Light Recommendations (formerly Front Light For Dark Country) Road Commute

blorg

Greenman wrote: »

Dose anyone know anything about this baby? Its called the Magicshine 900 Lumen Bike Torch as per http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_41&products_id=155 it looks like something I could be interested in, don't really want to go down the battery pack route.

There are an infinite number of P7/MC-E torches on Dealextreme and they can be a good option but the issue can be the runtime on only one battery- 40 mins on that one which is pretty low.

shergar22

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Received my 5 mode Magicshine today, paid the €18.19 to the postman. I've ust put it on charge out of the box, how long do you reckon it should take to charge up full first time round? My light indicator on the charger is green now, since i plugged it in, so does it go red once it's done or just go off (as in not light up at all)? Once thing I did notice was it is surprisingly small, much smaller and neater than I was expecting! Can't wait till this evening, let hope it says relatively dry for me!

It's green when it's charged. Mine came fully charged too, it goes red when it needs to be recharged, but you're cautioned against letting the charge run down fully. I know what you mean about the size, I was kinda expecting a huge spotlight on my handlebars, but was willing to put up with it for the light it gave

shergar22

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

EDIT: Pictures now attached, nothing like the pouch this guy got. I'm just wondering when Customs opened it up did they let another strap fall out or something? As you can see there is not excess material on that stap to wrap around anything, it just barely manages to reach the button clip as it it. The only thing that would fit through it would be cables or another larger and longer strap/loop!

I got the type of pouch the other guy got, it's an all in one with just an extra-long cover that you wrap around the stem head. I'd suggest a few cable ties

ednwireland

some instructions on charging

http://home.comcast.net/~jharger1/MagicShine%20instructions.pdf

mine stayed green when i plugged it in but it seems that the connection from charger to light mmay be dodgy will try fiddling agin when i get home

The MagicShine MJ-808 LED Bike Headlight

To install:
• Choose a rubber ring according to the size of your handlebar.
• Pull the ring onto the hook at the front of the light near the wire exit.
• Place the light on your bar at a location were the light will shine straight ahead
• Stretch the ring around the bar and over the hook at the rear
• Choose a suitable location for the battery pack such as the handlebar stem, opposite side of the bars, or front
of the top frame tube.
• Unwind the cover of the pack far enough to reach around the chosen location and use the Velcro to secure. If
needed an additional strap can be used with the attached eyelets.
Charging:
• Plug the charger into a standard US 120V outlet. The light on the charger should glow green.
• Attach the cord to the battery.
• The light on the charger will change from green to red when plugged into a battery needing charge and back
to green when fully charged.
• A fully depleted pack will take about 4 hours to charge but you may leave it on longer as the battery is
protected from overcharging.
Operation:
• When first plugged in, the light will come on in high mode. Push the lighted button on the rear of the light to
cycle between high, medium, low, strobe, SOS and off.
• The switch will glow green through the first ¾ of the battery charge and then switch to red, at which time you
may wish to switch to low to extend your riding time. The end of the charge is abrupt.
Caution:
The high power SSC P7 LED used in this light generates heat. The light will be warm during normal
operation. The life of the LED is adversely effect by high temperatures. Air moving over the light as you ride is
important to keep the light cool. It is suggested that if you are to be still for an extended period of time that
you switch the light to medium or low.


EDIT

just got my battery charging (went out on the way home) but i noticed today the battery was flat but the charger had no poer going to it so no light on the charger, but i wiggled my travel adapter and the red light came on (so i guess its charging) so yesterday the charger light poweed from the battery !

Greenman

blorg wrote: »

There are an infinite number of P7/MC-E torches on Dealextreme and they can be a good option but the issue can be the runtime on only one battery- 40 mins on that one which is pretty low.

Can you recommend one, 40 mins is perfect, my commute is 25 mins each way and only one way is dark as I work 6AM -2PM or 2PM-10PM.:)

Thanks JD.

blorg

Greenman wrote: »

Can you recommend one, 40 mins is perfect, my commute is 25 mins each way and only one way is dark as I work 6AM -2PM or 2PM-10PM.:)

Thanks JD.

I don't have one but I know Gavin has a few which I have seen in action and they are very very bright indeed. There are pics somewhere but I can't find them. The likes of these:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.16501
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12623

Basically when shopping from DX buy something with a fair number of good reviews and you will likely be OK.

To a large extent though the amount of light these things put out is overkill for a commute and you can get into a situation where you are blinding drivers if you don't dip it when there is oncoming traffic.

Is your commute dark roads or lit?

If you are only going to have one light I think I would go for a TK-11, simply as it is 100% reliable... the other DX stuff (including the Magicshine) can be a bit more iffy and if you only have 1 you want it to work. I'm getting the Magicshine myself as a supplementary light, I'll have the Fenix on the helmet as a backup. Longer run-time on the Fenix too. The TK-11 (225/240 lumen) is bright enough that you have to dip it. Those other 700/900 lumen lights are I believe around the 500-600 mark in reality.

