illuminating ahead and side to side. Even switching the dam thing on and off is a faff. £100 off ebay as new. Can recharge from Pebble. If I could find a simpler light with same performance I would sell this on.

Backup Lights – Nestling 5000L Twin Cree with battery pack.
Cheap simple to use quick to set up on bike or helmet. Three levels of output. Fuel gauge and single (Exposure please note) button press operation. So cheap can be treated as disposable but so far appear extremely robust. The down side is the dodgy Chinese battery charger which may or may not burn your house down. Are you feeling lucky? £18ish off the interweb. Recharge from Pebble or in the garden with long extension lead.

Running Lights – Cateye & Aldi specials.
Cheap and cheerful fixed and flashing for round town on bike and/or helmet.

And last but not least when all else fails a head torch.

[Single Speed George]

I have had one of these for about 5 years now,
and yes i know it can be a tad hit and miss with these but at £15 quid a pop on ebay its worth the risk if you get a good one !
my one has been used for bike packing - winter climbing .
now there are a few tweeks that i have done ... i filled the wire hole at the base with silicone sealent to make it more water proof, and i bought some of the better battery packs from amazon.
the batery life is atleast 3 houyrs on full and more like 6 or so on half ( i allways use it on half for bike packing and its still good enough to ride with on descents)

the batterys are haevay and you will want a couple for most winter weekend bike packs

but i have taken it down hill biking at ae forrest in the dark and on full beam you can still hit the trail like day time !

helmet mount can be bought or just adapt the head torch mount by cutting off the elastic and cabletying it to your helmet !

as i say still going strong after 5 years top notch !

[Scattamah]

I've used many different lights over the years, but the ones I remember by name...

Cateye (halogen of some sort). Bright for it's time. Battery was the size of a water bottle. After coming off of little Cateyes (AAA battery types) it was a revelation. Lovely yellow glow. Max 2 hour runtime. 8 hour charge time. Replaced by...

Nitehawk (halogen). 12W of light, excellent spread, push button to 6W half power. Fantastic for bright lighting ignorant car drivers with their high beams. Terrible runtime. Maybe 2.5 hour runtime. Another 8 hour charge up job. Replaced by...

Cateye (AA battery). Funky angular looking thing. Decent runtime, decent throw. Ate batteries...all 5 of them. Terrible, terrible mount. With enough vibration they would rip out of the bar mount and fly off over the edge of whatever you were riding on never to be seen again. Replaced by...

Lezyne Macrodrive. My first foray into modern lighting. Plus: bright, easy to operate. Negative: USB charge only. Swapped the wife for...

Exposure Spark. Oh how I love this thing. It's a bit of a shame that Exposure have discontinued it but I understand why - it really is iffy. When it works, it's great. 9 - 12 hours on low, CR123 battery powered so no faffing with USB or wall warts. Mine seems to have a habit of dimming if the trail is bumpy. Smacking it seems to bring it back to life. Presume the electronics inside are somewhat shady. With fresh batteries, it will start saying it's ready to switch off inside of 20 minutes but keeps on truckin'. Wish I could get something comparable without the complications, although will most likely be replaced with...

Exposure Joystick (Mk8 is my current head light). For me, this ticks the boxes - light-weight and stupid-proof. Bright enough on full I was able to lead 2 tired TD riders down the back side of Richmond Peak in the pissing rain when their lights crapped out and no one crashed from lack of light. 36 hour runtime on mode 3 low but still brighter than the Spark on medium and the perfect compliment for when the Spark is running correctly. Mine has seen serious abuse and still keeps on ticking. I'll cry when the LED finally gives out and be forced into shelling out for a new one. The only negative is one has to carry a wall wart/battery pack and cable if out for more than 3 days to make sure you can top 'er up.

Greetz

S.

[fatbikephil]

Exposure Maxx D mk 7 for me. Cost a mint and the touch sensitive screen peed me off for a year as it was far too sensitive - the light used to turn itself on and reset its programme just by hitting a big bump. A mate said to send it back so I did and got it updated to the newer version which only has one small touch sensitive disc instead of the whole back bit. This now works spot on. Light power and spread is ace and the different programmes allow you to choose a whole range of power setting and burn times. Its a bit like cycling with a tin of beans bolted to your bars but its never come off and the bracket seems too be plenty strong enough. You can get some good deals on them but they are still expensive.

I pair it with a joystick on my lid which is also bomb proof.

Flash and flare front and rear mini lights are good too but the exposure re-chargeable batteries for them are crap.

Also got a Revo / red eye / SP hub on my fargo which so far has been excellent.

Exposure chargers also burn out with monotonous regularity but they seem happy to keep sending me new ones.

