Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Republic, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2007
Strengths: Price. Takes up little room on the bar. Good amount of light for the road.
Weaknesses: Heavy. Cables come loose. Run time isn't great.
Bottom Line:
Most of these reviews seem to be absolute love or hate. I am pretty much content with the light. It does a decent job for the money.
I use this for my commute on a road bike. I go about 17 miles one way and need it to run for just over an hour and it does that. I honestly don't know about taking these off road. The cables come loose fairly easily, so I'd imagine the bumps of a singletrack would have to shake them loose a lot. Just a guess though. For road riding they stay put most of the time and are easily reached when the do come loose. The plastic used feels a bit flimsy, so watch when banging them into things.
The connection to the bar is nifty. You can mount both of them above, both below, or to save space one up and one down on the same connector. That saves space for other electronics on the bar.
In all the light is very good for the road. The 10W is all I usually need to see, but the 20W is good for a little more light or visibility. Battery charger is good too. It won't fry the battery if left on longer than the charge time. Battery is a beast, but then that's the price point.
It's probably not the greatest of lights, but it works well for the roadie.
Submitted by
Daniel Flippo
a Cross Country Rider
from Norman, OK, USA
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2007
Strengths: Two lights, helmet mount/bike mount
Weaknesses: Way to heavy and short life, I get maybe 45 minutes of adequate light on the trail. The cords keep coming out so I have to tape them. Battery is big.
Bottom Line:
if you go out for 30 minutes and need a lot of light and a workout with a heavy battery, buy this. otherwise don't.
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Wheaton Illinois USA
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2005
Strengths: Good build quality, helmet mount, auto charger, very affordable. As a commuter with uncertain long time job prospects, don't want to invest big $$'s on a light that I may never use again if I can't commute to new job.
Weaknesses: Battery is heavy. As a commuter, I need to take battery off bike and carry with helmet, clothes, laptop, lunch etc.. a few blocks - battery gets heavier each block. Finally gave up left on bike if stolen, fine they them drag it away. 10w light is a little dim on the dark trail I use, 20w very good but limited run times, after 3yrs of occasional use, down to 45 min.
Bottom Line:
A good buy for rec riders and commuters. Serious off roaders on tech terain needing lots of light or long distance riders needing long run times will be disapointed.
Similar Products Used: Nightrider Ni Cad. - expensive, battery failed maybe to hard trail ridding, stoppped trail ridding, battery shorted out.. gave up and got a Nitehawk
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Broomfield, CO USA
Date Reviewed: December 23, 2004
Strengths: price, sealed battery, easy to charge
Weaknesses: Lots. Burn time is about 35 min with both lights going, just barely gets me home before it is going out. Both lights together about as bright as my old single light. Chord "bounces out" of the battery on the slightest bump on the road. Haven't dared to take it off road.
Bottom Line:
I have used this light for about a month now and am sending it back. Last 2 nights I rode home, (it takes about 35-40 min), I was running both lights and by the time I got home they were almost out, very dim! (Temp was about 25 F, so it was cold, but not that cold, today is less than 10! The chord that plugs into the top of the battery keeps popping out when i hit the slightest bump and the lights go out. (It doesn't come completely out, but enough to disconnect.) Too many wires with two lights and two switches. Don't know how it will do in snow and rain, I'm affraid to try. I'm going back to my old light.
Strengths: 10 watt and 20 watt. Wide bright view and a lond distance view. auto Recharging and long enough to leave batter on bike.
Weaknesses: on and off switchs are a pain in the butt.
Bottom Line:
I travel every where on my bike now. To work to shop and to play. night time is my favorite time. Traffic is not so bad and I am also more visible at night. With all my lighting including my Hawks I am very visible. I have a light on each wheel two lights for the rear of my bike and the two nite hawks in front. I am out in the evening about 1 to 2 hours I have not ran out of light yet. These lights are nice really nice and the money for them is great. I just can not see spending more money for a light unless your raceing in the dark I think i still would use them. This is the third set of light I have. They are great. PS I live in Houston TxGood in the heart of traffic. If anyone say they have a hard time installing these lights I wounder if they can change a tire.
Submitted by
Strand
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2003
Strengths: Price, durability.
Weaknesses: The battery is a little large, but that's waht you get for the cash.
Bottom Line:
If you want a little bitty battery reach your short arm down into your deep pocket and grab up the extra $50-100 at the bottom that you missed last time and buy a more expensive light. I've raced in 5-24hr events, spent countless evenings on the trail and not once have my lights let me down, no loose connectors, no failing charger, no yellowing of the lights themselves (nothing that a good charging won't fix). Three years later the battery still holds the same charge / burn time it did when it was new. My set came with velcro straps for the thumb switches, thatmakes them really easy to set up (would be easier without the two piece bar clamps). None of the plastic pieces have ever broken. My friend bought a set and they had some issues, when he took them back to the MEC they switched them with a new set off the shelf right away, the new ones have worked flawlessly for 1yr.
Bike Setup: First a Specialized FSR now the Jamis Dakar Expert (the light has lasted longer than my FSR did)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ian
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2003
Bottom Line:
I thought I would give this light a try, seeing that it was inexpensive and provided bright light. Well, I've sinced returned it. Battery is huge, lights were not providing much more brightness then my 12W Cateye, and there are just too many damn wires, plastic pieces, etc. to leave the light be and ride. I commute and race in about 2 24hr races a year. I want something that is bright and simple to setup, without having to deal with the hassle of tying things together, strapping on light switches. Just not worth saving the extra dollars.
