Submitted by
Ken McDowell
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2009
Strengths: Battery holds strong as stated,lots of light on the high 390 lumen mode.Adjustable easy on the fly a bonus.
Weaknesses: After a few dozen uses the unit failed me,(critical time had a back up,as we all should)seems to be short.The shop (Tantalus)as allways has been excellent handling the problem.I'm hoping its a quick fix.Worked great up till this point.
Bottom Line:
I'll update once I hear back from L&M
All the best.....
Similar Products Used: Night Sun years ago,now using a Minut2 NR as a helmut mount and its awesome,reccomend it.
Bike Setup: Specialized Epic expert,won'tbore with details,great ride 09 model last of the era(Tears)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2008
Strengths: Very high quality, features, simple operation, brightness, fast Turbo charger.
Weaknesses: High price, not enough reserve time when it switches to lower wattage mode.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the best bicycle products I've owned. Expensive but worth it if you are serious about riding fast at night and wanting to see and be seen. I have the older, non-mv version of this light. Recently I wanted to get a replacement battery as a backup and to increase riding time. This requires updating the connector which L&M Customer Service offered to do for no extra charge with battery purchase. Can't beat that. Save your money and pick this one up.
Submitted by
Motormonkeyr6
a Downhiller
from Castro Valley
Date Reviewed: February 16, 2008
Strengths: Super long burn, bright enough for all out DH runs. You can dim the beam for hiking or climbs.
Weaknesses: Battery is not extremly light, but then again I dont care. It just makes my camel back feel full.
Bottom Line:
For the money this light kicks a$$. We've done 3+ hour night rides with this light (my buddy has the same one) It might not be a NEW Led or HID light but it puts out a great beam pattern and its adjustable! Which is a HUGE plus.
Just to give you an Idea we are hitting our trails at around 31mph in the day with this light Im able to hit them in the pitch black at 29-30 with 100% confidence in this light.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy this light again!
The only thing I wish I would have done is paid for the turbo charger. The 14 hour charger has no time and you can fry your battery. But I just set my alarm and turn it off.
Submitted by
Travis
a Cross Country Rider
from Reno, NV
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2008
Strengths: Water resistant, long battery life, bright
Bottom Line:
This light is phenomenal. I've rode with it ON through miles of torrential rain near the Texas coast with no problems. No wonder, since the plug between the light and the battery reminds me of plugs that were meant to be submerged hundreds of feet under water. The casing for the light itself is no joke either, albeit probably not as water resistant as the plug. I loved this light when I had all the parts. Seems like every bike I put the mount for it on gets stolen. :-P I'm giving it three chilis for value only because I can't remember what I payed for it.
Weaknesses: The forward tilt adjustment, from stock, isn't tight enough. Sometimes the light can smack itself forward into the handlebars.
Bottom Line:
I bought this light for my handle bars during races. It is brighter than most other halogens, and very durable. I've run down some fast rocky downhills that shake the light so badly that the light will get tilted forward so quickly into the bars that the bulb pops out. It has never broken though. Just need to remember to never touch the bulb with your hands when putting it back in and it fixes right up. I like durability, and this light is durable.
Weaknesses: Sidelights don't really light up your computer
Bottom Line:
If you want to get out at night during the week particularly on dark trails then this is the light for you, other than the more expensive HID lights this light puts out an amazing amount of light. Too often do I get other people in the opposite direction abusing me and I think that's fantastic. Assists in winter to get me out of the house on a week night. Have mates with the latest LED lights and to be honest they appear dull and really blue. I can ride at daylight speeds even on Medium setting. New battery set up is better than old drink bottle type. If you want a good light for a decent amount of money get one of these.
Submitted by
Dale Carr
a Downhiller
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2006
Strengths: Great Light - adjustable, durable casing, light weight, strong beam. When not blowing bulbs.
Weaknesses: This light has been replaced once for blowing bulbs (two in two months). The bulb in the new unit has lasted one month and has just blown. My local dealer has been exceptional but there is obviously a design flaw. I use the helmet mount system
Bottom Line:
I really want to like this light as it serves my purposes adequately. Bought this light for commuting but now I will not rely on it and will look for an alternate manufacturer.Reliability is questionable for such an expensive product.
Submitted by
Kurt
a Weekend Warrior
from Bloomington, MN
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2005
Strengths: The light is very bright for a halogen. 2 hour life on high with the NiMH battery.
Weaknesses: Round connector difficult to line up to battery, wouldn't want to try it at night.
Bottom Line:
I purchased this light for commuting 17 miles to work. The ride involves a 7 mile section of unlit, paved trail. The light output is very impresive. Oncoming bikers sometimes will yell at me because my light is too bright. I take this as a compliment. It is also nice to have left-turning vehicles a block away wait for me because they think I am a motorcycle. 5 chili's because the light has been very dependable.
Similar Products Used: Cheap handlebar-mounted light.
