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Gemini Duo clones

167K views 736 replies 109 participants last post by  garrybunk 
#1 ·
Anyone have one of the Gemini Duo clones from Ali Express or Fasttech?

What's the practical difference (if any) between the XM-L U2 and XML2 T6 LED's?
 
#163 ·
Yep, that's for sure. Keep in mind most of the tri-clones are just standard XM-L T-6. Shouldn't be too long before you start seeing them in U2 or with XM-L2's. Right now I'd like to see a SSX2 with XM-L2 (U2). Ha!, for that matter anything with XM-L2 U2 is going to rock.

When I first got my tri-clone I compared it to my Gloworm X2 (v2) with XM-L U2's. Both lamps compared very well as far as output ( on high ) goes with the Tri-clone having perhaps a bit more throw because of the tri-reflector set-up.

If I were going to go with a super cheap Chinese combo set-up for MTB'ing I would either go with a combo Tri-clone on the bars / single XM-L (U2) emitter clone lamp on the helmet OR Duo clone on the bars and SSX2 on the helmet. The first combo would have a bit more throw with the second a bit more flood.

Yep, if you can afford $80 for a Chinese combo set-up you can rock the night. Spend another $30 or $50 for a better battery and you're set.
 
#165 ·
Like fightnut said, one of the main things that the Duo clone has going for it is the really small size. The triple has to be pretty cheap by now, on the other hand. I remember seeing the light-head-only option for around $35 a couple of months ago.

By the way, the original seller of the xm-l2 version no longer has them, but I found this alternative:
Free shipping 1Set CREE XML2 T6 3B Bike Light 1600lm Waterproof Bicycle Light LED HeadLamp + 8.4v Battery Pack + Charger-in Bicycle Light from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com

On sale for $69.81.
 
#170 ·
I just purchased one of the Gemini clones from Fast Tech and like other posters that have asked if I want to make the light a little more spotty what lense would you need to exchange it with? I know it 20mm in diameter but what angle do I need to get? Do I need a 5* angle, a 10* or a 15*???? Please help. Thanks.
 
#173 ·
In regards to Cat-man-do looking for a SSX2 with XM-L2 (U2). Is this what you are looking for:
Black Color SolarStorm X2 2*Cree XM-L2 2200-Lumen Led Bike Light Without Battery Pack - Bicycle Lights Lamp Cap - Bicycle Light & Headlamp Worldwide Free Shipping!!!

I have been reading through pages and pages of posts trying to educate my self on the current options and like most people trying to get the most bang for my buck and spend as little as possible at the same time. My wife is not convinced that I even need lights. So I am looking at maybe ordering the above. With a better battery.

Would it be a bad idea to even just order 2 of these?
 
#180 ·
In regards to Cat-man-do looking for a SSX2 with XM-L2 (U2). Is this what you are looking for:
Black Color SolarStorm X2 2*Cree XM-L2 2200-Lumen Led Bike Light Without Battery Pack - Bicycle Lights Lamp Cap - Bicycle Light & Headlamp Worldwide Free Shipping!!!

I have been reading through pages and pages of posts trying to educate my self on the current options and like most people trying to get the most bang for my buck and spend as little as possible at the same time. My wife is not convinced that I even need lights. So I am looking at maybe ordering the above. With a better battery.

Would it be a bad idea to even just order 2 of these?
Thanks b$. The link you posted is likely for XM-L2's using the standard T-6 bin. These will be very bright but I'm going to hold out for the U2 version. I just like the whiter tint. Currently I have the SSX2 with standard XM-L (U2) ....which is the first XM-L U2 version. When these are released with the second U2 version they will be even more awesome.

b$, if you buy two of these XM-L2 (T-6) I don't think you will be disappointed...however....one of these 880 clones might be better for the bars because of the wider beam pattern. Find one with XM-L2's and that would be even better.

