Best light for commute

My first post here!

I commute along dark country roads full of potholes and get blinded by oncoming traffic with my cateye el530. So I am wondering what your comments might be about the two lights below or what alternatives I should consider.

Reliability is important as is the ability to ship to UK

First on is the MG PLI Cree MC-E 700 from Shining Beam
Second is Deal Extremes TrustFire SSC P7 C-BIN

The Trustfire looks awesome but not sure about quality (needs to be able to stand up to wind, rain etc). It is a lot less than the PLI tho.

Also I will need some means to attach it to my handlebars (not helmet)

What do you recommend?

clearbluesky said:

My first post here!

I commute along dark country roads full of potholes and get blinded by oncoming traffic with my cateye el530. So I am wondering what your comments might be about the two lights below or what alternatives I should consider.

Reliability is important as is the ability to ship to UK

First on is the MG PLI Cree MC-E 700 from Shining Beam
Second is Deal Extremes TrustFire SSC P7 C-BIN

The Trustfire looks awesome but not sure about quality (needs to be able to stand up to wind, rain etc). It is a lot less than the PLI tho.

Also I will need some means to attach it to my handlebars (not helmet)

What do you recommend?

Click to expand...

:welcome:

Wow, those are some bright torches you selected! I cannot comment on these specific torches but seeing they are both good flooders, they tend to blind anyone you shine the light upon which may not always be a good/safe thing but they do light up the road though!

If I do use my mc-e torch (400-100-40 lumens 18650-26) when cycling, I always angle the light down when I see oncoming traffic but this puts the hotspot a bit too close for comfort. The glare in total darkness is just too much (I wear specs). There's a good reason why there are special bike lights out there since these do not tend to blind the oncoming traffic (as much nor yourself). I find much more comfort in a combination of torches, i.e. the mc-e turned off but mounted and a little thrower (always on) with a selectable brightness. If I see oncoming traffic, I flash a few times with the MC-e and hope they will see me.

Mounting is easy: TwoFish LockBlocks.
Incan/Warmer/High CRI (tints) are better for depth perception when out of town/city/village. In town the cooler tints stand out better though.

And of course the ** Flashlight Recommendation Checklist **
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/96884

Magic Shine makes a bicycling light that has an attachment system and separate batteries for cycling that may fit your bill. It sells for about $85 but the shipping will bring it to about $110 to the UK. It's gotten very good reviews on the few cycling forums that I visit regularly. It's so popular that it sells out fairly quickly and regularly. They get weekly shipments so just contact the seller and he should be able to accommodate you.

I currently commute with a NiteRider Minewt Mini-USB that puts out about 110 lumens (maybe a bit more as I had upgraded the LED). It's good enough for 80% of my commute but car headlights drown out my little light easily. Still, it's a nice little system for what it is but the Magic Shine one is the same cost with about 4-5 times the light (it's rated at 900 lumens but puts out more like 500).

The Cateye HL-EL530 is woefully inadequate for lighting anything but a pitch black road and even at that it does it just barely. You need something with at least 100 lumens with 200 lumens being about right. More than that and you run the risk of blinding oncoming drivers.

I have a Cateye Single Shot Plus on my bike (HL610), and it works very well. I got it for $120 compared to the $140 MSRP. I've had it for a year, and I still love it.

Yeah, there are more powerful lights out there, but I also commute a lot by bike and I wanted something free of external batteries, yet still rechargeable, and that was specifically designed for a bike. As nice as LED flashlights are, mounting them on the handlebars of your bike is a kludge... doing with some particular fancy mount made by Fenix or whoever is still a kludge, just a pricey one.

Also an LED flashlight, while it will have tremendous power, has the problem of being a tightly focused beam. 25 years of cycling experience has taught me that focused beams like that, no matter how powerful they are, don't provide as much usable light. By that I mean how much area the hotspot of the flashlight has, and most have a relatively small hotspot.

The light I have (HL610) makes plenty of light for any ordinary riding condition because its beam has a wide throw... there isn't a "hotspot" in the middle where the majority of the light goes and can't be changed. Like I said above, there are brighter lights you could use, but I think the SSP is a great light.

FYI, there is a specific forum for Bicycle lighting here at CPF:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86

Also, check out the lighting forums at MTBR.com:
http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=165
http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=124

I got the MG PLI about 2 months ago and could not be happier. On medium it puts out plenty of light for 3 hours. The Magic Shine appears to be an excellent performer with a longer run time, but then it should be with 4, 18650 bats instead of the 1 for the PLI. Either would be an excellent choice. The lighter weight of the PLI tipped it for be. I am still looking for a good mount for the PLI. Right now, I'm using a jury rigged Planet Bike Mount with Velcro and rubber band. :duh2: I need a quick release that does not break easily.

konut said:

I am still looking for a good mount for the PLI. Right now, I'm using a jury rigged Planet Bike Mount with Velcro and rubber band. :duh2: I need a quick release that does not break easily.

Click to expand...

Had you bought the MS light you would be enjoying it instead of trying to find a way to mount it.

I, too, thought about strapping a flashlight onto my bike but have decided that dedicated lights are far less hassle in the long run. I find that I always remove the lights when leaving the bike locked up to a pole or if I ride during the day and will be at my destination or home before sun down so ease of removal and installation are important to me. The NR Minewt Mini-USB and the MS use the same system: a shaped foot with a large rubber O-ring to hold it in place. It's simple to use and works great. I like the flexibility of mounting the separate battery pack where I can find room for it and I don't need to worry about accidentally bumping the back of the flashlight and having the light suddenly pointing at the sky or, worse, at me. If I do strap a flashlight to my bike it's going to be on the front fork, mounted low and out of the way.

But I AM enjoying it. I just want a better way to enjoy it. I remove the light when locked up, and would think that removing a light AND a battery pack would be less convenient. When off the bike, I have the use of a really good flashlight. Hey, each has their pros and cons, lets just leave it at that. There is no wrong answer here.