Cost of bike lights

[Maherees]

Hello,
Some 15 years ago I bought an Exposure Joystick that I used to commute with and still use for winter use on my road bike. However I’ve come away on holidays and forgotten it, but oddly enough my £10 car torch not only fits in the the same light holder as my Exposure it seems just as capable. What the catch in the a light that costs a tenth of the price is just as good?
Bike light

 

[cougie uk]

It's not going to be as good though is it ? I've had those torches in the past and they're fantastic compared to the lights we used to have - but a proper light designed for the bike is always going to beat it - on beam pattern, strength, reliability and battery life.

I'd wager your £10 light won't be lasting you 15 years.

 

[Peter Salt]

False advertising would be one thing you don't get with Exposure lights.

The Amazon page you linked is so full of BS it made me facepalm and laugh hard several times. That website has absolutely zero control or moderation over what's being stated in the item descriptions. If that flashlight does 2000 lumens, actually has a battery capacity of 1800mAh, can last for 16 hours or is waterproof - if literally single one of these statements is true, then I'm the Pope

I'm especially a fan of this 'marketing' material that clearly shows a path lit by vehicle lights and a bit of Photoshop but them stating it's their pocket flashlight. Made my day

 

[Moodyman]

There’s 15 years of development to take into account. LEDs have come on abounds and today’s cheaper lights are probably better than yesteryear’s expensive lights.

 

[steveindenmark]

Hello,
Some 15 years ago I bought an Exposure Joystick that I used to commute with and still use for winter use on my road bike. However I’ve come away iron holidays and forgotten it, but oddly enough my £10 car torch not only fits in the the same light holder as my Exposure it seems just as capable. What the catch in the a light that costs a tenth of the price is just as good?
Bike light

If it has the same run time and can be charged up from the mains like your Joystick. I would like to know the name of it. I could do with a standby for mine .

 

[the_mikey]

LED flashlights are pretty good these days, but the marketing claims are not a reflection of reality.

 

[Chris S]

Torches often go out when you hit bumps.

 

[MontyVeda]

Yup... i tried using super bright torches but bumps would cause them to switch off or put them on a different setting. They're generally not designed to be constantly rattled.

As for price, my Aldi front bike light at around £15 is hands down better than my Moon light which cost four times the price.

 

[MichaelW2]

The LED wars are over and if I may quote the popular beat combo " Hot Chocolate", " Everyone's a winner baby"
You do need a suitable beam pattern for road cycling. The German DIN standard is best. It puts most illumination where cyclists need it, with enough peripheral "be seen" light. The normal flashlight beam pattern is OK for emergency, temp use but very wasteful of all those lumens.