Intro and Pictures
I ordered the Keygos from this eBay listing, from Hong Kong, for £20 - Arrived in just over two weeks. The light has 5 modes (grrr) High, medium, low, strobe and SOS. The build quality seems pretty good, and I haven't experienced any mode changing like people do with other torches.
The threads came with no grease, so a quick greasing and a bit of charge and it was ready to go.
First thing I noticed was that it is smaller than I thought it would be - Hence I put the coin in the photo above to give an idea of scale. Then I turned it on.. It's bright! Really bright. I'd be fully comfortable on fast descents with this light.
Here's my previous light, just for reference when you see the beam photos. It's the cheap 5 (or sometimes 3) watt torch you can find on Deal Extreme, eBay, etc. It was fine for lit street riding, and would provide some light on unlit roads - but not enough.
Beam Photos/Comparison
Now for some comparative photos! Note all photos (unless otherwise stated) were taken with the following settings: ISO 400, Exposure 3/4 second, F-stop f/2.8. Take pictures with a pinch of salt - They are not wildly out, but not true exact representations of the real brightness.
First, my previous light for comparison. The photo doesn't do it particular justice, but it isn't great. The spot is about 2 meters in front of the bike in this photo.
Now for the Keygos Beam shots (Below). First, low mode. Note that the light is angled further up than the light in the photo above, so the spot is actually 2 or 3 meters further away.
It's brighter than the 5 watt, but less focused - So well suited for lit streets so as not to dazzle, or for saving battery in a "To be seen" mode.
Next, medium. Suddenly a lot brighter! Easily enough for unlit roads. This will likely be the mode I will use on dark roads, so as to save a bit of battery.
Finally, high beam. Under my usage, this will be reserved for fast descents or particularly bad stretches of road.
Battery Life:
Possibly the only downside I have found so far. I have been getting between 45 minutes and 1 hour out of the single 18650 batteries on continuous high beam, so I carry two batteries - Although extension tubes are available on eBay to allow you to fit two batteries into the torch to extend battery life without having to change batteries.
At around 3.65v (roughly 45 minutes/1 hour of burn time on high) the circuitry will make the torch default to medium mode, no matter what mode you put it in - Slightly annoying that you can't choose to use full until the battery runs out. The protection circuit inside the battery should cut the power at 2.75v.
Conclusion:
Really bright for the price. If you are after a light to see by, and you are on a budget (and don't mind changing batteries on longer rides) I recommend it. The seller was fairly good as well - Also recommended - Just don't expect fast delivery from Hong Kong.
Thanks to MattHB for recommending this light.
I ordered the Keygos from this eBay listing, from Hong Kong, for £20 - Arrived in just over two weeks. The light has 5 modes (grrr) High, medium, low, strobe and SOS. The build quality seems pretty good, and I haven't experienced any mode changing like people do with other torches.
The threads came with no grease, so a quick greasing and a bit of charge and it was ready to go.
First thing I noticed was that it is smaller than I thought it would be - Hence I put the coin in the photo above to give an idea of scale. Then I turned it on.. It's bright! Really bright. I'd be fully comfortable on fast descents with this light.
Here's my previous light, just for reference when you see the beam photos. It's the cheap 5 (or sometimes 3) watt torch you can find on Deal Extreme, eBay, etc. It was fine for lit street riding, and would provide some light on unlit roads - but not enough.
Beam Photos/Comparison
Now for some comparative photos! Note all photos (unless otherwise stated) were taken with the following settings: ISO 400, Exposure 3/4 second, F-stop f/2.8. Take pictures with a pinch of salt - They are not wildly out, but not true exact representations of the real brightness.
First, my previous light for comparison. The photo doesn't do it particular justice, but it isn't great. The spot is about 2 meters in front of the bike in this photo.
Now for the Keygos Beam shots (Below). First, low mode. Note that the light is angled further up than the light in the photo above, so the spot is actually 2 or 3 meters further away.
It's brighter than the 5 watt, but less focused - So well suited for lit streets so as not to dazzle, or for saving battery in a "To be seen" mode.
Next, medium. Suddenly a lot brighter! Easily enough for unlit roads. This will likely be the mode I will use on dark roads, so as to save a bit of battery.
Finally, high beam. Under my usage, this will be reserved for fast descents or particularly bad stretches of road.
Battery Life:
Possibly the only downside I have found so far. I have been getting between 45 minutes and 1 hour out of the single 18650 batteries on continuous high beam, so I carry two batteries - Although extension tubes are available on eBay to allow you to fit two batteries into the torch to extend battery life without having to change batteries.
At around 3.65v (roughly 45 minutes/1 hour of burn time on high) the circuitry will make the torch default to medium mode, no matter what mode you put it in - Slightly annoying that you can't choose to use full until the battery runs out. The protection circuit inside the battery should cut the power at 2.75v.
Conclusion:
Really bright for the price. If you are after a light to see by, and you are on a budget (and don't mind changing batteries on longer rides) I recommend it. The seller was fairly good as well - Also recommended - Just don't expect fast delivery from Hong Kong.
Thanks to MattHB for recommending this light.
