Cree lights...to good to be true?

[Easytigers]

On Tuesday, one of the people I work (and cycle) with said they'd ordered a Cree light. It was supposed to be 1200 Lumens and everything else looked like good spec. Said she'd paid only £20 plus postage but would take 7-23 days to be delivered. I kind of laughed and said it wasn't going to be the deal she expected.
Thing is...it arrived today (2 days!!!) We then compared it to the £40 Cateye I have on my bike and it was like chalk and cheese...my light seemed like a candle compared to a car headlight!!!
Is it going to be one of those products that fail after a week, or has she really got a fantastic deal?
Thanks,
Russ

 

[DRHysted]

The Chinese Crees are pretty good, but do fail after a few months. I'm on my third set since the start of winter 2011, the vibrations seem to do them in.

 

[MattHB]

They are good, but in reality 'only' about 800 lumens depending on the emitter and the driver. You can't go wrong really.

 

[Mugshot]

Had mine a little while now (guessing its the same type of thing from your description) and I love it, it's been out in loads and loads of rain with no ill effects, and to be honest if it only see's me through one winter for the money I'd buy another one next year.

 

[musa]

tbh its value for money....only question you gotta ask as mentioned is how long before you need a new one.
but for the price is good. if it decided to fail you wouldnt be upset for 20 quid piece of machinery than 40-50 quid.

 

[e-rider]

I've heard that they can catch fire during charging! You can now buy the 'official' UK import stock through One23 with full UK warranty and safety certs. for £60 if you wish

 

[musa]

i havent had an issue however the one i received (if its the battery pack light your friend obtained) then the plug adapter may not be fused

 

[Easytigers]

Soooo want to buy one but money is a bit tight at the moment! However, £20 seems like a real bargain for something that would make a big difference to my commute (60% unlit country roads)!
Can I convince the wife?????????????

 

[coffeejo]

I have to say, I'm not convinced by the idea of cycling to cut emissions (well, it's one of the reasons I cycle) on the one hand, but contributing to the disposable culture on the other.

 

[Easytigers]

I have to say, I'm not convinced by the idea of cycling to cut emissions (well, it's one of the reasons I cycle) on the one hand, but contributing to the disposable culture on the other.

Not being confrontational at all but do you mean that, due to the fact that they might not last very long, then they shouldn't be bought??? If so, then I can see your point. Must say though, that the big thing for me atm is safety. I've had two incidents in the last month on the way home in the dark and think a really good light might make a difference. Unfortunately, we're a bit tight for money and tbh I just need a really good product for the lowest price possible :-(

 

[Pale Rider]

Another rider bought one of these while I was in an LBS today:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=86383

Using my licence to interfere, I supervised the fitting process and had a play with the light.

Neat, well-made, simple to charge, fit and operate.

Looked bright to me.

I want one.

 

[MrJamie]

The light output on them is awesome (although more like 600 lumens according to Cree than the 1000-2000 ebay sellers like to claim), but the build quality can reflect the price you pay for them. The battery life on the torch style ones isnt amazing, I prefer the battery pack versions, but the wires tend to only be attached by the solder on the board/terminals, so very prone to loose connections/failure if the wires are pulled. The super cheap ones are also shipped from China, so returns would be a pain and I guess theres also a small chance of having to pay import duty.

It would work pretty well to have one in addition to your cateye, to use like a full beam for country lanes - they're rather dazzling to oncoming traffic. You can pay a bit more for the Fluxient and Magicshine lights, which are IMHO a step above qualitywise.

 

[Paul99]

Not being confrontational at all but do you mean that, due to the fact that they might not last very long, then they shouldn't be bought??? If so, then I can see your point. Must say though, that the big thing for me atm is safety. I've had two incidents in the last month on the way home in the dark and think a really good light might make a difference. Unfortunately, we're a bit tight for money and tbh I just need a really good product for the lowest price possible :-(

Can you put a price on safety?
I'm sure if you mentioned the incidents might be to do with being poorly illuminated your wife might agree it's money well spent.

 

[coffeejo]

Not being confrontational at all but do you mean that, due to the fact that they might not last very long, then they shouldn't be bought??? If so, then I can see your point. Must say though, that the big thing for me atm is safety. I've had two incidents in the last month on the way home in the dark and think a really good light might make a difference. Unfortunately, we're a bit tight for money and tbh I just need a really good product for the lowest price possible :-(

Wasn't at you specifically - I know only too well what it's like to struggle with a limited budget - but just a moan in general.

 

[Fab Foodie]

They're great.
http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=59808.0