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Some long term observations on these cree style models I bought about 18 months ago:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UltraFire-WF- ... 4171e0efff
Having to commute in temperatures of around 0c to -7c, these lights showed up their weaknesses. The cold killed of the circuit operation so the torch became pretty useless. Once switched on and out on the handlebars, as the cold penetrated the torch would be comes stuck in whichever mode you happened to have it on. The glass lens is very fragile and I found mine rattled. Also as I went over potholes and bumps the damn thing would change 'modes'. I found that the part that combines the reflector and LED had come slightly loose so the glass was free to move around and rattle.
A bit of blu-tac secured it but an 'O' ring would sort this out but it wouldnt prevent the cold issue.
Battery life was unaffected, 15 miles a night and they were charged once a week.
I have trawled through ebay and have found the later models have better sealing and a more robust finish which should address some of the above issues.
I also used two of them in late summer and they were amazing. 'Medium' was more than enough to light a dark country B road with oncoming cars dipping from a fare distance. The fixed beam is well spread.
Been running these for a number of years since I started this thread and they have stood up very well: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Top-Quality-C ... 20cec33520
Standard AAA alkaline batteries last a few weeks with 1 to 2 hours use every day. The beam was just enough to see and be seen. To be seen was the most important requirement for me on a busy well lit A road.
I also have one of these on stand-by but found the battery holder useless on my road bike and will modify it sometime to suit. Finish is of very high standard when compare to the above, just let down by the rather naff nylon battery case. Chopper's idea of securing it in an innertube seems a good idea. I was able to compare these to a 2011 Exposure 6 pack, obviously not as good but for around a tenth of the money, I leave that up to you!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-XM-L ... 1e76f135f3
The whole reason I started this thread was due to the seemingly daft prices of some products and being a tight wad, I wanted to show that there were usable alternatives.
Some long term observations on these cree style models I bought about 18 months ago:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UltraFire-WF- ... 4171e0efff
Having to commute in temperatures of around 0c to -7c, these lights showed up their weaknesses. The cold killed of the circuit operation so the torch became pretty useless. Once switched on and out on the handlebars, as the cold penetrated the torch would be comes stuck in whichever mode you happened to have it on. The glass lens is very fragile and I found mine rattled. Also as I went over potholes and bumps the damn thing would change 'modes'. I found that the part that combines the reflector and LED had come slightly loose so the glass was free to move around and rattle.
A bit of blu-tac secured it but an 'O' ring would sort this out but it wouldnt prevent the cold issue.
Battery life was unaffected, 15 miles a night and they were charged once a week.
I have trawled through ebay and have found the later models have better sealing and a more robust finish which should address some of the above issues.
I also used two of them in late summer and they were amazing. 'Medium' was more than enough to light a dark country B road with oncoming cars dipping from a fare distance. The fixed beam is well spread.
Been running these for a number of years since I started this thread and they have stood up very well: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Top-Quality-C ... 20cec33520
Standard AAA alkaline batteries last a few weeks with 1 to 2 hours use every day. The beam was just enough to see and be seen. To be seen was the most important requirement for me on a busy well lit A road.
I also have one of these on stand-by but found the battery holder useless on my road bike and will modify it sometime to suit. Finish is of very high standard when compare to the above, just let down by the rather naff nylon battery case. Chopper's idea of securing it in an innertube seems a good idea. I was able to compare these to a 2011 Exposure 6 pack, obviously not as good but for around a tenth of the money, I leave that up to you!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-XM-L ... 1e76f135f3
The whole reason I started this thread was due to the seemingly daft prices of some products and being a tight wad, I wanted to show that there were usable alternatives.
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