3.5 hour total run-time at 12 watts w/overdrive (By adding an additional cell to the battery pack we are able to increases the light out put significantly.)
Submitted by
David Saia
a Cross Country Rider
from Roseville, CA
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2003
Strengths: Simple, straight forward design and execution. No unneccesary bells and whistles. Long burn times as advertised. Strong, bright, clean beam. Light, unobtrusive mounting. Excellent customer service. Good value.
Weaknesses: Very heavy, large battery. Total weight for headlight+mount+battery = 36oz (1022gm)not 22oz as advertised. Front edge of headlamp casing easily mared when changing bulbs. 20 Watt spot bulb not quite as bright & clean as nightrider's bulb.
Bottom Line:
The reviews seemed too good to be true. And indeed they were. You just can't get around the physics. In Dark Ends case we have relatively high power output and long burn time at the expense of weight. This battery is much heavier than advertised. I weighed the battery on a precision scale at a whopping 915 gm!!! And it is also bigger and uglier than Niterider's battery (748 gm). The digial switch on the Digital System.1 Race is excellent. Dark ends accommodated my need for 20Watts with with four appropriate output levels. Contrary to the specs, the unit comes with a narrow flood, not a spotlight bulb. This makes a major difference with the type of road riding I do--narrow (20 degree) and wide floods just don't have the sweet concentrated beam pattern that I need. A true 12 degree Halogen spotbulb pattern is similar to a car headlight only brighter. When I called Dark Ends to explain, they sent me a new true spot for free. I later replaced the bulb as and experiment with the 20 W bulb from my Nightrider which was slightly brighter and cleaner. I had to scrape the heat sheild away from the Niterider bulb though to make it fit. This product is still my choice for headlight (because I don't like the color temperature of H.I.D.s). I am very disappointed about the false advertising of weight which was a major factor in my buying decision.
Favorite Trail: American River Bike Trail (at night)
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$205.00
Purchased At: Dark Ends website
Similar Products Used: Nightrider Pro 12E, Vistalight VL511, Vistalight VL420.
Bike Setup: Serotta Touring bike; Dura Ace front/XTR rear; Chris King hubs&headset; Mavic open pro/Conti 3000 wheels; Brooks Swift leather saddle; Easton carbon post, stem, bar.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mark Jones
a Weekend Warrior
from Salt Lake City, UT
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2002
Strengths: Incredible light output and burn times Weighs significantly less than similar competitors Reliable/durable/easy-to-use Optional quick charger Can be moved between bikes very easily and quickly Outstanding customer support
Weaknesses: None. The quibbles mentioned in the review are insignificant given the overall quality of the product.
Bottom Line:
You know you've found a great bike light when it outlasts you on a ride. That was my experience with the Dark..Ends Digital System..1 Race. I took off on a ride with a fully-charged battery and the light turned on high with the goal of seeing if it would live up to the claimed burn time. Three hours later I had completed my regular road loop and was beating a path around the block waiting for the thing to quit. It just kept going and going… I finally decided that comparing this light to the Energizer bunny was not accurate. It has more in common with the tough little bunny in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The System..1 Race consists of a single-bulb bar-mounted light, a remote thumb switch and a standard water bottle battery. The light itself is a good-looking piece and attaches to the bar via a mounting clamp designed to stay on the bar when the light is removed. That's not a problem - the clamp is very light and unobtrusive. I purchased extra clamps for each of my bikes. Switching the light between bikes is extremely easy. One nice thing about a permanently-mounted clamp is you don't have to readjust the vertical angle when moving the light to a different bike. The only problem I had with the mount is the plastic nut used to tighten the clamp on the bar. Two of them stripped before I felt they were tight enough. I used a metal nut instead and that worked great.
The thumb switch has a homemade appearance, consisting of an electronic switch sealed inside a plastic protector. A red LED is attached to the switch and functions as a low-charge indicator. Since the switch has a less-refined appearance than other lights, I was concerned at first. However, it works great and appears to be nicely water-sealed. I got used to it quickly.
The water bottle battery is quite attractive and has a great feature: You can push the extra wire down into the bottle, leaving just the right amount outside to run up to the light. The wire itself is straight (not coiled like Niterider) and very light, yet seems amply durable. It terminates in a 90-degree plug which attaches to a socket on the back of the light. The attachment is an excellent design - simple and foolproof. Another nice feature is you can unplug the light from the battery without affecting the memory of the electronics. In fact, the manual recommends detaching when not in use. This is a nice departure from the Niterider light I was used to which forgot its charge data when unplugged.
My unit features a dark blue bulb housing and a bright green water bottle battery. That might bother the fashion-conscious, but I think it's a nice change from the standard gray and black lights on the market.
