Battery lights vs. rechargeable.

[matticus]

If I'm going to be forking out £50-£85 for a new light, I'd like to be reasonably sure that it is at least as effective as my current light in 1000 lumen mode, while also having the better beam pattern to not dazzle.

If you're a rider who HAS to have MOAR LIGHT, consider the combo of:
- a cheapish shaped beam light (ideally connected to a dynamo :P ), plus
- a switchable "main beam" battery light with however many lumens/lux you desire. (You can get tons of lumens quite cheaply if that's your only criteria). You may only use it for a few minutes every ride, so a charge will last bloody ages. And if it does die when you least expect it, you can definitely get home with just your boring non-dazzling light

 

[classic33]

No: but I'm afraid of running into it (hard), or being eaten by it.

There'll not be much that big that it'll eat you, on this island.

Similar point was raised over 30 years ago with regards to the amount, and brightness, of the lights being used by walkers on unlit roads and paths.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No: but I'm afraid of running into it (hard), or being eaten by it.

Yeah imagine what it’ll be like with rewilding, when a bear has eaten the Queen’s corgis it’ll be waiting in the fog for you to run into it.

 

[si_c]

- a switchable "main beam" battery light with however many lumens/lux you desire. (You can get tons of lumens quite cheaply if that's your only criteria). You may only use it for a few minutes every ride, so a charge will last bloody ages. And if it does die when you least expect it, you can definitely get home with just your boring non-dazzling light

A lot of the Lezyne lights have a "race mode" which is just a fancy way of switching between the endurance and highest power settings. For example on my 1300xxl it swaps between 1300 lumen and 150 lumen settings. The latter is more than sufficient for around town and even dark lanes at night once it's properly past twilight.

I think a lot of the reason people just get massively overpowered lights is that they never actually ride anywhere it is actually dark, once in the country and it's really dark you don't need more than about 200lumen output as it will be plentiful to illumenate (see what I did there) the road for you. Because people tend to commute where there are streetlights the lamps get washed out in the car/streetlamps in a sensible setting, but put it in retina burn mode and it becomes vaguely visible over the other light pollution so people think that's the right option.

I noticed this behaviour in myself when I first started commuting, I could "see" the light was on so I felt better, despite the fact that it wasn't actually providing any additional usable light. This then leads to a battery arms race, you have crap battery life so you get a bigger lamp, that also has three times the number of LEDs for three times the blinding capability

/rant.

 

[Tenkaykev]

You won’t even notice 3 watts in your average speed. You are talking small fractions of a mile per hour. You can get about 7 times as much difference in tyres.

I wasn't being entirely serious...😉

 

[gcogger]

I would like to replace it with an StVZO light at some point.

I don't know if all StVZO beam patterns are the same, but I've switched away from my Sigma Aura 80 (80 Lux) partly because of the beam pattern. While it's great in most circumstances, and really doesn't dazzle anyone, I don't think it gives enough light to the sides. The main issue for me was that some corners on narrow or rough roads were tricky as I couldn't see round them at all. I found that I needed to slow to pretty much walking pace in situations where I wouldn't need to slow down at all if I could see to the side.
I've since switched to a Moon Rigel Max, which has some beam shaping, but nowhere near as much. It's much better for me, although I've yet to test how bright it appears to oncoming traffic. Should be better than a normal 'torch' style light, but I'm not sure how much. It looks reasonable on the road.cc comparison site. I use it mostly on the reduced setting (not sure what that is, maybe 400-500 lumens?) and it's bright enough for most conditions at even quite high speeds. On the rare occasion I need brighter (with no other traffic/people around!) switching to/from the high setting is a single button press.

 

[Twilkes]

I think a lot of the reason people just get massively overpowered lights is that they never actually ride anywhere it is actually dark, once in the country and it's really dark you don't need more than about 200lumen output as it will be plentiful to illumenate (see what I did there) the road for you. Because people tend to commute where there are streetlights the lamps get washed out in the car/streetlamps in a sensible setting, but put it in retina burn mode and it becomes vaguely visible over the other light pollution so people think that's the right option.

I'm not so sure about that, don't see this reflected in my city, and I'm the opposite - commuting with street lights I'm happy with a £5 USB front light so people can see me, I don't need any additional lighting to see with. But in a dark country lane, especially lined with trees and a cloudy night with no moon, it's obvious the greater visibility the three power levels of my front light give. On a good road I might turn it down but if there's a danger of potholes or it's downhill or twisting roads I want all the visibility I can get. Magic Shine 1000 for reference, no idea of the power/luminux or whatever it is.

 

[matticus]

I've since switched to a Moon Rigel Max, which has some beam shaping, but nowhere near as much. It's much better for me, although I've yet to test how bright it appears to oncoming traffic. Should be better than a normal 'torch' style light, but I'm not sure how much. It looks reasonable on the road.cc comparison site.

The Rigel Max has the same kind of refracted lens as the Rigel Pro, to stop you dazzling oncoming drivers or cyclists, noticeable by way of the ridges on the upper half of the lens. If you mount the light underneath the handlebar, you can flip the lens over, a cool trick.

As with the Pro, it does work to a degree, cutting off the upper light a bit, but there is still plenty heading up into the trees.

