I was going to post in the other thread but didn’t want to hijack. As the days get shorter and I renew my commitment to ride to work everyday, I am looking at what worked last winter and what didn’t. I therefore need a new headlight as that didn’t work to my satisfaction. I however am on a budget, so most of the lights in the other thread don’t fit the bill. Below are my qualifications.
Under or right in the neighborhood of $100RechargeableGood down to negative tempsWATERPROOF! (I killed a couple of cheap lights in the rain, also had decent ones develop shorts)Run time of at least two hours.I would appreciate a smart or quicj charging light but not a deal breaker.I am currently looking at this: http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?sku=21102
I would up the budget just a tad in order to get a better return. For about $150CDN you can get a Nite Hawk Digital K2 Emitter which will give you a super bright light that will withstand ny temperature and conditions you will ride in. It’s got a compact battery with a big runtime (5+ hrs), and a spot that is bright enough that cars will be flashing you to turn down the high beams. It also has multi-stage lighting levels that are easy to adjust on the fly.
It’s one of the best lights that I’ve seen in that price rance, and brighter than a lot of $300+ units. It’s also made to withstand Canadian winters, so it will more than suffice for whatever you’ll be riding in. It’s worth paying a little more, since it’s all about seeing and being seen, right?
Along the same lines, if you have one of those lights with an external battery pack, do you leave it on your bike all day? Or do you take it off when you get to work?
If you only run one light, a helmet mount is really the most effective (and safest) way to go. You control where the light is, so you can see either up the road or directly in front of you at will. A bar-mounted flood would have to be awfully good ($400+) to make me want to ride without a helmet light.