[Charliecres]

I use an MTB Batteries Lumenator on the helmet. Great light which gives at least eight hours of bikepacking-friendly light and comes with excellent customer support. I use a Nitefighter BT40 on the bars, mated to an old Magicshine battery that's still going strong after four years or so. The Nitefighter has a really nice, powerful beam. Both lights have been totally reliable.

[rich.mike]

I have had one of these for about 5 years now,
and yes i know it can be a tad hit and miss with these but at £15 quid a pop on ebay its worth the risk if you get a good one !
my one has been used for bike packing - winter climbing .
now there are a few tweeks that i have done ... i filled the wire hole at the base with silicone sealent to make it more water proof, and i bought some of the better battery packs from amazon.
the batery life is atleast 3 houyrs on full and more like 6 or so on half ( i allways use it on half for bike packing and its still good enough to ride with on descents)

the batterys are haevay and you will want a couple for most winter weekend bike packs

but i have taken it down hill biking at ae forrest in the dark and on full beam you can still hit the trail like day time !

helmet mount can be bought or just adapt the head torch mount by cutting off the elastic and cabletying it to your helmet !

as i say still going strong after 5 years top notch !

+1 on cheap eBay lights. I've used mine for 3 years now, its my main light and used every day for commuting when its dark. I bought a 6-cell battery pack that easily lasts overnight. For £15 I can't think of anything that comes close in terms of value for money!

[redefined_cycles]

Thats some serious real world reviews there. None of that crap that MBR throw at us with all their advertisers (Specialized Stumpjumper in the top 10 bikes of the decade for 10 years and Trek always getting a 3/10 rating!) getting the "bees knees" ratings (sorry Paul Burwell if you're listening!).

My 2 or 3 Cateyes with AA batteries is what got me started around 20 years ago. Generally lasted qell for lit roads but after around 2 or 3 years there'd be some sort of short-circuit going on (probably water ingress and corrosion). Each one that died, lead me to another newer model. The el-135 was probably the last one I had which fell off whilst going over a bump in the road around 5 years ago...

So around 5 ywars ago I realised I needed more light and thought for trails it'd be nice. Got myself an Eagletac T20C2-Mark2. A twofish block attahced it the bars. Around 800 ansi lumens on full power and mid range was roughly 3-400 lumens. Battery life was 1-2 hours and roughly 3-4 hours respectively on them settings. Was good for night riding on the trails and used it in Sherwood Pines on a group ride. It coped well...

In the first year or so the front lens fell out which I glued back in (like you do) with some Loctite. In the 3rd year something went berzerk and it just stopped working. Some sort of short-circuit. Came with a 5 year warranty which I hadn't acitvated and with the glueing in 'thingy' aswell as the fact that the store (flashaholics) couldnt find a record of my sale I decided to let it RIP. Has been in the kids toybox for a year or so and the missus just chucked it out today (I looked for it and got told of the sad news).

It used to take 2×18650 rechargeabke batteries and was the best light yet. The length of an average 5ft10" mans hand (just shorter).

Next up was my current lovely. Been going a year and am well happy with it. The machined CNC and the fact you don't need to toggle the head between settings (like the Eagletac but rather press a button), is erm... well, just lovely. It also only takes 1×18650 battery and the quality of the Nitecore rechargeable batteries is much better than the previous ones (they weren't the chinese burn yer house down variety!).

The Nitecore EC21 its called. Bloody lovely thing which lasts around 2-3 hours on full 400 (or so) lumens and lights up the full room. Normally run it on the mid 200 lumen setting and last a good 7 or more hours whilst riding. Haven't taken it to the trails as I never had chance, nor do I like going to the trails alone in the dark. Would probably be underpowered unless I risked the higher setting which would just about cut it.

Nitecore... weight of around 2 eggs and fits into the 2fish handlebar block which was purchsed for the Eagletac 5 years ago. Having reachargeable 18650 batts means you just carry a spare.

Obviously I'm on the hunt for another now (the Nitecore gets lonely on the bars on its own over the rough stuff the mount sometimes cries out a little) and hence this flaming lovely thread will be informing my choice...

[ZeroDarkBivi]

Ay-Up's on Helmet & Bars - these have been a good option, and paired together they provide great coverage, with wide (bar) / narrow (helmet) beam combinations. The two power settings are very simple to toggle, and the spare (small=helmet) battery was easy to replace mid ride. Helmet mounting with the supplied velcro is a bit naff and battery life could be better; ideal for a 2-3 hour ride, but not much more.

Exposure Diablo. The integrated battery is neat, but the functionality is way too complicated, and a PITA to set-up on the right mode (too many options). The tap to change setting is a good idea, but in practice it seemed to change itself on occasions and hammer the battery life. I have had this run flat on several occasions, possibly because they default onto the highest power mode rather than the more efficient option I want, and never get more than 12 hours out of it, even being careful to minimise power. When recently riding with somebody using a Joystick, they appeared to have as much useful light as my heavier Diablo, and it lasted for as long too.

