light in motion

good day
l'm new here (so be nice )

im an itinerant sort
living off the grid often
and find headlamps to be crucial to my quality of life

my everyday pocket headlamp is a petzl tactika+
( for size simplicty and durability reasons)

my fancier headlamps are both made by light in motion
l quite like them
and dont find any mentions on this site
wondering why that is
what yall think....

( l have a hook up at light in motion, so l will probably continue to use them -- but l'm curious)

for the record l have a solite 250ex ( which l find perfect for my bike touring reality)
and a stella 2000 enduro ( which l use for serious night mtn biking -- but dont cary around with me)

perhaps yall like to be able to choose/change your cells?
but if so why?

thanks
goat

First off, welcome to CPF! :welcome:

Second, I believe it's Light AND Motion (not IN motion).

Third, I'm sure they make great bike lights. However, in the world of general-use headlamps they are absurdly overpriced.

The Seca 2000 Sport, for example, costs a half grand! For your half grand investment you get some 2.6Ah cells and a 2000 lumen maximum output which is locked into a (albeit very nice) spotlight configuration.

Consider the El Speleo Rescue 2200: it costs hundreds less, uses newer 3.4Ah cells in its pack, can be set to use different beam angles, is slightly brighter overall, and is as waterproof and tough as they come.

Consider the Acebeam H10: it's just a bright, comparatively tiny, costs a small fraction of the Seca, and can also use 3.4+Ah cells which you can swap in the field for other $10 cells instead of the $150 a Seca battery pack costs.

Consider combining any two (or three or four!) 1000 lumen general-use lights together: still cheaper than the Seca. (Several of my friends mount multiple Zebralights next to each other on their helmets, such as an H600 and an H602 for flood+spot.)

L&M's products are specialist lamps with specialty pricing. If you're looking into specialty cycling lamps by themselves you'll find tons of folks with pricey Lupines, NiteRiders, Lezynes, etc., but here on the CPF they tend to seem unrealistic when compared to the wide and rapidly growing field of general-use lamps. General-use headlamps are less dependent on the cycling press marketing progression, and as a result new models come out practically every week incorporating new technological advancements and receive little to no press marketing. The Seca uses six CREE diodes to make its 2000 lumens, but there are singular CREE diodes out these days that make 2000 lumens by themselves. If the aforementioned Acebeam H10 (producing 2000 lumens from one diode and allowing the use of the newest batteries) were to be marketed to cyclists, by the time it made it into cycling gear review magazines and started to gain market share within that hobby group a dozen superior headlamps would have come out. Here at CPF (which is full of obsessed crazies like myself) we tend to follow the cutting edge of diode and battery tech; by the time a specialist headlamp becomes known within its specialist audience it is usually technologically outdated, and due to the marketing expenses and features which the general non-cyclist public won't use, it's likely to seem quite overpriced to anyone who isn't a hardcore cyclist who exclusively follows the cycling press.

I'd be interested in others' opinions on the matter, as I'm only a casual cyclist (using my headlamps mostly for caving, as closeup work-lights, and for general bipedal outdoor activities) and my general-purpose lamps combined with zip-ties serve me well enough on the road. Do L&M lights have anything to offer that I've missed, or any features that justify the price for a hardcore cyclist?

your right light & motion it is

and what you say makes sense
( about keeping up with technology -- marketing etc)

do like some of those cycling specific features
( dont know if they are common /implemented on other non cycling specific lights)
specifically "race mode" which toggles beteen the brightest and dimmest setting with one button press
and quality mounts to reduce vibration and such like
reflector/lense shapes designed for mtn biking
l get the L&M products more or less for free, so l'm quite happy with the price point , but they do seem expensive...

also interested in others thoughts

goat