Submitted by
Bigwaves
a Cross Country Rider
from Old Lyme, CT USA
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2011
Strengths: This is a great light when it works. Had a hard time to get it to light sometimes. Once working it is great. This is a fragile product. L&M was pushing the light thing when produced this product. When thru a bunch of bulbs and the charger just died. Went back to Niterider and couldn't be much happier. Done with L&M.
Weaknesses: Complicated, fragile, poor support and expensive to repair.
Bottom Line:
Lights continue to evolve. I am very happy with my Nite Rider usb chargeable. Same light quality as Lights and Motion at 25% of the price.
Weaknesses: compared to my old halogen:none. other HID: not sure.
Bottom Line:
I use my light alot. probably 120-150hrs and 70+ charge cycles a year and this light has performed great. I did replace the lamp and the battery's run time has decreased but I've owned this thing probably 4 years.
Similar Products Used: problem plagued Performance halogen(more than 5 yrs ago)
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Submitted by
davek
a Cross Country Rider
from santa fe
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2010
Strengths: good light
Weaknesses: charger fried in under 20 cycles. terrible customer service. light and motion wouldn't even give me a break on buying a replacement charger, much less replace the defective unit!
Bottom Line:
i would never buy another light and motion product regardless of any attribute with their customer service attitude.
Submitted by
scmtnbiker
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz, Ca. USA
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2009
Strengths: Nice white light projected way out in front of the rider, Also the HID alomost eliminates nightime depth percetion loss. Great for night singletrackin or bombing fire roads at daytime speeds.
Weaknesses: The light is a little fragile in regaurds to the break-away safety clip make sure to stock up on them and bring them with you on your ride.
Bottom Line:
Great light can't wait to make my buddies jealous with the Seca 900
Weaknesses: Bulbs lasted ( I had 2) until just after the warrenty ran out.
Charger failed on one.
These people wanted £80 to fit a new bulb (just one). They do not let you do it yourself "Because it is a sealed (and I am sure they used the words Vacuum) unit and dangerous to do it yourself" Total Bollocks. Admitedly you may get a bit of a shock off the exposed unit but as for a vaccum seal, well....it is all lies to prevent you doing it yourself for a bit more cash in their pocket's. I made it clear that I wass not happy to be ripped off. The same type of bulb for a car is a fraction of the price. These guy's seem to have it wrapped up with a unique fitting. After it was clear I was not happy with the aftersales I was told they would let me do it myself but they will still charge me £80 for a bulb. By the time the bulbs gave up the batteries showed clear evidence of not holding a charge for too long So buying new bulbs would have proven uneconomical and you would have bought an expensive disposable light. Ok if you have plenty of money but for the keen cyclist with little money, it a no go and I would seriously not bother with a second hand one unless it was given to me.
Submitted by
mhjerpe
a Cross Country Rider
from Katonah, NY
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2009
Strengths: amazingly bright. I use it for early am mt. bike rides on singletrack - in total darkness -and the light makes it seem like I'm riding in daylight. I also like the fact that I can easily reach down and swivel it to the side to check out wildlife as I ride by, etc... I also like the trickle charge - so I can keep it always fully charged and ready to go.
Bike Setup: cannondale hard tail mt. bike and cannondale 6 13 road bike. I use the lights on both.
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Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Teasdale, UT
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2008
Strengths: bright, solid construction, waterproof, charges fast. generally feels like a high quality product
Weaknesses: full msrp is pretty spendy
Bottom Line:
I lucked out big time and picked up this light for $200 on sale. And boy, what everyone says about it is absolutely true: this mother is bright. Upgrading from a 1 watt LED to this is literally a night and day difference. My co-workers who pass me in their cars tell me that they are afraid to look in their rear view mirror because it is so blinding. Trucks slow down, people move over as far as they can in their lane, and now they even have the courtesy to dim their lights (most of the time). The center beam lights up the road for what seems like miles. The peripheral light, though slightly less bright than the central beam, is still ludicrously luminous. I don’t care how fast you think your funny plastic bike with $2000 wheels makes you, you will never outrun this light. I could go on and on, but let’s just say that if the amount of light is a primary concern of yours, this light will satisfy that concern. Does everyone need a light this bright? Probably not. I commute 20 miles one way in rural Utah at midnight for a graveyard shift year round. Sleet, snow, 20 mph winds, -20 temps, whatever. Add in drunken rednecks, and myopic 70 year old ranchers towing loaded horse trailers, it is very important for me to see and be seen. After having used it, I feel that the L&M ARC warrants the admittedly steep price tag. Of course, I wouldn’t have ever paid full price because I’m a bum. With the L&M Secca LED lights coming out, keep an eye out for ARC’s on sale.
Similar Products Used: blackburn x6, various cheapo led's
Bike Setup: surly long haul trucker set up for hardcore touring and commuting. chris king, phil wood, paul, thompson, etc.
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Submitted by
metalhalide
a Cross Country Rider
from Creve Coeur, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2008
Strengths: Powerful central beam with good spillover. Good runtime. Not too heavy. Excellent handlebar mount. Fun to see drivers and passengers looking dazed. This may be a great tool for nighttime trail riding, but for me this is a serious piece of safety equipment. This light makes you visible during the day, hard to put a dollar value on staying alive.
Weaknesses: Helmet mount is good, but the weight makes my helmet sit sideways.
