Lezyne 450xl light any good?

[johnnyb47]

Hi to all.
I was just wondering if anybody has got one of these front lights and what you think of them. As the darker nights are now drawing in and the fact that my rides are usually down dark unlit country lanes would this light be up to the job of lighting the way.
Many thanks for any replies given.
Johnny.

 

[si_c]

Hi to all.
I was just wondering if anybody has got one of these front lights and what you think of them. As the darker nights are now drawing in and the fact that my rides are usually down dark unlit country lanes would this light be up to the job of lighting the way.
Many thanks for any replies given.
Johnny.

I've got a 350xl, it's a pretty decent light, the beam is good, and it's clear. It's not the brightest light though and the beam is rather narrow, very good for around town or as a day running light, and the usb charging design is very good too. I doubt the 450xl is significantly brighter though, so I'd go for something a bit more powerful if riding dark country lanes, you can always run it at a lower power if needed.

I have a 1200lumen light that runs as my main light, and I find that to be a good balance of power and battery life, running at full beam I get an hour or so, but it runs at 500 lumen with a much better spread for around 3 hours, and I use that mostly during winter.

 

[johnnyb47]

Thanks for the advice buddy. Much appreciated.:-) :-)

 

[si_c]

Thanks for the advice buddy. Much appreciated.:-) :-)

No probs. I think the biggest takeaway I've had from winter lights has been that I want a dynamo system

Other than that I find the more powerful lights are better for me, I don't run them very often at full brightness, my main light is a 1200lumen light, but I usually run it at 500, which gives me much more battery life than a 500light would. The biggest plus with my light though is the beam pattern, it's fantastic, there are two LEDs one puts light down onto the road in front and spreads out to the sides, the other projects further down the road, the lenses are also designed so the light doesn't spread upwards, the idea being to prevent drivers from being dazzled.

The lezyne lights are good in that regard, but it's worth spending a bit more and getting something more powerful like the macro 1100xl, the battery life on that is pretty decent at 650lumen and I think it would be a good all rounder.

 

[johnnyb47]

Wow. That was a good read buddy and some good advice to take in. In essence then ,450 lumens is probably the lowest I should consider for a dark unlit roads, Thanks again buddy

 

[CharlesF]

What make is your 1200 lumen light?

 

[si_c]

I have a Fenix BC-30, it's quite old now, 3 years or so, but still working perfectly. It uses 18650 batteries rather than being USB rechargeable, but actually thats not a negative for a commuting light, as I can carry spare batteries, and once these ones degrade, I can just replace them rather than the whole light.

 

[dfthe1]

I have one. As a light, it's good, and I use it on unlit country roads with no problems.

However, I find the USB charging a pain. The light is bulky so doesn't fit all chargers, and I've lost two of the rubber bungs -- and replacements aren't easy to find.

 

[johnnyb47]

Is that because the light unit has to be plugged directly to a USB because there's no cable supplied.

 

[RoubaixCube]

I have a 400XL that I have probably used a few times.... I much prefer my Fluxient U2 Mini.

First time i went on a Dunwich Dynamo ride I used a 400XL as backup and got caught out when the battery in my main light died. I didnt want to stop in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night so pressed on with the 400XL on low setting.

Worst thing about these lights apart from the beam which is a pretty wide spread is that on full power the battery will last slightly over an hour. maybe an hour fifteen or an hour thirty at the most.

On low settings its pretty mediocre for unlit country roads. a Fluxient U2 mini is a lot better for the same price and no slouch at all when set to its lowest brightness -- I used it as a primary light during this years DD as dusk started to fall before switching to my magicshine MJ-872. good battery life on the lowest setting and good beam pattern.

you can grab one here there are 3 different tiers if you have any 18650 batteries lying around, just pick up the cheapest package and be done with it.


::edit::

How long is your commute btw? It might be worth considering an MJ-858 from magicshine. I had one of these for my own commutes and it accompanied me during my first DD ride

 

[johnnyb47]

That's a seriously powerful light for the price:-) Looks very impressive.

 

[RoubaixCube]

That's a seriously powerful light for the price:-) Looks very impressive.

its not as bright as it sounds lol. Both the U2 Mini and MJ-858 are rated at the same lumens but the MJ-858 is much brighter as it emits a 'whiter' light while the U2 is a little yellowish. I dont think the U2 meets the claimed 1000 lumens but its still pretty bright.

The kit comes with everything you need to charge batteries at work or at home via USB.

 

[CharlesF]

I have a Fenix BC-30, it's quite old now, 3 years or so

Hmmm, that's a good looking light, now to find the cash...

 

[Jason]

I'm a big fan of cree lights, so when a colleague showed me the sale price of these , I jumped at the chance to try them.
It's just arrived and I'm pretty pleased with a sale price of £44.
It's a 1/3 smaller in size to the usual Chinese import, and has a bright Halo function. This can be on steady or flashing, with the main beam also on constant or flashing.
https://www.chilli-tech.com/bike-lights/Cree-LED-Front-Bike-Light

watch the video to learn more

 

[RoubaixCube]

I'm a big fan of cree lights, so when a colleague showed me the sale price of these , I jumped at the chance to try them.
It's just arrived and I'm pretty pleased with a sale price of £44.
It's a 1/3 smaller in size to the usual Chinese import, and has a bright Halo function. This can be on steady or flashing, with the main beam also on constant or flashing.
https://www.chilli-tech.com/bike-lights/Cree-LED-Front-Bike-Light

watch the video to learn more

Currently £79.99 though. MJ-858 is cheaper