2000 REAL lumens, under $200. Single light. Is it possible?

[Davste]

Hi,

Could anyone recommend a handlebar mounted light with a high (>2000) lumen rating for under $200?

I have looked at many lights, these have caught my eye, but I would like a bit more power:

• Xeccon Spiker 1210
• Gemini Duo 1500
• Yinding light

I am not so sure about the Yinding light because of QA issues. I'd also need to buy a separate battery pack. The Gloworm XS is very tempting but greatly out of the price range. The Xeccon sogn 700 had my attention. It's also a bit out of price range - but it seems to have too little throw... and not in stock yet. Then there's the solar storm x2. I don't really like the shape to be honest, and the lumens will range from 900 - 1500 depending on the roll of the dice.

Any ideas?

[Davste]

When I said "single light" I meant a single light unit (not a single LED). This is so I don't get recommendations for mounting five 3x cree ebay torches
Is there possibly no decent light that matches my criteria?!

[Cat-man-do]

When I said "single light" I meant a single light unit (not a single LED). This is so I don't get recommendations for mounting five 3x cree ebay torches
Is there possibly no decent light that matches my criteria?!

There are a couple lamps that "might" meet your criteria. This 7-up Cree XM-L lamp has been talked about and has a thread of it's own. There is also the Solarstorm XT40 which also has a thread. Whether or not any of these lamps actually produce 2000 lumen....ehh...maybe, I don't own one so I can't say for sure.

[Davste]

They look nice, but I'm hesitant about cheap Chinese lights at the moment and am looking for something a bit more reliable.

From my point of view... If I get something like a spiker 1200, I'll be paying around $140 (here) and will get 1200 lumens. If I pay $40, I'll get a Chinese light with twice the power output, for $100 less. Is the price of reliability worth that much?

The more I read about these lights, the more I get confused.

So, I'll try to rephrase the question. What is the brightest and most reliable light under $250? I've looked at the 2014 light shootout spreadsheet. The lights I've named above come on top, but I wonder if I can get more than 1500 real lumens for that price?

[mb323323]

If you really want quality and the peace of mind that the light will work, then get the Dinotte XML-3. $229. See their site. It was tested I think at 1500 lumens.

However, I would buy 2 lights, one for the helmet and one for the bars. Then you could get 2 or 3 cheap lights, probably 3 so you'll have 2 actual working lights and probably between 1500-2000 lumens. Many choices. ANd cheap under $100.

I'll say this though by adding that I have several cheap lights and they work well however, the beam pattern is not nearly as good as the Dinotte XML-3 and there have been a number of times where my cheap light batteries have gone dead on rides but the Dinotte dual XML-3 is still going. I never have to worry about no light w/ the Dinotte's. I guess that can be said for any of the other higher end lights as well.

Get 2 lights though.

[Gharddog03]

I would invest in a good set up and save up a few more dollars. XS lighthead and purchase a charger and battery from HunkLee or another source. Even a gemini Olympia or dinotte xml lighthead. Good luck.

[Cat-man-do]

They look nice, but I'm hesitant about cheap Chinese lights at the moment and am looking for something a bit more reliable...

When you set LOW price points you generally don't get to choose where the lamp comes from. Since you upped the ante to $250 I would suggest looking into a Gloworm X2 or Dinotte XML3.

The Gemini Olympia might come close to your initial desired output but it will cost a bit more ( as will the Gloworm X2 ) Buy a brand name light from a reliable vendor and you get better service but it will cost more. You get what you pay for.

When people buy Chinese lamps directly from China the price drops dramatically but so does the reliability factor. Still for the price you can buy spares or replacements without too much fuss or added cost. The choice is yours.

[127.0.0.1]

^+1

what cat-man-do said

cheap chinese lights are best for hobbyist-types who don't mind too much how long it lasts, or needing to overcome quirks like crappy batteries and whatnot...if they work, they are worth the 50 bucks. if they break, hey it's fixable..or 'whew at least it was only 50 bucks'. I am running 4 cheap chinese lights and only 1 of them, the charger itself crapped out. otherwise each my 4 lights work as well as someone elses 300 dollar light...so far...

but for 'buy it and forget it' and reliability and stand-up warranty, go lupine or glowworm, or dinotte...etc. big names, better built by a long run, big money but big support and no BS replacement

[ziscwg]

Are you racing DH at night or something?

