Lights

[StreetCowboy]

I've had a terrible trouble with front lights, trying to find a reliable light that can survive a bit of rain (maybe quite a bit of rain).

 

The worst light I've tried was an expensive Geometric brand flashlamp shaped light; beautiful to look at, powerful enough to shoot down German bombers, but a night out in the stair rods and it became unreliable.  Also it was held onto the handlebar by a screw-on clip and then a spring clip to hold the lamp, that was not man enough to hold the heavy lamp going over the fiercer speed bumps.  It cost a fortune too, with a big rechargeable battery.

 

A modestly priuced Cateye front light proved equally disappointing, failing on its first rainy night out, if I recall correctly.

 

I tried Bontrager, and they're the best to date in terms of reliability; I've got two head lamps - a 35 lumen and a 105 lumen.  The 35 lumen has stopped working, while sitting on the shelf (I've not used it for a while now I have other lights, including the 105 lumen lamp, which I think survived going through the washing machine (maybe it was the 35 lumen - whichever it was, it worked fine after a bit of drying out afterwards).  Anyway, the 105 has been my emergency fallback light, but last time I needed it (see below) it let me down.  New batteries and it seemed OK.  But a month or so in my backpack, and it's dead as a Sunday morning in Rose Street.

 

My current lights of choice are a pair of Moon lights that I bought back in the Old Country.  But the headlight is a bit untrustworthy since spending an evening in the rain outside the OK Restoran - that's why I had to switch to the Bontrager 105. 

 

So I don't have a lot of faith in my headlights.  The Moon light seems to work OK immediately after it is charged, but doesn't seem to deliver the duration that it used to, and if it has been lying idle for a week or so it can't be trusted.  The Bontrager 105 and the Bontrager 35 will be going in the bin. as there's no point in carrying spare lights you can't rely upon.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for a front light?

The most important criterion, which cannot be measured in the shop, is reliability and robustness.  Reliabilityandrobustness, to make it one criterion.

Particularly waterproofness.

My experience suggests that rechargeableness is only worth having if the light can survive better than anything I've had to date.  I was very impressed with the lifetime the Bontragers got out of 3 AAAs, and its easy enough to get new batteries when you're out and about, especially around town.

All the lights I've had have provided enough light output.  Obviously the Bontrager 35 was dimmer than anything else, but when there's no other light, you need very little, and when you're dazzled by car headlights, you'll always struggle to see the tarmac in front of you.

 

So -any comments or suggestions?

 

SC

 

 

 

[moonoi]

I'm using a Bontrager 700 RT, very impressive light although only has a 1.5 hour runtime at full power. I haven't used it in the rain yet though so can't comment on its reliability there, but so far I'm very happy with it


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[StreetCowboy]

I'm thinking I might buy another Bontrager and smear it with grease and plumber's teflon tape to make it a bit more rainworthy

[CNXBKKMAN]

I have never had a problem with Cateye lights even commuting in rainy Manchester.