Romisen RC-C3 II good for a bike?

[rickdog81]

Romisen RC-C3 II

is this a good light to run on my bicycle? I don't know much about the differences between flashlights. I am just looking for a good light compact light that I can mount on my bike for a city commutte through LA. This light seems short and compact. I am not sure if it has enpough light output (lumens?) for city riding. Basically similar light to a car headlight would be great.

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-66/**NEW**-Romisen-RC-dsh-C3-II/Detail

I assume that by going compact, less batteries equals less brite and less run time? Will one of the slightly larger AA sized lithiums give me a better result?
any other suggestions?

 

[Ten]

Might not be your taste but I don't like cr123 sized lights on my bike due to shorter run time although they are nice and compact.

I tend to run 2AA lights due to having loads and often carrying a lot of lsd nimh aa spares since most my other gear I ride with take aa too. Ideally though I prefer single 18650 cell lights on a bike, if you don't need a multi use cell like I do may be worth looking at since 2aa is too big really so I'd only recommended if you have some other reasons. They have all the benefits of rechargable li cells over nimh etc but are smaller than 2aa with a lot more power and runtime is probably as good as you'll get for compact package short of using external battery pack hooked up horizontally across the bars like some do.

Failing that for a little bit of a smaller size then 14500 size is not too far behind at same size as single aa but delivering more power and runtime than a single aa light could match. Single 123 are not worth the low runtime for me and I'd rather use 1 x 18650 than 2 x 123. I'd say if you really need the compact size of single 123 then it might be better to think of mounting lights that run off an external pack that's wired up either across the bar etc.

Might not be the best advice or your cup of tea but hope you find it helpful.

edit. as for similar to a car headlight the light you posted isn't going to touch it or even come close. For that kind of brightness you'd need a real beast like a multicore LED that's gonna be big due to power supply (ie. multi cell) and heatsink issues. For city riding then 2 18650 size lights should be fine. I have single aa romisen rc29 set to flood and pointed directly in front of my to give me dim but useful spill for dark paths etc and 2 x 2aa ones on the bars pointed further forward and they are more than sufficient for city at night although not exactly the kind of set up you'd want for downhill offroad but that's something I don't need.

 

[Redjam]

I like the cr123 for commuting purposes (or rather, rcr123), since a couple of hours of run time is more than enough for most bike commutes round trip. And if that's not long enough, keep a charger at work. Carrying a spare battery just in case you need it is also extremely easy due to the tiny size. Does the Romisen RC-C3 last a couple hours? How's the beam and regulation? I've been using one of the Lighthound 3W V3 lights forever--three years? I think I got my $$$ worth from it. Maybe it's time for me to pony up and try the Romisen. Although that's a little hard to justify since I have a P1D-CE waiting for the 3W V3 to stop working.

 

[kwarwick]

I have to agree with Ten, go with a 18650 based light if you want something bright that will still last a couple of hours. The Romisen, while a great little flashlight for pocket carry, just doesn't have the run time for bike use. Current rechargable CR123 (RCR123, 16340) batteries just don't have the power density. 500mah is about max for RCR123. You'd be lucky to get 30 minutes of run time out of that Romisen at full power. 18650 batteries on the other hand can give you 2000-2800mah, so 2+ hours of run time is pretty common with a single die LED light. P7 or MC-E LED based lights will be significantly less at around 1 hour, but still whack of light for that hour. :thumbsup:

 

[rickdog81]

I am trying to get a bright light in a small package for my commuter roadbike. I am not too concerned about total runtime since I don't mind carrying extra batteries in my bag and stopping to change them every now and then. I plan to mount the light underneath my stem with a twofish lockblock. My stem has a negative 5 degree rise so strapping the light under the stem will point it downward and keep it out of my way. The 1 x 18650 lights are a bit long.

Are there lights that are short lengthwise but wider. Something similar to this with a cradle that can hold several lithium batteries. Three AAA in a cradle like this would be a good size but do they even make AAA sized lithiums? That is why I brought up the romisen but it appears to not have a decent brightness level. What is a good brightness level for city commuting?