New Smart USB lights

[Cp40Carl]

Didnt you phone them up first to make sure they had them in?

Got mine. First impressions - Front light is longer in length than the LMD but doesnt seem to be to far off it concerning brightness. Rear is the same size as its LMD counterpart but maybe bangs out a little bit less light, not that much though. These are first impressions and my research is in its infancy, I`v only had the chance to point them at the mrs and flash them in my eyes . I`m obviously going to have to take them both out for a test.

For £16 they look a cracking bargain.

Now back to the laboratory

Just bought a set of these lights myself and seem very well made and extremely bright for the price. Might see if I can find a better way of mounting them though as I don't trust rubber bands...Have you had chance to try them out on the bike yet?

 

[Lilliburlero]

Have you had chance to try them out on the bike yet?

Not yet, they`re on the mrs bike. I`m hoping to get out early tomorrow morning and take some pics.

 

[Cp40Carl]

Not yet, they`re on the mrs bike. I`m hoping to get out early tomorrow morning and take some pics.

Ok, hope the wind dies down for you by then - I'm chomping at the bit to get out at the moment but blowing a gale over here on Wirral right now. I'm a bit of a fair weather cyclist (lightweight)!

 

[Lilliburlero]

@Cp40Carl

Best value for money lights out there @ £16 for the set!? Halfords have dropped a bollock on pricing imo (or they have an eye on buying Lezyne out... watch this space )

I took a few pics but most of them didnt turn out too well

Front light is well up for a late night jaunt around the woods, it produced more than enough to see ok. My camera is over doing it a bit though I must admit, my SolarStorm 5000lm aint this good

These lights are on a par with their Lezyne rival, apart from the price.... Halfords are doing the Lezyne Micro Drive set for £56, but you can get them on ebay for £30, like I did.

I`ll say it again.... these Halford specials are the best value for money light set out there.

 

[Cp40Carl]

Wow, thanks for the write up Lilliburlego, what a steal at £16.

Just need to work out how to mount my rear light now as I have a saddle bag...

 

[Lilliburlero]

Wow, thanks for the write up Lilliburlego, what a steal at £16.

Just need to work out how to mount my rear light now as I have a saddle bag...

I also have a saddle bag. Try switching the mounts around, use the front mount for the rear light and the rear mount for the front light, this will move the rear light from under your bag and put it a couple of inches to the side of your seat post, works for me

 

[Cp40Carl]

I also have a saddle bag. Try switching the mounts around, use the front mount for the rear light and the rear mount for the front light, this will move the rear light from under your bag and put it a couple of inches to the side of your seat post, works for me

Brilliant, will try this! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[evo456]

The majority of my commute is along a canal towpath which has reasonable lighting in places & poor in others......

I do towpaths - some are basically pitch black. Due to personal preference and circumstances I want high lumens, good beam pattern, an all in one unit and a mount that allows easy switching between bikes. The answer to all my requirements was the Light & Motion Taz 1200. Look past the price and it is a solid piece of kit that is definitely a serious investment- plenty of reviews out there so won't spill all it's virtue here

 

[Justinslow]

Be warned with the halfords set, a mate of mines rear light won't accept a charge now with very little use, keep the receipt!
Mine have been fine, and I think I may invest in a second set at £16 - bargain. Had no trouble with the mounts, my mate even has the front one on the underside of the bars on his mtb and it hasn't popped off yet.

 

[andyfraser]

Be warned with the halfords set, a mate of mines rear light won't accept a charge now with very little use, keep the receipt!

I had a rear Lezyne Micro Drive stop accepting a charge after very little use so it's not just cheap lights that have faults.

 

[Justinslow]

I had a rear Lezyne Micro Drive stop accepting a charge after very little use so it's not just cheap lights that have faults.

Could be a one off, like I say mines been fine, but I wonder how many "charging cycles" these lights can take until they conk out?

 

[andyfraser]

Could be a one off, like I say mines been fine, but I wonder how many "charging cycles" these lights can take until they conk out?

I hear 10,000 charges mentioned a lot for Li-Ion batteries (about 27 years at one charge per day) but I also hear that they get worse over time and won't hold much charge after 3 to 5 years, depending on how the battery is used. That's a long winded way of saying I don't know isn't it?

 

[the_mikey]

Some USB charged lights handle some of the less capable sources of power badly, some lights demand at least an amp of charging current, if it can't get it the charging circuit may fail to behave in the expected way and may indicate that the battery is charged or fail to charge at all. Just be mindful of the shortcomings of various USB power sources.

 

[flake99please]

I hear 10,000 charges mentioned a lot for Li-Ion batteries (about 27 years at one charge per day) but I also hear that they get worse over time and won't hold much charge after 3 to 5 years, depending on how the battery is used. That's a long winded way of saying I don't know isn't it?

Li-Ion have a similar charge cycle life to NiMH & NiCad. 800-1200 charge cycles is to be expected.

 

[andyfraser]

Li-Ion have a similar charge cycle life to NiMH & NiCad. 800-1200 charge cycles is to be expected.

It looks like I got 10,000 from news articles from the end of last year talking about batteries with carbon anodes which can apparently reach 10,000 charging cycles.