I'm looking for a bicycle headlight. I don't know if I should stick to a bike shop available brand or go with one of the online retailers and get something cheaper. I filled out the 'flashlight' questionnaire. Any recommendation of brand / retailer is appreciated.
Here it goes:
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]For all questions please select all that apply.
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____Less than $150.
3) Format: [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Best Iwant a flashlight.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Good I want a portable spotlight.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I want a bicycle headlight in either of these form factors
4) Flashlight-specific format/size:
____I don't know.
5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
6) Manufacturer:
____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
7) What battery type do you want to use?
__Good__I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.)
__Better__I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery. (Note: these choices may be very limited unless you are looking at spotlights)
8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
__Good__I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
__Better__I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens).
9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.
____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
____150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)
I need one with a lot of throw so I can see where I'm going on a bike at 15 mph, but some spill so I can see the pothole in front of me.
10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
_Fine___I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
__Fine__Other, please specify_Something made for bicycles is fine, if it as a remote switch or something.
13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
14)Material/Finish/Coating
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).
[/FONT]
Here it goes:
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]For all questions please select all that apply.
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.
2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!
____Less than $150.
3) Format: [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Best Iwant a flashlight.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Good I want a portable spotlight.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I want a bicycle headlight in either of these form factors
4) Flashlight-specific format/size:
____I don't know.
5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
6) Manufacturer:
____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
7) What battery type do you want to use?
__Good__I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.)
__Better__I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery. (Note: these choices may be very limited unless you are looking at spotlights)
8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).
__Good__I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
__Better__I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens).
9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.
____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
____150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)
I need one with a lot of throw so I can see where I'm going on a bike at 15 mph, but some spill so I can see the pothole in front of me.
10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):
_Fine___I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today's high end lights).
__Fine__Other, please specify_Something made for bicycles is fine, if it as a remote switch or something.
13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
14)Material/Finish/Coating
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today's flashlights).
[/FONT]
