I saw the post about about lights for riding and looking through the Light Shoot Out. There are some pricey units there. Looking at the MJ-808 that was suggested and for the price it looks pretty good. Being new at this I was just wondering what is it that drives the price of the lights up? Can't be power; the 808 puts out 800 lumens. Battery life looks good. Just wondering. Slim
Higher end lights have better beam patterns and better battery management. It's been my experience that the MJ808 (I have two) batteries die pretty quickly.... like, around a year in my experience. Not that it's a big deal. You can get a new one for $20-30 depending on quality. Also, the beam pattern is a pretty tight spotlight, and isn't very useful on the trail, IMO. I picked up one of those lenses that makes the beam wider, but honestly haven't tried it out on the trail yet. In my driveway, it looks better than stock.
I already have a NiteRider MinewtDual700 from like 5 or 6 years ago. The dual head beam pattern is very nice, IMO. It might not be as bright as some of the newer stuff, but I like the fact that I can easily adjust it on the fly. I can make two spots next to each other fora wide angle, or one long bright spot by putting the spots one ahead of the other by just reaching down and moving the heads. Brightness and runtime are good enough for me. I feel that I can't outride it on any of the stuff I ride at night, even one techy downhill section I do. I also use a NiteRider Lumina 650 on my helmet for a spot.
That said, the MJ808 is an amazing light for the money. I say if you're just getting your feet wet in night riding, get one for the bar and one for the helmet and see how it goes. Geez... you can get them for like $40-50 a set these days. I think I paid $120 back in like 2008 or so for a head, two batteries, a charger and some other do-dads, like a helmet mount. That replaced a NiteRider DigitalPro12e dual halogen beam light, and was brighter, longer runtime, and 1/3 the weight.... plus it didn't take one one of my two bottle cages on the bike. I ended up paying like another $50 for a second light head a year or two later, and a few replacement batteries along the way. Dang, I can't tell you how many miles I put on that NR 12e light, but I felt like I was dragging that heavy ass dead body around those 24 hour race laps. That bastid was an anchor.
I love progress.