Front lights with 4+ hr life on full beam

[Brains]

I'm doing the Dunwich Dynamo in a few weeks time
I need a good (pair of ?) front light(s)

The Spec.

• 600+ Lumens
• Under £100 (and ideally half that!) total
• Need to operate on full beam for most of a summer night, so at least 4hrs on full beam
• Ideally I'm after something that runs on AA's (or AAA's), batteries

(I'd don't mind if I have to take along a bumper pack of spare batteries)

If we go down the rechargeable route then I probably need a pair of lights, as they seem to only be able to do about 1.5hrs on full beam.
Also it would need to be USB chargeable so I could be charging up one set using a power pack whilst using the other
(Does one of those phone charger power pack work to charge up lights ??)

Any suggestions?
Recommendations (positive or negative)
Or point me in the direction of a decent table type review.
(I've looked at a number of reviews, but when you start reading the small print, chargers need the mains or whatever)

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Try these, which meet your brightness, price and running time requirements: http://ayup-lights.com/lighting-kits?product_id=2
You'll need to use the mains charger supplied with it, but these lights are very reliable and not too heavy. I've used them for commuting for years with no problems.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I use a Hope Vision 1 on Friday Night rides to the Coast. It takes AAs but I've never had it run out on me, even on winter night rides. I only put it on full beam when needed, which isn't all that often. I'm afraid I don't know how many lumens it does.

I've never done the Dun Run itself but I have cycled the Dun Run route at night, and my Hope Vision one was fine.

PS I did the FNRttC Cardiff-Swansea this weekend with a Cateye Volt, (as the Hope won't go on skinny Brompton handlebars) which was quite cheap and was fine. But it was a very short night.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I'll also vouch for the Ay Up system. The batteries come in two sizes and the lights themselves are available as flood or spot. I get at least four hours on the large (Epic) battery. You can buy two batteries - in fact, some of the pack combinations come with two batteries. The system is very flexible and can be mounted on a helmet or handlebar or even rearward, using red lenses.

One criticism though is the pod where everything is stored. It is too finicky and you need a degree in Pod to repack it properly. I've seen kits with a soft case, get that if possible. The light itself is excellent, even on medium strength.

 

[goody]

+1 for the Hope Vision 1. I use it for through the night Audax type events.

 

[Drago]

Cheap Chinese 1800 lumen jobs easily run 4 hours at full chat.

 

[Vantage]

Before I saw sense and went dynamo I used one of the cree headlights for 2-3 years. One had a fault which fried the led and was replaced under warranty without issue. It's replacement has run perfectly ever since and I still occasionally use it on my little girls bike. On low beam it's good enough for a 20mph+ blast along winding country lanes and at that level will run easily for 8 hours minimum. It's more than powerful enough for offroading and quite popular among mountain bikers due to it's toughness and reliability.
A replacement battery can be bought as a backup weighing not a great deal more than a bunch of AA's.
While it can be bought from amazon, I'd recommend buying direct from the people I list as they are a jolly nice bunch of folk to deal with although I've just discovered they no longer supply the battery on it's own.
The light.
http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/product-1200-lumen-lamp-unit_red.html
The battery.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterproof...10293&sr=8-1&keywords=cree+bike+light+battery

The diffuser lens gives a nice spread of light over the road ahead rather than a spot focused beam and might be worth investing in. I did without regret.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SEEN-ANGLE-DIFFUSER-LIGHTS-APERTURE/dp/B00DQ5IGMU/ref=pd_sim_200_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51zW4BR-8mL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&psc=1&refRID=BS0YG6B36ZHZCP54W95V

It's worth noting that as a fairly cheap light, the beam is not focused like better quality German approved lights and as such can be blinding to oncomers. A diy method at reducing this dazzling effect is to cover the top half of the lens with electrical tape or something. Whilst it seems a good idea to get one back on the many drivers who seem to enjoy blinding everyone, safety wise it's probably not a good idea.

There are a few reports online of the batteries catching fire whilst charging but against the hundreds if not thousands of very positive reviews, I wouldn't worry about it. Any mass produced product has had faulty ones from time to time.

 

[al-fresco]

Hope Vision 1 and 4 spare batteries is fine for the DD. Done it 3 times and only used the spare batteries once. After the first time I never bothered to use full power. Only drawback of the Hope is the mounting system can be a little fiddly if you want to use it on bikes with different diameter bars. I like Lezyne's stretchy plastic mounting for that. So I may take a couple Lezyne Microdrives (usb rechargeable) this year and use them sequentially on the 2nd power setting.

 

[raleighnut]

I've used the earlier version of these for years, stunning lights but a tad 'pricy'

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...d73909&usg=AFQjCNHZbkMWEHQvK1balGkukm_uAX0c4w

 

[mattobrien]

Having ridden the Dun Run a few times, I am happy to report that 600 lumen would be massive overkill for a front light for the route.

I have an Exposure Axis, which is rated at 550 lumen. I have run this at mid power and it is more then enough to see by and lasted the whole journey. Last year there were a group of us and we all used the lights on low power and with the combination of five bikes with lights, there was more than enough light to see by.

I shall be using the Exposure again for the Dun Run this year and will be going no where near full power.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Echoing others' advice, your spec of 600 lumens for 4 hours is over specc'ed (for the task described) and suggest a light which will allow for 600 lumens at key points but otherwise run at medium or low (and last much longer) would be fit for the job. I have an old Magicshine (MJ808) with a 4.4Ahc (separate) battery which will run on the low setting for 24+hours and on the high for over 2 hours. The low setting has been fine for long night rides with a boost when needed.

 

[wajc]

Hope vision 1s (300 lumens) are a nice solid light if you want one powered by AA batteries. I used a pair of them on LEL for this reason as I knew that I'd have no problems getting hold of spare batteries along the route if required.I use them on my commute also and they've proved very reliable unlike some of the cheap Chinese cree lights that some of my mates have had off ebay.

However there are far more powerful light set ups, if that's what you want but they won't be powered by AA batteries and if you are using them on the road you need to be aware that you can easily annoy fellow cyclists and oncoming motorists.

This may be useful, unfortunately he's updated his database and no longer has the Hope Vision 1 on it to compare but they will be at the lower end of the range he shows.

http://www.torchythebatteryboy.com/p/bike-light-database.html

 

[Broadside]

Good advice upthread on what lights to go for, I have used a Magicshine each time i have done the Dunwich Dynamo and the single battery has lasted all the way (just). You don't need a light on full power for quite a lot of sections and if you have lots of others around you can get away with a light on low power all the way through. Of course a lot depends on the weather, if it's nice you won't really need a light before 10:00pm and the sun will be coming up just after 4:30am. Either way, you won't need lights to see with until after you have left the built up areas.

 

[Kajjal]

Best to get at least two, as having only one means if it fails you are in trouble once it is dark. Spare batteries is a good idea as well to cover everything.

 

[Tin Pot]

Lezyne 900XL I'm pretty sure I get 4 hrs (two commutes) out of the main beam. It was under &100 but is USB chargeable not AA batteries.