best lights . . . .

[Shut Up Legs]

Ohh I like these threads.... Light whore that I am.

Well, I guess that's a bit better than a heavy one... .

My preferred light for commuting is the USB-rechargeable Moon X-Power 500*. I need to recharge it after every commute, due to the length of my commutes, but its light output is very nice. Even better, it has a very well-defined cutoff at the top of the beam, so I've noticed very little light shining on higher objects (e.g. trees either side of the shared path, light poles, etc.). This makes it more commuter-friendly. I also use front and rear dynamo lights - the front one is the Schmidt Edelux, which probably has about 200-250 lumen average light output. Like the Moon light, it has a well-defined cutoff at the top of the beam. I've angled these 2 front lights, so that their main beam spots overlap slightly, thus giving me better coverage of the road/path in front, and despite the aforementioned beam cutoff, they're more than enough to alert oncoming traffic (motorists or otherwise) to my presence .

* Real light output is probably more like about 300-350 lumens. The claimed 500 lumens is probably just the maximum output, instead of the average output which would be more realistic.

 

[glenn forger]

Phaart lights, don't listen to anyone else, they're all internet wrongmos.

 

[gaz]

Just looked at the firms you recommend, all their lights are out of my price range for the use that I will get out of them. The cheaper Chinese lights sound a better bet for me, how did you find them and how long did they last you.

Beam patterns aren't great, build quality isn't as good as the top brands, batteries can be hit or miss, brightness ratings are well over estimated. Biggest problem for me, customer service is nothing like that of a company which has taken pride in taking their lights to the next level.
Dinotte - Fantastically designed products with a superb finish and the brightness of the lights is second only to that of the design shine.
Exposure - They make a light for any scenario, with easy switching between modes from a button (and many of the lights a remote cable), the flash mode is separate to the normal light cycles so you don't need to worry about a few seconds of darkness when going from bright to not so bright.
Hope - fantastic finished products with the vision 1 being one of the best selling high powered aa battery driven lights. The design thought gone into the light and the usability is just fantastic.

 

[MrJamie]

My magicshines have been great and reliable, but my £30 Chinese T6 light died was replaced and died again despite only being used a few times each.

It's really dependent on where you ride though, most of my night riding is away from roads, some of it on quiet roads and my commute is along an unlit river path so beam pattern isn't so important. I wouldn't choose them if I were cycling in lit urban roads though as they really are dazzling.

 

[Black Country Ste]

I use a Magicshine 808E front and 818 rear, running from the same battery. Excellent in use but with my top tube an unsightly tangle of cables, they're a pain in the backside if you need to remove the lights when leaving the bike .

 

[MrGrumpy]

http://www.7dayshop.com/special/see...h-headlight-kit-rechargeable-cree-t6-xm-l-led

Bit of a lottery in terms of the batteries, my unit lasted one winter before destroying itself. You can get spare/better batteries elsewhere which are more water proof. Oh and BTW those branded ones can fail as well only diff is I suspect is they will fix free of charge especially at some of those prices. The above at £26 is a no brainer even if you get a whole winter out of it, might get lucky and get several!

 

[srw]

What's the planned use? In a well-lit city you need the cheapest of cheap white LEDs up front to be legal, and a couple of reasonably bright flashers at the back. In a moderately well-lit city you need a moderately bright front light. In the country you need one of the bits of exotica being mentioned on this thread - although for what it's worth I'd use a dynohub instead.

Whatever you use, position it well. At 5:30pm yesterday in brilliant sunshine I was seriously distracted and almost dazzled by some unthinking tit running a strobe light pointing upwards away from the road.

 

[Cush]

Gaz, Tony enjoy d. Thanks for your input. The way I see it; it is the same as when I was walking. Two pair of cheap Regatta trousers lasted the equivalent to one expensive pair of (say) Rohan. but if you snagged your hintend on a bit of barbed wire the first time you had your new trousers on, then the Rohan was as useless as the cheap O and you finished up with an expensive pair of garden trousers instead of a cheap pair. I need a heavy beam light that will get me through two all night "begging bowl rides". My Petzel walking lamp will not fit on to my helmet with out a bit of Heath Robinson work, which would probably fall to bits halfway through the first ride. After these two rides I revert back to my normal night riding which is mainly on well lit roads. I have to admit I have looked at a couple of Cateyes on E bay.

 

[DWiggy]

I use a Moon 300 xp at the front (USB Chargeable) and just about bright enough for unlit country roads and last year a Cherry bomb for the rear with a Halfords own rear light, im gutted because l have lost the cherry bomb bracket and this little light used to get me nice wide births from most overtaking cars!

 

[GrasB]

Instead of doing your best to blind everyone else on the road why not get something like the B+M IXON IQ? Better road illumination without going for stupidly high surface brightness which leaves people with huge holes in their night vision.

 

[gaz]

Gaz, Tony enjoy d. Thanks for your input. The way I see it; it is the same as when I was walking. Two pair of cheap Regatta trousers lasted the equivalent to one expensive pair of (say) Rohan. but if you snagged your hintend on a bit of barbed wire the first time you had your new trousers on, then the Rohan was as useless as the cheap O and you finished up with an expensive pair of garden trousers instead of a cheap pair. I need a heavy beam light that will get me through two all night "begging bowl rides". My Petzel walking lamp will not fit on to my helmet with out a bit of Heath Robinson work, which would probably fall to bits halfway through the first ride. After these two rides I revert back to my normal night riding which is mainly on well lit roads. I have to admit I have looked at a couple of Cateyes on E bay.

Cateyes? I take it you don't want to see where you are going then.
Cateye seems to have done a fantastic job of flooding the market at the low range of lights and as such they get bought. However the products they produce are next to useless, I wouldn't even use them as a backup light.

 

[akb]

However the products they produce are next to useless, I wouldn't even use them as a backup light

Bit harsh IMO. I used an EL530 for a whole winters commute on unlit cycle paths & country lanes and it did me very well. I didnt have the money to spend on an expensive light at the time and the battery life was very good and did the job it was intended.
They are also good for 'being seen' lights. The rear Cateye I still use after 3 years when I first brought the light.

 

[RedRider]

I've found the Lezyne Macro Drive a good front light for London commutes, bright enough to light the way through any unlit sections and you recharge by plugging it into a computer. I survived well enough using cheap cat eyes for many years although I found them unreliable in the wet.

 

[Beebo]

I have two of these, they are too bright for my urban commute, but good on night rides, and you have a back up light too.
http://www.7dayshop.com/special/see...-power-3w-led-flashlight-with-mount-blue-ring
they cost less than £10 for a pair, and are great. If one falls off or breaks, so what, i'll buy another, and another and another.

 

[donnydave]

Lezyne macro drive here, usb rechargeable is really useful. I used it on unlit country roads through last winter and it was good enough but the beam spread could be a bit wider. The centre "hot spot" is very very bright but outside that region its a bit dim for me. I may add a wider angle light this winter just to give better visibility of the road edge