Greenman

blorg wrote: »

Is your commute dark roads or lit?

My commute is dark but not pitch black.

I like the Magicshine 900 Lumen Bike Torch because of the way its mounted, I cannot see any reviews.

I get €3's tax free to cycle to work so I'm always happy to splash the cash:):):)

blorg wrote: »

I
If you are only going to have one light I think I would go for a TK-11, simply as it is 100% reliable...

Yes thats of interest but how is it mounted? Not sure if I want to go down the velcro route. I really want to click it on and click it off.

All views welcome:)

blorg

Got my Magicshine this morning, looking forward to giving it a go later.

Regarding the Fenix attachment, the velcro lockblocks work very well and attach/detach from the bars in seconds, as fast as anything else out there. Advantage if you have multiple bikes is you only need one mount as you can take the whole mount off with the torch.

72hundred

My Magicshine arrived Friday. Won't have a chance to look at for a few days. No customs either so happy days.

Turbulent Bill

blorg wrote: »

Regarding the Fenix attachment, the velcro lockblocks work very well and attach/detach from the bars in seconds, as fast as anything else out there. Advantage if you have multiple bikes is you only need one mount as you can take the whole mount off with the torch.

A few weeks ago, in torrential rain, my Lockblock with a Fenix LD20 attached loosened on the bars. This caused the torch to swing around on the bars and face me rather than the road, creating a weird 'uplighter' kind of effect. Luckily the section of the road was fairly well lit, but being blinded by your own torch was a new one for me...

I read someone else (can't find the link) had a similar issue, caused by the velcro straps getting wet and slipping/loosening. The Lockblock overall is very good though, definitely the best torch mount out there.

coolbeans

I've just been reliably informed that I am to receive one of these for Christmas. Does anyone have any experience of these?

Gavin

Had the same issue with the lockblock in the wet, so I've zip tied it onto the bike. No more slippage.

Beasty

coolbeans wrote: »

I've just been reliably informed that I am to receive one of these for Christmas. Does anyone have any experience of these?

I used the 120 all last winter. It is 200 lumens, rather than the 300 lumens of the 300, but I found it a very good light, giving me plenty of illumination on the unlit roads of North County Dublin.

Home:Ballyhoura

blorg wrote: »

Got my Magicshine this morning, looking forward to giving it a go later.

Well what do you think of it so far? I presume you didn't get caught by customs like me did you? Also, did yours arrive with the unusual battery pouch like mine did?

blorg

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Well what do you think of it so far? I presume you didn't get caught by customs like me did you? Also, did yours arrive with the unusual battery pouch like mine did?

Fortunately I didn't get caught by customs. They declared the package as worth €4.05 and I got away with it. Everything from DX I have ever got has cost either 40 or 45 HKD (€3.60 or €4.05.)

I got the same battery pouch as you, I don't know what the idea is. I have mounted it under the stem using a zip-tie which is fine but a hassle for when I have to remove it. I think I will try a velcro strap off a lock-block.

Other than that it seems to work very well but with the ice I haven't been out in the proper dark with it yet, just my commute which is lit.

Home:Ballyhoura

blorg wrote: »

I think I will try a velcro strap off a lock-block.

I understand about the ice! :eek:

Anyway, thats exactly what I did with the velcro straps from the lock-block, it takes two joined together to get the right length! I could be fairly sure that what I get out of mine is as bright as the other 3-mode versions off DX but sure let me know whenever you happen to be alongside another one of them for comparison! Cheers

blorg

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Anyway, thats exactly what I did with the velcro straps from the lock-block, it takes two joined together to get the right length! I could be fairly sure that what I get out of mine is as bright as the other 3-mode versions off DX but sure let me know whenever you happen to be alongside another one of them for comparison! Cheers

I reckoned I'd manage with one strap just around the clippy bit, do you have it all the way around the battery? It is a LOT brighter than the TK11 that is for sure. For touring/audax etc. though I think I'd stick with the TK11- anywhere I would need long battery life. This thing is a bit of luxury. Very nice flood and three hours in high mode is pretty luxurious.

Home:Ballyhoura

True, and yes I put the velcro fully around the battery itself. It seems much more secure that way but I'm sure you would get away grand with the way you mentioned too.

Greenman

Took the plunge with Deal Extreme so fingers crossed and we'll see what turns up.

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5448

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.22577

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26249

$48 total outlay.:)

Greenman

Greenman wrote: »

Took the plunge with Deal Extreme so fingers crossed and we'll see what turns up.

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5448

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8274

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.22577

https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26249

$48 total outlay.:)

Just checked my tracking status it says ready so how long till its posted? is it like they wait till they have lots of stuff to post and then send it all at the same time.

Really curious to see how this light preforms:)

72hundred

Greenman wrote: »

Just checked my tracking status it says ready so how long till its posted? is it like they wait till they have lots of stuff to post and then send it all at the same time.

