Where lights are concerned, don't mess about. It's 100% got to be something from China.
For the rear, as someone else has already mentioned, a Phaart Bleep from Planet X is an excellent choice. Really bright, cheap (they often knock them out for £1.50 a pop) and dependable. In my experience, the batteries last for >1,800 miles - possibly a lot longer. Only thing I will say is that I've always used them on bikes with mudguards, so I can't vouch for how long they would survive in the rain on a bike without guards. Rather than keep taking it off, throw away the bracket it comes with and zip tie it on somewhere permanently - either the seat post or seat clamp. This might require a bit of creativity to get it straight. Taking lights on and off bikes quickly gets old, especially for a light that costs £1.50.
For the front the Magicshine 808 copies that you can get off ebay for under £15 are excellent (CREE XML T6 on ebay). Very bright, reliable and mine has been 100% waterproof for thousands of miles in all conditions. Really good battery life too. The wide angle lens is a must - available off ebay for a few quid, although mine was a bit of a faff to fit and needed a different thickness o-ring. These aren't ideal for taking on and off due to the separate battery - if I needed to do this I'd permanently fix the battery under the stem with zip ties and leave it on the bike and remove just the lamp bit (tbh, I'd probably find a way to zip tie the light on too).
These are serious lights and you'll need to take care not to dazzle oncoming motorists.
For the rear, as someone else has already mentioned, a Phaart Bleep from Planet X is an excellent choice. Really bright, cheap (they often knock them out for £1.50 a pop) and dependable. In my experience, the batteries last for >1,800 miles - possibly a lot longer. Only thing I will say is that I've always used them on bikes with mudguards, so I can't vouch for how long they would survive in the rain on a bike without guards. Rather than keep taking it off, throw away the bracket it comes with and zip tie it on somewhere permanently - either the seat post or seat clamp. This might require a bit of creativity to get it straight. Taking lights on and off bikes quickly gets old, especially for a light that costs £1.50.
For the front the Magicshine 808 copies that you can get off ebay for under £15 are excellent (CREE XML T6 on ebay). Very bright, reliable and mine has been 100% waterproof for thousands of miles in all conditions. Really good battery life too. The wide angle lens is a must - available off ebay for a few quid, although mine was a bit of a faff to fit and needed a different thickness o-ring. These aren't ideal for taking on and off due to the separate battery - if I needed to do this I'd permanently fix the battery under the stem with zip ties and leave it on the bike and remove just the lamp bit (tbh, I'd probably find a way to zip tie the light on too).
These are serious lights and you'll need to take care not to dazzle oncoming motorists.
