still like HID?

[alanmushnick]

Hi
I have a niterider first gen HID light. I think the bulb is blown, but I sent the whole unit back for an opinion.
I ordered a cygolite tridon. Rated 600 lumens. It doesn't seem as bright as the niterider. A friend has the cygolite 350. The 600 does seem brighter, but really hard to say if it is twice as bright.

I am really finding it difficult to figure out what to buy next if my niterider is declared dead. they have given me trade in prices in the past. I think this is my third niterider.
I do see more companies making high end bike lights. I own a dinotte rear flasher, the 140L one. It is a great item and I get a lot of feedback from drivers. They all notice it.
All these pictures and lumen ratings seem difficult to compare.
Are Dinotte lights brighter than Cygolites for the same rated lumens?
Does anything compare to the HID I own? Maybe I should just replace the bulb and keep using it. I do always feel like when the stuff breaks it is time to upgrade to the newer next generation stuff.
I ride a long wheelbase recumbent on the road. I go through some dark spots and like to see the road well and be seen. At age 54 there is increasing need for brighter lights in general, not just while early morning cycling.
I am not that interested in building my own. The deal extreme P7 I see talked about seems like it has too many issues, and it's hard to believe it is as good as the niterider/dinotte/cygolite stuff.
Any opinions?
thanks
Alan

 

[yellow]

very easy: 10 W HID lights seem as "bright" as single die led lights (but their main beam is wider, thats what "newbies" are tricked at),
so any quad-led kills such a HID.

The DX light now is working, give it a try. For the price, very good value.
When You want to be on the safe side --> Lupine Tesla



PS: in what way do You think the bulb is "dead"?
with HID, "dead" would mean it does no longer ignite, so there should be constant sparks, but no arc.
If there are not even sparks, the ballast is the problem.

(but I would not purchsase either!!!! Any of both parts costs tha same as the whole DX light. And whatever one You get, its output will be brighter and a better color, than the monochrome 10 W.
... 25-30 W HID on the other hand ... are a whole different story)


PPS: I still like to clamp my 6P XR-e P4 18650 light to the bars for MTB-trail riding, size/output/runtime perfect for my taste. If You can live with that less light than the HID, try some good handheld. Jetbeam Jet III Pro Ultra f.e. (for You, as it is more on the smaller beam side and You typed about road riding)

 

[alanmushnick]

Thanks, yellow. I don't even know how many watts my HID is. I thought that it has a 30 -40 watt equivalent output. It is an off the shelf stock storm or something.
The bulb filament looks bare on half and covered with glass on the other half which is why I suspect it is dead.
I'll check out lupine tesla and the dx light.
Do you like cygolites or dinotte or the newer niterider pro600 led?

 

[Zero_Enigma]

Alan,

How much are you looking to spend on the light? Just so we don't really give you too much of a sticker shock.

My only commercial product experience is with Dinotte 140L (awesome tailight hitting like 5blocks back on the signs as you know already ), Planet Bike 1/2W Blaze, MEC 1W Shark, and NiteHawk 1W (not digitally regulated model).

I however have made my own 300lm + ~700lm night lights. I'm not familiar with your Trition model's pricing but have seen it before on the web with others talking about it.

Companies to check out and think about, Dinotte (love this upgrade approach where other companies screw you by having you buy a new light), NiteRider, Lupine Betty, or custom built by a user on this board allows you to get better lighting (often cutting edge brightest or just a generation behind the newest LED) then what companies are locked in to when they bought their LED's for their production.

 

[yellow]

pretty sure the storm has a 10 W HID, the usual one (as its just Welch Allyn who produces the bulbs)

these are two of them, one with reflector (the one Your light uses), and one without, together with their ballast

"closeup" of how the arc gap part looks like:

when there are no sparks when starting, but a "clicking "sound from the light, there is shortcut in the ballast.
If sparks but not going on with ignition, possibly the arc part (=bulb) (or a really dead battery).
Anyway, any replacement will make up for the whole DX light, therefore ...


as to other led lights: I am a modder
be4 the DX light came out, I liked no ready made one, because their prices are a joke.
The DX - while not offering enough quality and workmanship to recommend it without doubts and grant for its quality (for the price, it is simply outstanding AND it works now, but still ...) - changed that and suddenly all the other makers prices start to decrease
... 1st small step started ...



PS: as the Betty has been mentionned: imho the only light to look at in Lupine's range is the Tesla, nothing else!
Just the Tesla head and build one's own battery pack from camcorder batts for the "starting modder", one of the whole Tesla lights for the "purchaser" ... and the DX light for the "beginner"

 

[todd_fuller]

Another option you might want to consider is upgrading your HID bulb/ballast to Welch Allyn's new NGX line. They claim 1000+ lumens. If you have all the guts of your niterider still, then it's easy to swap. The NGX ballast doesn't require external voltage regulation either and is nearly identical in size. Welch Allyn sells all this on their webstore (albeit with a $100 minimum order). A new ballast for your old HID is $11 from them and $30 for a new bulb. The NGX stuff is $46 for the bulb and $30 for the ballast, IIRC. The NGX light is also a bit warmer.

 

[ncaudio]

Alan,

If your HID light is dead or too expensive to repair, do look into the DX/Geoman light. I bought 2 of them, took one apart, removed a little piece of aluminum swarf stuck in it, put some extra heat sink compound between the inside housing and the case/outside housing and some heat sink compound under the screw in ring that holds the 2 housings together.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=232163&highlight=bicycle

For the money they are pretty hard to beat, 6 mo warranty from Geoman, 2 for like $168 with shipping. I haven't had them for a long time, but I look at lights like computers, there is something better/ brighter/lighter/cheaper down the road so I would not want to invest too much in a light. I have a collection of Dinotte's (5 watt, 200 lumen, yellow, taillight etc.) and they are great, but (as a headlight) the magishine kicks butt even without considering price and for the price they're a steal and if you;re mechanically inclined you can open it up, check it out and add a little heat sink compound and maybe some silicone on the inductor as a little extra insurance (mod we must).