I ran my Lezyne Deca drive (890 lm) on my bars and my Lezyne SuperDrive on my helmet (575 lm) and had plenty of light to see the trail.

That set up cost me $230.

As others have said, two med power lights are better than one bright one

[blackbean]

At the risk of sounding too patriotic, I would say steer away from the Chinese lights. They really offer no real benefit over most of the Western players. You'll save money over the short term, but you'll have an inferior beam pattern, overrated lumen claims and batteries that will almost be guaranteed to lose most of it's power capacity within 12-18 months. I used Magicshine lights in 2010 & 2011. The competition has caught up and surpassed them in overall value for money IMO.

Dinotte's XML-3 at $229 is a great light at bargain basement price. Also, replacement batteries can be had at $70 or less I believe. Not that you would need a new one in many many years, but something to bear in mind.

Niterider has improved their product line tremendously, and I think they have a beam pattern very close to Lupine's. At about $270 for the 1200 lumen version, my only knock on it is low run-time.

Jet lite has come around and upped their game too. And then off course the Gloworm X2 is a very worthy contender.

Light & Motion offer great lights too, but too expensive and out of your price range.

In your price range it would be hard to beat the X2 or the XML-3.

[derekbob]

You could get a Gloworm X2 v3.1 for $159.99 (lighthead only), MJ 6030H battery (5600 mAh) for $53.95, and a charger (MJ 6012) for $7.95 for a total of $221.89 from Action LED Lights. I think that's an awesome setup for the price from a solid vendor. You still need a 2nd light. Maybe get a cheap helmet light and plan on upgrading (or not).

You may want to wait for an upcoming upgrade to Gloworms with better and longer remote cables sometime this month.

[pimpbot]

This might be a dumb question, but... Why? 2000 lumen is a pretty obscene amount of light, IMHO. What, you gonna make shadow puppets across the Grand Canyon?

[Cat-man-do]

This might be a dumb question, but... Why? 2000 lumen is a pretty obscene amount of light, IMHO. What, you gonna make shadow puppets across the Grand Canyon?

Oh it's really not that much light. If you run a multi-XM-L lamp on both bars and helmet you already have over 2K Lumens. Not that it's not bright, it is. 2K lm is more than enough light to ride with but sometimes people like a little more for special situations. I do this myself on occasion when I plan a ride with a long fast downhill. Not that I need the extra light but if you got the extra lamps it doesn't hurt to have more light than you need "on occasion".

[pimpbot]

Heh... I actually have my best Strava times on Cinderella trail in Joaquin Miller at night. That is a steep, rutty, braking bump and pothole filled downhill run. I run it with a NR dual 700 on the bars and a Lumina 650 on the lid. I can't outride my light.

I thought the OP was looking for 2000lm on just the bars and then adding more on the lid. Yikes! That's a lot of burned retinas.

[LB412]

If you really want quality and the peace of mind that the light will work, then get the Dinotte XML-3. $229. See their site. It was tested I think at 1500 lumens.

However, I would buy 2 lights, one for the helmet and one for the bars. Then you could get 2 or 3 cheap lights, probably 3 so you'll have 2 actual working lights and probably between 1500-2000 lumens. Many choices. ANd cheap under $100.

I'll say this though by adding that I have several cheap lights and they work well however, the beam pattern is not nearly as good as the Dinotte XML-3 and there have been a number of times where my cheap light batteries have gone dead on rides but the Dinotte dual XML-3 is still going. I never have to worry about no light w/ the Dinotte's. I guess that can be said for any of the other higher end lights as well.

Get 2 lights though.

I have the Dinotte XML-3 and it works great as both a helmet and a bar light. I prefer as a helmet though. +1 on the beam pattern vs. cheap lights. I just purchased the Light In Motion Taz 1200 for use on the bars. Might be overkill with two 1200 Lumen lights but I found the Taz for $189. Also, I find I generally ride with the light on medium or low until I hit the single track... ridgeline fire roads connect to the singles here.

[Davste]

I thought the OP was looking for 2000lm on just the bars and then adding more on the lid. Yikes! That's a lot of burned retinas.

Not exactly. We have a severe pothole problem here. What I'm really after is enough lumens to melt the tarmac in front of me and smoothen the ride. I'd have to switch to titanium wheels though, in fear of burning the tires.

[Davste]

In the end I just gave up on saving money and decided to starve and get a Gloworm XS and X1 instead. Thanks everyone