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Submitted by
Rock Magnet
a Weekend Warrior
from East Hartford, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2005
Strengths: Very light weight unit. Turbo charger has the battery fully charged in a few hours. Very bright at 13W setting.
Weaknesses: Helmet attachment pivot requires mounting lamp on top of helmet. Bracket fixed to lamp, requiring removal of entire unit for day rides (unless you like riding around with a light strapped to your head)
Bottom Line:
As described above, this unit is extremely lightweight and compact. The battery fits nicely in a water pack. It charges very quickly with Turbocharger. Extremely bright on 13W setting, a bit yellow at 10W though rideable for all but technical/rocky sections. I wouldn't trail ride at low setting unless burn time was a real issue or I was feeling really daring. What is amazing is that the beam remains the same brightness from start to finish on a 3 hr ride.
The helmet mount is a bit disappointing on a couple levels:
Issue 1: the vertical adjustment range is such that you can't mount the lamp on the front of your helmet unless you are willing to tilt your head back when you ride (otherwise you illuminate the trail just in front of your bike). Because of this, I am left mounting the device smack dab on top of the helmet where the next set of vents are located through which to thread the velcro strap. This leaves the lamp vulnerable to snagging low-hanging branches if you ride in the woods like I do. This issue may be more a function of my middle-of-the-road helmet than anything else and will definitely impact helmet purchase decisions in the future. A rubber shim under the mount may overcome the issue.
Issue 2: The lamp is screwed onto the mounting bracket, requiring you to remove the entire lamp/bracket assembly for daytime rides (lest you be whacking the low-hanging branches in broad daylight). This is a bit of a pain since the velcro wants to hang up on everything inside the helmet during mounting and removal (and isn't something to do in the dark!). Frequent removal will eventually wear out the strap and helmet padding.
Overall, the light rocks. You can focus the beam by adjusting the bezel. One of the reasons I purchased this system over the Jet Lites Phantom is that both mounting options come stock with Light & Motion. However, I have not yet tried the included handlebar mount system and may never since I ride mostly winding trails.
5 chilis for value since I got a screaming deal at REI. 4 chilis overall since the mounting bracket is a bit neanderthal.
Bike Setup: Used to be a Raleigh M80 w/ custom rims,cris king hubs, avid disk brakes.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Phil
a Weekend Warrior
from Tacoma, WA
Date Reviewed: January 6, 2005
Strengths: light weight, adjustable beam, 3 power settings, even lighting
Weaknesses: Maybe run time, we'll have to see
Bottom Line:
The lights work! Took them out for their first ride. The light pattern is wide and even - it lights up the road from side to side. On dark side streets it lit up the homes lining the road! On Hi it is very bright. I would use this in situations where the road may be lit but with so much extraneous lights that I couldn't see my lights on a lower level. On most roads low or medium works well. The light pattern is expremely even on flood and lights up the road far enough in front of you that (on medium) I can cruise at 18-20 and feel like I'm riding during the day. Bought these for commuting and short (20 miles) night rides. These do not disappoint!
Strengths: Awesome customer support Elegant design Awesome customer support
Weaknesses: Just one nit... I mistakenly assumed that because the unit works with all the batteries, the charger would too. Nope. That said I'm very happy with the NiMH.
Bottom Line:
I've got an old Niterider on my bars and the Solo Logic on my helmet and I think its a way better setup than my buddies who ride with a single HID. Cheaper too. Customer service came thru for me when they didn't have too... TWICE. Cane Creek is the only other bike company I've had this kind of service from.
Submitted by
Marcus
a Cross Country Rider
from LA, CA
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2004
Strengths: Bright, 3 modes, it has the light indicator to show which mode your on. It comes it helmet mount and bar mount. light weight battery. Don't need to charge overnight with turbocharger.
Weaknesses: None so Far.
Bottom Line:
I got this because it was on sale and wanted to do some REAL night riding. Here in SoCal its perfect night riding weather (But it been chilly of late, low 50s). This is one of the brightest halogen light that I have seen. First time out on the trail, the trail light up so clearly that I rode as fast as my regular day rides. This came with both the helmet and bar mount which is a plus (didn't have to buy one seperately). With the turbocharger, the light weight battery charges in no time.
Anyone looking to do some serious night riding but don't want to spend $400-$500 for an HID light, this is the perfect light!
Strengths: lightweight, simple design, 3 light levels, bright, long burn time potential, ability to use all L&M batteries with this light
Bottom Line:
I bought this light to round out my lighting system for adventure racing. It is a great complement and backup to the L&M Arc Lion HID that I bought at the same time (see my review for the Arc Ultra Lion). I've used it for some training rides and two overnight races. In both races I used the Ultra Lion battery and had the light on for 5 to 7 hours at varying light levels. The light never appeared to be on the verge of running out. With the Ultra Lion battery the light is estimated to have a burn time up to 11 hours, and I believe it. The light is so light you wouldn't know it was on your helmet if it wasn't for the cable. This is a great light no matter what battery you choose.
