What's a lumen, and how much to pay for good lights?

[robjh]

Every winter I do some riding on unlit rural roads, where the small £20-ish LED front light that I have is useless, and I end up riding in the middle of the road as I can't see the edges (until a car comes along and I quickly nip sideways).

So I want a 'proper' front light that will cast a bright-enough and wide-enough area of light onto the road surface so I can see what I'm doing.

I've made a few enquiries at my LBC, who stock the Light & Motion Stella rechargeable range, starting at around £70 for the 120lumen version and several brighter ones in the £100-£200 range.

Several questions :
- I've little concept of how bright 120, 150, or 200, or whatever lumens really is. How many are needed for road riding ?
- and some manufacturers still talk of candlepower - no idea how to convert that to lumens
- How much would you pay for a decent light of this kind ?
- Rechargeable or non-rechargeable? If not rechargeable then what sort of battery life do you get on brighter lights?

There's a lot of stuff here, but I'd be grateful for any guidance on any of these questions

Rob

 

[Hacienda71]

Get a magicshine MJ808 or higher great for unlit country roads (I commute 8 miles, mostly unlit downhill at speeds of 30 mph + plus with mine) and cheap for it's brightness. With a MS you are looking at 800 lumen plus for as little as £50 to £60 if you are willing to order from Hong Kong or maybe circa £70 from a UK seller

 

[Fab Foodie]

Get a magicshine MJ808 or higher great for unlit country roads (I commute 8 miles, mostly unlit downhill at speeds of 30 mph + plus with mine) and cheap for it's brightness. With a MS you are looking at 800 lumen plus for as little as £50 to £60 if you are willing to order from Hong Kong or maybe circa £70 from a UK seller

Here you go.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mj-808...e-1000-lumen-led-bike-light-set-4x18650-57100
There was a 1200 Lumen spotlight version available for £35 which seems to have dissappeared, it was a Magicshine copy it seemed, mines just arrived and it's chuffing bright. The one above is a very powerful flood and fabulous to ride by, worth every penny.

Edit: to add link!

 

[PpPete]

With AA batteries (which is all I have experience of so far)

Unlit rural roads - this is about the minimum if you are going slowly.
Bit faster and the Hope Vision 1 is OK on the higher settings, but still not great, and it eats batteries. Supposed to be 240 lumens at max.

Beyond that you can go down the Lithium rechargeables (like the Magicshines) or a hub dynamo.

And no I have no idea on the conversion between lux, lumens and candlepower....

 

[Angelfishsolo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_(unit)

 

[Glover Fan]

When the Smart 35's were only £15 they were an absolutely steal.

One isn't enough, but 2 are perfect. Got me through the Exmouth Exodus with no issues and I only needed low power which lasts 9 hours on 2 AA batteries.

 

[Cubist]

Here you go.

There was a 1200 Lumen spotlight version available for £35 which seems to have dissappeared, it was a Magicshine copy it seemed, mines just arrived and it's chuffing bright. The one above is a very powerful flood and fabulous to ride by, worth every penny.

There were about three variants of that 1200 lumen light. Use "T6" as your search terms. I ordered the smooth crown one, and await it's arrival eagerly.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-smo...te-led-bike-light-with-battery-pack-set-82507

Top three are the ones:
http://s.dealextreme.com/search/smooth+crown+t6

 

[fossyant]

Take your time picking what's best for you. The 'big' names are usually more expensive (significantly so) but you get better build quality. Also lumen rating is a little over the top - i.e. that's the max you could get out of the LED if driven correctly.

You'll see quite well on 200 lumen - e.g. A Hope 1 on max is good for dark lanes, but a little narrow on beam - I've got two of these, and perfectly fine on high (1 off max) down off road tracks. I've also got a T6 magicshine (slightly more cost than the ones above as I have spare batteries) and it blows the Hopes out of the water.

That said, the Hopes are quality units and great for commuting. The Magicshine is on the MTB for off-road commutes.

1 thing to remember, wrap the Chinese batteries in additional electrical tape/gaffa tape to ensure you seal out water - this is the thing that kills them, it shorts the protection circuit. The batteries might not last as long as some other better makes, but they are very cheap to replace, or you could make your own.

 

[Davidc]

The Hope Vision 1 is a very good light. I find it adequate on its own, very good in combination with a CYO60 dynamo light, when on completely dark country lanes.

I've seen most of the lights mentioned above and you won't go far wrong with any of them.

If you're riding in real darkness make sure your rear lighting is also good. Worth having 2 independent lights at the back as you may not notice if one fails.

 

[Fab Foodie]

There were about three variants of that 1200 lumen light. Use "T6" as your search terms. I ordered the smooth crown one, and await it's arrival eagerly.
http://www.dealextre...-pack-set-82507

Top three are the ones:
http://s.dealextreme...smooth+crown+t6

Thanks, I forgot the link!

 

[Bluebell72]

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/t6-wat...te-led-bike-light-with-battery-pack-set-82510

That's the one I bought last month. 1200 lumen for just under £28. It rocks.

 

[cyberknight]

Another vote for the magicshine mj -808

I went for the one with the snazzy sealed battery,at the time it was a good deal but these £30 ones are a bargain .

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/mj-808-ha-iii-ssc-p7-c-sxo-3-mode-900-lumen-led-bike-light-set-44459

 

[robjh]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've just ordered one of the T6's, and am looking forward to some less hairy night riding this winter

 

[Bman]

Has anyone successfully ordered from www.dealextreme.com yet?

The prices seem cheap, too cheap.....

 

[Hacienda71]

Has anyone successfully ordered from www.dealextreme.com yet?

The prices seem cheap, too cheap.....

My MJ808 was from deal extreme last year, my brother got his as well, both came fairly quickly with no problems. I have not had to return anything though, that might be more fun, they have iirc opened distribution centres in other countries recently.