Submitted by
Ian
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2003
Strengths: Bright lights (10 watt & 20 watt); options for mounting; two switches for two lights (pro & con)
Weaknesses: Huge heavy battery; no attachments for light switches; lots of plastic
Bottom Line:
I never wanted to replace my trusty Cateye 12w, but when it finally died I had no choice. I've only used this new light once commuting to work, so this is basically just my opinion when opening the box. This light is inexpensive for the amount of wattage you get (10 watt bulb & 20 watt bulb) but I'm hoping this isn't a case of 'you get what you paid for'. First things first, the water-bottle type SLA battery is huge. Any bigger and it would go beyond being a nuisance. Lots of plastic...will it hold up under the abuse of trail riding? Both a helmet mount and handlebar mount is included, a nice touch. But my biggest gripe is that Nite Hawk doesn't include a way for the actual switches to attach to the bike! They provide zip ties, but come on. And, will the light hold up to riding in the rain? We'll see.
Submitted by
Dean
a Cross Country Rider
from Mill Valley, CA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2002
Strengths: Thumb switches
Weaknesses: Battery too big, bad wiring harness, lights go yellow after a couple of months, burn time too short, 45 min ~ 1 hour.
When I bought these lights there was no trickle charger, so I bought one from night-hawk. After a couple of monthes it failed. The dc connector went south.
The same thing happened with by riding bud. His charger connector went bad and the connector on the wiring harness went bad. We got together one day and traded up all the elements with a third guy and figured the connectors are plain crap.
Phoning night-hawk was dismal. Customer Service executimve extrodinaire "Ted" was about as helpful as seat bag with no patch kit. The customer service for this company is cruel joke.
All I wanted was the dimensions for the DC connector so I could swap out the bad connector and get my system functional. He ran the corporate dogma line at me. *sigh*
Bottom Line:
Save your time. Buy quality. This is an important piece of safty gear - don't go cheap. These lights will let you down.
Similar Products Used: None - first expience - horrid
Bike Setup: Isis - ellesworth
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
T Mo
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2001
Strengths: 30 watts total; independent bar mounted light switches; auto-recharger
Weaknesses: connectors occasionally pop out; doesn't come with helmet mount
Bottom Line:
Great lights and much cheaper than the nite rider products. Very bright and long lasting. Doesn't come with a helmet mount, but one can be purchased from nite hawk. Connectors can pop out during rough rides, but should be able to rig up a solution. Well worth the money to keep you riding during the dark ages.
Submitted by
brandon
a Cross Country Rider
from Albany, CA
Date Reviewed: December 6, 2001
Strengths: Great value, good light output, autocharger
Weaknesses: Heavy battery, messy cords
Bottom Line:
A great value. The autocharger is well worth the price. Although the battery is a bit heavy, and as others have noted, the switches and cord setup could be a lot cleaner, this light really a great value. I also must compliment Nite-Hawks customer service. My original light had some kind of shorting problem. They sent me a new harness, and when that didn't solve the problem, they sent me a new light BEFORE they had recieved my old one.
Submitted by
John G
a Cross Country Rider
from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2001
Strengths: Performance for the price. Under $100cdn you get a 10w and 20w light. Run times are as good as product literature. Seem solid and well made.
Weaknesses: A basic system, no fancy bells or whistles. Heavy battery. Long re-charge times, normal for SLA type batteries. I don't like the velcro attachement style of the thumb switches. Cables can "hang around" when not using the battery or with 1 or both lights removed. Not sure how that could be solved, but it looks a little messy.
Bottom Line:
I think this is an exceptional lighting system for the price. I wasn't sure how often I would use the system, so I didn't want to spend big bucks for something that just sat in the garage. But night riding is awesome. The 20w is plenty of power, and I find I use the 10w mostly during my commute. Strong bike lights seem to buy me additional respect from vehicles. Running both the 20 and 10 creates LOADS of light but run times are short. I like the part interchangability with their other light systems. I do not have the auto-charger, but may order it if the battery is not holding out for my commute, and keep the 2nd charger at work. Temps have only been to -5C so far but the lights/battery were completely unaffected. I hope they are fine in the colder temps as well.
Bottom line: *Pass if you are concerned about the weight and recharge time (look to non-sla battery systems). And if cable neatness counts. *Buy if you want powerful, affordable, solid lights.
Similar Products Used: Compared several other basic light sets.
Bike Setup: Scott Boulder
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Aurora, CO
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2001
Strengths: Price. They are bright. I look like a motorcycle with this on my bike. I have the rechargeable system with the smart recharger. I love riding in the dark. I use this to comute to work. I ride on some trails and some roads to get there. This light makes that comute possible.
Weaknesses: The battery is heavy. I am a little concerned with the battery. The charger never says that I have a full charge, but I still have had plenty of run time on the light so it may be a minor point.
Strengths: Lights are bright, using both 10W and 20W together gives you daylight for about 45 minutes. Can last over 2 hours with 10W alone, still plenty of light. Original bulbs still working.
Weaknesses: connection from switch to light is slip-fit and has come out due to vibration. Should lock-in. Long recharge with my older unit.
Bottom Line:
I am very happy with this light, it has allowed me to bike year-round. Everything is of good quality. Hitting trails and paths at night alone is great. Many freaks out there at night, however, better pack a gun (shoulder rig). The finish on the battery and lights nicely matches my Glock 23. Minus one point for non-positive connections of wire leads to light housing.
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