Submitted by
Rob White
a Cross Country Rider
from London Date Reviewed: December 22, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Glentress
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
Internet
Strengths:
Bright
Weaknesses:
Mists up, Bracket poor
Similar Products Used:
Cat Eye Tripleshot
Bike Setup:
Giant Anthem 1
Bottom Line:
This light mists up even in dry conditions. It jumps up and down over bumps so I have to sticky tape it on every time. I contacted Lupine who sais they do mist up and gave me a complictated procedure to cure it, but it still mists up. They could not help me fix the bracket either. This is utter rubbish for the high price paid.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Braham
a Weekend Warrior
from Denton, TX Date Reviewed: December 20, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$625.00
Purchased At:
trinity
Strengths:
Quality, output (WOW!), weight, so simple. You can customise power output, reserve tank, etc. Good on the HB or Helmet. Compatibility between every Lupine component, upgrade Kits by Lupine(DIY)
Weaknesses:
no swivel to sides which could be a problem with some HB. I just use it close to the stem where my bar is flat (it's a Low riser) I don't like very much the extension cable (maybe I'm picky) but it doesn't look as fancy as the rest of the components
Similar Products Used:
Jetlite phantom (Phenomenal), ARC Li-ion (awesome) and some cheap commuter Cateyes
Bike Setup:
5 inch trail bike
Bottom Line:
I'm amazed by the light output of this puppy. The color is so smooth and pleasant, so even. I found the beam to be more narrow than the ARC which is extremelly wide but I like the color much more. It's difficult to describe in words. I run it at 60% most of the time to save battery and I'm pretty comfortable at this setting with my other helmet light (Dinotte 200L) You can program the PVC switch almost for a wakeup alarm, it's amazing. There are very good lights that cost half but the product is outstanding and if you have the opportunity, spend the cash. The other good thing is that Lupine offer upgrades and everything they have is compatible so you can buy a bigger battery and not worry about the conectors or mounts like with other companies!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Tinley
a Cross Country Rider
from Lymington, Hampshire, UK Date Reviewed: December 14, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Afan Skyline
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Bright, although too narrow beam
Weaknesses:
Lens fogging, Poor bracket with no adjustment and moves when riding rough ground, Poor after sales
Similar Products Used:
Cateye Triple shot, which is a much better product
Bike Setup:
Giant Trance 1 and On0One Inbred
Bottom Line:
I had to cobble the unit to my On-One Inbred with cable ties as the bracket has no adjustment left or right. Even though this is a brand new light, never used in wet conditions, the lens misted up to the extent that the light output was affected the first time it was used. This happens every time after about 20 minutes. When fitted to Trance, the light jumps up and down over rough ground. Although the light is a little brighter than my Cateye Tripleshot, it is a narrower beam. I prefer the wider beam from the Cateye. Besides which, the Cateye has PLENTY of light for serious off road use. I emailed Lupine who were unhelpful and in the end plain RUDE. I have now got my money back and will save it for the next generation of Cateye!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Peter Barlow
a
from Penn Bucks UK Date Reviewed: November 9, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Bottom Line:
Posted - 09 November 2007 : 09:31:20 AM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've a Wilma 4. I had a real good look at all the Wilmas (4,6,8). For the money and performance for the type of riding I do, i.e I dont do allnight rides solo and am very unlikly to either. But 3/4 hours on a club ride the Wilma 4 was the best bet. All the reviews were good and most said that it was the top light. The Wilma 4 lasts 3 / 4 hours easy and throws a great light pattern.It is a very clever light with no sudden switch off or flashing. You have the ability to "Tune" the light to what ever level of lighting you want i,e 50% for commuting and 100% for off-road with all sorts of things in between,S-O-S-flash and something called "superflash" which emits a super bright light for when the helecopters looking for you in the dark. It also has a "get you home,reserve tank".The fitting kit is the easy'st and most stable I have used. It has a smart charger which means you wont mess up the very small and light battery,which fixes to the frame. So you leave your bottle carriers free for drinks etc.I got mine off E-Bay, brand new,all the bits in a sealed box for about £230.There is a kit to convert a Wilma 4 to a 6 which costs about £70 and gives you two more led's. Possible upgrade in the future perhaps. Check out the reviews on mbr.co.uk.Pete :-) http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=6503 http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Lights/product_125509.shtml
Submitted by
Phil
a Racer
from Medway, Kent, UK Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Smooth tarmac
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$750.00
Purchased At:
cyclestore.co.uk
Strengths:
Ssssssssso powerful
Weaknesses:
Cost
Bike Setup:
Specialized Roubaix
Bottom Line:
Got this today, (actually the wilma 6 version) charged it - put it on the bike and went out into the night - I was with 3 other guys and didn't fire it up at first just to get aclimatized to the amount of light being produced by their bikes. After a couple of minutes of following behind i turned the light on and WOW!!! The other guys all stopped as they thought a car was about to hit them - such was the strength of the beam from this amazing light. The spread of the beam is ideal for road riding, i don't know about off road, as i'm not into that kind of racing, but the reach was ample. I did find myself looking at the light on the road and ignoring everything else, bit like rabbit in the headlights type thing, but i'm sure this novelty will wear off :-) Not often you buy something that actually exceeds your expectations, (and believe me i was expecting a lot, after reading virtually every blog and review i could find) but this is one of those rare occassions when you blow a whole load of money, but feel justified after the fact. Expensive - sure Well made - defo
would i recommend it - If you've got the cash, or room on your credit card - DO IT.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark Harris
a Cross Country Rider
from Wellington, New Zealand Date Reviewed: June 25, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Ridgeline
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$620.00
Purchased At:
www.asutsitrail.com
Strengths:
Best lighting (830 lumens - HID equivalent), long burn times, low weight, ulta reliable, mains & 12V charging.
