Submitted by
luvanicejump
a Cross Country Rider
from Keene, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2009
Strengths: super bright
4 AA batteries are easy to replace/find.
Seems to hold up well in the driving rain.
Weaknesses: The old school pos/neg 9V battery connection is out dated.
Batteries pop out of carriage during rough rides.
Bottom Line:
This is a great light and super bright for the money.
I was skeptical at the size, but my friend Len suggested it and was spot on. I really like the fact you only need 4 AA batteries with this thing. I use 2 sets of rechargables and just swap them out.
The only thing Dinotte needs to work on with this unit, is the battery carriage and old school 9V connection.
I'm machining a custom aluminum carriage with a screw down cap that should take care of any shortcomings in this product.
I've done 8 or 9 fully soaked rain rides with this light and it always works.
5 chillis because it's so worth the money.
This is an update from my previous review. After three years of use, including two full winters commuting in Maine's worst weather, the wire started to crack along the base of the light engine. The light never stopped working, but as a precaution, I purchased a second light, and send the original in for service. I shipped the light out on Thursday, August 6th from Tucson Arizona all the way across the country to New Hampshire, and received an email confirming it had been serviced and had been shipped back on Monday, August 10th.
Return Authorization required=0, Charge=$0. Questions=0.
If the people who run Dinotte ran America's health care system, we'd be the healthiest, happiest nation on earth.
This is a true, unexaggerated, FIVE FLAMIN' CHILIS. If Webster's Dictionary had a definition for the term
"5 Flamin' Chilis", there's be a picture of this light, the word "Dinotte", and nothing else.
Bike Setup: Fuji Touring, Nexus Premium 8-speed hub
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
stumblemumble
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Cruz
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2009
Strengths: Great light, build, service
Weaknesses: Mount is impossible to aim a lot
Battery mount is terrible
Bottom Line:
The 200AA:
Good light but the left/right aiming is not possible (neccessary on riser bar). Also the AA battery bag mounting is very insecure, flops around until the connector disconnects. If you leave a spare AA battery pack in your backpack the 9V style connector will find something to short itself on, ruining the batteries & melting the AA pack.
Save up and get a 400L.
Strengths: Solid build quality, smooth beam pattern, bright focused white light, and multiple blinding flash patterns.
Weaknesses: Mounting o-ring makes aiming light left or right difficult and battery pack must be affixed to frame.
Bottom Line:
If you are looking for a bright, long burning, and relatively inexpensive light, this is definitely the one. Although it's still a step below most HIDs in terms of overall brightness, the fact that the Dinotte costs hundreds of dollars less certainly makes it a worthy competitor.
Similar Products Used: Blackburn, Cygolite, Light and Motion, and Cateye
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher Mountain
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steady Grind
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, ID
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2009
Strengths: BRIGHT, easy to mount on any bike or helmet, lightweight, EXCELLENT BATTERY LIFE!
Weaknesses: None....they're great!
Bottom Line:
The best bang for your buck. I bought these because I wanted to start doing some 24 hour races...I've ridden with these lights in a race in Montana and in the 24 Hrs. of Moab, and the light was plenty sufficient. The race in Montana was solo and I had AMPLE BATTERY with just one large battery and one small (running lights conservatively). The race in Moab was as a team and we ended up switching my light system onto everyone elses bike because their niterider lights were dead after one lap (it was cold!).
This light system is great as a buildable system....my plan is to start with the 200L Dual (one on handlebar/one on helmet) and eventually add a 400L (Two 200's on handlbar and 400 on the helmet).
The customer service is EXCELLENT with this company as well. I actually made my order over the phone because I had a couple questions I wanted answered before I bought the lights...I didn't really even try and the guy ended up throwing in an extra battery for me! Very knowledgable with the question answering as well.
Lastly, the lights look cool! They're so small and shiny that they definitely turn a head or two.
If you're on the fence about these lights....just buy them, you'll love 'em!
Submitted by
Retgold
a Cross Country Rider
from Ormond Beach, FL
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2008
Strengths: Lightweight, small, superb lighting, plenty of battery options, easy to mount and remove, can't move left to right if bar mounted.
Weaknesses: None that I see...this is a great product.
Bottom Line:
Purchased from manufacturers website without batteries and charger as an option. This brought the price down to $100 even, which gives you helmet mount, bar mount, 2 battery holders. I love the battery option which allows you to use standard AA batteries. I recommend to buy without batteries, go to Walmart and get some rechargeable Energizers with the charger for $12 and you're all set. This set up with give you 3 or 4 hours. If the batteries die, then you go buy new ones. Much better than buying some other light with a rechargeable battery that may or may not work after a few charges. This baby is small, lightweight, and kicks out more lumens than anything in it's price range. Can't go wrong.
