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Submitted by
Ray
a Cross Country Rider
from State College
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Gettis ridge road | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Peformance on web | | Strengths: | Cheap for wattage, able to be pointed side to side, good mountain system | | Weaknesses: | Reliability, ability to get spares | | Similar Products Used: | An older Peformance light | | Bike Setup: | NA | | Bottom Line: | I went cheap and regret it. The light I have is the dual (10 spot and 15 flood) light set up from a few years back, one generation older than the currect. When it did work, the useful light with both lights on was less than me 10w nite-rider trail rat.
Since they changed the standards of "their" lights I can no longer get spares from them. I think I could go to the compnay that actually made these lights for Perwhormance but I am just throwing in the towel and getting a Jet or Niterider. I suspect it is only the charger that has gone bad so I am going to try to buy one directly from the maker of battery chargers, such as SENS, New MarPower or the like. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Harry
a Cross Country Rider
from Nashua, NH
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Musquash | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | Small, lightwieght, inexpensive and easy to setup. | | Weaknesses: | You will need a bar light for single-track riding but good starter light and cheap. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Trek 930 lx drive train rock shox and avid! | | Bottom Line: | Go with it if you are on a limited budget good bang for the buck. Just plan on buying a bar setup next year. And I don't know what some of the other guys were reviewing this baby comes with an NI/Hydride Battery not lead acid. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken Sechler
a Cross Country Rider
from Frederick, MD
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Frederick Watershed | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | The light was resonably priced, produced a wide bright beam of light and has a good burn time (2+ hours). It is also very compact due mostly to the NiMH battery pack. | | Weaknesses: | The strap from the helmet mount rubbed my head inside the helmet which was uncomfortable, but that can be solved by more careful installation on my part. | | Similar Products Used: | NightRider Trail rat and various home-brew lights. | | Bike Setup: | one-f'n speed baby | | Bottom Line: | This light saved my bacon. I used it during the 12-hours of LODI Farms. It provided a nice wide beam of light which was a godsend since the course was covered with wet slippery roots. It broke my heart when the battery finally died after two and a half hours of use. It's as good as any light out there and the price is right. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cal
a Weekend Warrior
from Fairfax VA
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Waterford Double-Cross | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance store | | Strengths: | Single Pro is lightweight NiMH system, aluminum housing, clever quick-release clamp appears more durable than plastic track, easily adjustable, 15W seems like plenty of light, PRESUMABLY good service. | | Weaknesses: | high battery replacement cost as with all NiMH's, too soon to know others, skimpy product info. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | mountain bike for daily road commuting and weekend trails | | Bottom Line: | Settled on this after:
1. Deciding, based on reviews here about lousy Night Rider service, to avoid that company at all costs.
2. Finding out from the horse's mouth that parts may become very hard to get for Vistalite's discontinued Night Stick system. Remaining systems on shelves are being sold for one-third their original cost in my area but the company told me it no longer has batteries and suggested other parts will be difficult to find.
3. Reading generally positive reviews here about Performance service. Having a store nearby helps and given its large stock of lights, I assume the Viewpoints will be around and serviceable for a while.
Shopping for a light was not fun and I hope not to have to do it again for a very long time.
It's too early for a meaningful rating.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim Choppin
a Weekend Warrior
from Bethesda, MD
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Capital Crescent | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Cheap, powerful, easy set up, returnable | | Weaknesses: | Wiring is suspect, mounting was generally bad until latest version. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Alternate between Bianchi Osprey and Trek 1220 | | Bottom Line: | I have had about 4 of these same lights (always the lead-acid because these things die way too frequently to spend more). Two died of poor wiring. One was crushed after it popped off the bike when I hit a pothole. Each time I returned it and was given a new one. And each one was a little better than the last.
The current version is actually pretty good for my use, commuting. I suspect it would be a little underpowered for hardcore trail riding. The mounting system is easy and secure and the wiring has shown none of the looseness that plagued earlier versions.
