What's a good e bike headlight?

There are many acronyms or whatever you want to call it for these Cree lights.

Q5
XML2 T6
XML T6
XML2
U2
XML U2

So many variants who knows which is which without personal experience or going on faith with someone elses word.

There has been no definative answers, it seems its a hit or miss purchase. Do you go cheap and hope for the best, maybe mid-range $10 will be better odds, or a $20+ item.
What do we look for, Lumens? Projection Pattern? Bulb?

I found an alright source of light, requires modification because its a hand-held flashlight, 3 modes (high, low and strobe) with the sliding focus. Man is it bright, I just rambled on about it in my own thread under General Chit-Chat, Duracell $15CDN was the title. I've been on the hunt for more Lumens, Duracell sells one that is 1800 Lumens, same style as my 1300 model. Yeah I know more Lumens isnt better, but going from el-cheapo bicycle lights to anything half decent that will give you plenty of light and not blind on-coming pedestrains or cyclists then its a go. Vehicles can deal with my light!
 
The 18w Cree Headlight I'm using now is much better than the meteor moon 200. After a night shift in the pitch black, sodden rain, low mist the 18w cree gives much more visability, which makes the whole riding in the rain and cold much more bearable. It's physiological but it also makes you feel warmer too :). I'd say the central 'Bright Spot' is 4 times larger and a much clearer white than the Moon. Meteor Moon 200 is £25, The 18w Cree is around £12 for x1 unit or £19 for x2 units :D.
 
markz said:
There are many acronyms or whatever you want to call it for these Cree lights.

Q5
XML2 T6
XML T6
XML2
U2
XML U2

So many variants who knows which is which without personal experience or going on faith with someone elses word.

There has been no definative answers, it seems its a hit or miss purchase. Do you go cheap and hope for the best, maybe mid-range $10 will be better odds, or a $20+ item.
What do we look for, Lumens? Projection Pattern? Bulb?

I found an alright source of light, requires modification because its a hand-held flashlight, 3 modes (high, low and strobe) with the sliding focus. Man is it bright, I just rambled on about it in my own thread under General Chit-Chat, Duracell $15CDN was the title. I've been on the hunt for more Lumens, Duracell sells one that is 1800 Lumens, same style as my 1300 model. Yeah I know more Lumens isnt better, but going from el-cheapo bicycle lights to anything half decent that will give you plenty of light and not blind on-coming pedestrains or cyclists then its a go. Vehicles can deal with my light!



a quick internet search gives info on the differences in a wiki article.
 
a quick internet search gives info on the differences in a wiki article.

Thanks for the link, and I did search and have searched before with never having any luck once so ever in finding any info.

This is a definate bookmark in the browser and the forum!

Is there a general consensus on which Cree is the best bulb?
 
Usage Report:

I have been riding with this headlight:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E91EG1K

and this beam spreader:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WLCLQY

for about a year.

The light comes with a 4400 mAh battery and is VERY bright, but the beam is quite narrow. For the kind of riding I do -- 40 minutes each morning on dark rural paved roads -- I found the beam to be too narrow. The beam spreader fits in the lens holder of the bike and goes in quite easily -- I do not remember if it replaced or just sat on top of the original clear lens.

With the beam spreader, the beam is pretty wide and the light still reaches out well enough to support riding 16-20 mph on dark rural paved roads with lots of potholes and small animals.

I have probably ~220 recharges on the small battery pack and have seen no deterioration in capacity, but I am only using it for 40 minutes at a time in the brightest mode. The light works well although a large bump will sometimes cause the light to angle down slightly requiring correction with one hand while riding. It is also bright enough that I have had cars ask for it to be dimmed -- I just angled it down slightly to pass them. I have used it in low-power mode and it is still acceptable although quite a bit dimmer. In the flashing see-me mode it lasts for several hours and is PERFECT for dawn when strong back lighting and deep shadows make e-bikes difficult to see.

I was happily surprised by the battery performance and also note that the battery is just 4 18650 batteries (2s2p) and could easily be replaced if the battery fails.

Anyway, a year in and it is still going strong.
 
markz said:
a quick internet search gives info on the differences in a wiki article.

Thanks for the link, and I did search and have searched before with never having any luck once so ever in finding any info.

This is a definate bookmark in the browser and the forum!

Is there a general consensus on which Cree is the best bulb?

Some people frown upon people asking basic type questions but searches depend on variables such as search term and search engine used- and even one word can make a difference in the results. Even then you need to spot the potentially good results out of all those presented. I think it's sometimes worth asking for good links despite any admonishment- as long as the number of requests don't start to get out of hand- you can save hours and not miss the info you need (as well as passing on the good site to other forum readers).
 
alsmith - Thanks!

Maybe there is a way to build your own light. If you can buy the individual Cree bulbs, then you'd need the reflector and housing. Perhaps some circuitry is needed too. I'd be really interested in doing that. I see some of the automotive lights now that is really popular, the bars that are like a license plate or 2 long (North American license plates) that are selling for $200. Even the cheap 4 LED ones are $50 to $75. The offroad ones that cross the entire windshield, $400+. Those probably suck up the juice.
 
