Description:This light sets a new standard in brightness for an alkaline battery lamp, producing over 1500 candlepower from a single white LED. With the use of the latest in LED design, and Opticube lens technology, this light is a full 50% brighter than the 2005 model of HL-EL500.
Submitted by
the haro master
a Weekend Warrior
from tucson ,az Date Reviewed: August 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
fantasy island
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Bright, easy to mount, easy to turn on
Weaknesses:
kinda big but doesn't really bother me
Bike Setup:
Haro Escape 08
Bottom Line:
Very nice light this my first light and does a good job.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Peter Treloar
a Downhiller
from Sydney, NSW, Australia Date Reviewed: July 14, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Bike Commute Home
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
Looked like a more serious commuting headlight to purchase after reading reviews here, especially as compact battery mount.
Weaknesses:
Lasted one night before launching itself off my handlebars when going over a minor bump. Now broken, not sure how to fix.
Similar Products Used:
Planet Bike Blaze Half Watt Led
Bike Setup:
Trek 7200 Hybrid
Bottom Line:
Done my dough as bought new on ebay & when contacted Cateye in Oz was given the run around. No warranty with ebay purchases. Have now lashed out for a Dinotte L200.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
George
a Weekend Warrior
from Tulsa Date Reviewed: February 17, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Well constructed. Can survive being dropped. Easy on/off.
Weaknesses:
not very bright
Bottom Line:
I have been disappointed with this light. This was the first bike light I've purchased, but it doesn't appear to put out any more light than a $5-$10 flash light. The beam shoots out a mildly bright narrow beam which gradually transitions to a fuzzy halo around the middle of the beam. You can't see well either side of you.
This light is bright enough to make you visible to other bikers and drivers, but not bright enough to see comfortably any distance on a dark road.
I think of this light is nothing more than mounting a cheap flash flight to the handlebars.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
simon
a Cross Country Rider
from newbury, uk Date Reviewed: November 25, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$90.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
Good amount of light for the money and uses 4x AA batteries. Long burn time. Quick and easy to remove from mount, switch is easy to use with gloves on.
Weaknesses:
The mount, it really is bad. I took the mount off my bike over the summer and put it back on again for the winter, I think I'll leave it on in future as it'll probably break if I take it off and put it back on again. Difficult to get mount to do up tight enough with the thumb wheel (no screwdriver slot) and even when its on it doesn't hold the lamp very stable.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Giant Terrago used for on/off road commuting every day.
Bottom Line:
There's enough light to get me down unlit back roads and a short section through the woods but not at full speed. However, you get what you paid for, this cost £45 (welcome to rip off Britain) whereas a light set up for full speed cross country racing would cost a minimum of £200. Burn time is quoted at 50 hours, I've never run it that long but it'll certainly go 20 hours with no loss of brightness before I recharge the batteries. Light is quite blue with a strong central spot and a fairly diffuse "halo" giving a good spread. Aim it (if the mount would only hold it fixed!) about 15m in front of the bike and the flood lighting is good enough to light upto the main spot.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gerry
a Weekend Warrior
from hicksville, New York Date Reviewed: November 8, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
ebay as part of a package
Strengths:
Easy and quick to install. Takes four easy to find AA batteries. Nice combination of spot and flood. Light weight without the need for a heavy seperate battery pack and the included wiring. Low price for a light of this brightness.
Weaknesses:
Mount is a little flimsey. Probably not adaquate for dark country roads where high speeds can be attained going down hills where you would "out run" the beam.
Similar Products Used:
First light ever.
Bike Setup:
Raleigh Super Couse road bike. Mostly Shimano 600 components precurser to Uletgra.
Bottom Line:
I am a road biker. Since most of my major rides are on the weekends I take a very flat 10 mile ride from my house during the week after work. I treat it like a time trial to get in a good 35 minute workout. During the winter months it is dark so I decided to outfit my 3rd road bike with lights. This is my first experience using lights of any kind. Since the roads I use this on is flat, and fairly well lit with street lights and nearby stores the light is used for oncoming cars as much to light the road. For my use this light suits the purpose. There is only one 1/8th mile stretch where there are no lights and while not great the light was good enough. There is a good mix of spot light and outer flood to light the ground up to around 15-20 yards. More than enough to cover my 16-17 mph speed. I found the mount not that strong but I assume since my route is flat will hold up. As suggested I can get a stronger one from Cateye. I think for my purposes anything brighter would be over kill. However as mentioned I wouldn't suggest using this on a a dark hilly country road where you no only could out run the beam but I don't think it would be bright enough to make me feel comfortable. For my purpose on lit streets and possibly for a commuter this light would be great. I gave it a 5 for value for obvioius reasons and "only" a 4 for overall because this light is fine for my use there are much brighter lights out there.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bod
a Cross Country Rider
from Kent, UK Date Reviewed: November 4, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$75.00
Strengths:
Good spot light for up to 20 yrds in front of you.
