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

72hundred

Ah that's a bit annoying. But even at an extra €20 its still good value.

Home:Ballyhoura

OK, I was thinking that it would be around that alright! I'm not too worried about paying it, as I actually took it into consideration when buying it that I might have to pay extra but it is still exceptional value. I was in such a good mood after coming in from a 4hr training spin in the lovely weather that I didn't care about it at all. Thanks for the calculations! I hope you don't get caught too.

@DirkVoodoo: Good one, made me laugh alright. Thanks for that!

P.S. The letter the revenue sent me had the address slightly wrong on it first of all (obvious that means the address on the package was wrong), but it also says that the contents was a phone! I had heard DX put random contents and values on the packages, usually torch / flashlight, but who would think that you could possibly get a phone for under €22 ?

72hundred

@Home:Ballyhoura:

What does it say when you check the An Post tracking website?

I just checked mine there and it says it doesn't recognise the bar code - so presumably its not in the country. God only know where it is at this stage TBH.

AstraMonti

Dealextreme is keep changing the date of the shipping for my light! Two weeks ago it was saying that the package has been shipped and now it says that it's going to be shipped tomorrow. And the support is for nothing, they don't reply at all.

Lumen

AstraMonti wrote: »

Dealextreme is keep changing the date of the shipping for my light! Two weeks ago it was saying that the package has been shipped and now it says that it's going to be shipped tomorrow. And the support is for nothing, they don't reply at all.

This is normal. You have to approach DX with the attitude "I'll give them some money and the thing will turn up at some point".

It's cheap for a reason.

72hundred

Lumen wrote: »

This is normal. You have to approach DX with the attitude "I'll give them some money and the thing will turn up at some point".

It's cheap for a reason.

Probably in the middle of the summer when the need for a light is next too zero!

ednwireland

did i tell you i got mine


oh yes i did didnt i...........

Lumen

72hundred wrote: »

Probably in the middle of the summer when the need for a light is next too zero!

I have great memories from this summer of heading out late on a warm(ish) evening, cycling through sunset, and coming back in complete darkness around midnight.

In the winter it may be dark more of the time, but it's also freezing cold, wet and/or frosty.

Home:Ballyhoura

72hundred wrote: »

@Home:Ballyhoura:

What does it say when you check the An Post tracking website?

I just checked mine there and it says it doesn't recognise the bar code - so presumably its not in the country. God only know where it is at this stage TBH.

I was just tracking it until now on Hong Kong post but just put it into An Post and this is what I got:


Also, I got an email back from the revenue about the customs thingy. It read as follows, I'm happy enough! It still ridiculously cheap €74.87

Thank you for your email/fax/letter. Customs Charges of €18.19 are due on your package (€56.68 X 21.5% VAT plus €6 An Post handling fee). Your expected day of delivery is Wednesday, 16th December.The charges can be paid to the postman on delivery by cash or cheque/postal order made payable to "An Post".

So that is a month from time of ordering to date of delivery (Ordered on the 14th November).

72hundred

Lumen wrote: »

I have great memories from this summer of heading out late on a warm(ish) evening, cycling through sunset, and coming back in complete darkness around midnight.

In the winter it may be dark more of the time, but it's also freezing cold, wet and/or frosty.

Haha, I knew as soon as I posted my last reply that someone would point out it also gets dark in the summer!


EDIT:
@Home:Ballyhoura - thanks for that. It would seem so mine hasn't arrived in the country yet.

shergar22

Went out tonight for my first try-out with my Magicshine on a quick ride. Four miles of unlit dark country road, and another six on main road with hard shoulder. All I can say is that I've no complaints, and that's something, coming from a glass half empty type of person.
The firs car I met on the country road didn't know what was coming towards him. He came around the bend, saw me, dipped his headlights and came to a full stop. I passed him with a friendly wave. Same thing with the other car I met on the country road.
When I got onto the main road, it was similar with cars dipping their headlights as they came up to me. On the main road I pushed the light slightly more down towards the road compared to the country road. Easier than dimming the light and then having to cycle back up to the full beam. The ring allowed me to do that and there was no slippage when I lifted it back up on my return journey. Possibly in the future the ring may relax and slippage may occur but a bit of inner tube inside the light mount shuold do the trick there.
Light spread was excellent, really allowing you to push the speed up with confidence. It threw enough light that you weren't concentrating intensely on the road, wondering if a shadow is a bump or a hole. Everything was lit up fully, so I was able to relax on my ride, and glance around at traffic coming up behind me etc.
Very happy with lack of vibration or shudder on the light. It was rock solid. There is a piece of rubber under the light that has the desired effect, and as said above the option of putting additional rubber under mount will probably sort any possible future problems.
So in a nutshell, great light, great throw of light which both lights up everything and makes you well seen. I hope to throw up some pics tomorrow to give you an idea, but full double thumbs up.
Ballyhoura: bad luck with the customs.