It's one of those subjects that gets under your skin or not. It's under mine, I keep looking-t's like I want 100% daylight. I 'upgraded' from a T6 to a U5 when they came out (and were a reasonable price) but found it worse despite the 'better' specs. There's a lot in the reflectors, not just the led.
 
I'm sure you can spend hundreds but honestly the one I got is good quality and under $20 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-U3-CREE-LED-Driving-Fog-Head-Lamp-Spot-Work-Light-12V-80V-/201238582029?hash=item2edac1130d:g:HC4AAOSwq7JT40J1&vxp=mtr

*Source: U3 lamp beads

*Power: light intensity 20W / LM

*Voltage :12-80 (V)

*Current: 2.5 (A)

*Flux: 1600

Just a basic driver but it wires right into my pack and seriously it's one solid beam of light. I don't ride one handed but think I can set up my little camera tripod in my handlebar case and take some video next time I'm riding at night, which isn't often. BTW, that red rear one I got is really bright as well.

Would be interested in reading the more tech savvy members information. I know you can drive these things pretty high. How does mine's intensity measure in comparison? I know I'm happy with it, last light I had was a 90's Cateye. I don't know much about this new led revolution, I've switched my aquarium lights over, but I'm blown away by how bright the cree light is for the amount of power used.










markz said:
a quick internet search gives info on the differences in a wiki article.

Thanks for the link, and I did search and have searched before with never having any luck once so ever in finding any info.

This is a definate bookmark in the browser and the forum!

Is there a general consensus on which Cree is the best bulb?
 
Modify this, 7000 Lumen Caving style flashlight
http://www.ebay.com/itm/7000Lm-4x-CREE-XML-T6-LED-Front-Bicycle-Bike-Head-Lamp-HeadLight-Sports-Light-/191780764139?hash=item2ca70639eb:g:JIMAAOSwHaBWlICk

10,000 Lumens
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10000lm-7x-Cree-XM-L-T6-MTB-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-Head-Light-Headlamp-Headlight-/201213820201?hash=item2ed9473d29:g:6gQAAOSw0vBUgBIV

I still like this one, I keep running into it everytime I go searching
http://www.ebay.com/itm/7500LM-3x-CREE-XML-T6-LED-Headlight-Cycling-Bike-Bicycle-HeadLamp-Head-Light-/221991755270?hash=item33afbd5e06:g:bpgAAOSwZd1VZGDg

All from this seller here on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/sch/carmotors2013/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=


This is searched under "LED Light" same seller
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ssn=carmotors2013&_armrs=1&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.XLED+Light.TRS0&_nkw=LED+Light&_sacat=0


Best to buy a few cheap ones then ones gotta be good for riding.
 
From the picture the beam seems very much more focused than the lights I've had.
T6
$_12.JPG


U2


This 4 x U2 led light was stolen off the bike but the beam wasn't very good.
49d5d31d-d4a9-4f17-a8c4-7ecb3ca6908d.JPG
 
Well there has got to be a cheap ebike light in the $20 - $30 range, that can compete with the $75 - $150 ebike lights.
I see $100 ebike lights with only 1000 to 1500 Lumens. So its definately not the bulb, but I'd guess its the reflector.
Can that be surpassed by a 10,000 Lumen light?
I'd wonder about the amp draw on even 5,000 Lumen lights.
 
If someone knows how to convert this

*Source: U3 lamp beads

*Power: light intensity 20W / LM

*Voltage :12-80 (V)

*Current: 2.5 (A)

*Flux: 1600

Into the usable brightness that'd be useful. I went with this one because it can be run straight from my battery pack so no extra charging, plus for how bright it is I can afford 2.5 amps. Gotta get out at night here soon and show some video. Maybe some others can do the same so we can see what kind of light these crees are putting out.
 
markz said:
Well there has got to be a cheap ebike light in the $20 - $30 range, that can compete with the $75 - $150 ebike lights.
I see $100 ebike lights with only 1000 to 1500 Lumens. So its definately not the bulb, but I'd guess its the reflector.
Can that be surpassed by a 10,000 Lumen light?
I'd wonder about the amp draw on even 5,000 Lumen lights.
it's not that easy. it's not just the reflector. most if it is MARKETING and WARRANTY costs. if you ever had a the pleasure of holding a lupine light in your hand you'd have been surprised by the TOP notch quality, and how nice the touch of it is. it can't be compard to those cheap chinese lamps.
the technically most important thing is the LED DRIVER. cheap lamps = chunk drivers. those lupine lights (and i use lupine as synonym for high quality lamp) have self regulating drivers. they adjust the led's current based on temperature and soc of the battery. so once the light get too hot (and they will as they are small) the regulate max amps down. and this brings us to the next thing: temperature. there are massive difference between heat paths and how the light gets rid of heat. quite some engineering. and last but not least they use genuine leds (eg from cree).
you now can look up the max light output of a special led. eg. a xml-t6 led will give 1000lm at 3A more or less. so if you had a light with 5 leds you could expect 5000lm IF all leds were driven by full 3A. each led sees 3V 3A more or less. so around 10w. so a 5x xml-t6 light would consume 50W. even if they are very efficient they produce a lot of heat with very little surface to get rid of it.
but please note that the xml-t6 is "rated" 320lm at 700mA.
take this light: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/SecurityIng-7-x-CREE-XM-L-T6-LED-Super-Bright-3200Lm-Bicycle-Flashlight/1756201327.html. i bought it. they claim different lumen, current through all similar pages. this page DOES NOT. they claim 7000lm which is by far too much. it would mean ALL 7 leds would be driven FULL 3A. which is not true. i tested this and it was 8v and 1.5A input. so 12w only. this leaves 12/7= 1,7W per led. which is 0.5A per lead @3V. 500mA at 3V gives 300lm with a genuine led. 300x7=2100lm. not more. do some driver modding and you can make this work for up to 20W input. this is 1A/led and give you about 3000lm. this is really bright.
did that answer your question?
 
