Thread Killer
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 12,452
Bikes: 15 Kinesis Racelight 4S, 76 Motebecane Gran Jubilée, 17 Dedacciai Gladiatore2, 12 Breezer Venturi, 09 Dahon Mariner, 12 Mercier Nano, 95 DeKerf Team SL, 19 Tern Rally, 21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+, 19 T-Lab X3, 91 Serotta CII, 23 3T Strada
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There are so many different situations and variables that it is essentially impossible to say how bright is sufficiently bright for safety. Therefore, my way of cutting this is to ask how much brightness can I typically get for a given amount of money in a satisfying form factor? The answer to that right now, for me, is 100 lumens at #40. If a marker headlight isn’t claiming to deliver at least that, it’s off pace of tech and not of interest. If I can get 200 lumens in a package I like for $100, great, but that’s just icing (as the saying goes). My main concern is not to ride with less than 100 lumens flashing out front.
I have no idea whether 200 lumens is safer than 100 and honestly don’t care. My only concern is to get state of the art at the pricepoint I’m willing to spend; supraSOTA is great if I can get it, but I don’t need to be there. If I know I have a level of brightness in line with a typical expenditure, I consider that paying my money and taking my chances. God be with me, inshallah, mazel tov, good luck, and all that.