I've been running this light since 2002 and it is still one of the two brightest lights ever made for bikes as far as I know. I have two batteries and one only runs for about 90 minutes now.

Replacement parts are very expensive and hard to find. Eventually the bulb will go and they are about $240 on eBay. So probably not an option. The case becomes VERY hot with use.

I bought this used in 2002 for $350 and it's been a great investment. I'd definitely buy another Cateye - maybe the Volt 6000 - if this one ever fails.

BRIGHT!! Super Tuff, super reliable

none, it's everything you could want in a light

I've been running this light for about 5 years now. It's been magnificent. Incredibly bright! I mean BRIGHT - like avert your eyes look into the sun bright. It's amazing how bright it is. Did I mention it was bright? ;-) When I turn it on when other riders are around with their lights, it's just NO contest. You can't even see their lights when the astrodome light comes on! And if you don't have it set right, on the road oncoming cars will high beam you! (easy to fix just angle it down and off to the right a bit). And it lasts a full 3 hours, the battery charge capacity is huge.

The unit itself is very heavily built. The light is mounted inside an armored aluminum shell that it brutish tough. I've gone down many times, sometimes very hard with this light on my bike. It always comes out fine, a few scratches and scuffs but it just keeps on rocking. All the hardware and wiring is top quality and heavy duty. It's designed to take a beating and keep on ticking. This thing is otherworldly in its quality, it's like it's from another time. It reminds me of the heavy duty quality of American consumer products manufactured in the 1950's. Really, this light is designed to be a day to day commuter light for the really hardcore "I ride 7500 miles a year" kinda rider. Get one if you can, the CatEye Stadium 3 is the Rolls Royce of ALL lighting systems.

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none

This isn't really a review, I just wanted to let people know that according to Cateye (I e-mailed them a few days ago) the Stadium 3 is still carried and supported by them. They gave me no reason for it being missing from their website though.

Very Bright and useful beam pattern, perfect for x-Country riding . Used it at 2003 Saab Mountain Mayhem race.. it worked well, lasted 3hrs and 10 minutes burn. Easy to fix on and take off. No other light system comes close to this beauty!

Can't see the red warning lighgt when riding- Something to fix on the Stadium 4?.
Hard to get hold of extra battery pack.

Only worth spending on if you are going to use it more than once off-road. Excessively priced for commuting purposes unless you want to get revenge on inconsiderate motorists.

( Please don't do this!- "Ride on pavement on wrong side of road, on a country lane, with no street lamping- Adjust the light unit to point slightly up, and watch the traffic scream to a halt as the driver thinks there is a drunk heading towards them!")

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Homemade system, Smart light, Sigma light

Excellent brightness, very sturdy house, quick charge, aggressive on on-coming motorists.

Flickering and color changes, aggressive on on-coming non-motorists, Pretty lousy on-road performance due to very wide off-road oriented beam. Inadequate reflector size, depth and beam width disperse the light to where it's of no use. Unregulated DC-converter gives declining light during discharge cycle and is probably damaging to bulb at end of discharge. "Low-battery" indicator gives little clue on remaining battery duration, always on for old battery. Bulb-life specified in on/off-cycles means lamp not suited for frequent on/off's, i.e. many short rides. Unventilated house captures moisture that condensates on front lens. Reflector goes dull at "12 o'clock" position diminishing downward beam sector, quick fix is to turn reflector upside-down. According to a norwegian tester, lamp went out during down-hill when hi-intensity shaking. Allegedly hard to find replacement bulb.

Advertized power output of 80W equivalent halogen power is ridiculous. My lamp was a little weaker than a 55W Golf low-beam. There is a "power-volume" in the converter that was quite conservatily set in my lamp, probably in order to meet advertised battery duration. Some kind of dimmer device is sorely missing. For on-road use a light profile of a car low-beam would be much preferrable. In order to see well at high speed you are forced to set the lamp in a blinding position. On unlit bicycle paths you can easily make an on-coming rider crasch due to blinding, so it's understandable that cateye discourages on-road use. All the cons considered it's still a wonderful lamp, worth every cent. Shame on Cateye for discontinuing it instead of refining it further. I think the technology is close to ideal for bicycle purpose.