Blowfish

Similarly, my TK11 came today so couldn't resist heading out for a test run tonight. Kept it short enough (Stepaside->Glencullen->Pine Forest->Stocking Lane) but it turned out to be one hell of a night to test it as there is pretty much blanket fog/cloud above about 300m. The fact that I was able to pick my way through fog when it's pitch black without too much issues makes me like it already.

72hundred

shergar22 wrote: »

Went out tonight for my first try-out with my Magicshine on a quick ride. Four miles of unlit dark country road, and another six on main road with hard shoulder. All I can say is that I've no complaints, and that's something, coming from a glass half empty type of person.
The firs car I met on the country road didn't know what was coming towards him. He came around the bend, saw me, dipped his headlights and came to a full stop. I passed him with a friendly wave. Same thing with the other car I met on the country road.
When I got onto the main road, it was similar with cars dipping their headlights as they came up to me. On the main road I pushed the light slightly more down towards the road compared to the country road. Easier than dimming the light and then having to cycle back up to the full beam. The ring allowed me to do that and there was no slippage when I lifted it back up on my return journey. Possibly in the future the ring may relax and slippage may occur but a bit of inner tube inside the light mount shuold do the trick there.
Light spread was excellent, really allowing you to push the speed up with confidence. It threw enough light that you weren't concentrating intensely on the road, wondering if a shadow is a bump or a hole. Everything was lit up fully, so I was able to relax on my ride, and glance around at traffic coming up behind me etc.
Very happy with lack of vibration or shudder on the light. It was rock solid. There is a piece of rubber under the light that has the desired effect, and as said above the option of putting additional rubber under mount will probably sort any possible future problems.
So in a nutshell, great light, great throw of light which both lights up everything and makes you well seen. I hope to throw up some pics tomorrow to give you an idea, but full double thumbs up.
Ballyhoura: bad luck with the customs.

Thanks for the quick review - really wish now the postage system would hurry the hell up! Looking forward to mine already.

logistic

I see that a few people have purchased the deal extreme P7

Anyone have any issues with the charger they received. Mines dead and never worked. Seems a few people have received dead chargers from the comments on dealextreme.
I’ve raised a request with their customer service but it seems it might be waiting awhile for a response. Id prefer to replace the charger myself rather than send the whole unit back.

Has anyone had to replace the charger or recommend somewhere to purchase a compatible charger?

tomc

Blowfish wrote: »

Similarly, my TK11 came today so couldn't resist heading out for a test run tonight. Kept it short enough (Stepaside->Glencullen->Pine Forest->Stocking Lane) but it turned out to be one hell of a night to test it as there is pretty much blanket fog/cloud above about 300m. The fact that I was able to pick my way through fog when it's pitch black without too much issues makes me like it already.

Similarly I was out last night 'truffle hunting' in the fog with Logistic on 3 Rock, I had the TK11 and as he said above he had the DX P7, I would recommend the DX for off road as it has a wider field of vision and I think the TK11 is better for faster road spins as has a narrower focus for greater distance.

......just my 2 cents worth......

Home:Ballyhoura

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!

ednwireland

mine came fully charged the little button goes red when it needs charging (if its green its charged - i think)

72hundred

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!

I'd say its charged too. If you get a chance maybe post a few pic's (at night) so we can see its effect in all its glory!

Home:Ballyhoura

Also, there seems to be something wrong with the battery pouch. It has a loop that has a button clip on the end to secure it to itself but there is no excess strap there to wrap it around anything at all. Not to mind loop it around a handlebar, stem or top tube!

I will try and take a photo of it in action if I can, but not fully sure what settings to use on the camera to make it accurate looking. I don't want it to auto adjust the exposure anyway thats for sure. I'll fiddle around and see what I can come up with. I also have a helmet video camera but you will have to wait a while before I can get a video of it.

