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Submitted by
Peter
a Racer
from UK
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | London | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | can't remember!! | | Strengths: | Great bright light. Robust construction. Fantastic battery life | | Weaknesses: | Should have bought 2! | | Similar Products Used: | Bought this after having normal non led lights that burned through batteries and gave crap light. Whilst not cheap this has to be one of the toughest, brightest bike lights available for the money. Highly recommended. | | Bike Setup: | Ancient 10 speed traditional racer. | | Bottom Line: | Can't get better than this for the money. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Montytian
a Cross Country Rider
from North England
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | local bike shop | | Strengths: | very reliable, ran half year in british wet weather no failure at all. | | Weaknesses: | no flash mode which you need for city commuting. | | Similar Products Used: | non, first light i have. | | Bike Setup: | orange P7 | | Bottom Line: | very good light if it has a flash mode. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Nielsen Jr.
a Cross Country Rider
from Newfoundland, NJ USA
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$36.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Craft | | Strengths: | Strong wide light when you are caught on the highway at night. Looks great on an unsupported touring bike. All business. | | Weaknesses: | Maybe a "low" level for just a marker light and for use in a tent. | | Bike Setup: | My son and I have Cannondale T800 unsupported touring bikes. | | Bottom Line: | Just a great light. Tough, bright, and dependable. Useful as a full flashlight in the camp and tent at night. We haave used our HL-EL300 light hundreds of hours while crossing the USA several times. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert
a
from Fairfax, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | nashbar | | Strengths: | very bright, enough to annoy oncoming cyclists on the trail. quality construction. has not let me down (commute 32 miles a day roundtrip). solid battery door (screw down knob- will not open on accident). | | Weaknesses: | no flashing mode. | | Bike Setup: | cannondale criterium 3.0 commuter | | Bottom Line: | nice light. good buy. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David O'Man
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington, DC United S of A-- BABY!
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Mary Custis MoFo! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike | | Strengths: | Extremely fragile. Had 2 failures in 4 weeks. | | Weaknesses: | Hard plastic used breaks apart, letting the light fall & destroy itself. | | Similar Products Used: | Planet Bike Super Spot 1W | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Nova with lots of commuter stuff on it: fenders, etc., etc. Love the ride-- steel is real! | | Bottom Line: | Actually destroyed 2 of these headlights. The first one popped off going down hill and promptly destroyed itself, and the second one was breaking up when I noticed that it seemed a little looser than it should be.
Less than a couple weeks use on both. Returned them, and the manager told me the on the second return "these things are junk-- what do you expect for $30?" Well, apparently I expect a lot more!
I would NEVER buy one of these things. I think they're bad, they break easily, and they don't put out that much light.
Bought a planet bike super spot 1w and could not be happier. This thing is amazing! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wilson Poon
a
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Commuter | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Europe Bound | | Strengths: | Bright. Love the moon blue color. First headlight to have 5 focused LEDS. Batteries lasts a lonnnng time. 30hrs run time, 110hr "to be seen". Nice quick release bracket that actually locks the light, unlike the HL-500II mirco bracket which slips because I can't turn it tight enough | | Weaknesses: | The outer protective lens scratches easily. I have to carry it in a plastic bag to not get it any more scratched. It's a little bulky and does not have rubber rings to make it water resistant. The price is a little steep and only comes with one color, black. I think the Japan models comes in transparent, and other funky colors. I thought it would be a little brighter. | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye Hl-500II micro | | Bike Setup: | I use it on both my trek 520 (2000) and Diamondback Response (2001) for winter commutes. Hl-500 rear | | Bottom Line: | I'm a big fan of LEDs. They are small, light, virtually indestructible, very bright and uses very little energy. I think this is the first ever LED only headlight and not a strobe. Under bright streetlights, u can't really see its effect on the road but u will see street signs and car reflectors reflect. It works much better on less lit roads. I deliberately rode at night during the black out. It was so nice when the whole street is only lit up by your headlight :) . I was going around 25km/h and it lit up brilliantly. (They should have blackouts more often.) I've rode it in down pours and no water got in but it would better if they put rubber rings between the case. This headlight lasts so long. I use 100mah NiCd rechargeable batteries and I can't remember the last time I charged them. Each LED is incased in a focus lens. (called Opti Cube). Can't wait till the day when LEDs replace incandescent light bulbs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Terry Hutt
a Weekend Warrior
from Running Springs, CA, ISA
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Smooth, regular light pattern and extended battery life. | | Weaknesses: | Weak off-center brightness | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye micro-halogen, Niterider helmet spots. | | Bike Setup: | Custom Ti | | Bottom Line: | Although they look butt ugly, they do a great job of putting light where you need it. I'm buying a second so I can point one at the road and one into oncoming traffic. Combined with a 10W spot for occasional use, these will get me all the way through a long brevet without having to search for batteries at 2am.