Weaknesses:
Poor mounting causes light to slip, so needs constant adjustment on bumpy raos surfaces
Bottom Line:
I cycle to communte and use unlit country lanes. This light is very poor for lighting your way if you want to maintain any sort of cycling speed. Good to spot road surface for up to 20 yrds but no good for lighting way. It is good however for being seen in lit areas.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a
from Denver, co usa Date Reviewed: October 27, 2007
Favorite Trail:
any place I can pass cars
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
rei
Strengths:
The light provides a bright spot beam that lights up far away objects.
Weaknesses:
The first year I had this light it worked great. Second year the light is working intermittently. If I hit a bump, light goes dim, hit another bump light goes bright. Also the mount constantly needs adjusting to keep light pointing straight ahead.
Similar Products Used:
Nite-Rider Road Rat
Bike Setup:
Bianchi Pista, Trek 520
Bottom Line:
The light works great as an expensive flash light, your hand is the mount and there is no jarring movements to cause light to dim. The light does not work well on a bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Florida Date Reviewed: September 25, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$45.00
Strengths:
Uses four AA batteries. Decent burn time --- but MUCH less than claimed by Cateye. Actual useful burn time is about 15 - 20 hours before light dims
Weaknesses:
Stock mount is REALLY bad.
Similar Products Used:
Other battery lights --- finally got a halogen rechargeable
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher X-Caliber, Schwalbe Big Apple tires, Thudbuster seatpost
Bottom Line:
Two EL-530s provide adequate light with fresh batteries, but dim after about 15 hours. Finally decided to buy a halogen rechargeable. The stock Cateye Flex-Tight bracket is garbage. Fortunately, decent mounts with cam locks are available for $2.75 (+ $2.00 for shipping) from tne "Small parts store" on the CatEye website (http://www.cateye.com/store/parts.php?cid=2_74). Currently, I use the EL-530 as a back up for my Jet Lite rechargeable. The Jet Lite has never failed, but I feel a spare light is a good idea. Also, the quick release on the EL-530 make it a handy flash light for roadside repairs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wes
a Cross Country Rider
from Norfolk Date Reviewed: September 9, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Ipswich
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Easy to mount, easy to adjust. Lightweight. Compact.
Weaknesses:
Weak mount.
Similar Products Used:
Cheap LED Lights
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher 29er Rig. Ergon Grips. Brooks Conquest Saddle. 36x14 for singlespeed city cruising on Schwalbe Big Apple tires.
Bottom Line:
You get what you pay for. For $50, this is a darn good light, but don't bring a knife to a gunfight: This is a light designed for commuting and the occasional 24-hour road event. It is not made for racing downhill at night through the woods. I've used the Cateye EL-HL500 for a couple of years now, and just purchased my first EL-HL530. I'm expecting the 530 to perform just as well as the 500. The major weakness is the mount- it's just not that strong. After having my light fall off while descending high speed on the road. I now backup the mount with a small bungee cord, just to be on the safe side.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lloyd
a Weekend Warrior
from South Jordan, UT Date Reviewed: August 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
The One Leading Home
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Perfomancebike.com
Strengths:
Lasts for a fairly long time, takes AA-Batteries (Very easy to carry back-ups!) GREAT for being seen while commuting without breaking the bank. Plenty of light for city streets unless you are in the boonies!
Weaknesses:
Not particularly wide center beam, Mount is a bit wussy. (Did stay on after one particularly messy crash involving a orange construction sign though.)
Similar Products Used:
Trek something or other, way old. Mark I eyeball and ambient light.
Bike Setup:
Raleigh Mojave 8.0 ('06) Fairly stock with Cane Creek Ergo II bar ends (LOVE 'em) and extra squishy seat.
Bottom Line:
This is a great commuter light especially if you are not wanting to break the bank. If you are trying to ride off road XC, or downhill with this light.... you are an idiot, it is not designed for that. duh... I can get great reflections off of street signs from well over 150ft away, which means the idiot driver I am approaching will see me coming. I can see big potholes and obstacles a bit better and glass really sparkles pretty too. 4-AA batteries and resonable burn time make this the best of the pack for a mid priced light. If you want more pay more.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
lucyfek
a Cross Country Rider
from waukegan, il, usa Date Reviewed: June 21, 2007
Favorite Trail:
any trail
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
performancebike or nashbar
Strengths:
compact and light - convenience, long lasting (at the price of brightness), uses AA batteries (or rechargeables - which don't work to its full potential for reasons explained in weaknesses), older el500 model could be easily swapped between bikes if you had extra mount (i had from old cateye headlight)
Weaknesses:
it may be bright when shone into eyes (not advised) but not necessarily on trails. the beam is somewhat narrow and may not be sufficient on winding trails (especially if dirt/pavement is dark/low contrast). no flash mode (use another light). light can be improved by swapping the 1W LED for 3W LED (24$ or less and some work) - the difference is HUGE (winding trails opens for night ride). the disassembly uncovered the biggest weakness of light - passive power circuitry - this means that ~50% of power is wasted on resistors "regulating" voltage/current supplied to LED. so much more burn time at full brightness and better rechargeable compatibility could be had if active circuitry was used instead.