Wifey should have no problem with you buying a couple "emergency home illumination light-sets"...yes, yes...in a power outage these babies will light your house for about 6 hours when on low. With two going you have all the light you need ( including one for the bedroom if you catch my drift...:ihih: )
 
#182 ·
Vista Lites..I had the 2x10w and 1 wt circa '95. I remember the older ones like you are talking about. The new cheap LEDs are amazing compared to those old lights.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
#191 ·
Finnaly, I`ve got it!
It is indeed very small and light...compared to MJ808 P7 and MJ872

It is right between MJ808 P7 and MJ872. That goes for beam pattern and amount of light-
I would say around 1000-1100lm
I am very impressed with the build quality but disappointed with charger. It cuts off at 8,2V. That is waaay to early.
I will post trail beamshots in a week (including MJ808, MJ808e, MJ880, MJ872, MJ880 clone, 3xXML clone, SS2X, Lupine Tesla)
 
#193 ·
Wow...I had no idea how small these actually are! Yes..looking forward to beam shots. I really want either a genuine Duo or one of these clones..look so cool.
 
#195 ·
Here are some quick shots
Nice comparison! Very well done. A couple of questions for you. Which MJ880 clone do you have, the one from KD? Do you have the genuine MJ872 or the $30 clone? I always like the ability of the MJ872 clone to evenly light the near field. Is it the xml solarstorm or the xm-l2?

The dual emitter lights are clearly superior to the single emitter lights. It looks like the Yinding (Duo clone) has the best throw, but that could just be a function of how it's aimed (slightly higher?). They are all pretty similar really, but the Solarstorm has the brightest hot spot. It's tough to pick a favorite. I would probably go with the MJ880 clone or the Duo clone, because of the even beam in both near- and far-field.

I'm really impressed with the Duo clone. How are they pumping out this much light in such a small housing without overheating the light? Does it get hot, or is it a superior design?

The 872 is good if you want a really bright near-field, maybe for tricky root or rock sections. It obviously has bad throw. The three dual-emitter lights are probably a better buy for most people.

Based on the picture Modig posted, the triple xml is also a good bet. It's has a proven track record, and it appears to be somewhat brighter then the three major dual emitter lights (880 clone, Solarstorm X2, Gemini Duo clone). The triple can be had for pretty cheap now, I'm sure. There's also the option of buying these lights as light-heads-only. That's especially good if you already have decent battery from action led or xeccon. The Solarstorm and the KD 880 clone are both available that way.

It seems that we have reached a new standard for cheap lights and a new era of night riding. It's probably enough for most riders to ride at their day time speeds without too much worry. The doubles are definitely in and singles are out. These new lights really open up the world of night riding for everyone.

In my opinion, the better the cheap lights get, the harder it is to justify the $200 minimum for the "good" lights. I feel sorry for the guys who only buy their lights at the bike store. $100 buys you a 400 lumen light that last 1.5 hours. $100 sent to China buys you two complete sets of lights that are two to three times as bright and last for twice as long! If you read the bike magazine this entire segment of lights, i.e. Chinese imports, is virtually ignored. If it wasn't for this forum, I would have never known this stuff was out there. Thanks guys.

Happy night riding everyone!
 
#201 ·
Varider, these lights are ignored because of the quality control - you never know what you get - a nice lottery. But for most people they are as good as any other more expensive alternatives. The next problem by these clones is often a stupid UI and an absent battery indication. You need to consider + and - for you.
 
#204 ·
Hi there,
most of the answers were given by member Snakes, who joined my test ride yesterday.
I will make better beam shots as soon as I get all of the lamps from my friends.

As for Yinding...it has the best beam pattern but it is sligly less bright compared to 880 clone and ssx2. It has very nice transition from side to center. 880 clone has also nice beam pattern (light spot) and ssx2 has its spot a little too bright.
MJ872 is not comparable. It is way too floody for high speed use and it needs to be combined with additional very bright lamp with beam pattern close to YD, 880 clone or ssx2 but with at least 1500 real lm, otherwise the throw is not noticable. Maybe a Mj872 and MJ880 would be great combo, but thats allready in the 300€ range.

Yinding has great heat transfer, but it has too small mass to handle all the heat.
It gets very hot (room temp, no airflow) even in low mode (0,44A at batteries),
in high mode (1,65A at batteries) it gets too hot to hold in a matter of minutes. So be carefull and not to use high mode without airflow.
Yesterday as I was cruising back home at cca 15km/h and 15°C I ran it on high and was checking the temperature. It was warm, so there is no overheating issue while riding, just remember to switch it to low mode when stopped. Did not checked if there is some overheat protection. I leave that to someone else :cornut:
The cable connector is the same as for Magicshine (MJ880 excluded) and makes rainproof connection.
When battery low the green indicator turns red and it blinks. Strobe mode is hidden (press and hold for 3 sec), no memory mode.
The thing is twice as small as MJ872 or MJ808, three times smaller as SSX2 and maybe 4 times smaller than 880 clone.
 
