Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, Canada Date Reviewed: October 4, 2009
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At:
geomangear
Strengths:
Light weight - you don't even notice when it is mounted to your helment.
Very nice beam pattern and plenty of high quality light. It has a nice natural color temp unlike many other LED lights that are very blue.
Weaknesses:
Questionable run time. The low battery indication will sometimes come on in as little as 30min of high beam. After using a light a motion li-ion arc for 2 years before this I had come to expect 3-4 hours on high beam. You'll be lucky to get 2 hours of high beam out of the battery that comes with the Tesla 4.
Terrible battery charger. Seriously, probably the worst I've ever encountered. It won't change the battery unless it is pretty much completely dead, so you can't keep your battery topped up for a ride, thus leading to the questionable run time.
Bottom Line:
At this price you expect perfection. The light unit is spectacular, but all the periferals suck. I'm sure I can buy a better battery and charger for $50 from China.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
radirpok
a Cross Country Rider
from Budapest, Hungary Date Reviewed: July 30, 2009
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$300.00
Strengths:
BEAM!!! That's what matters really, at least for me. High-med-low beams are just right. Also light build quality, and overall quality (Lupine for sure). Head unit is light (~100 gramms), if you intend to put it on your helmet you won't feel it's there. Also, I like the mounting system - it is simple and tool-free.
The light runs for about 8 hours on its medium beam, which is what I use the most - this means that I don't have to worry about charging the battery every time I go out for a spin.
Weaknesses:
Pretty much everything ;-)
- no external PCS version available (which is what you'd want if you used the light on the bar)
- low voltage sensor is too sensitive - it turns red after only ~30 minutes of high beam
- low voltage signal is DANGEROUS - it turns off the light for a second. Now if you are going down a hill with 30mph then good luck for you...
- PCS is not programmable (but now you can buy an upgraded version), it's not a big deal though, since the beams are just right
- beam curve has a funny artifact around it with some hexagonal pattern. It's annoying first, but later you forget about it, and you won't see it really
- battery charger doesn't charge the battery to the full ~8.2V - it will turn off at about ~7.8V (?). WTF?
- helmet mount is superb, but I had to apply some duct tape otherwise the mounting rubber wouldn't hold the light in place (the "bar" is too thin and slippery) - no big deal, but guys, this is an expensive "luxury" light - would you like if you had to apply duct tape to your Rolls-Royce?
- price is not competitive anymore
Similar Products Used:
Lupine Wilma; Dinotte lights - 200L, 600L; Sigma EvoX; Light&Motion ARC (just tried); and of course Cateye blinkers ;-)
Bottom Line:
It is the perfect road light because of the beam pattern - shines FAAAR and still doesn't blind oncoming drivers, and has a nice spill around it.
It is also a great MTB light - in fact I've been using it without my helmet light (600L) for some time now and usually it's OK.
It was a bit expensive when I bought it (it was one of the first 5 units ever shipped to the country :-)), but that was almost a year ago. Now its _very_ expensive, especially because you can buy it's chinese brother for about the fifth of the price. I'm still loving it though, and can't give it bad ratings because it is such a great light, even if you consider its weaknesses.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bendruce
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia Date Reviewed: July 20, 2009
Favorite Trail:
The Dandenong Ranges
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Online at Virtuascap
Strengths:
This is an good light for the money. Good strength with really great beam pattern. I like the size of the unit. The burn time on the battery is pretty good and the battery locates well.
Weaknesses:
I was disappointed when a friend pointed out that he had bought almost the exact same light from China. Which came first I don't know.
Similar Products Used:
NiteRider Trinewt
Bike Setup:
Fixed-gear commuter
Bottom Line:
Good light for the money. Great spread of light. Could do with a major looks overhaul. Gutted that you can get the same thing from China.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Peter Shipard
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia Date Reviewed: July 9, 2009
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Virtuascape
Strengths:
Outstanding beam pattern with awsome brightness. They claim 700 lumen output but in use it seems a lot brighter. Have an old Niteflux photon max (800 lumen) and the Lupine is in another league!! Also very compact and light and has the build quality of a swiss watch. If you are thinking of buying a bike light, do yourself a favour and buy this light.
Weaknesses:
Stretching the rubber mounting band with cold hands can be a chore.
Similar Products Used:
Niteflux photon max
Bike Setup:
Mongoose Cannan xc
Bottom Line:
Bike light of the year!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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