Similar Products Used:
CatEye HL-EL500 - my review is based on this older model but i doubt much has changed (reading others complains and comparing with my own experience). the mount change is not the right direction as this requires adjustment for every ride if you don't want to always keep it on handlebar (though it's supposedly a snap with flextight mounting bracket) Planet Bike Alias Sport 10W - light output of EL-500 modded with 3W led is ~comparable, but whiter and beam is narrower, regular 1W led can't match it (sad but true)
Bike Setup:
heavily (i mean lighten up) modified giant Yukon and cannondale r300
Bottom Line:
it's ok when you compare it to other led flashlights, but you'd better had good night vision if planning to ride some dark winding trails or roads with incoming traffic. the convenience of single piece/compact body is the biggest advantage.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bruce
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, WA, Australia Date Reviewed: June 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Little Oven
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
Amazon.com
Strengths:
i guess its pretty bright...
Weaknesses:
the stated 10hrs burntime on the packaging is a joke, and don't get me started on the "up to 90hrs burntime" marketing BS!!!; No flash mode; beam pattern is very narrow; mounting clip feels cheap.
Similar Products Used:
Cateye halogen, cheapo ebay leds.
Bike Setup:
2005 Giant NRS stock
Bottom Line:
Seriously, I wonder how Cateye comes up with their burntime figures. Maybe i've got a dud but using 4x Duracell alkalines i was only able to get ~5hrs worth of road illuminating burntime. After that its more useful as a warning light but oops, cateye forgot a flashing mode there! whats worse is that at low level light, brightness dims extremely fast. It literally blacked out on me 10mins into my 50min ride home one night - and the light has only been used for about 450mins beforehand (ie not even close to the stipulated 5400mins or 90hrs!!!!)
In terms of the beam pattern, the light throws a pretty tight spot surrounded by a large ring of light which isn't very useful as already mentioned in other reviews. Don't even think about using it for night trail riding without other backup lights.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: June 6, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Pontiac Lake, MI
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Nashbar
Strengths:
reasonable price, easy install, small package without cords/battery packs etc, decent battery life
Weaknesses:
not a real wide beam, mounting clip broke easily - at least a replacement one was available and cheap on Cateye website
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel F/S
Bottom Line:
I wouldnt ride anything extreme with this light but it is fine for basic riding. sure it doesnt compare with alot of other lights out there but it is also a tenth of the price of some of them. you get what you pay for and for the $50 i paid it was very worth it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Emily
a
from Medford, MA, USA Date Reviewed: April 23, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
The nice thing about this light is that it's pretty bright, it's self-contained, and it can last all night on one set of batteries if necessary. Realistically, you'll need to change them once to maintain full brightness, but once is all. It's also nice that it uses plain ol' AA's that you can buy at any convenience store anywhere, instead of a rechargable battery pack that does you no good once it's depleted. It can mount to different sizes of bars or auxiliary light mounts, although the mount isn't actually that easy to use. It's certainly bright enough for commuting, and good enough for a primary light source for overnight brevets if you have good night vision and aren't descending too fast. I used it this past weekend for a 24-hr road ride on pothole-ridden New England roads, and it was okay, but since I do all my long distance riding on a fixed gear I don't descend all that fast anyway.
Weaknesses:
The beam pattern is really bad, for starters. It has a very wide and sort of bright ring around the outside, and then gets progressively dimmer towards the center. In the middle is a fairly narrow, sharply defined really bright spot. Needless to say, this isn't really very useful; you'd get a better beam pattern with no lens at all than you get with the lens on this light. It's surprising to me that a company that makes such a big deal about advertising its "opticube" lens technology would make a light with such an obviously bad lense. Actually, I think that the beam pattern is enough worse than last year's model that even if this year's is technically brighter, last year's is easier to see by! The mount is another weak point, IMO. The little screw thing that you use to tighten the plastic hose-clamp-like band is actually really hard to turn, even before it gets tight, so mounting the light is a really slow and laborious process. The mount allows for a bit of swivel, but doesn't really quite apply enough friction to keep it from moving when you ride over bumps, so you periodically have to point it back where you want it (and the beam pattern is such that it really needs to be exactly where you want it). Also, after about six hours or so I noticed that the light was really rattling a lot. It turned out that the little screw that holds the mounting bracket onto the light was coming loose. It wasn't hard to tighten it down and it didn't come loose again, but that doesn't inspire confidence. I have used last year's model (EL-500) for a couple of seasons, and had some trouble with its case not really being waterproof and the whole thing crapping out sometimes. The first one I had worked fine until I commuted with it in the rain a few times, and then it just stopped working. I had a second one that worked fine for a ride when I was in torrential rain for about 14 hours, and it was still working up until Friday afternoon when I was getting ready for the 24 hour ride I just went on. I put in fresh batteries, and then it wouldn't turn on. I'd planned to use both together, and ended up just using the new one because the old one (still less than a year old) just crapped out. The case is similar enough between this year's and last year's that I doubt they did anything to improve its reliability. I just ordered a Princeton Tec Corona Bike, which is a little cheaper and which was highly recommended by someone else doing the same kind of riding.