#212 ·
Yeah, I realize that bike shop offer better service and the warranties probably are worth the extra cost for significant portion of the mountain biking community. You guys are obviously right about that.

These lights are semi-disposable and the UI aren't that great. But I don't quite agree with "you get what you pay for" argument, except when it comes to batteries. These light use the same cree emitters as the big boy light manufactures. So does the warranty, better UI, better reliability, and better heat engineering justify a four fold increase in price? To me that's not real clear. Not to mention that the heart of the light, the led emitter probably goes for $5-$10 when purchased in bulk. So what does the extra $150 or $250 buy you? A $5 driver and a $30 housing?

Last year's Gemini Duo light-head-only is $93 ($115 for the new one) from action led. You can get a solarstorm x2 lighthead for around $20-$25. So you could get three or four of those for one real Duo.

Anyway, sorry about spamming the thread with my opinions, I don't know what got into me last night.
 
#214 ·
Yeah, I realize that bike shop offer better service and the warranties probably are worth the extra cost for significant portion of the mountain biking community. You guys are obviously right about that.

These lights are semi-disposable and the UI aren't that great. But I don't quite agree with "you get what you pay for" argument, except when it comes to batteries. These light use the same cree emitters as the big boy light manufactures. So does the warranty, better UI, better reliability, and better heat engineering justify a four fold increase in price? To me that's not real clear. Not to mention that the heart of the light, the led emitter probably goes for $5-$10 when purchased in bulk. So what does the extra $150 or $250 buy you? A $5 driver and a $30 housing?

Last year's Gemini Duo light-head-only is $93 ($115 for the new one) from action led. You can get a solarstorm x2 lighthead for around $20-$25. So you could get three or four of those for one real Duo.

Anyway, sorry about spamming the thread with my opinions, I don't know what got into me last night.
I agree with you in principle, but the disposable nature of some of these means you need to assign a cost to your time for the hassle of dealing with something that is a throw-away.
 
#215 ·
Thanks for reporting that! Was it complete switching off, or reducing output to the minimum? How soon after stopping it occured? Is there any warning (flickering, blinking or the like) prior to the thermal shutdown? And finally, how quickly it cools down enough to be operational again?
 
#218 ·
Of course you get better quality if you spend twice as much money. I'm not trying to argue that you shouldn't buy a real Gemini or Glowworm or whatever. I think they are all great, buy them all. Your money won't be wasted.

I'm saying that you don't have to in order to get a very bright light. That's what the Solarstorm X2, Duo clone and MJ880 clone have brought to the table. Lots of light for less than $40 (light head only). Look at the picture bhocewar posted, these things put out a ton of light. The days of having to buy $200 lights in order to go mountain biking are over.

Why shouldn't I compare these lights. At the end of the day all of these lights are just housings for two leds. If the cheap ones run the same amount of current through them as the expensive lights, they are going to put out roughly the same amount light (minus losses for optics). We know that's true because they use the same leds. If it doesn't break for a few months or a year, then what have you lost by buying them. If it does break then go buy the real stuff or try to repair it. By that time there will a newer and better emitter out anyway.

Am I the only guy on here who thinks this way?
 
#221 ·
We know that's true because they use the same leds.
I strongly suspect that the LEDs are not the same. Yes, they'll be a CREE XML or XML2 but I am pretty sure the cheapo lights are cutting a small corner on the bin.

Each batch of emitters yields only a portion that perform above average. The bulk of the batch are average or below. CREE charge a slightly higher price for the better performers than the average ones. The price difference between premium and average bins has been narrowing in the last couple years. In the early days of the XPG the premium bins were nearly $2 higher than average ones and in short supply. I very much believe that a clone builder would select a T3 bin over a T6 even if it saved just $.25 per LED. It is true that the output difference would small and possibly only noticeable in a side by side comparison. CREE do not mark bin codes on the LEDs so there is no visual way to know what bin you are getting.

Cheap lights are great so long as one knows it may or may not last, as long as they have at least 2 systems in use.
 
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