Incompatible with a wireless cycle computer. The lamp makes an electromagnetic field that interferes with the wireless receiver. So you either have to get a wired computer or carry a GPS if you want to keep track of your miles.
Bottom Line:
If you commute, you need to have a serious light. You ride at odd hours, alone, and on busy streets. I wear mine on dark mornings, on rainy days, and just plain broad daylight. In other words, all the time. A dinky handlebar-mount won't do the job; it just won't be seen during the day. The Arc LiIon fits the bill. It's just so damn bright.
Handlebar mount is excellent, but I can't flash motorists the way I can with the light helmet-mounted.
If you choose to mount this on your helmet, you may find that your helmet doesn't fit as well as you thought. I am looking for a solution (strap adjustment, pads, new helmet) to keep my helmet level when I wear the light.
Bike Setup: Scott CR1 Pro stock components. SPD pedals and PI MTB shoes.
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Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder,CO,USA
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2008
Strengths: Very bright, like a stadium light. Company backs the product. Also good battery duration, small package, light weight, and mounting options.
Weaknesses: Needs a dimmer for road riding to the trail :). Could be even lighter for helmet mount and have a more secure helmet fastner than velcro (nits).
Bottom Line:
No worries on rough trails or going fast with this one, it is plenty bright. So light and compact, very easy to carry. I got one of the early ones with charger problems; It stopped working after 3 years. Sent to Light & Motion out of warrenty expecting to pay, but got a new charger and battery. They back their products !
Favorite Trail: Mtn Lion Trail - Golden State Park
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: Previosuly had a NightSun.
Bike Setup: Yeti
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Submitted by
GF
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlotte, NC
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2007
Strengths: Plenty bright, nice even wide beam, reliable, durable.
Weaknesses: "cabeza" helmet mount
Bottom Line:
Very bright even beam pattern. Good run times on small light battery. Two years of regular riding/racing in all types of weather without any problems. I wish L&M would re-think their helmet mount. The little screw in the base requires frequent checking/tightening. I have trouble tightening the straps enough to keep the light from moving around on my helmet (softer rubber on the base might help). Strap is showing significant wear where it loops through the slits. Strap is too short for the helmet vents I need to optimally position the light. Rates a 5 except for the mount.
Update. I love to eat crow. It took awhile but my light came back with a new ballast, wire and lamp with no charge despite being out of warranty. Will give it a go tonight.
Submitted by
kai
a Weekend Warrior
from redondo beach, california, usa
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2007
Strengths: Its the beam. That incredible even cone of light that allows high speed decents on twisting routes but with excellent peripheral light to make the curves easy and safe. Long burn, simple to charge. Light weight, easy charge and setup for the ride. Oh, did I mention, that beautiful eye resting beam of light.
Weaknesses: None, two years with daily use October - March with less but some use other times. Flawless with no problems.
Bottom Line:
If you want to ride in the hills at night this light is it. I live in the city and commute as well. One is tempted to use an LED as city lights pretty much allow you to see but the truth is every commuter should have this light. It smokes! and pulls you out of all the light clutter the driver sees on the city streets. The way this thing spreads light gives you a lot of presence in those dangerous intersections. Don't go out without it. I got it for night riding in the hills but really as a commute upgrade it proved its worth.
Similar Products Used: My only HID. Have used lights for over 35 years spanning flashlights taped to the bar, leg light (remember that?) Nightrider 15 Watt and just about everything else in between. 1 Watt LED.
Bike Setup: Put it on the bars. Battery on the seat tube.
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Submitted by
wideload
a Weekend Warrior
from ABQ, NM US
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2007
Strengths: bright when working
Weaknesses: not working too often
Bottom Line:
This is the second time back to the factory in 2 years. I use it 2x a week for less than 2 hours from October-March. First time the unit fell apart when I hit an expansion crack. This time it was dead out of the box when I went to use it this year. First service covered by warranty, this time they wanted a credit card authorization for $105. They've had it a week, haven't heard from them since. Would I buy again-not a chance.
Submitted by
Daniel Hackett
a Cross Country Rider
from Chelmsford, UK
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2007
Strengths: Had this now for over 3 years. Still on the original bulb and battery with no loss of power or burn time.
Still love the sweet spot and wide halo of light, and having a battery I can throw innto my pocket and not notice the weight.
Weaknesses: Can't think of much of note, other than it's made me want another one for the bars.... Bar mount / break out disks are fairly flimsy, but I suppose they are meant to be. Buy a big stock of spares!
Bottom Line:
Performance is great, and i've yet to have the battery die on me doing regular 3hour + rides on full beam.
Although buying this did seem expensive at the time, I now think this is great value for money after 3 years with no need to spend any more on spares or repairs, which is much better than friends have experienced with Lupines / Stadiums. Although the output is also much lower than the Stadium, the Arc gives a much more useable beam with a big sweet spot. It also appears to be pretty much impossible to cock up the battery through overcharging or leaving drained (I regularly do both!).
The unit has had to go back to L&M in California a couple of times for self-inflicted damage. Each time it's come back fixed within 7 days of posting from UK with no charge. Stuff like that is much appreciated.
If you are in UK, I'd recommend always trying to deal with L&M direct. The only problem I have had was when they wanted me to go via the UK distributors (Madison), who proved to be utter cretins.
