beowulf7

Given the 4/5 you gave it, you're happy with the lights. The price is also very good. Is that HL available with a TL as a set?

Shiggs

https://www.amazon.com/SIGMA-TRILED-C...6165258&sr=8-1

Both quick release! I bought mine in a store or I would have ordered that combo.

jrafael

2 x UltraFire Cree C3 Flashlight with 2xAA $20.57 ea
2 x Universal Bicycle Mount $1.90 ea

41.14 + 3.80 + free shipping ( 10-15 days ) = 44.94

This flashlights can use 1 or 2 (longer runtime) AA, so no need to buy special chargers or batteries

Runtime - about 1.5hrs on 1xAA and about 4hrs on 2xAA

huskertko

I posted this same question earlier in the Road Cycling forum without thinking of lookin here. I am not opposed to flashlights, in fact it makes some sense, but my question is, are bicycle mounts flashlight specific or are they more generic? Meaning do i have to buy a certain type of light to use in a mount, or will most lights work in the bike mount?

wyeast

With a 2AA type flashlight, you can use Twofish Lockblocks to mount them onto your handlebar. They do a pretty good job holding position with a light this size. I've made it work with a 2C type light, but it's more likely to shift due to weight.

Just be sure to mount the light close to the center of gravity, and snug the velcro straps tight.

beowulf7

To those who recently bought bike HLs and TLs, how are you liking it? I know a couple of you recent buyers got your sets earlier this month. Now that you've had it for a week or so, any pros and cons? I'm getting close to ordering lights for my bike.

yeamac 

I ordered 3 Ultrafires from Dealextreme.com. It took FOREVER (18 days) to get here, so I also ordered 2 Fenix L2D lights for comparison while I was waiting. I have ridden once at night with one Ultrafire, and it worked pretty well. For max lighting I plan to put two on my bike and one on my helmet. Otherwise I could probably get by with one on bike, one on helmet.

beowulf7

Cool, so how would you compare the Ultrafire and L2D head-to-head in terms of light output, weight, stability (i.e. light doesn't shift when going over bumps), battery requirement, etc.?

wyeast

the sheer amount of light should be similar. The differences come in build quality and possibly how good the heat management is.

beowulf7

I agree about the efficiency and build quality. I wonder which one is better.

yeamac 

I haven't received the L2D's yet. I guess I didn't make that clear. When I receive them I will do a direct comparison.

So far I have been impressed with the Ultrafire's for $20 shipped. Had they arrived in a decent time frame I would have been happy with those. But since they didn't come, I got anxious and just ordered a pair of Fenix L2D's to try since I got the 180 lumen version at a good price. The Ultrafires don't give a lumen rating which makes me think they may not be as good. But they Fenix's are going to have to be quite a bit better for me to keep them for the much higher price (2.5X).

I've toyed around with mounting the flashlights on my bike. I installed a Minoura SwingGrip extender bar yesterday (longer and more versatile than the one varuscelli had in his write up -- I actually bought that one first and returned it because it was too short for my application). Positioning is OK with the bar, but the cables coming off the handlebars may get in the way when I have them mounted down low.

I do a complete write up with photos after the Fenix's arrive and I get the time. Probably in a week or so.

beowulf7

I see, so the other HL hadn't arrived yet. Thanks for the update and I look forward to your review when you get around to it in a week or so.

yeamac 

Mail just arrived, and a pair of Fenix L2D Premium Q5's with it. Something tells me my review will come sooner than a week.

beowulf7

Woohoo, nice gift at the end of the week.

wyeast

The cheap DX/Kai lights tend to be more erratic in build quality - sometimes you get a really nice light, sometimes you get a real dud where the switch flakes on you, or the circuit blows out. The waterproofing tends to be not as solid, either.

The Fenix lights are more consistent in their build quality, with good customer service and fancy features like multiple modes, etc. Then again, they're more than $50, too. For myself, with a bike application, my sweet spot lies somewhere in between. On a bike, I don't want all the fancy modes, but if I can find a well-made light for about half the price, then I can get two of them.

agarose2000

I think it's great that everyone here loves trying out cheaper lights and reviewing them for all of us - thanks!

However, I've been more than happy with the $50 I spent on my Fenix L2D. I was riding pretty fast last night, and in reading this post, I was reminded at the peace of mind I've had knowing that the Fenix lamps are rock-solid, stable, and extremely well built. I'd gladly pay $30+ for a uber-reliable light source than save $30 and find myself wondering if my light would go on a fast night ride.

Those ultrafires do look pretty sweet, though!

yeamac 

Do you know this from first hand experience, a couple user reviews on the web, just guessing because of the low price, or ???

I'd rather buy all the crap and test it myself and resell what I don't want and not have to wonder at all.

I've done my testing and will be creating a posting a new thread soon (either tonight or tomorrow).

wyeast

Combination of the above. Plenty of experiences to go around with us over at Candlepowerforums. Whenever anyone brings up a bargain at KD/DX inevitably one (or both) of two things comes up.

1) It took a hella long time to get to them.

2) It's a great light for the money

It's not that they're universally suckage for lighting. Just the CPF guys are a tough crowd and there's usually something just a little off with the lights. The runtime is shorter than average, there's funny artifacts in the beam, the o-rings don't hold up past a brief dunking, whatever. Switches are sometimes temperamental (often repaired by disassembly and tinkering, but some just end up unrecoverable). Yeah, everybody has their share of problems, but some lights tend to be more hit n' miss than some of the others.

I mean, take me. I'm hard on my lights for work (building surveys). They don't last long in my kit when they let me down for one reason or another. Those differences tend to stick in your mind when you still carry an Inova for years when the Maglite LED gets tossed out after just a couple of months.

That's the same criteria I put on picking a bike light - considering the context is my wife's the commuter and I'm not gonna give her a light that I won't trust to work day in and day out in all weather conditions. I'm sure quality's getting better, but my past experiences haven't been good enough to sell me on putting them on her bike. Same reason I haven't put the Coleman on her bike, because it's yet to pass muster for me. (although it's getting there, and she'll probably still carry the Inova as backup)

But it's different strokes for different folks. If the $15 light means you can strap 3 on the bike, then more power to you! More light, and plenty of backup in case one goes glitchy on you. I can't convince my wife to clutter her ride with more than a couple of lights, so I gotta kick it up a notch. Same reason I pick two $30 lights with pretty good reliability over one $70 Fenix.

Go with what works for you.

beowulf7

If/when you create the thread with your review, please link it here. Looking forward to it.

Yan 

Yeamac's review is here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=446019

beowulf7

Thanks, I'll check it out.

beowulf7

My HL and TL search is over (for now). I went to a "Perf. Bike" store yesterday and picked up a Cat Eye HL-EL510 headlight and NightRider 5.0 TL for < $40 total (after the "457" 15% off coupon). Installing them on my bike was relatively simple, but note that NightRider comes w/ no instructions whatsoever. I'll report back when I do some dusk/night bike riding.

freako

Look man, your already willing to pay up to $50 for a light, why not another $40 for a truly bright light? Then you would not be later wishing for a brighter light. You can find that easily with this https://www.cygolite.com/products/hal...over_Xtra.html Just do a web search for best price.

Or this for about $15 dollars less then the above but not as bright: https://www.cygolite.com/products/hal...over_NiMH.html

daredevil

I've got that light. The Fenix L2D blows it away. I haven't used the Cygo since.

datlas 

Somewhat related query: it seems apparent that bike-specific lights are not nearly as bright or inexpensive as flashlights....but WHY?? (also how does one convert from lumens to candlepower, when comparing lights?)