Best AA flashlight solution for daylight-visible red flashing bike light?

I've been looking for a daylight-visible flashing LED for a while for my recumbent. After trying lots of lights with multiple little LEDs, I got a Planet Bike Superflash, which has a 1/2W luxeon. It's brighter than all the ones with multiple little LEDs, but I really want something with a 3W flashing red cree or something else at over 100 lumens. There are a lot of white LED options out there far more powerful than a 1/2W luxeon.

The only one I've found is the amazing Dinotte which comes in 140 or 280 lumens, but it's expensive and runs on 4AAs or a dedicated separate lithium pack, which is far bigger than I'd like.

Cree R2s, Rebels, Seoul P4s flashlights abound, but the flashing red lights available seem to have stagnated. I don't want to put a red filter on, as LEDs lose a lot of output with a filter.


Does anyone know of a little AA light, preferably 1AA, with a flashing red Cree, Luxeon or whatever that would fit the bill?
I'm picturing a red Fenix or similar that would be seriously visible in daylight.

Re: Best flashing LED for bike riding?

You added this post on to a 6-year-old thread, so I've detached it to make its own new thread.

In normal circumstances it is a very good idea to find an existing thread and post there, but that thread was old in terms of technology, so a new one is now merited.

Depending on how it goes, it may need to be moved later to the Bicycle sub-forum.

Re: Best flashing LED for bike riding?

The Dinotte is the only high power (>1w) red LED I am aware of.

You could make your own by taking apart a PT EOS and putting a red LED in there.

Zebralight has said they will do an H501 with red LED. It remains to be seen if the flashing mode will be any good for cycling.

Re: Best flashing LED for bike riding?

Did you try the Cateye TL-LD1100? I use it and also have the TL-LD1000.

They don't have high power LEDs, but they are very visible in bright sunlight. They use optics molded into the housing and also have two LEDs aiming to the sides. The two rows of lights can be set independently to constant on or flashing.

The problem with something like a small AA flashlight is the output would be a small spot. To get the maximum effect, a viewer would have to be exactly on axis.

You could probably do a nice mod on the Superflash with board that has a strobe function and a Cree P4.

Re: Best flashing LED for bike riding?

The Superflash only delivers 1/2 watt, so it won't be much better with a Cree. Also supposed to be hard to mod. Sorry, the Cateyes aren't anywhere near as strong as what I'm looking for either.

The Eos mod has some merit. I've upgraded them before. Anybody have a specific red star to suggest?

I don't mind a small but very powerful spot, as it could be diffused a bit. It would be used along with a multi-direction flasher anyway.

lewong said:

Did you try the Cateye TL-LD1100? I use it and also have the TL-LD1000.

They don't have high power LEDs, but they are very visible in bright sunlight. They use optics molded into the housing and also have two LEDs aiming to the sides. The two rows of lights can be set independently to constant on or flashing.

The problem with something like a small AA flashlight is the output would be a small spot. To get the maximum effect, a viewer would have to be exactly on axis.

You could probably do a nice mod on the Superflash with board that has a strobe function and a Cree P4.

Click to expand...

Re: Best flashing LED for bike riding?

DM51 said:

You added this post on to a 6-year-old thread, so I've detached it to make its own new thread.

In normal circumstances it is a very good idea to find an existing thread and post there, but that thread was old in terms of technology, so a new one is now merited.

Depending on how it goes, it may need to be moved later to the Bicycle sub-forum.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I didn't realize this thread was so ancient.

I have no problem seeing it moved to the Bicycle sub-forum, but I was hoping to find a flashlight solution that could work for a bike, rather than a specific bike light.

If I was making a new thread I'd have titled it "Best AA flashlight solution for daylight-visible red flashing bike light?"

Re: Best flashing LED for bike riding?

Offroad'Bent said:

...I really want something with a 3W flashing red cree or something else at over 100 lumens.
...
I'm picturing a red Fenix or similar that would be seriously visible in daylight.

Click to expand...

You really don't want something *too* bright, or else you'll be annoying drivers behind you.

Just for reference, VWTim spotted my SuperFlash once from 3-4 blocks away one sunny morning, in between morning traffic.

cave dave said:

You could make your own by taking apart a PT EOS and putting a red LED in there.

Click to expand...

That is a great idea. For bike use, however, I wish the Eos flash rate was twice as what it currently is (0.5Hz, IIRC?).

lewong said:

Did you try the Cateye TL-LD1100? I use it and also have the TL-LD1000.
...
You could probably do a nice mod on the Superflash with board that has a strobe function and a Cree P4.

Click to expand...

Offroad'Bent said:

The Superflash only delivers 1/2 watt, so it won't be much better with a Cree. Also supposed to be hard to mod. Sorry, the Cateyes aren't anywhere near as strong as what I'm looking for either.

The Eos mod has some merit. I've upgraded them before. Anybody have a specific red star to suggest?

I don't mind a small but very powerful spot, as it could be diffused a bit. It would be used along with a multi-direction flasher anyway.

Click to expand...

Yup, the Cateye is not brighter than the SuperFlash.

The SF "dome" is welded in place. You pretty much have to destroy it to access the electronics.

Any red Lux would do.

How about a wide-angle optic on the Eos?

Offroad'Bent said:

I have no problem seeing it moved to the Bicycle sub-forum, but I was hoping to find a flashlight solution that could work for a bike, rather than a specific bike light.

Click to expand...

That's what I thought, so I've left it here in LED FLashlights. You can let me know if you'd like it moved to the Bike section later, but the topic may have moved on by then and a new thread there might be more appropriate.

If I was making a new thread I'd have titled it "Best AA flashlight solution for daylight-visible red flashing bike light?"

Click to expand...

I've changed it to that for you.

Size isn't a concern to me if I'm riding a hpv. Then again that's just me.

I think lightmania has some nice bright red leds if you wanna mod/build one.

why not a Glow-Toob in red? The new one uses widely available 123A's but you can use rechargeable ones as well, and maintain its functions, so long as you use the LiFePO4 ones, which can keep going for a full night if need be--they are unprotected but if you change them nightly you are OK. It does not cost that much to get a charger for the LiFePO4's plus a couple of batteries to go with it, and you are set for several years worth of use.

If you are scared away from Lithium batteries either because of cost or because you heard that they are dangerous, the LiFePO4's are supposed to use a safer chemistry than the Li-Ions and the cost with rechargeables is minimal.

They have 11 functions some of which are strobes. So you have an excellent chance of finding what you need.

Plus they are waterproof...

flashy bazook said:

...why not a Glow-Toob in red?...

Click to expand...

While the Glo-toob has the advantage of 360deg visibility the three 5mm LED's in them just aren't that bright.

cave dave said:

While the Glo-toob has the advantage of 360deg visibility the three 5mm LED's in them just aren't that bright.

Click to expand...

I have a feeling that on a strong strobe setting the red Glo-toob would be quite visible.

You are right though that this should be tested. I'll try to get one and check it out.

flashy bazook said:

I have a feeling that on a strong strobe setting the red Glo-toob would be quite visible.

You are right though that this should be tested. I'll try to get one and check it out.

Click to expand...

The Toob doesn't come even close to the SuperFlash strobe setting.
The Toob's advantage is the 360º visibility, of course.