Similar Products Used:
Cateye EL500, EL410, Various from PlanetBike, Various others
Bike Setup:
Steel fixed gear set up for randonneuring.
Bottom Line:
It'll do the job in a pinch, but the mount is annoying to use and isn't really strong enough, I wouldn't count on its reliability, and the beam pattern is awful. If it's all you've got or can get, it'll do the job, but I think there are plenty of better choices. I think Cateye is having their marketing department design the stupid things instead of real engineers or bike riders.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben Hibberd
a Downhiller
from Kent, England Date Reviewed: March 29, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Woods, Fast Downhill
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Long battery life and bright
Weaknesses:
beam is no where near wide enough for me. all my cycling i do is at night through the woods. i find the clip that grips the handlebar wasnt strong enough it just used to tilt down when riding rough. so i bought a different bracket. cateye H-32 and that holds it ok. when im going fast i tend to use my cateye ABS-20N there is no comparison. lights the woods up like a football field! lol
Bike Setup:
2006 carrera Banshee, cateye ABS-20N @ EL530 lights and hope mono 6 ti front & rear disks.
Bottom Line:
not bad for being seen or blinding cars on country roads when they dont turn there full beam off, but not a wide enough beam.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fran
a Weekend Warrior
from North Yorkshire, UK Date Reviewed: March 13, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$72.00
Purchased At:
www.cyclexpress.co.uk
Strengths:
At 1500 candle power its the most powerful LED AA battery light I believe is available at present. Very good spotlight - not so good flood which is why I use two together. The main reason I bought these though is their long battery life. I use them for commuting a ten minute ride every evening mon-fri and they lasted 12 weeks approx (on the supplied alkaline batteries). My old halogen would only last about 1 week. Much more compact than I imagined. They look cool especially in pairs! I've also used mine as a handy torch for the house.
Weaknesses:
Wide beam pattern is a bit weak - best use two together. Very minor: the switch is so easy to flick on that on occasion I have caught it in the day with my sleeve and not realised. Another minor point: I bought two units (one in a set and one single) and the emitted light varies in colour. One is distinctly more blue than the other unit which is whiter.
Similar Products Used:
Cheapy halogen battery lights!
Bike Setup:
I bought the twin light set of the EL530 and the TL-LD 1100 rear light(also fantastic). I also bought a single EL530 so I could have twin lights up front. Specialized Rockhopper 06 with disk brakes (disk brakes are over-rated in my opinion! - ah well ya live and learn).
Bottom Line:
Unless you're a regular hardcore night-riding mountain biker riding in very technical terrain I see no reason why anyone would want light sets that come with hefty battery packs and an equally hefty price tag.
I prefer the flexibility of battery lights to the external re-chargeable battery type. Just buy some re-chargeable Ni-MH batteries for hi drain gadgets (2100mAh or over) and you're laughing. Highly recommended
Price paid for single EL530 unit: £35.99 Price paid for set with EL530 & TL-LD 1100: £49.98
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Terance Call
a Cross Country Rider
from Rigby, ID 83442 Date Reviewed: February 14, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Kelly Canyon Loop
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
Dave's Bike Shop on eBay
Strengths:
IT’S POWERFULLY BRIGHT. HAS A LARGE AND DISTANT LUMINANCE PATTERN. 1500 Candle Power of clear, white light. Easy to use: battery installation and changing; simple and fast on/off switch. Very secure mounting. It’s durable, water proof and shock resistant.
Weaknesses:
Haven't seen one yet. Works well each and every time I use it.
Similar Products Used:
Nothing quite like it, for the cost and features.
Bike Setup:
Near Vintage Trek 8000, in cherry condition...a real tough and dependable bike. I love 2 ride it...
Bottom Line:
Price of $64.95 included a Cateye TL-DL1000 tail light, came as a set, and included S&H too. I'll by another one without a second thought. I commute to and from work daily and it clearly and reliably lights my way.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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