Weaknesses:
Cost.
Similar Products Used:
Use with a 3W LED headlamp as backup (never needed yet)
Bike Setup:
Trance 1
Bottom Line:
Lots of money, but light=safety and reliabilty=more time riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike Kuhn
a Racer
from Allentown, PA, USA Date Reviewed: January 17, 2007
Favorite Trail:
I'm easy
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
GretnaBikes.com
Strengths:
Color of light, system weight, system size, mounting ease and simplicity, charge and burn times, remote -- overall a very well designed and thought out product
Very Sweet light system from great group of guys. I've been lucky to know the crew at GretnaBikes for a little while and have had the opportunity to try several of the Lupine systems in past. The Wilma 4 plain rocks and may be my favorite. Though not the most powerful of the Lupines, the Wilma 4's complete package is perfect combo of weight, power, simplicity, and cost.
I mount the entire light system to the bars and stem - light, remote, and battery with nothing attached to anything but the cockpit. How great is that? No wires to the frame. No bag in the way of bottles. The system is so light weight I hardly notice that the entire system is on the bars. The bulb whiteness and beam pattern are spot on (I do out run this light once in a while, but I'm really moving when I do). The ease of mounting and the ingeniously simple quick release make transfer between bikes/removal/installation a snap. The remote gives you all the pertinent info so you can get out of the woods with some light left and the remote mount is as nice as the light. All this from an LED light system.
You won't find a better similarly powerful light from anyone --- give the guys at GretnaBikes.com a yell and get one for yourself.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, Alberta Date Reviewed: November 13, 2006
Favorite Trail:
river valley
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
gretna bikes
Strengths:
Works in the cold. Ability to compensate for cold or aging batteries. Very important where I live. Keeps setting between usages. Very light weight. Lots of user options. Unreal runtime on lowest settings. 24 to 30 hours.Can be upgraded as LED technology improves. High setting is brighter than 15 watt halogens. Simple mounting. "Super flash" mode is great in heavy traffic.
Weaknesses:
Cost.
Similar Products Used:
Cateye, blt's with modifications. niterider digital nite owl. warm weather designed Battery protection circuits cause premature shutdowns on rides even though the batteries do have the juice to do the job.
Bike Setup:
Lightning Phantom recumbent setup for commuting/touring. studded Nokians for winter commuting.
Bottom Line:
This is the Leica of bike lights. Works in the cold. Tough. The battery pack is the size of my Alien toolkit. Get the switch holder accessory. extra protection for the switch. The money I've spent over the years, trying to find something to work, could have paid for this. Recent improvements in LED's [Cree's] mean's the end of end of halogen and HID's for portable use. Works as advertised.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jeff Oatley
a Racer
from Fairbanks, AK, USA Date Reviewed: April 4, 2006
Favorite Trail:
The Iditarod Trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Gretnabike.com
Strengths:
Versatility, Power, Quality
Weaknesses:
None that I can find
Similar Products Used:
Niterider, Light & Motion, Vicious Power, Cateye, Princeton Tec, Petzl...just about everything out there.
Bike Setup:
Ti Hardtail
Bottom Line:
This light is amazing!! It is a tool and a very good one. Easily the best light I have ever used.
It is extremely bright at its highest power setting...comparable to the low power setting on any HID light. Plus it can be programmed to run at reduced output levels which can stretch the run times to ridiculous legths.
If you are looking for one light that you can use for 24 hour racing, recreational dirt riding, adventure racing, commuting...whatever you can think of, THIS IS THE ONE.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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