The verdict is that this is finally a reliable lighting system powerful enough for commuting and quite affordable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Puzman
a Cross Country Rider
from Wallingford, CT
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | the twisty ones | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | cheap
light (NiMH battery)
seems reasonably well built
good mounting system (mine is the helmet mounted model)
cables/connections seem fine
| | Weaknesses: | light output not so great
Battery just covered with thin plastic; should come with nylon pouch or something
| | Similar Products Used: | Niterider trailrat | | Bike Setup: | LocoMoto | | Bottom Line: | Have used these for three night rides on local singletrack so far. I've charged them overnight with no problems (the battery pack gets pretty warm, though), its easy to find the on/off switch at night, I haven 't run down the battery on rides of just under 2 hrs, and they seem reasonably well built. My major complaint is that they just don't put out that much light. Bombing down singletrack at speed makes me wish there was more light output. I'm thinking about adding a bar mount light. They compare pretty favorably with the TrailRat, which I used all last season.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris
a
from santa cruz
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Campbell Store | | Strengths: | The light's beam was pretty strong. | | Weaknesses: | only 1 mount bracket. battery, though in heavy, seemed a bit flimsy. wiring is poor | | Bottom Line: | I bought this light for commuting (1 hr.) & it would conk out before getting to work (didn't have to worry about the return trip fortunately), though the beam was strong enough to see pavement. I only used it about 3 times when I hung my bike up on the wall (vertically)...immediately afterwards smoke started pouring out of the light piece, so i disconnected the battery. worked 2 more times, then died. Called Performance, the phone rep said that since I didn't still have store receipt & wasn't close to the store, I could mail it to the catalog & receive replacement along w/ check for shipping. I sent it back in the original box w/ the price sticker (99.99) still on it. I ended up getting back a check for 93.68, less than I paid for the light. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Silver Spring, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Very light weight, good brightness, white light, good light spread for commuting. Great price! | | Weaknesses: | I guess I need to further tighten the pitch adjuster because it sometimes points at the sky when I hit a pothole. | | Similar Products Used: | Niterider Trail Rat for 3 years. | | Bike Setup: | Circa 1984 Trek 310 purchased on EBay for $85. Heck, my light cost more than this! | | Bottom Line: | I use the light for a 13 mile roundtrip commute in suburban Washington D.C. My previous light was a Trail Rat whose battery had grown pretty tired over the years. Needless to say, I need something reliable that can be used every day without fail. I looked into buying a NiteRider Digital NiteOwl, but after reading the reviews on this site, it looked like my money could be better spent elsewhere. I've only used the light for a week, so it's too early to draw longterm conclusions, but so far,I'm very pleased with my $99 purchase. It weighs half as much as my old light and is twice as bright. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Donald Jones
a Cross Country Rider
from Shirley,MA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance mail order | | Strengths: | Good beam when it works. | | Weaknesses: | Defective design. There is no strain relief for the electrical wire that enters the lamp. | | Bike Setup: | Commuter | | Bottom Line: | I commute 12 miles each way over some very dark roads. I needed a good light. I used this 12W single beam only a couple of times before the switch began to behave erratically. Shortly thereafter, I switched the light on and a big puff (cloud) of smoke came out of the light followed by a small short flame. The wire entering the lamp had arched and the flame was the burning wire insulation. End of light, beginning of a dark 12 mile commute home in a heavy rain storm.
Prior to the burn-out the beam did meet my lighting needs at an attractive price.
Called Performance, and they said return it. This is the great thing about Performance they're very easy to deal with, but what kind of rating can you give a product that fails so completely after such little use? I really believe a simple strain relief would have prevented this problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
2Elk
a Cross Country Rider
from IL
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Porc Rim | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$135.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | 1)bright
2)relatively cheap
3)great/easy-to-use mount
4)good buttons
5)nice h20 battery bottle
6)high zoot machined light housings
| | Weaknesses: | 1)housings can get extremely hot
2)lead-acid battery is heavy
3)remote switch is superfluous
4)connector is hard to engage | | Similar Products Used: | -Niterider Cyclops
-Cygolite Commuter dual | | Bottom Line: | Let me start by saying I have the ViewPoint 12/12 dual with the lead-acid battery. It's far and away the best lighting system I've owned. I use it mostly for commuting purposes so I can't comment on its offroad toughness, but it's almost overkill for commuting. My commute is only 45 minutes one way so having both lights on the entire commute doesn't even come close to draining the battery. Aside from the actual lighting, my favorite feature is the mount with its swiveling head and independent angle adjustment of each light; great design. The only big downside to the light is its inability to see around corners, but this is obviously an issue with all bar mounted lights, not just the ViewPoint.
In comparison to the other lights I've owned, the Niterider Cyclops was adequate with its 10w bulb, but it uses an incredibly inconvenient mounting system that prevented me from buying another Niterider; not to mention their outrageous prices. The Cygolite was a great value @$60 for a dual beam setup (and fine for mere commuting), but the casing & quality of materials was really lacking; not up to offroad use. I guess you get what you pay for.
In sum, it's hard to beat the ViewPoint in terms of quality or value. Considering it's made by Marwi, you should expect a quality product; and considering it's sold under the Performance name, the value is obviously there too.
