Kai Domain Cree bike light?

[TomBrown]

There were rumors someone at Kai Domain was working on a Cree powered bike light at a reasonable cost. The last I heard, it was to be released by the end of June.

Has anyone heard anything?

It would be amazing if someone would release either a bike light, a kit to convert a flashlight into a bike light, or even just a good quality flashlight handlebar mount.

I'm pretty much ready to go with the Cutter kit as by all accounts it looks to be very, very good. It's real money, though.

 

[Ziemas]

It looks horrible, and is expensive for what it is at $115. Check it out at the Market Place.


http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=181179

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=176719&page=4

 

[Calina]

The bashing is a bit premature since nobody tested the light yet. Personally I don't think it looks that bad . That being said, I am disappointed by the price which is about twice as high as what I expected.

 

[Jarl]

KD also decided that since we ride a bike, we'll shell out ridiculous amounts for a light. Why has no-one made decent, affordable bike lights???

 

[rideatnight]

No one has made a decent affordable bike light because $115 is a decent, affordable bike light. Batteries alone will cost $50-60. So if you want at least 200 lumens (10 watt halogen, 1000ma CREE/SCC), it's going to cost around $100 to build.

Of course, if you don't want to spend that much, don't get a decent light. Get a cheap little 5mm led light and just use that.

 

[Jarl]

Lead acid, single mode, wires everywhere, 300 lumens, $115 and I'm not allowed to call it overpriced? Fair enough. I'll call it under-specced then :tinfoil:


p.s: My bike light setup comes to 950 emitter lumens. Hardly 5mm territory. Though I do carry an E01 should all else fail:candle:

 

[Ziemas]

No one has made a decent affordable bike light because $115 is a decent, affordable bike light. Batteries alone will cost $50-60. So if you want at least 200 lumens (10 watt halogen, 1000ma CREE/SCC), it's going to cost around $100 to build.

Of course, if you don't want to spend that much, don't get a decent light. Get a cheap little 5mm led light and just use that.

Decent is the key word. The Kai light has wires all over the place like an octopus exploded on a bike, and of all things a lead acid battery that takes up a bottle cage! I couldn't imagine commuting or going out for a night on the town with a beast of a light like that; hooking and unhooking all those wires and carrying around a brick of a battery with me. With current technology this light is simply a massive step back.

Two Fenix LD2 lights are a far more elegant solution, and provide enough light.

 

[AndyTiedye]

Taking up THE bottle cage is right out!
I only have one, and there is no place to install another.
It sucks being short sometimes.

 

[TONY M]

With current technology this light is simply a massive step back.

Two Fenix LD2 lights are a far more elligant solution, and provide enough light.

+1 Without ever seeing the light in person I think a conclusion can be drawn that more reasonable offers can be found elsewhere (no offense to KD).

An L2D of similar is soooooo much better than much of the overpriced junk that is still being sold in bikeshops. SLA batteries really have no use these days for bikelights IMHO, I stopped using them ages ago.

 

[heatstroke]

What is the cheapest you can expect. Something like the cutters 650 mA constant current kit costs 45, Add 60 for a housing, 25 for electrical bits, and 30 for li-ion batts with pcb and 20 for a reasonable charger .

Total is ballpark 180.... that is about the cheapest professional looking diy you can do based on the cutters kit and Li-ion batteries.

 

[missionaryman]

I think the cheapest and best bike light at the moment would have to be a 1C SSC P7 mag from britelumens with a paul components mount, around $200, around 1000L and if you fit a driver you can have hi/lo and longer run time.

Just my 2C