Really curious to see how this light preforms:)

I wouldn't get too excited, I ordered a magicshine on the 21st of Nov, and still waiting for it to even come onto the Irish post tracking system. Apparently (don't always trust DE nor HK Post) it left HK on the 17th of Dec.

blorg

@Greenman- be careful with those batteries, they are unprotected. Basically this means you have to be very careful not to overcharge them or I believe undercharge them. Overcharging in particular is a fire risk (basically the same thing as happens with an "exploding laptop.") These ones have a protection circuit built in that prevents overcharging. AFAIK the unprotected ones should only be used where the circuitry they are to be used with has seperate protection built in. That charger may well do (it says it turns off when done) but many prefer not to take the risk with stuff coming from DX. Keep an eye on them when charging anyway.

Greenman

blorg wrote: »

@Greenman- be careful with those batteries, they are unprotected. Basically this means you have to be very careful not to overcharge them or I believe undercharge them. Overcharging in particular is a fire risk (basically the same thing as happens with an "exploding laptop.") These ones have a protection circuit built in that prevents overcharging. AFAIK the unprotected ones should only be used where the circuitry they are to be used with has seperate protection built in. That charger may well do (it says it turns off when done) but many prefer not to take the risk with stuff coming from DX. Keep an eye on them when charging anyway.

Thank you for that, https://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.22577 is a charger that stops charging when charging is complete, what are your views on this charger.

Your comments are most welcome:)

Greenman

Further to my order I got this this morning.

Dear .......

Your order has been shipped from the fulfillment center. Delivery time is about 7 to 10 working days, as quoted by the post office (3 to 4 days for EMS Express). * Note that this delivery estimation is as provided by Hong Kong Post and like most post offices around the world delivery time for airmail packages is not guaranteed.

If this is a partial shipment, you will be able to track what is shipped and unshipped using the Invoice page from order tracking, after 24 hours of receiving this e-mail.

When the order delivers, please keep the original packaging of the entire order for one month. Should you need to request for return or replacement, customer care staffs may ask for a picture of the packaging.

72hundred

Finally got the Magicshine today. Currently charging. Might sets it up tonight with a few pic's with TK11 comparison. Has someone posted those types of shots already?

Home:Ballyhoura

72hundred wrote: »

Finally got the Magicshine today. Currently charging. Might sets it up tonight with a few pic's with TK11 comparison. Has someone posted those types of shots already?

No, I was supposed to but haven't got a chance to recently! Sure give it a shot yourself as I'm sure you know how to work camera's a little better than me! (P.S. Shouldn't take too long to charge as mine came full. Also is your TK11 the newer R2 edition?) Best of luck!

EDIT: I presume you didn't get caught for customs like me so? Also I received a couple of dirt cheap gadgets from DX yesterday and today too (one item was a Wii remote and nunchuck worth around €70 for only €13.50 for anyone intersted! Fantastic, exact same! Sorry, off topic I know )

Greenman

blorg wrote: »

@Greenman- be careful with those batteries, they are unprotected. Basically this means you have to be very careful not to overcharge them or I believe undercharge them. Overcharging in particular is a fire risk (basically the same thing as happens with an "exploding laptop.") These ones have a protection circuit built in that prevents overcharging. AFAIK the unprotected ones should only be used where the circuitry they are to be used with has seperate protection built in. That charger may well do (it says it turns off when done) but many prefer not to take the risk with stuff coming from DX. Keep an eye on them when charging anyway.

Hello blorg, because my order was split in 2 parts ie the flashlight,light holders and charger were sent but the batteries were still in READY status I changed the batteries to These ones ie the ones you talked about, so we'll see what happens.

Thanks again, I'll keep the thread updated.:)

AstraMonti

I just got my P7 5mode and it's really.. really.. bright. I mean annoylingly bright, i wouldn't recommended it for in-town use, you might blind a motorist and drive over you Also the strobe effect is equivalent of the ones you find in a night club, that annoying and strong, i don't know if it's even allowed on the street.

I am going out tomorrow night to try it in the "country side", btw, what's the conditions of mountains?

ednwireland

considering the mountain rescue needed tracked vehicles to get up the sally gap last night after someone got stuck in a 4x4 fairly bad i'd say (radio news this morning)

blorg

AstraMonti wrote: »

I am going out tomorrow night to try it in the "country side", btw, what's the conditions of mountains?

Don't go near the mountains, road signs buried and the roads indistinguishable from the side of the mountain from the signs of the photos. Lower roads like up Djouce-Ballinastoe look passable on a mountain bike but you are riding over snow. You have missed some pretty extreme weather around here and the snow generally stays frozen up the mountains for a number of weeks after if last year is anything to go by.

To be honest I wouldn't be out at night full stop at the moment other than necessary commute, you don't know what you might come across even if staying at lower altitudes. At the weekend during the day might be worth giving a go- on the mountain bike.