KLite (with SP dynamo). Not used much, but initial impression is it provides sufficient light, which is obviously linked to speed, so more candlepower on the downhills, where you need it. However, I would always want to supplement it with a helmet light, not just for better illumination, but I don't have much faith in dynamo hubs!

[MarkW]

Exposure joystick mk5

I've had this light for about 5-7 years and its only just starting to show its age. I thought it was expensive when I bought it, but glad I did. 300 lumens. Well built. Stands up to a lot of abuse on my helmet. Its just about bright enough (it was heck of a trade up from a £9.99 28 lumen energiser head torch I first started with). The battery lasts long enough on full for an evening ride around local trails. Though recently it's started to fade a bit earlier. Not too much of a problem as I have a "piggy back". The red eye is good too. If it gets worse I may follow zippy's tinkering thread and replace the battery.

Nestling 5000 lumens xml light
£19 cheapo light from Amazon.
Mounted on my bars this light is amazing for the price. I doubt it gets near 5000 lumens claimed but it's very bright. It's got a wide beam so compliments my joystick. The only problems I've had with it is the strap on the battery holder broke and I replaced it with a velcro strap I had lying around. I've also found it runs itself down if left connected to the battery. As others have said I don't trust the charger and so only charge it when I'm home. It lasts long enough for an evening ride

Lezyne zecto drive rear light
A bright rear light that is usb chargeable. Though you'll be charging it often! The battery life isnt great compared with other rear lights. Expect to charge it every ride or 3. The first one i had went back as I accidentally mounted it upside down and the water got inside turning it on and off of its own accord.

[ctznsmith]

Exposure Revo Mk1 and red eye rear light
Use them literally everywhere.
Pros: Bright, dynamo so no battery faff.
Negs: Expensive option, have decided to get something 'designed for the road' mainly to be less 'anti-social' on bike/shared use paths when I move to the city.

Did have one issue where the port for the rear wasn't putting out any power but Exposure fixed it for a nominal fee as out of warranty. Also broke a mount but they replaced that for free and sent me a new cable for free too when I broke/wore through one.

B&M IX post
Doesn't work anymore.

B&M rack mounted rear light (battery)
Doesn't work anymore.

Fenix Torch
Bought to use as a helmet mounted extra light for MTB night rides and general back up. I seem to have avoided riding my MTB at night though! Or when I continue from day to night I can never be bothered to stop and strap on the torch.
Pros: AA batteries, decent light as a back up or for road riding.
Neg: Batteries don't last long, handlebar mount not very secure.

(Cube?) Race rear blinky
Pros: Bright, small.
Negs: Stupid mount that has to be set 'just right' or it doesn't actually stay put.

Random old RSP 3 led USB rechargeable light
Pros: Still works!
Cons: Not that bright.

[redefined_cycles]

Maybe its about time to give this topic a little wiggle/nudge... My Lumenator (bought upon info on this thread) has been spot on for over 2 years now but I cant help but think... I think maybe I should try something anew!!

[Lazarus]

exposure joystick MK 12
Pro- amazing run time and brightness for the size
Adjustable light outputs [ agree its too many]

Negs - port cover has always been a pain to re seat/cover
Helmet mount is brittle and breaks and very expensive [ £20] to replace
no lanyard so fear of losing when on helmet -

Everyone should own one of these for a helmet light

My main one is a troutie darkness eliminator /destroyer something like that using Lummi battery packs
1500 Lumens and genuine, 3 settings - 5+ years old but no one can require more light than this
14 hours + on one endurance lummi battery- cannot get them so wont review further but I will only replace when if/it breaks

If starting afresh - whatever cheap ebay light was available and a proper battery from torchy or MTB batteries or whomever

its the batteries where the money is worth spending - all my cheap ebay light batteries are broken but the units all work and are very very good for the price.

[jameso]

Really good - SON Edelux II front and SON rear, off the dynamo. Great output and reliability.

Really bad - Exposure Spark and the RC batteries that came with it. Probably the most oft-faulty products I've had on my bike

[redefined_cycles]

Really good - SON Edelux II front and SON rear, off the dynamo. Great output and reliability.

Really bad - Exposure Spark and the RC batteries that came with it. Probably the most oft-faulty products I've had on my bike

I'm glad you mentioned the dyno light Jameso as it reminded me regards a Q I've been pondering (think I have a guesstimate answer that the quality of the lumens and the light being overengineered are my answers) on this topic... You see, Kristoff Aleagart runs this as his main headlight https://hollandbikeshop.com/en-gb/bicyc ... ght-black/

Thats only 200 lumens in the highest lumen version..How on earth does he keep managing to ride at speed throughout the nights which he obviously does!

Anyone care to attempt to explain...