Great product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Weekend Warrior
from Bloomington, MN
Date Reviewed: December 16, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Murphy-Hannerhan | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Brightness | | Weaknesses: |
The plug needs to have a clip release of some sort, it can come unplugged on the rough stuff | | Similar Products Used: |
None | | Bike Setup: |
DBR Zetec Comp | | Bottom Line: | I bought the Viewpoint Single because it was the brightest light I could afford and I am extremely impressed. It is on sale there now for $79!! As you can see above, this is the first light I have tried, but I can't imagine needing anything brighter. I will be adding a helmet light soon to be able to see on the really technical singletrack, but for now I am very pleased. Oh yeah, and I somehow knocked the rubber switch cover off while out one night, and Performance shipped me a new one within a week, excellent customer service is why I will buy from them again. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
NHK
a Cross-Country Rider
from Medford, MA
Date Reviewed: December 4, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Fells, 'Nam | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Bright as the sun
Good burn times
Great value | | Weaknesses: |
Contacts
Faulty switch | | Similar Products Used: |
Can only compare to those lights my friends bring | | Bike Setup: |
Stumpy, full XT, 'zocchi | | Bottom Line: | I actually have a Marwi...the people who make the light for Performance (look for 'em). I have had a NiCad helmet mount unit for 2 yrs. At 12 watts, it is brighter than and lasts longer than the NiteRiders and Vistas that people I know ride. When I plug in a 20 watt bulb, the damn thing lights up every nook and cranny but the burn time is cut down (a little over 1.5h). The 12w is plenty for all but the highest speed decents.The switch broke, however. I easily bypassed the switch and now rely on pulling the cord for the switch. I occassionally have to stick a screwdriver into the contacts to keep the light from flickering. EZ fixes. Plus they were very quick in sending me a new cord when I needed one.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ray
a Weekend Warrior
from Baltimore, MD
Date Reviewed: October 27, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Brightness
Quick release
Weight
Smart charger
NiMH battery
Cost | | Weaknesses: |
Run time per charge
Battery shape | | Similar Products Used: |
Cateye MicroHalogen | | Bike Setup: |
Specialized Allez Sport | | Bottom Line: | This is the new Viewpoint SinglePro light from Performance. In comparing this with other lights out there,it is an excellent value. The light itself is a bright 15 watts, and the total weight is little more than 1 pound. The quick release makes it easy to use it on multiple bikes. It is also easily aimed in all directions. Run time is 1.6 hours; it is possible to purchase a longer lasting battery, but you can't substitute it up front. The battery is for water bottle cages, but one side is flat so it doesn't fit as easily as a completely round battery. Overall a terrific light at a terrific price! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Huling
a Weekend Warrior
from Perry Iowa
Date Reviewed: June 29, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Heat dissapates well | | Weaknesses: |
power hog, poor wiring | | Similar Products Used: |
none | | Bike Setup: |
specialized 96 fsr | | Bottom Line: | Bombproof?? Everythings bombproof, it's illegal to
blow crap up. Plastic in the housings cracked, JB
weld fixed em. Wiring went bad, battery craped out. Went to two wire trailer connectors, Powersonic 7AH batteries and soon
a psc-6500A powersonic charger. All lighting systems seem to have problems. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
allen
a Cross-Country Rider
from ral
Date Reviewed: June 23, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
dunn. rd. | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
ability to aim lights to different locations. | | Weaknesses: |
looks cheesy. | | Similar Products Used: |
nightrider | | Bike Setup: |
-y22-,raceface, judy, mavic, xtr | | Bottom Line: | great light setup for single trackin'. you can aim the the spot straight down and shoot the flood out in front of you for better coverage.(my buddy who has the nightrider classic dual, likes mine better!) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Bowles
a Racer
from Keedysville, Md.