It's not as effective as Ravemen's solution on its PR1600, which has two separate lenses, one providing a properly cut-off beam for when you are riding in 'dipped' mode, the other chucking out a much wider spread on 'full beam'.

(my bold)
Just an observation!

 

[Alex321]

I'm not so sure about that, don't see this reflected in my city, and I'm the opposite - commuting with street lights I'm happy with a £5 USB front light so people can see me, I don't need any additional lighting to see with. But in a dark country lane, especially lined with trees and a cloudy night with no moon, it's obvious the greater visibility the three power levels of my front light give. On a good road I might turn it down but if there's a danger of potholes or it's downhill or twisting roads I want all the visibility I can get. Magic Shine 1000 for reference, no idea of the power/luminux or whatever it is.

If a light has a number such as 1000 in the name, that will almost always be the power in lumens.

If it is an StVZO light, the number will be the lux value, at whatever distance that manufacturer measures at. That will be a much lower value.

 

[Alex321]

I don't know if all StVZO beam patterns are the same, but I've switched away from my Sigma Aura 80 (80 Lux) partly because of the beam pattern. While it's great in most circumstances, and really doesn't dazzle anyone, I don't think it gives enough light to the sides. The main issue for me was that some corners on narrow or rough roads were tricky as I couldn't see round them at all. I found that I needed to slow to pretty much walking pace in situations where I wouldn't need to slow down at all if I could see to the side.
I've since switched to a Moon Rigel Max, which has some beam shaping, but nowhere near as much. It's much better for me, although I've yet to test how bright it appears to oncoming traffic. Should be better than a normal 'torch' style light, but I'm not sure how much. It looks reasonable on the road.cc comparison site. I use it mostly on the reduced setting (not sure what that is, maybe 400-500 lumens?) and it's bright enough for most conditions at even quite high speeds. On the rare occasion I need brighter (with no other traffic/people around!) switching to/from the high setting is a single button press.

That does sound like a pretty good light, though 500 lumens possibly wouldn't be enough if the beam wasn't pretty well focussed.

 

[Alex321]

A lot of the Lezyne lights have a "race mode" which is just a fancy way of switching between the endurance and highest power settings. For example on my 1300xxl it swaps between 1300 lumen and 150 lumen settings. The latter is more than sufficient for around town and even dark lanes at night once it's properly past twilight.

I think a lot of the reason people just get massively overpowered lights is that they never actually ride anywhere it is actually dark, once in the country and it's really dark you don't need more than about 200lumen output as it will be plentiful to illumenate (see what I did there) the road for you. Because people tend to commute where there are streetlights the lamps get washed out in the car/streetlamps in a sensible setting, but put it in retina burn mode and it becomes vaguely visible over the other light pollution so people think that's the right option.

When I am commuting, I will switch my light to flashing mode when I'm in the city. I want the brighter light to properly see where I'm going on the dark roads.

And 200 lumens is certainly nowhere near enough with most "regular" UK lights (it may be with very well focussed beam lights). I was riding for a while with a Lezyne microdrive 450XL (as the name implies, 450 lumens), and I really never felt totally comfortable even at 15mph on the lanes. On the A road, with a white line along the side, it was better. I still keep that light as a torch around the house, and carry it on rides as a backup in case my main light fails. But I wouldn't choose to ride with it as my main light again.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

When I am commuting, I will switch my light to flashing mode when I'm in the city. I want the brighter light to properly see where I'm going on the dark roads.

And 200 lumens is certainly nowhere near enough with most "regular" UK lights (it may be with very well focussed beam lights). I was riding for a while with a Lezyne microdrive 450XL (as the name implies, 450 lumens), and I really never felt totally comfortable even at 15mph on the lanes. On the A road, with a white line along the side, it was better. I still keep that light as a torch around the house, and carry it on rides as a backup in case my main light fails. But I wouldn't choose to ride with it as my main light again.

That’ll be because at least 2/3rds of those lumens are going somewhere that won’t help you see what you need to see down the road. At best it’s equivalent of a SVTZO light of 150 lumens. Which is at the low end of current SVTZO light outputs.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I’ve also seen something that a 30% increase in lumens doesn’t mean it will seem 30% brighter due to the way the eye works.

 

[Alex321]

That’ll be because at least 2/3rds of those lumens are going somewhere that won’t help you see what you need to see down the road. At best it’s equivalent of a SVTZO light of 150 lumens. Which is at the low end of current SVTZO light outputs.

Probably. But that seems to be true of the vast majority of regular lights readily available in the UK.

This Lezyne Lite Drive STVZO Pro 115 Looks worth considering. 290 lumens seems awfully low, but at roughly 10m, if the meter on my phone is anywhere near accurate, my light was only giving about 40lux, which is way less than even the 2nd mode on the Lezyne (though it doesn't say what distance their lux value is measured at).

 

[Jenkins]

Probably. But that seems to be true of the vast majority of regular lights readily available in the UK.

This Lezyne Lite Drive STVZO Pro 115 Looks worth considering. 290 lumens seems awfully low, but at roughly 10m, if the meter on my phone is anywhere near accurate, my light was only giving about 40lux, which is way less than even the 2nd mode on the Lezyne (though it doesn't say what distance their lux value is measured at).

That looked quite tempting, but there's a couple of videos of this in use and the beam seems quite narrow with little lighting to the side which makes it little use on unlit lanes - this one shows it best.