Sunday, November 30, 2014

Non Cycling Market Head Lights

The price of good lights for bikes that you would find at any bike shop are amazing to me. The low end for a decent, say 250 lumen light, is easily more than $100. And, they just go up from there.

What I've wanted for a bike light for a long time is a 500+ lumen light that I can use for several hours of night riding (actually as many hours as I am willing to carry extra batteries for) with field replaceable, rechargable batteries that is under $100.00.

Meet MonsterFlashlight. They offer a wide range of ultra-bright, portable flashlights. Some of their products are very suitable for cycling. I have been using their Tactical Pro T6-1000-4 for night riding for several years now. It has several modes including 3 different power levels; 1000 lumen (2 hours), 500 lumen (4 hours) and 150 lumens (6+ hours) as well as a flashing mode (10+ hours). It uses a single 18650, Li-Ion replaceable, rechargable battery. I use the extended life batteries, which MonsterFlashlight also manufactures and sells. I usually carry 2-3 extra batteries when I know I will be doing a lot of night riding.

The 1000 Lumens of this flashlight is plenty bright enough for any night riding I have done. I used it in the bowels of the Death Valley Fall double, decending from Hells Gate at 40+ mph at night and was very confident with how far down the road this light allowed me to see. Most lights designed specifcally for the cycling market are 500 Lumens and below and cost upwards of $200. The MonsterFlashlight Tactical Pro T6-1000-4, is only $65.00 for the flashlight. If you also by a charger and two extra, extended life batteries, the total price is still under $100.00.

When I originally started using this flashlight for my bike, MonsterFlashlight wasn't offering a handlebar mount. I purchased several different mounts on Amazon, each mount costing less than $5.00, to decide which is best. I have been happy with this one, which is less than $2.00. Also, originally, I had some problems with the flashlight not handling vibrations from my bike very well. The tail switch on the light would start to get finicky and the light would randomly go off and on as I went over bumps in the road. But, I talked with MonsterFlashlight and then suggested some servicing of the tail cap (which I did) and also sent me a replacement tail cap which has worked fine.

In addition, now apparently MonsterFlashlight is also selling a handlebar mount. But, at $19.00 its abit pricey. And, from the picture, it appears to be a mount already available through Amazon. So, I would just go to Amazon and search for "flashlight handlebar mount" and select from among the many options available there.

As an aside, Costco has been selling a 3-pack of Duracell LED flashlights that use AAA batteries for past several years. These started at 200 Lumens, then went to 250 and are now 300 Lumen lights. The pack of 3 costs only $20.00. They offer 2-3 different power levels including a flashing mode and are a terrific light for the price. Again, all you need is a decent handlebar mount for them.

For head mounted lights, I found this 300 Lumen, LED based headlight on Amazon for under $10.00 and have been very happy with it. It also uses a single 18650 Li-Ion battery (thats important so the two main lights I have use interchangeable batteries). And, the spot is focusable meaning you can have a wide beam or a narrow beam and easily adjust it while you ride. This light not only allows me to see forward and around turns but I use it also to read a route sheet or my Garmin computer while riding at night.

For rear flashers, I would recomend the Cygolight HotShot. At 2 watts, this light is awesomely bright! It is very visible from more than a mile in broad daylight. On flash, it has a 36+ hour runtime. It uses a built-in (which I don't like so much because I would like the option of replacing the battery if I have the misfortune of running out of power in the middle of a ride), rechargable Li-Ion battery.

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