The aim of the light is fully adjustable, both vertically by moving the clamp, and from side-to-side by just turning the bulb housing. That's terrific, especially for those used to the horizontally fixed-position Niterider. Aiming the light is very easy, and it stays in the exact position you want, even over rough ground.
I believe the System..1 Race is ideal for both commuting and trail riding. The light output is astonishing. Three different power levels can be selected via the thumb switch. At the highest setting, 12 watts, I get a fantastic light pattern. The bulb I received is a "spot" type which provides an extremely bright patch of light approximately 35 feet ahead and 5 feet across. Surrounding the brightest area is a circular halo of dimmer light about 40 feet wide. It gives the feeling of riding through a lighted tunnel.
At the high level, you WILL see all those nasty potholes on your daily commute. And if a car driver misses you, you can bet they're missing everything else as well. At 12 watts, I occasionally have a driver flash their brights at me. For commuting, the middle of the 3 power levels is adequate.
For mountain biking, the 12-watt level turns the trail into daylight. It's even sufficient for technical descents. For slower climbing, the medium level is fine. The lowest of the 3 levels is barely adequate for both commuting and trail riding, and makes a great option for times when power must be conserved.
The light ships standard with a 16-hour charger. The power supply is larger and heavier than Niterider's. There is no indication when the charge is complete, and you have to be careful to avoid overcharging. Fortunately, Dark..Ends offers an optional quick charger, which I included in my order. The quick charger is a third-party unit intended as a universal battery charger. It is somewhat convoluted, consisting of 5 pieces, including the cords and power supply, which must be hooked up correctly before use. It was unclear how to attach the battery to the charger, but a quick call to Dark..Ends clarified the setup.
The quick charger works very well, and will recharge a drained battery in an amazing 5 hours. It is also protected against overcharging. However, I find one feature of the quick charger quite annoying. When a charge cycle is complete, the charger emits a series of beeps long and loud enough to awaken anyone close by. I haven't yet found a way to silence the signal. The quick charger is also somewhat bulky, making it less than ideal for traveling. However, it provides a good way to recharge quickly, great for those fast turnarounds between Sunday night mountain biking and Monday morning commuting.
The claimed burn time of 3.5 hours at 12 watts seemed too good to be true. But it is true! On a test ride with a full charge, the red LED began to flash at 2.75 hours. At 3.25 hours, the red LED stopped flashing and stayed on constantly, and the headlight began to pulse off very briefly. Not wanting to push it too far, I switched it off about 7 minutes before the 3.5 hours were up; however, the company has assured me it is OK to continue to use it right to the end, at which point a safety circuit will shut the light off automatically.
The burn time at the lowest power level is claimed to be 6 hours. The middle-level burn time isn't listed, but I would expect around 4.75 hours.
Customer support is outstanding. My calls and e-mails to Dark..Ends were all responded to very quickly and politely. Problems were resolved without hassle and I was even called just to see if everything was satisfactory. E-mail response was within a few hours, even on weekends. After long and unsatisfactory dealings with Niterider, this was a very welcome change indeed.
Here's something really amazing - even though the Dark..Ends and Niterider lights have very similar light output and burn times, the total weight of the System..1 Race is one-half that of the Niterider (Digital Pro 12-LCD model - 22 and 40 ounces respectively). That's more than a pound of extra weight I don't have to lug back and forth from work every day. In fact, it weighs so incredibly little that it's hardly worth removing for day rides. How can so much light be produced for such a long time from a battery that weighs so little??
The Dark..Ends lights are great examples of design simplicity. Even though they lack all of the fancy digital readouts of other lights, they possess qualities that are ultimately much more important: reliability, simplicity and durability. Add great customer service, and you can't go wrong.
Favorite Trail: Bear Claw Poppy Trail, St. George, Utah
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At: Direct from Dark..Ends
Similar Products Used: Niterider XCL-Pro Niterider Digital Pro 12 LCD
Bike Setup: Commuting/Road - Moots Psychlo-X Mountain: Santa Cruz Superlight Travel: Bike Friday
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Skip Kula
a Cross Country Rider
from Anchorage, AK USA
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2001
Strengths: Works as advertised. It is small and lightweight, has three levels of output, battery power ran the light at least 8 hours on low power setting.
Weaknesses: No major issues, be careful on the mounting screw on the light, don't loose it, it's hard to find in the mud.
Bottom Line:
The product may seem expensive, but after looking at other lights on the market, I couldn't find a better one with the options and quality of Dark Ends. Many others compare in cost. We had four of these lights used in the Eco Challenge 2001 held in New Zealand and we beat them up, along with our bicycles. The lights are very durable.
