Are Expensive Bike Lights a Rip Off?!

[AndyBike]

but bang for bucks magic shine is the best your going to get for the most lm output but none of them really state that as my light is rated 8000lm but it is more like 5000lm.

That seems to be the choice on the mirror "Are expensive lights a rip off" that coincidentally appeared on the Emtb forum at the same time this was posted. One thread two forums.
So I think I'll be following that advice and maybe try a magicshine, but just the basic low lm model rather than the hi powered one. Its for road use and as Guerney said, dont want to dazzle drivers, besides the 6000/8000 are just too expensive.

 

[guerney]

That seems to be the choice on the mirror "Are expensive lights a rip off" that coincidentally appeared on the Emtb forum at the same time this was posted. One thread two forums.
So I think I'll be following that advice and maybe try a magicshine, but just the basic low lm model rather than the hi powered one. Its for road use and as Guerney said, dont want to dazzle drivers, besides the 6000/8000 are just too expensive.

I'm not adding yet another damned thing to remember to charge on my bike! Else I'd try a Magicshine (and if it's battery life was better)... To work I carry two laptops, a tablet, DSLR, mobile 4G router, bluetooth keyboard, camera flash, three phones, bluetooth earpiece, action camera+spare battery, a mobile printer, two nicotine vape pens (particularly annoying when those run out of charge!), GPS tracker light, rear blinker, USB powerbank, three LED light photography light panels, three torches, bluetooth mouse, JBL Go speaker, VAMP bluetooth amplifier+speakers (for Clannad, Nirvana and Hendrix) etc. With a multitude of cheapo lights wired to my bike battery, I could simply replace any which cr*p out, for about a tenner a time, instead of whatever burning hoops you have to jump through with Magicshine, after the warranty has expired, to get one of those fixed. And I can point my lights in any direction, creating a large (but hopefully not dazzling) spread to be noticed by drivers, or easily focus them all on the ground for tricky dark roads, showing up potholes and hedgehogs in sharp relief.

 

[Andy-Mat]

Or why not just get get a proper headlight & wire it to the main battery?

Its much cheaper & gives a better light

You have never experienced being in a dark forest, when the battery gets shut down. I have. Once was MORE than enough! It was way before I had two main batteries as well.....
So since then I have always had two front lights, both on their own rechargeable AA Cells, of high quality and capacity.
Since then I have never been without lights at night and I aim them to give me a very wide carpet of light!!!! Fantastic,
Anyone relying on the main battery for light, should also carry a front light with AA cells or similar, alkaline batteries if you easily forget to recharge.
Andy

 

[guerney]

Anyone relying on the main battery for light, should also carry a front light with AA cells or similar, alkaline batteries if you easily forget to recharge.

...and that's why I also carry three torches - they stay on their handlebar mounts, in case my main battery is depleted. I use one pointed back at myself, rapidly flashing from the handlebar, to make my hi-viz self look more alarming on the road. Pedestrians do tend to look and say things like "WTF is that?!!?". Mind you... that could also be a reaction to the Clannad, Hendrix or Nirvana that I play loudly through three speakers in my pannier bags (when there's room), while riding.