Favorte generic light?

[kristiancyclist]

That's a hard calculation to make. If you get a good 'no-name' then it can replace some big-name lights for some tasks...maybe many tasks, and then your 20%-cost-for-80%-value is correct.

That said, the real issue to my mind is RISK...will you get a good one? I've bought many no-names (read cheap, 'Made in China') that were dead out of the box.
These were usually local brick-and-mortar store buys, and for the ones who I got all the way home with before discovering their demise, sometimes a little fiddling with the contacts solved the problem. Sometimes not...these became "parts" for cannibalizing to do other mods.
Now I NEVER buy a no-name online, and NEVER leave the parking lot without trying it 1st.
If it's dead in the parking lot, it goes right back into the store...short walk.

I'd never spring for a high $$ no-name, especially online, from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, etc...the customer-service, return, warantee hassle isn't worth it.

Even with semi-name products, if your $$ is valuable to you, then do a lot of online research 1st, read reviews, etc before you decide to spring...

Also, realize that there are a lot of "collectors". There are lots of folks who insist on that multi mode, whizz-bang, titanium, 15 minute runtime, bright as a super-nova, $300 big-name flashlight...when a $25 River Rock from Target
might light-the-sidewalk just as well...but doesn't have the Gee-Whiz factor.

It looks like I learned this lesson yesterday. One day after being impressed with generics, I am now very skeptical. The Harbor Freight light I mentioned in my opening message to this thread has rattled itself to failure. Pretty amazing. Granted, I was using it as a bike light which it probably wasn't designed for. The batteries rattled a little bit inside the tube when I started riding to work. By the time I got to work, the rattle was so bad that it sounded like the tube was full of glass.

On the ride back from work, when it's dark, I noticed the light flickering. By the time I got home, the light was dead.

So it is a huge game of hit-and-maybe-miss. The light from LED Wholesalers is working like a champ.

Learning the lessons of life through the school of hard knocks. Thankfully, this one only cost me $20 and not $200.

-- Boris

 

[Jarl]

Learning the lessons of life through the school of hard knocks. Thankfully, this one only cost me $20 and not $200.

-- Boris

On the other hand, if you spent $200 it might still be working.

Of course, it's impossible to say. However, I tend to stay away from generic lights, though there are some exceptions; some cheap P7's give absolutely phenomenal VFM, some don't. Some high $$$ lights are fantastic, some aren't :shrug:

 

[kramer5150]

It looks like I learned this lesson yesterday. One day after being impressed with generics, I am now very skeptical. The Harbor Freight light I mentioned in my opening message to this thread has rattled itself to failure. Pretty amazing. Granted, I was using it as a bike light which it probably wasn't designed for. The batteries rattled a little bit inside the tube when I started riding to work. By the time I got to work, the rattle was so bad that it sounded like the tube was full of glass.

On the ride back from work, when it's dark, I noticed the light flickering. By the time I got home, the light was dead.

So it is a huge game of hit-and-maybe-miss. The light from LED Wholesalers is working like a champ.

Learning the lessons of life through the school of hard knocks. Thankfully, this one only cost me $20 and not $200.

-- Boris

IMHO you dont need to spend $200 to get a light that can be used as a bike light. Surf the transportation lighting/bike sub forum. Lots of really good suggestions there.

 

[tebore]

The Fauxton.

 

[jag-engr]

My first EDC light was an UltraFire AAA with a 1W Luxeon bulb.

It has a "HAII" finish, which is about equivalent to paint, I doubt it's regulated, and Luxeon emitters were already out-dated when I bought it, but the light is still going strong.

It puts out about 20-30 lumens, which is plenty bright for EDC. I won the lottery on this Luxeon - it is probably the best tinted Luxeon I have ever handled.