markz said:
Well there has got to be a cheap ebike light in the $20 - $30 range, that can compete with the $75 - $150 ebike lights.
I see $100 ebike lights with only 1000 to 1500 Lumens. So its definately not the bulb, but I'd guess its the reflector.
Can that be surpassed by a 10,000 Lumen light?
I'd wonder about the amp draw on even 5,000 Lumen lights.

China lumen are phantasy numbers. They will happily sell you a "100,000 lumen" bike light if you ask for one. Numbers are very easy to fake, see Chinese 10,000mAh 18650 cells

datasheet lumen of the LED is not the same as lumen out of the front glass of the hot lamp

If you want to ride in traffic a good reflector is much, much, much(!) more important than the amount of datasheet LED lumen.

After a certain amount more lumen can be worse than less, because you lose eye adaption and will see less(!) outside the brightest spot of the beam.

Chinese flashlights are a PAIN in traffic and will blind people. This can cause deadly accidents.

---

This is an example from the other spectrum:

http://supernova-lights.com/en/m99-pro

This light is (currently) only sold to OEM (the lower model M99 Pure : http://www.supernova-store.com/supernova-m99-pure.html?___store=supernova_en has a MSRP of 300 Euro!),

The M99 Pro consumes up to 32W and "only" emits 1600 lumen. But those are real lumen and they hit the road, not the sky or other peoples eyes.

If you want to ride in trafic buy a real headlight with a good reflector, if you ride offroad buy what you like.

I do not support cheaters selling phantasy products like 10,000 lumen lights or 10,000mAh 18650 cells, no matter how cheap they are.
 
-30 degree beam
-easy to add hood
-substantial mounting bracket

the only thing one might find 'bad' about these lights is their weight or perhaps their low cost (two for $30) being compatible with my LED power system (4S 6P) or my trike batteries obviously I procured 2. There was nothing wrong with the previous headlights fashioned from flashlights other than the internal batteries only provided full brightness for about 40 minutes and me, being lazy, found it more expedient to NOT modify the flashlights because they're still like, flashlights and one can never have enough flashlights.
whew :pancake:
 
ddk - we have the same taste :).
 

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I use a Rigid D2 Hyperspot as a "high beam" on my e-bike. I doubt you will find any lights it's size with a longer throw ;) Top notch quality, but not inexpensive. I power it with an isolated DC-DC (do not use a non-isolated one). It's mounted on the fork.

For "low beams" I use two 1000 lumen Cycle Lumenators from ebikes.ca.
 

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I built my headlights out of two of these CREE XML T6 cheapies. I gutted the electronics and the XML leds and replaced them with direct driven 5000K MT-G2 CREE LEDs running at 7.5 volts. Total lumens is about 7000; basically its a solid wall of light 160 degrees across, 30 yards long. You don't need any high beams with this. It has a better beam pattern and color (basically it has no hotspots) than my car HIDs. They get fairly warm when stationary but I added some extra heatsink mass inside. Once you are at speed the lights remain fairy cool.

At some point I also had a direct driven @7.5 volt XHP-70 LED pumping in excess of ~4000 lumens as high beam, but since I rarely used it I ended up just taking it out. The two MT-G2s are more than enough. I have these pointed down somewhat so it doesn't blind the snot out of oncoming traffic.

I also run another modified CREE XML T6 headlight with yet another MT-G2 as my tail light; this one uses the regular driver so is about 1600 lumens bright, hard to miss me from behind, the MT-G2 tail light is probably visible from orbit.

Overview of my eBike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_weSmz_h3Ig

G.
 
izeman said:
@ddk: got a link?
in-line version
http://www.amazon.com/Nilight-Spot-Work-Light-Driving/dp/B00DR67P9I/ref=pd_sim_263_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=510vYFJKSLL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1WX7A443109VBEMQEYH3

and
Being an idiot I just noticed I could have got 4 lamps for the same price as 2... or the offer came up after I bought :shock: )
http://www.amazon.com/TMS-AVEC-18w-260lm-Off-road/dp/B00FQ0ROZS/ref=pd_sim_263_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=51RiZvZecBL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1YH7GMPX26CV87T93EPZ
 
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