Hatsuwr

$65 for the Metro, $35 for the Hotshot. Any better options I might want to consider? Primary use will be commuting (day + night), about an hour each direction. Route ranges from nice quiet bike trails to fairly busy downtown streets.

The Hotshot 150 is brighter than I think I need, but it seems to have better side visibility than the 100.

daoswald

I can vouch for the Hotshot Pro 150 AND the Hotshot 100. I have both. I prefer the other design aspects of the 150: Slightly more refined look, slightly better side light, and a micro-usb port instead of the older mini-usb port. Your android phone may have micro-usb. Your year 2005 Garmin GPS may have mini-usb. I haven't seen many new devices manufactured with mini-usb nowadays, so having to charge a light with a mini-usb port means keeping one of those wires around for just one single purpose.

I used my Pro 150 3x-4x per week at night in 2018. Toward the end of 2018 I acquired a second bike and put the 100 on it, so in 2019 I'll end up using the two more evenly (once the weather warms up enough for night rides again).

I don't have the Metro. For my most recent headlights I've used a Light & Motion Urban 1000, and a Light & Motion Taz 1200. The 1000 was more compact and plenty bright, but its mount broke off the case after six months of nightly riding when I hit a manhole cover that wasn't raised to the same level as the resurfaced road. The Taz 1200 has a sturdier mount, though both of these lights cost more than the Metro.

Given the quality of the Hotshot Pro 150, I'd say go ahead and give the Metro a try, but purchase from a reputable seller and know the return/exchange policy should you decide that you need something different after you've given it a try.

cccorlew

I love my Hotshot. The charge lasts longer than I thought it would. And it's super bright. Perfect even for day rides.
I also have a Cygolite Expilion, not the same as the Metro, but it's a great light. I've been commuting with it for a couple of years now. Middle brightness is fine, and battery life gets me through a couple of commutes. I bought a spare battery, which I think was a good investment. I've dropped it more than once and it didn't break.

zacster

I have the 150 and it is super bright. The problem is that I also have a Magnic Light, and the Magnic Light is ALWAYS on as it is self powered, whereas the 150 has already failed me 3 times where it didn't have a charge. I've hardly used it but it always seems to be dead when I need it. More than any other light this one has convinced me that dynamo or self powered is the way to go. On my commuter my front light is a B&M Cyo Premium powered by a Shimano 3N72 hub, and the rear is the Magnic. When I take my road bike out I have a flashlight with the latest Cree LED and the best Orbtronics 18650 battery available. That lasts longer than any one road ride in the dark, and I hardly ever do that. The rear is also the Hotshot, but the other day I found it wasn't charged when I wanted to go into the park later in the day. I didn't really need it but it would have been nice to be seen. It is charged now and blindingly bright.

Maybe my problem is that I'm used to not having to charge batteries anymore after doing it for years.

eja_ bottecchia

Hatsuwr

Thanks for the input everyone! Went with the Hotshot 150 and Metro 1100. Free one day weekend shipping is a thing on Amazon now I guess.

They are both great from first impressions. Plenty bright - I could probably use the Hotshot as a headlight! The Metro has a nice oval throw to it, putting light where you need it. The Hotshot has a very bright narrow cone, but the body is built in a way where it is still quite visible from 90º+

Hard to get a good impression on camera, but here's my attempt. Hotshot is seen from about 90º.

laternser

Cygolite 1100.

Questions for those owning the Cygolite 1100. Can you confirm true/false? Perhaps you could include an explanation of how you know and what you have tried?

1) I have read (unconfirmed) that the Cygolite 1100 cannot be powered with a USB power pack. Possibly it could be charged by one. Some claim to have done this ... but do not identify the power pack used. Often charging usb devices via an external power pack is highly dependent on the capability of the power pack. Apparently Cygolite lights cannot be on while charged. Not sure if this is in general or just some models? Are there lights (normally powered internally) that can be run while charging off a generic external USB power pack? I confess to have never investigated the technical details of USB charging circuits for phones etc.

This is slightly more complex than it seems on the surface. Batteries (should not / can not) be charged at high amperage. Bicycle headlights draw power from a battery faster than the batteries charging rate. The devices circuit would have to allow for this. Most devices like laptops internally limit the charge rate to the battery but can be run off the AC adapter. My Dell Precision detects chargers with less power capability and actually throttles the processor so as to not run the battery down (so the computer claims ... and it seems to work). Some of my other Dell laptops are not quite so accommodating.

