Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego Date Reviewed: December 1, 2005
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
www.darkends.com
Strengths:
Purchased this light for Adventure Racing and customized it with a 12 watt beam instead of the 20 watt flood. Very affordable compared with other systems that claim to have similar burn time and brighteness. It is plenty bright with the lower wattage bulb, even in the pitch dark and has lasted for 5+ "real time" hours of continuous burn! Have not pushed it much beyond that, but it was still going strong. Ended up lighting the way for the rest of my team using other brands.
I have also used it for my daily commute at night and it works great. Runs for weeks with this type of use - Nice!
Weaknesses:
Charge time is a bit long, but not entirely inconvenient if you plan ahead. The battery is huge if you use a small framed bike and does take up one water cage - no bar mount.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized, NiteRider and Cateye
Bike Setup:
Modified down to a 12 watt bulb, bar mounted with a water bottle type battery on a Gary Fisher Sugar Full Suspension.
Bottom Line:
Great all around light - for the weekend warrior, the adventure racer and even the commuter! Not to mention it simply lasts longer than most lights I have used and seen. Can't get better for the money!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
hpyfish
a Cross Country Rider
from California Date Reviewed: October 20, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Purisima Creek - Bay Area
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
www.darkends.com
Strengths:
Lightweight, easy to mount [no tools needed],strong light, great burn time [actual burn was 3.5 hrs plus!]and quite durable [dropped and bumped many times.] Awesome with customizing or designing a system to match our needs.
Weaknesses:
No horizontal angle adjustment for the light and possibly the 16 hour charge time which is not surprising for the burn time you get! Could not find product in a retail store - online order only.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Paragon Hard Tail - virtually stock.
Bottom Line:
Awesome light and affordable! Bought it for an Adventure Race and was looking for enough wattage with a good enough burn time to not leave the team hagning in the dark. Decided to go with the System 1 with a 12 watt customization instead of the 20 watt standard issue. The 12 watt is a focused beam, but gives out more than ample light to give you good depth perception and trail definition. Even provided enough light to guide the team after theirs had burned out.
This is a must investment for Adventure Races. Key is to get a light that lasts, these races can go on for hours and the last thing you want is to be left in the dark in the middle of nowhere. Ever try single track when you cannot see the trail? Not sure if you can get much more burn time than what this company offers!
The Dark Ends System 1 has exceeeded all expectations. Great work by Dark Ends!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
christopher
a Cross Country Rider
from Staten Island, NY Date Reviewed: March 21, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Manufacturer
Strengths:
Dark Ends will spec the light for your biking activities. I had my light spec'ed for adventure racing. It's a digital with the watt's turned down for a burn time up to 7+ hrs. Even with the watt's lowered it's still enough light for me. I would reccommend this light to any racer out there.
Chris Ballou New York Adventure Racing Association www.nyara.org
Bottom Line:
This light is lightweight and is problem free. If your looking for a digital this is the way to go. Extremly high end and you get what you pay for.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Donoghue
a Cross Country Rider
from Shirley Ma 01464 Date Reviewed: March 3, 2001
Favorite Trail:
grampies grind
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
dark ends
Strengths:
I have a model hd20 long long run time have gone 3hours and not run out of light great connectors, nice on/off switch, great light 20 watts. recently the bulb went and I sent it back they replaced the bulb and and light caseing. These guys stand buy there product. They followed up with a phone call to make sure I was satisfied. I highly recommend this light
Weaknesses:
none at all best light I have used.
Similar Products Used:
cateye, nightrider
Bike Setup:
light mounted on helmet
Bottom Line:
best lighting system out there as far as I have seen
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Felton, CA USA Date Reviewed: December 7, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Wilder Ranch
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$185.00
Purchased At:
Dark Ends Website
Strengths:
Great light output, light weight, simple design, and reasonable cost. Very easy to disconnect battery for day rides and I bought a second handlebar mount to use on my second bike. The on/off switch is integrated into the rear of light housing minimizes wiring to just the battery wire. The light output is outstanding, I do some rides in heavily canopied forests and the one lamp System 1 provides outstanding visibility in near total darkness.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Cateye
Bike Setup:
The Dark Ends System 1 (one 20W lamp) on a Klein Attitude mountain bike with the battery in one of the water bottle cages.
Bottom Line:
Great product from a lesser known manufacturer that is superior to the competition.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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