Paul Walters
Über Member
My Fiancee has asked for a bike light for Xmas. Mine is a Hope Vision 4, and I can't afford anything that high-end for her..... can anyone recommend one please ? Up to about £50 max ?
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- Thread starter Paul Walters
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andrew_s
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gloucester
Fenix are about to introduce some bike lights which look good and bright.
http://www.myfenix.co.uk/retail/fenix-flashlights/fenix-bike-light-series
2 models - 4xAA, £65 or 4xCR123/2x18650, £80
Fenix generally quote real lumens, and there's some beam shaping so the £80 model may be nearly as good as your Vision 4.
In the end it comes down to whether you want your fiancee to come out at night. Riding with someone who's got much better lights than you is a bit of a pain - if you are in front you are riding into your own shadow, and if you are behind there's a black area between the bike as your eyes are adjusted for the other rider's powerful light.
http://www.myfenix.co.uk/retail/fenix-flashlights/fenix-bike-light-series
2 models - 4xAA, £65 or 4xCR123/2x18650, £80
Fenix generally quote real lumens, and there's some beam shaping so the £80 model may be nearly as good as your Vision 4.
In the end it comes down to whether you want your fiancee to come out at night. Riding with someone who's got much better lights than you is a bit of a pain - if you are in front you are riding into your own shadow, and if you are behind there's a black area between the bike as your eyes are adjusted for the other rider's powerful light.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Oh and the Fenix lights have a proper road beam !
Hope 1's are good for fit and forget, ease of charging - might save you some ear ache ! Other choice are Moon or the new BBB lights - all USB chargeable.
Hope 1's are good for fit and forget, ease of charging - might save you some ear ache ! Other choice are Moon or the new BBB lights - all USB chargeable.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
has he got fresh stock in?Check out Torchy the Battery Boy's ebay site, his username is big_f_d_d
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
potsy
Rambler
- Location
- My Armchair
That Fenix does look good, it comes without batteries though?
Having never used the 18650 batteries how do they rate? I assume you need a dedicated charger for them?
Having never used the 18650 batteries how do they rate? I assume you need a dedicated charger for them?
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
18650's.
Dedicated charger - Trustfire ones are OK - Again Torchy is a good recomended supplier of batteries and chargers. They are 3.7volt each, and about 1.5 times bigger than an AA. You are best buying 'protected' cells as discharging them too much and recharging can cause 'issues' (bang
). Protected cells have a built in circuit. Like all things, some batteries are better than others.
Dedicated charger - Trustfire ones are OK - Again Torchy is a good recomended supplier of batteries and chargers. They are 3.7volt each, and about 1.5 times bigger than an AA. You are best buying 'protected' cells as discharging them too much and recharging can cause 'issues' (bang
). Protected cells have a built in circuit. Like all things, some batteries are better than others.
andrew_s
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gloucester
18650 are 18mm thick and 65mm long (hence the name).
They have about 3x the capacity of an AA.
It's worth getting them from a reputable source. A lot of the high end capacities quoted are fantasy, and some people will supply fairly dodgy recycled laptop batteries. It is possible for them to catch fire during charging, so think about where to put the charger.
They have about 3x the capacity of an AA.
It's worth getting them from a reputable source. A lot of the high end capacities quoted are fantasy, and some people will supply fairly dodgy recycled laptop batteries. It is possible for them to catch fire during charging, so think about where to put the charger.
andylaw79
Über Member
- Location
- Sunny Blackpool - well nearly!
That Fenix looks pretty good, a real alternitive to the Hope 1 with the AA option, run times look comparable too. I've got a couple of Fenix LD20s that I used to use on the road and the build quality is top-notch, should be the same for these. The dual beam looks interesting. The link to the video on the Fenix site shows a good side by side comparison with a car on the road with the 750 lumen version.
Robwiz
Regular
I bought a Fenix light and it died on me. The batteries were going flat, so I switched off and replaced them and it wouldn't switch on again. I called the vendor who agreed to repair/replace under warranty. The replacement has failed in the same way, only out of warranty. I personally wouldn't touch a Fenix light again with a barge pole – I'll take my chance buying from Torchythebatteryboy at 40% of the price.
