Magicshine 3w Rear Bike Lamp - MJ-818 REVIEW

[fossyant]

Just got my Magicshine MJ-818's today - two weeks after order from DX.

Very neat units, went for two and a splitter, so have a spare battery and a charger at work as well as home. The light unit is a comparable size to Mars 4.0, Smart Super Flash and RSP Astrum....

Box Contents - no strap with either light to mount battery - not a problem as I have lots, and don't need it as the battery is in the pannier.

Decided to mount using a 25mm piece of plastic pipe, cut to size with bar end stops in each end. Drilled through and attached to lamp mount on the pannier with a couple of heavy duty zip ties..... (means the lights come with me and no detaching needed......

A few Beam shots compared to an RSP Astrun (2 x 1/2 watt LEDS)

Oh and of course the comparison to a car's rear lights and Fog lamps................

Very pleased with them - £80 for two, including Y splitter and 2 x plug adapters. Has 3 modes, ON, randomly changing flash, then inner LED flashing then outer LEDs. The last mode, there is too long a gap between flashes - the random one changes sequence every 10 seconds of so.

Highly recommended - quality is excellent, and the beam spread is very good - wide angle.

Going to annoy some motorists with these......

 

[BSRU]

I would not want to be behind you with those beasts on.

 

[gaz]

Ooooo that looks good. Let us now how the battery lasts running two of them. I might be interested in getting some.

 

[fossyant]

Arty shot..............

And the side of the home made bracket.......

 

[MajorMantra]

That's pretty impressive. Hmmm...

 

[garrilla]

They look good foz. Be interesting to know how the batteries do.

 

[Tynan]

how bright does a rear light need to be? at some point it does indeed becone an annoyance or too bright

 

[DrSquirrel]

Ooooo that looks good. Let us now how the battery lasts running two of them. I might be interested in getting some.

Single on static has been tested at 9 hours plus (then it goes into flashing modes for some more hours). The battery pack is the same 4x 18650 cell pack that the front uses.

And that's been tested... although it does get pretty hot when not moving in airflow.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=7335271#post7335271

After about nine hours of burning on full, the light switched over to an alternating pattern - the ring lights for five seconds, then a short blink from the main LED, back to the ring for another five seconds and so on. It's been doing that for three hours now.

I have to get to work

and can't keep tabs on it any longer, so I have pulled the plug and will continue the experiment tonight.

.....


Back from work

I plugged in the light again and it burned steadily for about a minute before starting the blinking pattern again. This time I was able to observe the switch from steady to blinking when the voltage got low. It actually starts as a high frequency disco-strobe effect and then gradually slows down. After two more hours on the already quite depleted battery the main LED was down to one blink per minute and that was when I pulled the plug. The ring LEDs were still shining, not as bright as before, but still bright enough to be considered a legal taillight here in Sweden.

 

[Origamist]

They offer v good value for money and they're bright - not quite Dinotte territory, but not too far off.

I chose against them as I didn't want the battery pack.

@Tynan - I doubt very powerful rear lights have much of an effect on cycle safety. They're more of a placebo.

 

[Tynan]

@Tynan - I doubt very powerful rear lights have much of an effect on cycle safety. They're more of a placebo.

I agree, once a rear light is of a certain size and brightness I think it's perfectly visible at a safe distance, I agree that a bright front light has use and value but even then too many riders have them shining into the eyes of other road users

 

[fossyant]

Don't forget you are competing with ever more powerful car lights also. TBH good lights are a god send on dull, wet and even low sun days.....helps you stand out where you see other cyclist's are almost invisible.

I like the 'WTF is that' effect they have on motorists.......

 

[MajorMantra]

@Tynan - I doubt very powerful rear lights have much of an effect on cycle safety. They're more of a placebo.

I thought that until I saw a Dinotte (IIRC) on a CC Ecosse ride. At one point the group split and his rear light was visible from a good half mile away. Something like that seems to make drivers take notice because it's unfamiliar.

 

[DrSquirrel]

I thought that until I saw a Dinotte (IIRC) on a CC Ecosse ride. At one point the group split and his rear light was visible from a good half mile away. Something like that seems to make drivers take notice because it's unfamiliar.

The problem is, a little LED will be "visible from half mile" but manufacters still hark on about this making lights sound like they are some kind of magic glowing fairy when in fact a £2 light will do the same.

 

[fossyant]

I thought that until I saw a Dinotte (IIRC) on a CC Ecosse ride. At one point the group split and his rear light was visible from a good half mile away. Something like that seems to make drivers take notice because it's unfamiliar.

In a group, I wouldn't be using my Mars 4.0 or RSP Astrum....... far too bright

 

[CopperBrompton]

The problem is, a little LED will be "visible from half mile" but manufacters still hark on about this making lights sound like they are some kind of magic glowing fairy when in fact a £2 light will do the same.

There speaks a man who's never seen a Dinotte :-)