The 2 I'm looking at (dont like the spread of light on the Lumenator but more so the weight) are the above (for when dyno is setup) and an Exposure Toro mk10 or RaceMk13... hoping thwy give a better spread of lighy meaningI dont need to run the Lumenator and my lovely nitecore simulaneuosly (lumenator for near vision as I feel it blind traffic when trying to get further throw and the Nitecore for a bit of distance to the light... good combo and lovely /robust lights)..

[jameso]

Thats only 200 lumens in the highest lumen version..How on earth does he keep managing to ride at speed throughout the nights which he obviously does!

Anyone care to attempt to explain...

I doubt my SON puts out much more than 400 lumens / around 80 lux at 18-20mph. It's a fair bit less on climbs and it's enough. The Spark did get me through the Tour Divide ie lot of riding in the dark and it's only 250 lumens or so, didn't have it on max that often. For easy trails and road miles you don't need much (you just need it to not cut out randomly )

[dlovett]

Revo, has always worked perfectly since day 1. It's now done about 8000 kms and is still as bright as the day it was new. It's red eye back light is the same.

Diablo, after 3 years, the battery is still pretty good and it really does last for many hours on the lower power settings. On high you can blow through the battery in an hour or so.

The red eye mini used with the Diablo dies after about 8 months.

B&M I have two sets, the old dynamo ones are about 8 years old and still fine. The newer Lux_u ones lasted about 9 months before a warrenty replacement was required due to total death and the back lasted about 4 months. The replacement ones are ok but occasionally the front refuses to output power to the usb port. These have hardly been used in any rain.

Ebay £20 cree lights, still work after 3 year although the battery life isn't anywhere near as good as it was. Still new batteries for them are less than a tenner.

[lune ranger]

Supernova E3 Triple 2. Dynamo powered 500 lumen 3 led with full output reached at 20km/h.
Used on my Fargo for all night, night riding.
Unlike other German dyno lights this is not (German) road legal with TuV beam shape. Good round off-road beam.
500 lumens is a little less than its better known competitor USE Revo.
I have both lights, Revo on Krampus and can't tell any practical difference in output in use. At low speed both lights need some kind of backup, at higher speeds the output of both is perfectly adequate.
Compared to Revo pro's are:
Near instant useable light when you set off. No lag time whilst internal battery charges.
Trad dyno light design. Permanent wiring and bolt on mounts make the light harder (and less tempting) to pilfer. Got it once and forget.
Handlebar (use the excellent SON mount) or fork crown positioning.
Variable price but usually much cheaper new.

Con's:
Good stand light but no internal battery so flickers at low speed.
Trad design not good for swapping between bikes or dismounting.

[dlovett]

Oh and I had a kite when I was in Australia, it wasn't much good and it failed. The manufactures never every replied about fixing and so I had to bin it. When I complained about it all they did was bitch about me and said I never even had one, shame about the copy of the purchase receipt I was able to provide.

I won't ever touch them with a barge pole.

[whitestone]

exposure joystick MK 12
Pro- amazing run time and brightness for the size
Adjustable light outputs [ agree its too many]

Negs - port cover has always been a pain to re seat/cover
Helmet mount is brittle and breaks and very expensive [ £20] to replace
no lanyard so fear of losing when on helmet -

Everyone should own one of these for a helmet light

Pretty much my thoughts on the Joystick, I think mine's the Mk11 but looking at my wife's Mk12 there doesn't seem to be much difference. I used one on the HT550 as my only light, I didn't do much night riding apart from the last night where I rode through. I still had at least 50% charge left.

I'd like it to default to lowest setting when turning on.

I replaced my helmet recently and the new one (Lazer something or other) has a GoPro mount built in so I got a GoPro to Exposure mount for it.

My main one is a troutie darkness eliminator /destroyer something like that using Lummi battery packs
1500 Lumens and genuine, 3 settings - 5+ years old but no one can require more light than this
14 hours + on one endurance lummi battery- cannot get them so won't review further but I will only replace when if/it breaks

Sadly Troutie died a few weeks ago, his funeral was in Skipton.

[sean_iow]

no lanyard so fear of losing when on helmet -

My Joystick came with a lanyard, I think mine is a mk11 and my friend bought one just before christams so a mk12? maybe a mk13 and his also did.

It's a webbing lanyard with a fine cord loop on the end. The loop is folded back on itself and slide over the light. It only just fits so it keeps getting stuck in the grooves as you slide it on which is what subsequently stops it coming off. I bought mine as a Joystick plus helmet and bar mount set. I think you can buy it in different packages.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-joyst ... -hb-mount/

If you look at this listing a lanyard is shown as included.

[Lazarus]

Yes I should have mentioned that - Mine fell off - not on the helmet but between bikes but i never fully trusted it
I ended up cable tying that loop to mine to secure it [ again should have said that but I never even take it off the helmet and yes its there in use at the minute totally forgot
I would still prefer an actual point to tie from like a garmin has.