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Cateye 5+20W halogen, Mila headlamp 10/30W + many others

Long, wide, exceedingly bright beam that lights up EVERYTHING. Cars stop and let me past because they aren't sure what in the heck is going on, or what's coming. Unlike the first generation Stadium Light which had a narrow, shortish beam, the redesigned lamp housing throws more light. You might look at the Stadium 3 compared to the original Stadium and think that there isn't as much light, but when you put them on the bike, stand back, baby!

Weight. This this is HEAVY. I always forget, until I take it off the bike. But it's not rotating weight, so who cares? No similar helmet-mount product to light up the night as nicely.

It's expensive, but the best costs more. Put it like this...much of the job of a light is to illuminate. But when you're riding home after that ride, the job of a light becomes to allow cars to see you. I have never, ever had any problems beign seen with the Stadium 3. This is a definite bonus is city settings, when lesser lights can blend into the background.

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First-gen Cateye Stadium light, tried a NiteRider Storm, and basic NiteRider.

very bright, easy to mount, adjust. very wide angle beam. fairly long burn time. comes in a sturdy box. very noticable on the road. good depth, robust bulb housing. charge time=burn time. only 1 cable comes to the bars making the cockpit clutter free.

bulky, no smart charger, no convineint switch on bars, bulb changes colour over bumps. limited or no spares available. big ballast unit,heavy, bulb colour has a purple tint.

this light is bloody bright! i have been flashed on the road, and get moaned at for riding behind other people because of the bright beam. it has an excelent spread of light, with no real concentrated beam area,it is a fantastic unit if a little bulky, but the lack of parts/bulbs could be a real problem in the future.

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cateye abs 35

Brightest light in the bicycle universe.

Charge cycle. Do not let it go much more than three hours,or you can shorten life and run time of battery.

If they say they did'nt see you,they were'nt looking!

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Vista Lite,Night Rider

Powerful light with good coverage. Cars give me more respect than they did when I had a weaker light. The three hour charge time and light weight of the AC adaptor is also nice.

The light often changed color when I hit a bump. It burned out after an estimated 100 to 150 hours of use during the 13 months I have had it. I now have to send it back along with the attached ballast. Thus, I lose the unit for a month or so. They should design a unit with replacible bulbs unless the ballast often needs replacing, too, and I see no reason why it should. The manual warns against touching the lamp. Actually it never gets hot, only warm. The manual says the light will go out 10 minutes after the red power indicator light goes on. this may be true when the battery is new, but, after 10 months of use, the red light comes on after about an hour of use, but the lamp stays on for at least another hour, although it declines to about half the original intensity. I can't see the power indicator light directly. I have to put the palm of my hand near it and look at the reflection off my palm. Also, Cat Eye should design a bottle battery where you can replace just the batteries in the bottle without having to buy a whole new bottle unit. I was unable to find the cost of a new lamp on the Cateye web site. Since my battery has lost about half its original capacity, I am looking probably at close to 200 dollars to replace the lamp and the battery. Ouch! It would also be nice if they could make the lamp more easily moveable so thay I can aim it lower when I am on the street and higher when I am on the trail without getting off the bike to loosen the bracket bolt.

It is by far, the brightest light available commercially, except possibly some of the two-headlight halogen bulb units that will drain your battery in a half hour or so if you use both beams. It is expensive, and so is replacing the lamp and the battery. You should have a backup unit you can use when the metal halide lamp quits.

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NightSun dual beam (10W + 21W)

Seems to be even slightly brighter than 2 PIAA 002X Xtreme white auxiliary lights (35 watts/each). The white light makes reflective surfaces much brighter. It would be nice to have a road version with narrower longer beam. By keeping the light pointing down low enough so drivers don't flash their high beam back, there is enough light ahead to see what's on the road at around 18-20 mph. Other strength: long run time per charge.

Separate ballast unit. It's not too heavy but there isn't any good place on the bike to mount it. I mount it on top of the top tube and all the way to the head tube of my road bike and still bump my knees on it a few times when standing off the saddle.

LOVE IT! cars don't cut in front of me like they used to when I had a 10 watt halogen light.

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HID lights on my car.