Submitted by
Scott Jaycob
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia
Date Reviewed: 2/25/2008 3:19:30 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Dargo High Plains |
| Duration Product Used: |
6 months |
| Price Paid: |
$375 |
| Purchased At: |
Dean Woods |
| Strengths: |
Rugged light head, solid handle bar mount that pivots, angle adjustable Helmet mount, international input charger, Very light head unit the lightest multi LED system I have seen, almost half the weight of NR Tri-Newt and almost double the light output, everything on the website seems to be true and can be trusted. The light output is fantastic I had a Light & Motion ARC Li-ion Ultra previously a very good light by all standards and I actually use the lights sometimes together now when I want more light, the Photon Max cuts path straight through the HID output its credit to NiteFlux that have been able to obliterate HID lighting so competently with only 12watts of power. The light projects way further than I expected it allows me to pick out trail obstructions much further down the track than ever before. The head unit is pretty radical, sci-fi crossed with F1, covers top and bottom duct air over a extensively finned heat sink to keep the Hi-Watt LED’s cooler – as they say cooler LED’s means brighter light, a on-board temperature sensor also gives you more peace of mind as you know you will never accidentally cook/damage your LED’s this is something most Hi-Watt LED systems don’t have especially at this price point. The round battery casing is very strong I believe Li-Ion batteries if subjected to blunt impacts can be easily damaged so a strong battery casing make sense. |
| Weaknesses: |
The switch is on top of the battery this at first concerned me and then I thought most of the time I am going to whack it on high and leave it with 2.5hours runtime at 12watt more than enough for my rides, the web site suggest mounting the battery around your shoulder strap on a Hydration pack when helmet mounting this works well and gives easier access to the switch than if you had a remote switch or a switch on the head unit.
The beam of light could be wider but when head mounted its of no concern.
The system over all could be lighter but the strength is certainly there
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| Similar Products Tried: |
Home Made 15 watt and Light & Motion ARC Li-ion Ultra |
| Bike Setup: |
Yeti – great endurance bike |
| Bottom Line: |
The trails I like to ride are mostly very technical, paths full of rocks, steep grades, and steps with narrow turns and often generous drops on the side. It's very important to have a bright beam to see all the immediate environment in detail and a spot light well ahead. One single light mounted on the bar isn't enough for unrestrained night riding , you also need lighting on your helmet in these more demanding conditions.
I bought the L&M HID LI-Ion ultra thinking it would fulfill all my needs, the reviews certainly indicated that it had all the lighting that you could ever need, but it did not give me the ability to keep up with my fellow riders who had two lights, I tried using my trusty 15watt halogen for a while but the battery was on the way out again so I invested in getting a the Photon Max the combination of the two lights really is lighting the trail to the max. When the Lamp goes in the LM the battery will also be close to dying as well then I will get a second Photon Max.
Who should buy it - anyone who wants the best value and one most powerful LED lights avalaible
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Value Rating: 
Overall Rating:
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