Price of lights

[Berlinbybike]

On an internet review site - Bike Radar - there was a review of a front light at around 130 quid which was "cracking value" or similar. How on earth can a light that costs that much be hyped in such a manner? You can buy front lights for a fiver, and so I ask: what is the justification for (so many) high-priced lights? There are plenty out there....

 

[Flying Dodo]

At £5, the light may well not be waterproof and certainly won't shine much of a usable light on the road. Some people get by using a Fenix torch, others prefer a proper bike light for a better shaped beam. A lot depends upon exactly what sort of night riding you're going to be doing.

For a £130 light, it could be it was being recommended for riding through woods at night, when you need a wide, powerful beam.

 

[marinyork]

A £5 front light isn't likely to get you very far. For the 'desired' level rear lights are generally a lot cheaper if you get lucky or shop around. You can get round the problem by various DIY jobs and torches saving you huge amounts of money. Some of the MTB systems are £400-700, so you can have good value. I'd rate my cateye single shot I had as exceptionally poor value for money and my Hope 1 as reasonable value for money even though they cost about £50-70.

 

[MontyVeda]

On an internet review site - Bike Radar - there was a review of a front light at around 130 quid which was "cracking value" or similar. How on earth can a light that costs that much be hyped in such a manner? You can buy front lights for a fiver, and so I ask: what is the justification for (so many) high-priced lights? There are plenty out there....

I agree, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get a decent back or front light... and if the price is right, you can always buy two of each

 

[gaz]

Some of us need lights that are bright enough to light up a good section of the road ahead of us so we can see.
Most lights under £60 won't cut the mustard for doing that!

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I only ride on lit city streets so I find I need to be seen much more than I need to see ahead of myself. I'm very happy with the cateye LED lights that I have, and I'd say that at £45 the pair they were fair value, if not quite good value.

Bike lights do seem to have got scarily expensive in the last few years I must say. I remember those Ever Ready ones that took 2 D cells and had the big round lenses... they can't have cost much as I went through a few of those.

 

[summerdays]

It depends on what you need from a light, any from to be legal, be seen hopefully, or to see with. Its not just about how bright a light is but how useful the shape of the light is, and if it is robust, easy to change batteries, waterproof. Even how easy it is to put on and off your bike, or not switch on accidently in your bag. That doesn't mean it has to be expensive, there are quite a few recommendations for the Smart Superflash and the Mars Rear light, both of which won't break the bank.

Until last year I didn't think I could justify having the Hope 1 as I don't do that much riding in the dark, and its in a city, until part of my route changed to take in a very dark unlit section complete with potholes up to a foot across. Now I don't know how I ever lived without it.

 

[gavintc]

I agree, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get a decent back or front light... and if the price is right, you can always buy two of each

It depends if you want to see or be seen and whether you intend to use the light for 2 hours per day through the winter months. At 5 pounds, I guarantee, that it will not light the road in front of you and you will spend a considerable amount of money on batteries. Hence, 130 pounds can be good value if you intend to use the light in the manner it was intended.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

On an internet review site - Bike Radar - there was a review of a front light at around 130 quid which was "cracking value" or similar. How on earth can a light that costs that much be hyped in such a manner? You can buy front lights for a fiver, and so I ask: what is the justification for (so many) high-priced lights? There are plenty out there....

High speed+unlit road or high speed+off road (or tbh any speed+off road) = expensive lights.

 

[ufkacbln]

Sounds daft , but the lighting on my bike probably sums up to about £500!

By the time I add up the backup lighting of two Exposure front lights, the pair of Dinotte rears and the "main lighting" system of cheap RVLR lights

However after 3 years of use they still work well, are waterproof and lighting up the surroundings

I do not regret any of the purchases and would repeat the process without hesitation.

 

[buggi]

We have recently ran an initiative at work where we got this set of lights discounted at a local shop by £20 and then got the Company to contribute £1,000 (which worked out to be £12.00 per set when we totalled up the orders), so now 90 people at work have got this set of lights for £38, and judging by the feedback we've had it's gone down a storm.

The aim of the exercise was to get the best set of lights we could for a price that most people could (a) afford and (b) normally pay

We figured most people happily spend £35 quid on a set of lights and you get crap for that so we think it was quite a success, the back light is brilliant, highly visible even from the side, and the front light (although not the most aesthetically pleasing streamlined) is enough to ride a dark lane with no street lighting and be able to pick out pot holes etc, so very practical.

Maybe CC could do something like this?

 

[Berlinbybike]

Not a single reply attempting to justify the cost of lights-just a general acceptance that if it costs more it must be better-then no wonder.

 

[HLaB]

£130 may be good value if you are needing a light to see with but for me its not good value as I only need a light (or more accurately lights) to let others see me. Like everything in life its all relative.

 

[2Loose]

Not a single reply attempting to justify the cost of lights-just a general acceptance that if it costs more it must be better-then no wonder.

If you need a bike light that throws as much light onto the road as a motorbike\car headlight, then you will need to spend an equivalent amount, as well as factor in a power source on top. High output LED's, Lenses, weatherproof\shockproof chassis and cooling cost money if they are to be built to last.

If you only want to make yourself more visible, then a cheap semi-disposable flasher will do the job in most cases.

 

[Hacienda71]

I bought a 5W cree led torch with bike mount for less than a tenner. It is as bright if not brighter than my brothers Cateye which cost him £50 a couple of years ago (his opinion). I have used the said torch on commutes in torrential rain and 50% of my commute is unlit country roads, I can see the road ahead and 95% of the cars coming towards me dip their headlights . Now it is not as good as a Hope Vision1 or the like and it is not bright enough to go flat out on the roadie down hills, but it is a damn site better than half the "bike lights" that are sub £50. I suppose what I am trying to say is a lot of cheap lights are not value for money if you can buy a torch and mount that is kicking out more light.