2) I have read but not confirmed that the Cygolite 1100 cannot be continuously run in the 1100 mode. True / False? What level can it operate at? Seems odd that Cygolite would not make this clear in advertising.

I like Cygolite. Not sure of the actual level of manufacturing done in the U.S. Owners seem to like them. Plus it seems possible to user replace batteries in a Metro when their capability falls after a few hundred charges.

Perhaps wiser to purchase multiple Metro 500/550/600 etc. and try to find space for two mounts. Not fun to be battery dead in the dark.

Likely end result of frequent dead battery rides is to join the raccoons, possums, and skunks. Worse yet to cause a motorist to crash.

bpcyclist

I own both the Metro Pro 1100 and the Hotshot 150 and have had both for about two years. I do not know about charging it with a usb powerpack--have not tried that. That said, I just plugged it into my laptop for charging and turned on the light. Every mode works perfectly while it is charging. So, not sure where you got that information that you can't use the light while it's charging. Seems to work just fine. But I am no kind of battery expert, so cannot say how it might do with some other type of battery power source.

For the most part, I run mine in the 1100 mode exclusively. I ride every day and my standard, short ride is about 85 minutes long. I have not had the Pro 1100 go dark on me yet, so I am getting more than the claimed 60 minutes in Boost (1100 l) mode. Not sure if there is something wrong with my light, or if the company just is being conservative in its claims.

Not familiar with L&M, so can't comment on them. Will def check them out. But, if you are looking to add another headlight, and I am one who recommends that for most of us, I would urge you to look into the Ceco F1000. It is a 1000-lumen source that is quite a bit brighter than the Pro 1100, is in a small, light chassis, and has a better mount system than the Cygolite in my opinion. Super easy to use. I think it's a better light, though you can't really go wrong with the Pro 1100 either. Another thing about the Ceco is that it is only 40 bucks on amazon. A steal, really.

As I have pointed out freely elsewhere on this site, I am a safety freak. I've not been to Nebraska, so I can't comment on what it is like there. But here, west of the Cascades, in the Pacific Northwest, the never-ending rain and long, long hours of total darkness in the winter make visibility and safety a massive issue for us. As a result, I now run three headlights simultaneously during these months: The Pro 1100 on my helmet; the Ceco F1000 on my left bar: And the ridiculously awesome Cygolite Trion 1300, 3-LED source on my right bar. I can see pretty darn well in even the worst rain on the blackest nights. I can see debris. I can see the pavement surface defects. I can see. So, I strongly recommend that you consider adding another light if it is at all with in the budget. I think you'll be amazed what another source will do for your visibility.

bpcyclist

I'm confused. A have a two year-old Hotshot 150. I ride every day for at least 90 minutes or so. And I charge the Hotshot less than once a week. When I have talked with other Hotshot 150 owners, I hear stories similar to mine. I think there is something wrong with your Hotshot. Have you contacted Cygolite? You should probably do that. They might be able to help you out. I've had good luck with them for customer service. They've been very helpful.

a1penguin

I too, ride 90 minutes daily to work and another 20 minutes home, four times a week. I charge my hotshot once a week.

I have a Cygolite Metro 550 which is nice. Unfortunately, front lights only last about 1.5 hours on hight/steady. Right before I crashed and broke my wrist in August 2018, I picked up a 900. I don't think I need the 900 lumens as I also use a light on the helmet, but I can run it on medium and get 3 hours of runtime instead of 1.5. I like the Cygolite products.

Oso Polar

I also have Hotshot 150. Great light and charge lasts a long time BUT it discharges relatively fast by itself, even if not used. So, basically, I can use it a lot and charge it once a week. Or don't use it at all and find it completely discharged after about two weeks. Now I charge it weekly no matter how much I used it during the week to avoid surprises.

Garfield Cat

I have contacted Cygolite at their Irvine, California facility. Warranty replacement works and also parts. Never had an issue.

rm -rf

The Hotshot 150 will last a long time in the single flash mode. The flashes are extremely bright and very short in duration, so not much battery is used. I like this mode for daytime or near sunset. I usually have the adjustable speed set to a fairly slow 2-flashes-per-second.

At night, I use the "wah-wah" mode, where it ramps up and down the brightness. I think this is easier on driver's eyes, and is quite unusual looking to catch their attention. It must use quite a lot more battery though.

Hotshot usb cover
The USB rubber cover is quite tricky to plug in securely. I cut a rubber band out of an old inner tube and it wraps around the light from top to bottom, and over the plug. Now the plug stays in. Kind of annoying.