I hear they're not waterproof, but as I live in Southern California, this is not a big deal.
My only gripe is that if you mount them upside-down, the batteries come lose and the light flickers. I think a bit of padding inside the body will prevent this from happening. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christian
a Weekend Warrior
from Concord, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$27.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Bright, cool white light. Tightly focused beam pattern. Extremely long battery life. Easy to quick-release to save weight during day. Long bulb life compared to any other technology. Far cheaper than rechargable solutions. | | Weaknesses: | Not quite bright enough to be used alone. Handlebar mount is difficult to install. | | Similar Products Used: | Cat-Eye MC-200 | | Bike Setup: | Stock Trek 7700 w/ 2 EL-300's up front, 2 LD-600s in rear | | Bottom Line: | If you don't want to buy a pack of batteries every week, and can't afford a professional rechargable system, buy this light. It is efficient and bright enough for everyday use. Even better, buy two. You'll still use fewer batteries but you can double your light output. Aim one up close and one farther away, and you'll be able to ride much faster in the dark. Great value because of the money you'll save in batteries, and not having to remember to recharge. Long run-time means peace of mind when far from home. I only rated good overall because you really need two to get enough light to ride most trails. Still, even one of these lights is surprisingly bright, too bright to look directly into. I can't wait until CatEye finds a way to pack more/brighter LEDs into one of these lights! Until then, pick up one (or more) of these lights. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George Litwinski
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Rail Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$24.00 | | Purchased At: | Big Wheel | | Strengths: | Great for being seeen. Not expensive. Nice quality. Easy on batteries. Easy to remove. | | Weaknesses: | Not enough light for really dark conditions on the street -- even in pairs. Not water-tight. | | Bottom Line: | I have a pair of these mounted and had hoped that that would provide enough light for 15-20 mph riding on dark city streets at night. Close, but not quite. I still need something with some real reach to feel safe. I think that combined with a good halogen of 15+ watts, one of these would make a great, long-lasting backup light to use in less than pitch black conditions. I don't regret buying them, but now feel like I have to add another halogen light to be really safe. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay Perez
a Weekend Warrior
from manila
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Maarat | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | flying ball HK | | Strengths: | bright enough to be used as a be seen. | | Weaknesses: | you wont see its effect until your under total darkness | | Bike Setup: | specialized hard rock | | Bottom Line: | did some urban biking in corinthians. you cannot see the light beam unless under total darkness where the streetlights did not shine. went over a wooden bridge. did NOT see the last step upwards. very embarassing crash in front of some soccer chicks.
no depth perception (or any other perception for that matter) whatsoever. dont buy the light if your looking for a cheap deal. save up for a lithium high powered one. minimal flaming turds for youuuuuuuuuuuu! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a
from Indianapolis, Indiana
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Any low traffic road or trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Hilly Hundred | | Strengths: | Plenty bright enough for headlight use. Like strong moonlight. Bluish, even beam shows fine detail. Four rechargeable NiMh AA batteries burn longer than you will, and let the unit be extremely lightweight. Instant detach means leave it on the bar and you always know where a flashlight is. Cheap and lightweight enough to buy two for double output. | | Weaknesses: | None, a perfect product | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye's one and three led models | | Bike Setup: | One on each side of the stem | | Bottom Line: | A spectacular light! Plus, at the low price, solves the "what to get" problem when you need an impressive gift for a cycling friend. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy Smale
a
from Eastleigh, UK
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Puts out an impressive beam for an LED light - there's a lens around each diode which focusses the light into a smooth oval beam which is just the right size/shape for seeing the way. I reckon the beam brightness is comparable to 3W halogen, and all for 0.5W! | | Weaknesses: | Unfortunately the lenses work a little too well - the light spill outside the main beam is practically non-existent, worse than any normal light and even those awful cheap green LEDS, and I certainly wouldn't use this light on its own - you wouldn't be seen. Also there are no rubber seals so this thing will let in water in the rain (just like my EL100!). | | Similar Products Used: | EL100, EL200 | | Bike Setup: | Road bike/MTB used on-road. | | Bottom Line: | I sent mine back. The technology's got great potential, and you could certainly use this as a see-the-way light alongside a be-seen light, although it would struggle on really wet roads. Could really do with two or three wide-angle LEDS for extra visibility. And I think they really should make these things waterproof for the price.
Having said all that, white LED technology is moving ahead very quickly, and I can't wait to see what comes along next! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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