Date Reviewed: June 21, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Gambril State Park Yellow Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Blinding output | | Weaknesses: |
The connections at the light can become lose when the terrain gets rough | | Similar Products Used: |
Schwinn mod 4
Jett
Night rider | | Bike Setup: |
GT LTS W/ super deluxe | | Bottom Line: | These lights are bright! They are actually made by Marwi. The beam scatter is very good. I changed from a lead acid battery to a lithium Ion. This reduced the weight from 2.25 lbs to 0.9 lbs. The run time also increased to 3.5 hours at a constant 6V while drawing 12W. Now that's a setup baby! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Craig Smith
a Cross-Country Rider
from San Luis Obispo, CA
Date Reviewed: June 20, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Morning Glory, Santa Lucia Mts, CA | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Individual beam adjustment
Craftsmanship (A+)
Charge duration | | Weaknesses: |
High beam switch. I can't seem to tighten the strap enough around the handlebar, the switch sometimes swivels as a result. | | Similar Products Used: |
Night Rider, Night Sun | | Bike Setup: |
Specialized M2 Stumpjumper | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up to my Feb 21 review. I rode this past winter and spring 2-3 nights a week and these lights are still burning bright. No loss of performance from these babies and no reliability/materials/engineering problems whatsoever. They performed admirably at the 24 hrs of Adrenalin at Lugana Seca and worked when other noteable brands died. But, I did break the handlebar mount during a nasty crash (at night) through a dense eucalyptus grove. I also managed to bend my seat rails as well (leading me to replace the saddle). With all due respect to Rob's May 11 review, I believe any manufactur's light mount would have failed in my crash. Trees and bikes don't always co-mingle in benovolent ways. Tis better to shear a light mount than replace a handlebar. But...and this is important: Perfomance appologized for the mount breaking under those conditions and sent me a new mount, 1st class mail in three days- GRATIS. My previous review still stands. 5 chiles for the product. And 5 more chiles for Performance's customer service, they are the best. Buy these lights and be happy. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob Hartsock
a Cross-Country Rider
from Anchorage, AK
Date Reviewed: May 11, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Llama trail | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
First of all, I did a lot of research into lights before I bought one. With living in AK, having a good light that runs a long time and is dependable is just a neccesity. I decided on the ViewPoint because it was the best blend of price and features (two bulbs, wattage, water-bottle battery, etc.) that I could find. So far, it has been a good performer, and I have been happy with the lights. I really like the design of the two lamps being individually adjustable, and I find the looks striking. The buttons are also very easy to use. | | Weaknesses: |
The worse part on this lighting system is the absolutely cheesy mountin bracket. There is no way around it, THE BRACKET SUCKS. I have crashed twice, and had to replace the bracket both times. It is a very fragile unit that, when you mount it on top, is exposed to taking the brunt of any front end wreck. The bracket will be the main reason that I will deduct two chili's from the overall ranking. Bottom line, if you ride hard at night and are at risk of crashing, do not get this... you will break it. | | Similar Products Used: |
Night Sun. Speciaized little mini-halogen lighting system | | Bike Setup: |
Bontrager Privateer mountain bike with a flat bar by Easton. I mounted the light on top, and I wanted to mount it under the bars, but it was too crowded. | | Bottom Line: | Great lights, crappy mounts. This is great for the commuter who is riding in darkness a ton (like me, an ALASKAN who commutes all year long, when the days are only four hours long and it is snowy and minus 20 outside!!) Serious train riders might want to try something else.... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ray
a Cross-Country Rider
from State College, PA
Date Reviewed: May 3, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
price
smart charger | | Weaknesses: |
uneven pattern | | Bottom Line: | I like the light overall, glad I bought it. The pattern is a bit spotty, tricking me with shadows. Seems very tough, hard to break. I only wish Performance would give you a second mount standard, instead of charging you an extra $10. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Super V Jim
a weekend warrior
from Misawa, Japan
Date Reviewed: February 26, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Picked the Performance Single Pro based on spec's & price versus all the other brands I could find on the Net. I'm sure there's brighter, maybe even higher quality lights out there, but it's quite a deal at $120 for a 15W light and ni-cad battery. 15W with a +/- 20 degree beam is plenty of light for all but the highest speed descents and I normally get at least two hours of riding time in; I just flip the light off when we stop for breaks under the moonlight. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Warthog
a cross-country rider
from Livingston, NJ
Date Reviewed: February 24, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had these lights for over 2 seasons now and I am very happy with them. The light output is phenomenal! They are individually adjustable, which is very important. I have done some experimental work with friends to compare light output of different products (including Cateye, Vista, NiteRider, etc.) to determine which throws the most light. The Performance is at the top of the line. The one drawback, however, is the run time. Although Performance rates them at 1-1/2 to 2 hours, in truth, I have never really gotten over an hour. I usually use both lights for downhills (about a third of the time) and then just the low beam for the most part. I have the NiCad waterbottle battery. To remedy this problem, I bought another lead acid battery that I put on my second waterbottle cage and just quickly switch batteries when the big one runs out. This is a bit inconvenient, but it works great. And just think, riding with all that battery weight really gets you in shape for daylight rides! I love the lights and would recommend them, not to mention they are a geat value! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
craig smith
a cross-country rider
from San Luis Obispo
Date Reviewed: February 21, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I have the dual beam model with the lead acid battery. This unit really puts out the light and illuminate the trail nicely. They supply more than enough light to ride swiftly and really bomb down hill. I get about 2 hours run time by using the high beam (24 watts) mostly for decents. The low beam (12 watt flood) really lights both single track and fire roads amazingly well. The light units are a good example of quality craftsmanship and are extremely durable...machined from aluminum and individually adjustable. They are also easy to mount on the bar and don't vibrate or disconnect themsleves from the bike in the event of a crash. A friend has the same unit but with the Nic battery. His works well too, but offers a bit more light on the high beam. Without question, these lights are the most light for the buck ($140/$190). I highly recommend these lights for anyone and any conditions. 5 chiles and a Corona. | | Overall Rating: |
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