I won't be going anywhere unless I can figure out a way to attach the battery to the bike! Will post pics if necessary, it's definitely a different pouch to any of those I have seen in pictures on the internet. Any help?


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!

72hundred

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Also, there seems to be something wrong with the battery pouch. It has a loop that has a button clip on the end to secure it to itself but there is no excess strap there to wrap it around anything at all. Not to mind loop it around a handlebar, stem or top tube!

I will try and take a photo of it in action if I can, but not fully sure what settings to use on the camera to make it accurate looking. I don't want it to auto adjust the exposure anyway thats for sure. I'll fiddle around and see what I can come up with. I also have a helmet video camera but you will have to wait a while before I can get a video of it.

I won't be going anywhere unless I can figure out a way to attach the battery to the bike! Will post pics if necessary, it's definitely a different pouch to any of those I have seen in pictures on the internet. Any help?

I'd say pic's will help, I'm not entirely sure what the problem is with the dimensions.

Home:Ballyhoura

72hundred wrote: »

I'd say pic's will help, I'm not entirely sure what the problem is with the dimensions.

Updated post there with pictures attached! Cheers

72hundred

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Updated post there with pictures attached! Cheers

Huh, that is strange. Looks to me like its more of a belt clip than a mounting system for a bike at all.

EDIT: What I'd do / will be doing I'd say; would be to put two cable ties around the stem giving it a "belt" to attach to then let the battery pack hang below it. That would keep it removable and secure when riding I'd say.

Home:Ballyhoura

Very good idea, I just disassembled a TwoFish lockblock and joined the two velcro loop straps together and attached it under the stem. It looks OK and seems secure enough. I like your thinking alright, it is exactly like a belt loop. However I have found an alternative use for it to secure any excess cables and make for a tidy looking setup! Thanks, let me know when you get yours! Cheers

72hundred

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

Very good idea, I just disassembled a TwoFish lockblock and joined the two velcro loop straps together and attached it under the stem. It looks OK and seems secure enough. I like your thinking alright, it is exactly like a belt loop. However I have found an alternative use for it to secure any excess cables and make for a tidy looking setup! Thanks, let me know when you get yours! Cheers

Yea looks good, enough tension on the velcro should keep everything in place.

Next thing is to make sure the battery pack is actually waterproof... does it look ready to stand up to the Irish weather?

Home:Ballyhoura

72hundred wrote: »

Next thing is to make sure the battery pack is actually waterproof... does it look ready to stand up to the Irish weather?

Not really, it just looks like tape or black shrink wrap around batteries wired together in a pack (probably with a micro circuit board soldered on top to stop overuse/charge). Where the wire enters the pack will probably be the problem if any, but we'll have to wait and see. I wouldn't fancy night riding in the pissin rain anyway so I will pick and choose my days carefully to avoid this happening

72hundred

Home:Ballyhoura wrote: »

I wouldn't fancy night riding in the pissin rain anyway so I will pick and choose my days carefully to avoid this happening

Sometimes though its unavoidable - esp if commuting. I think the battery will have to have its water proofing reinforced when I get mine. Maybe something simple like a heavy plastic bag/s with cable ties & gel plug where the cable comes in. Hate for it to start rusting / failing after waiting so long to get it!

Home:Ballyhoura

Listen, I just took a couple of quick snaps messing about with the camera. Don't worry, I know they are crap but they are just for now until I get some help off a camera expert I know and I will do a proper review and comparison with the Fenix TK11 R2...I will report back later on with first impressions after the spin! Can't wait

I think both of these were shot on the high mode, its hard to get an accurate reflection of what it actually looks like in real life but I would estimate it is somewhere in between the two! (Yellow flower garden decoration is about 10m away)

blorg

Looks good, would be interested in comparison with the TK11 as that is what I have also.

Greenman

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.

Home:Ballyhoura

Did an hour with it earlier, its fantastic. A great all round vision beam that inspires confidence. Medium is fine but I like to spoil myself with the high mode as I knew I wasn't going for around 3 hours. I actually did bring the Fenix on the helmet which I could have got away without but it was nice for the more focused beam to point into the distance/around corners or at possible holes.

I felt more confident and my average speeds were up on last time. I had a few people really slowing down for me ("what the heck is that coming towards me"), most people dipped their lights in good time, still some that don't and I actually got flashed by one car! I was on completely unlit county backroads whole time and my lighting setup seems to be really complete. I'm very happy with both lights, now its time to take them off road!