Peter Cole <
[email protected]> wrote:
:> Roger Zoul wrote:
:>> Peter Cole <
[email protected]> wrote:
:>>
:>> :> During your lifetime test are you sure you're on the "high"
:>> :> setting?
:>>
:>> I made certain to test the setting before starting the test. As I
:>> wasn't expect this, I checke it again last night. And since in 4
:>> hours it will have been burning for 36 hours, I just now checked it
:>> again. I'm on the "high" setting. Of course, if the light is
:>> somehow defective, then maybe "high" isn't what it's supposed to
:>> be. That's my concern.
:>>
:>
:> I think what may be going on is that, as the battery voltage drops,
:> so does the light output, effectively switching (gradually) from
:> high-power to low-power mode. I had what I'd estimate to be several
:> hours on the original batteries on mine, just switched to fresh
:> ones, and found the light to be a bit brighter. On a battery
:> checker, the original batteries showed that they were significantly
:> drained.
Okay....I think you've nailed it...the light is still on...so now it's
almost 50 hours running (admittedly w/ me turning it on/off to check which
beam is on). ..however, last night I did definitely notice a weaker
beam...before it wasn't nearly so obvious, but when I realized that I'd
never ride with so little light...somehow, for some reason, I was expecting
it to just die before 9 hrs on high beam...I thought these things were
supposed to put out constant light and then die, rather than just get
weaker. Anyhow, I don't need more than 7 hours of constant light and for
the most part, I don't plan to ride more than 3 hours after dark (I'll be
riding mainly for fitness, not for distance, this winter)
:>
:> Bottom line, this is a 1W high-output LED lamp. At roughly 20
:> lumen/watt, it rivals the 2.5W halogens, which are around 10
:> lumen/watt. LED lights with much longer "4-AA" burn times are using
:> less than a 1W LED, and are proportionally less bright.
:>
:> The Light & Motion is apparently a 3W lamp, so puts out 3x the light
:> of the NiteHawk.
Hmm...so I'm wondering if I should go with 2 Emitters on the handle bars and
one on my helmet...or get that L&M and one helmet light. I just feel I want
to be able to see off to the side on a night ride....also, I'd like to be
able to see my bike...and my computer...
I seem to recall that my main objection (or, discomfort) with the Emitter
was that the beam was just a bit too narrow for comfort...two Emitters
should solve that problem, I think. I'll probably go out tonight to get
another read on that....
As I already have this one Emitter, that's money under the bridge...so
another and $40 (with 10% off coupon) and then a helmet mount version at
$100, that's $140...versus $175 for the L&M...only thing is, I don't like
the switch on the Emitter...it hurts my fingers sometimes to switch off or
change the beam...and perhaps there is some other helmet light that is less
costly that will be just as good or better. I thinking turning a helmet
light on/off should be easy, and with the Emitter it would be a major pain.
I plan to use mine with 2300 mAh NiMI, so I'll need get a good idea of how
long these LED lights last with though (under full beam!!).
:>
:> The Cateye EL-500 supposedly is also a 1W LED lamp, although it
:> advertises a 30 hr runtime (on 4xAA). I don't think it can run at
:> full power for that time, so it must be a "usable light" kind of
:> spec, with output falling off gradually.
Yep. They should state that clearly.
:>
:> The whole business of comparing lights based on spec is rather
:> frustrating. I think that manufacturers are all using basically the
:> same LEDs, and probably the same regulators/controllers, but they're
:> not going to tell you that.
Seems like we really need a consumer advocacy rag or website that reviewers
products in-depth and provides meaningful data....I guess cycling is just
not as popular as computers
:>
:> I think the 1W LED lights are roughly equivalent to the well-known
:> 2.4W halogen lights, with better color, battery life, bulb life and
:> low voltage (dead/dying battery) performance. They are still kind of
:> pricey in comparison, and most people consider them a barely
:> adequate "seeing" light, and perhaps a less-adequate (than halogen)
:> for their "be seen" characteristics, due to narrower beam.
I went walking the other night during a neighborhood power outage...with the
Emitter in hand pointed at the road, on-coming cars seemed to see me just
fine and gave wide space while a good distance away....perhaps it would be
different on a much faster moving bike, but the light would be somewhat
higher up from the ground and pointed a bit more forward, I'd think.
:>
:> I think the 3W LED may be the ideal "everyman's" bike light, but
:> they're still very expensive.
Yeah, and lights generally seem to get used mostly during winter
months....when days are short. for what you pay it seems you get relatively
little usage for the money you pay.
:>
:>
:>> :>
:>> :> When I first got the light I did a comparison with the Cateye
:>> :> MicroII and felt that the Emitter was perhaps slightly dimmer
:>> :> and narrower, but
:>> :> had a more even and much whiter beam. I judged them to be about
:>> :> equal in usability, with the big Emitter advantage primarily
:>> :> being much longer battery and bulb life, the low beam and
:>> :> whiteness over battery life
:>> :> being a bonus. I like it well enough that I'll probably get
:>> :> another when
:>> :> I can find it for $30-35USD.
:>>
:>> Nashbar has it for $45 right now.
:>
:> Yeah, I know, still too much $$ for me -- perhaps with a 20%
:> coupon...
Yeah, all I've seen is a 10% coupon....decisions, decisions....