Submitted by
BikerJ
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2008
Strengths: Super Bright and Easy to use
Weaknesses: Lots of money
Bottom Line:
These lights light up the world and give plenty of run time on the battery. My night ride on the trail was fantistic with these I felt like a car was folowing me it was so dang bright. I commute to work and people actually see me now and I can actually see as well.
The single 200L handlebar mounted is all you need for road riding. The flash mode at dusk reflects off signs least a quarter mile down the road. Full power (2 hr runtime)allows you to see every pothole in the road at 30+ mph. I attached the battery pack under the barstem on a recent 200 mile 1-day ride, carrying an extra set of AAs in my jersey. I use a cheap ($10) helmet-mounted LED auxiliary light for checking instruments or route slips as necesary. Buy this light and throw away your watch!
Submitted by
Mikhs
a Cross Country Rider
from Blackstock, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2008
Strengths: Very compact lights with light batteries. Exceptional battery life. Easy bar mounting.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
Great lights. I have the dual setup and have one on the bar and one on the helmet. Provide plenty of light for twisty single track. Batteries are very compact and light. Great customer service from Rob. I recommend to call Rob and buy direct from them. I bought two sets and he gave me a good deal that you wouldn't get from an online retailer. If you haven't rode at night get a set of these and try it. I highly recommend these lights.
I've been using my 200L 3x a week for almost 6 months. It's a great product, easy to use, delivers a very strong light, great burntime, lightweight and reliable. Dinotte has excellent customer service! I had a concern recently and Rob immediately replied and solved it. Keep in mind I'm based in the Philippines!
Weaknesses: helmet mount isn't adjustable for tilt
Bottom Line:
These are excellent lights, plenty bright, very lightweight, very easy to set-up and charge. The pricing is very competitive too. I have the 200L dual, flood on bars and spot on helmet. I chose the 2 cell batteries as I don't think I'll ever ride more than 4 hours a time in the dark, and one can always upgrade batteries later. I used these for my 24 Hours of Adrenalin team night lap and they worked flawlessly. My only wish would be for a bit more vertical tilt adjustment range on the helmet mount - I had to mount the helmet light at the very back of my helmet (Giro Zen) to get the correct vertical beam position. No biggie, unless you wanted to strap the battery pack to the top of the helmet, then you'd be S.O.L. since the battery would have to go in front of the light. So the battery pack goes in the Camelbak. Highly recommended, and I assume the 400, 600 and new 800L units would throw just ludicrous amounts of light.
Strengths: lightweight, super bright focused light, versatile with AA batteries
Weaknesses: I had to spend some money to get it?
Bottom Line:
HOLY CRAP this thing is bright. I just put the freshly charged batteries in and went outside for a test. The trees far off in my neighbor's backyard were lit brightly. How bright was it? It was so bright, Batman accused me of making a crank-call. Seriously though, it's awesome. Three settings will allow me to conserve batteries while climbing and burn the earth when descending.
This thing costs a little bit, but after seeing the beam and feeling how light it is, I'm convinced it's the best light for the money.
Weaknesses: lone light illuninaton, AA NiMH batteries die in extreme cold
Bottom Line:
This review is for the 4AA powered version which I chose specifically for that reason. I can use AA rechargeable available anywhere and use the batteries for other uses. I only use this for commuting, not for trails. It's plenty of light for familiar roads. The simple O-ring mount is versatile. The single button is easy and straightforward. I've used it through extreme Maine winters and the unit and cord held up fine, but NiMH batteries have very poor life in very cold conditions.
This is plenty of light for commuters and a good supplimental light for trail riders.
Strengths: Small, light, great burn time. Flash modes separate.
Bottom Line:
I like my 200L dual setup.
The lights shootout was very helpful when i was shopping for lights. I do two 24h races each year, which was one of my main reasons for wanting lights. I chose LEDs, because I did not want to worry about the cost of a replacement HID bulb. I chose the 4 cell batteries for worry free run time. The lithium batteries are lighter than I expected. I wanted a light weight helmet light, and the 200L is small and light. But, I still wanted more than 200 lumens of light, so i chose the dual setup. The cables and connectors are all very nice. They charge up quick. The flash modes are nice for road riding.
The 200L dual puts out enough light to be sufficient for 24h racing IMO. Not astonishing light output, but good. I got two spot lenses, but would recommend a flood for the handlebars.
The helmet mount looks a little cheesy, but works.
