Darkness descending on us all.

[dudi]

sticking to AA batteries would be handy, as I can keep my charger at work and make sure they're topped up for the ride home.

 

[wafflycat]

Cateye EL530's are like a candle in the rain compared with either the Ayups or Fenix lights. I have 2 x EL530s and 2 x Fenix P3D. No contest, not even slightly close. One Fenix is not only brighter, but it's a much better spread of light, rather than the tight spot of the EL530.

Certainly they aren't as bright, but if you haven't got the money to purchase AyUps, they are very good for the price. And my EL530s light up the entire width of a lane of road. Really.

 

[BentMikey]

Here's the topic from YACF with lots of detail:

http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4055.0

Valiant says "It pisses all over the Cateye", and he's right. The real Fenix is cheaper, and the tescos one a lot cheaper still.

 

[wafflycat]

I know of the discussions. I'm merely going on my own experience of the EL530s. I don't have shares in Cateye I'd love to be able to afford som AyUps, but I can't at the moment. If I was seeking to renew lights and I could afford the AyUps, that's what I'd be going for. In the meantime, I have found no problems whatsoever in being seen or seeing by a pair of EL530s on Norfolk's unlit country lanes.

And by shopping around online, I got two EL530s for only £10 more than the price of one, so they worked out very good value.

 

[Origamist]

I think ayups are just too pricy for me.

I have this torch attached to my stem. It is more than twice as bright and cheaper than the Fenix mentioned in this thread. However, it takes 18650 batteries and is 20cm long. I use the 50% setting as this is still very bright.


http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/ult...ch-p-1079.html

 

[Otto]

I'm lit up like the runway at Gatwick, Electron 10/12 watt. plus , plus Exposure race Maxx on the front, Plus Exposure Joystick Maxx on the helmet....

 

[Origamist]

Can you get rechargable batteries for it?

Yes, it takes rechargeable 18650 batteries (one or two). I carry spares with me and have a back-up torch as well. The lumens figure of 700 is inflated though - I'd guess 500 - 550 is closer to the mark. The strobe is useless - unless you want to make someone feel nauseous.

 

[Maz]

I just wonder how bright these lights need to be. You don't need lights powerful enough to light up an entire city if you've got street lighting and lights from cars (urban commute, clearly).

 

[Mr Phoebus]

I just wonder how bright these lights need to be. You don't need lights powerful enough to light up an entire city if you've got street lighting and lights from cars (urban commute, clearly).

In today's culture of 'it's always someone else's fault' I wouldn't want someone's
defence lawyer arguing that I was too poorly lit up and so it was unavoidable.

 

[Graham O]

Does anyone have the Fenix bike mount? I'm wondering how stable the torch is when on the mount. Does the mount extend beyond the strap, i.e. is the torch supported along it's length or does it wobble a little/lot?

Thanks

 

[Origamist]

Does anyone have the Fenix bike mount? I'm wondering how stable the torch is when on the mount. Does the mount extend beyond the strap, i.e. is the torch supported along it's length or does it wobble a little/lot?

Thanks

I have the Fenix mount and my torches fit snugly with minimal wobbling. However, they have a wider barrel diameter than Fenix torches. Some people have complained that the Fenix torches don't fit so well in the Fenix mount!

The Two Fish lockblock is simpler and just as effective.

 

[Graham O]

Do you mean the Two Fish one which is on the Fenix website, i.e. just a velcro loop on a plastic mount vs the rotatable Fenix mount?

 

[Origamist]

Do you mean the Two Fish one which is on the Fenix website, i.e. just a velcro loop on a plastic mount vs the rotatable Fenix mount?

No, I was referring to the proprietary Fenix mount in my last post. I mentioned the Two Fish as it was a possible alternative. I have both the Fenix mount and the Two Fish mount. The Fenix mount grips more of the flashlight, but is not as easy to adjust/remove as the Two Fish mount. Hope that makes sense.


I also have this cheap but effective mount for my stem : http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12000)

 

[BentMikey]

Hehehe, Waffles. I have both the Fenix and the EL-530s, so I can compare directly.

The twofish lockblock is fairly stable IMO. I seem to recall that the other Fenix bike mount rattles a bit according to one forum poster, but I'm not really too sure my recollection is correct.

 

[Graham O]

Thanks for the information. I quite like the torch route (cheaper), but wanted reassurance about mounts.

Question number 2. Has anyone compared using torches to a dedicated cycle light? I know there are references to the Cateye on this thread, but I was thinking of a 3W torch vs a 3W light (battery or dynamo).