Which Bike Light to remain safe on unlit road? SL 950 or Magicshine 816E?

[Nicolmighty]

Hello guys,

I'm really sorry if I create a new post which already exists but I don't speak German... Nevertheless you seem to have a great knowledge about Bike Lights, and my life is a stake so I prefer to ask you in English.

I want to ride at night on (Luxembourgish, so not Germany, so any kind of bike light is legal) public road with/without lights, and I was wondering whether I should buy a:
- Trelock LS 950
- Magicshine MJ816E
- Magicshine MJ880

or any other light within this price range : +-100-150euros...

I would go for the Magicshine MJ816E but I'm afraid it's too bright for cars facing me. And the battery seems to be annoying... but I believe that it's needed and that's why I think the Trelock isn't enough.

And in the case of Magicshine, which battery is the best and where is it the most interesting to buy it on Internet.

Many many thanks in advance ,
Best Regards,
Nicolas

 

[yellow_ö]

hehehe,
again I m the quickest to anwer (cuz I'm the one NOT recommending all this crap).

What do You really want?

A light that is
* more than bright enough, but at the same time
* small,
* (relatively) long runtime,
* rugged,
* easy to mount and dismount?
--> I do not really see a single point asking for one of the "real" bike lights here.
--> and pls also forget things like the trelock immediatley

Do You use an (actual technology) handheld flashlight?
There is no reason at all not to use such one with a holder mounted to the bars.
* In the moment the best setup is 1*18650 protected Li-Ion cell light
(here the charging equipment is also the cheapest - another bonus)
* if - for whatever reason ever (GPS? Photocamera?) - You need AA cells, then a comparable light in the 2*AA size class.
for 99,9 % of ppl that setup is the ideal one - in reality, if they were honest to themselves

With Your budget You dont have to stick with the entry level parts I usually recommend beginners,
You could also get a real "18650 host" of perfect quality + a handmade "P60 light insert" (+ cells + charger) and still be below the numbers You offer.

Imho the best advise


... now discussion is open for all those ppl, who should ride at the day - as they seem not to like to even have a slight feeling of night, given the output power they need


.
.
.

 

[Nicolmighty]

- I ride in the complete dark on plain and like to see a bit around me and not just bright in one spot of the road...

- I need it to give me max 2hours battery life and even less cuz on the 2hours I have +-1hour on "lighted" roads.

- The smaller the better especially if I want to mount triathlon extension.

... and easy to use (mount/charge/dim). And I'm not good at crafting lights =D So I want to buy a proved-efficient bike light. And from what I read so far, the MJ880 is a nice one...

PS: You lost me in some details

 

[yellow_ö]

still any 18650 light would be best

where do You plan to mount light head, cable and cell pack of the big, bulky light?



18650 with normal single-die power gives You the ~ 2.5 hours on full power with one cell,
with an additional cell to change - more than enough and still small.

Not being "trained" it would is hard to notice the much wider beam of the big lights, the beam itself is nearly the same brightness.
And the wider beam of the monsterlights - on a roadbike setup?
it will not reach far enough

PS: typical makes of handelds were: Fenix, Jetbeam, Solarforce, Thrunite, ...
best with an XP-G led
(the "brighter" XM-L makes a wider beam, but does not reach as far)
((to be honest, as they are smaller and less bright, they naturally also will not reach far enough. Thats the negative point to size and runtime. Its on You, of course))

PPS: when You set the Magicshine up correctly - as ANY light should be set up! - the traffic should not be too distracted.
Have the UPPER part of the main beam point slightly down, say 40-50 m in front of the bike, depending on Your speed - and only the spill will hit the others.
Now You could set it to a lower level, or put the beam even shorter in front of the bike.
But face it: the cars send You the spill of 2 * 55 Watts, so whatever ...

 

[Nicolmighty]

On the handlebar...

So you agree that the MJ880 with 6*18650 would be suitable?

Thanks

 

[yellow_ö]

no, as I already typed, a good 1*18650 light is more than enough.
But thats because my compromise is small but bright enough

Imho You have no gain at all with the monster light, but its You who decides


I also wonder where the ppl needing these lights are, to give their advise
You (as well as me) surely would be interested in their thinking/knowing of the reach of the MJ on a speedy roadbike



If You dont have an actual led flashlight yet, probably think of getting one, just for the sake of it.
Maybe You are surprised and it will fit You, even for the bike ...
f.e.: cheapo flashlight (from that shop also get 18650 "protected" Li-Ion cells, charger, Adapter for our wall plugs - all undersection "electronics" - and a bar holder)