Betty 22 degree lens is here.
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Where did you get that information ? It looks like the 20 degree Wilma lens is already being sold in Europe, but not yet in the US. I just ordered the Betty XP-G upgrade kit which will include the new 22 degree lens. I can give my opinion when the light is upgraded. I think the new lens for Betty will be a huge success.radirpok said:
Can't wait to read your review on the new Betty lens,as i wasn't as impressed with the beam pattern on mine vs the butter smooth pattern on the XPG Wilma.I just checked the Lupine Germany website and all i can see is the 18 degree Wilma lens.Unless i checked the wrong website, i would guess the Wilma lens would be listed on there website before it was available anywhere else? I would think it would be a bit more complicated to make the Betty2 lens upgrade than the Wilma,only needing to tune four optics instead of seven.So hopefully the info reguarding the Wilma lens is unfounded. Sent a quick email to Bill at Gretna,he should have the goods on the lens.suba said:
I read the german part of the Lupine forum, and Lupine's technical head (Wolf) explained - as far as i could follow, because his german is, hm, interesting ;-) - that because the XPG die size is different from the P4 the lens would need to be larger than what could be fitted in the housing in order to produce a proper wide beam.
There were some other excuses, like it is too expensive, or that the result of the preliminary simulation was not good enough. And that the Wilma beam is already wide enough ;-( Sure it is, for helmet mounting...
So the point is, it is on the price list, but it will not be made. Buy a Betty if you need a bar light, or use the old Wilma with the wide lens.
Anyway, I was a bit upset, but yesterday the new Piko beamshot was made public, which looks really promising, so now I'm waiting for the details on it to become available (hopefully next week).
You lucky Betty owners check the wide lens beamshot, it looks excellent. It is wider than the Tesla's halo, and of course much, much brighter.
http://www.lupine.de/web/en/products/lighttest/
There were some other excuses, like it is too expensive, or that the result of the preliminary simulation was not good enough. And that the Wilma beam is already wide enough ;-( Sure it is, for helmet mounting...
So the point is, it is on the price list, but it will not be made. Buy a Betty if you need a bar light, or use the old Wilma with the wide lens.
Anyway, I was a bit upset, but yesterday the new Piko beamshot was made public, which looks really promising, so now I'm waiting for the details on it to become available (hopefully next week).
You lucky Betty owners check the wide lens beamshot, it looks excellent. It is wider than the Tesla's halo, and of course much, much brighter.
http://www.lupine.de/web/en/products/lighttest/
Thanx for clearing that up. Probably a number of factors involved in their decision. I still have my original 1450 Betty. I waited for the wider lens before upgrading to the gold board so I wouldn't have to pay an extra 50 bucks. I've been happy with 1450 but too much center hotspot, with not enough side spill. The 22 lens with 1750-1850 looks to be perfect. I'll try to get a beam shot before and after the conversion when the upgrade kit arrives next week.radirpok said:
While the plastic for the lens only cost Lupine penny's per unit, the mold may have cost $75,000 or more. Guessing they're figuring $12 for return and $12 profit per unit, Gretna could be buying one for $24. They double the money and charge $48. The price Lupine is charging seems reasonable, and I'm glad Lupine decided to listen to the community to make the 22.
As for they should have offered the wider lens from the start, I don't think they anticipated a need for a 22 until all the feedback from end users. They had to start somewhere. The 16 is certainly adequate for many including myself, but the 22 no doubt will be preferable.
I'm anticipating getting my upgraded gold board with 22 lens this week, and will try and get a beam shot comparing it to my 1400 ~ 16 before I disassemble it. It should be interesting.
As for they should have offered the wider lens from the start, I don't think they anticipated a need for a 22 until all the feedback from end users. They had to start somewhere. The 16 is certainly adequate for many including myself, but the 22 no doubt will be preferable.
I'm anticipating getting my upgraded gold board with 22 lens this week, and will try and get a beam shot comparing it to my 1400 ~ 16 before I disassemble it. It should be interesting.
Invested costs on Betty molds as i'm guessing there were a few made until Lupine was happy with the final product, would be costly.Once you get away from the mass produced optics from China to custom make your own it takes time.
Bill from Gretna hasn't heard anything reguarding the Wilma lens been cancelled.If Lupine's costs are that high to bring a wider optic to market,my guess is they are waiting to see how the Betty 22 degree sells first.Beam Shots:thumbsup:
Bill from Gretna hasn't heard anything reguarding the Wilma lens been cancelled.If Lupine's costs are that high to bring a wider optic to market,my guess is they are waiting to see how the Betty 22 degree sells first.Beam Shots:thumbsup:
Alright guys, I have some good news and bad news. Let's get the bad out of the way first. Sorry but no beam shots. I tried but they didn't turn out very well. The good news. My opinion is the XP-G upgrade with the 22 lens is definitely worth it. Very easy to change boards, but as many know the Ti cap doesn't screw all the way down because the glass hits the head of the screws. I think Lupine could supply shorter screws but here's my fix. I very lightly ground the screw heads using a fine grinding wheel. It doesn't take much. Then I chamfered the top edges and finally sanded the heads with fine sandpaper ( just a few swipes ) to make sure I didn't leave any burrs. The screw heads now fit flush and the cap screws all the way on. If you try this make sure you don't grind too much off, or there won't be enough for the allen wrench to bite into.
The light from the XP-G's seems to be less harsh and more naturally balanced compared to the Seoul P4's. It looks like a different kind of light. Softer and more pleasing ( at least to me ) without that glaring hotspot. The 22 lens no doubt softens the hotspot as it spreads the light around. No more tunnel of light. The 22 lens does a very good job imo with spill yet gives very good center light but not with that hot blown out center I was used to with P4's. Distance is very good. I just got back from an hour ride. With Betty on the bar, and a Dinotte 400 in the rear I was very visible to everyone far and near. I kept Betty mostly at 60% but even then I had to point the light considerably downward so not to blind cars. The 22 lens throws a lot of light close and to the sides. It lit up the front of my bike in a way the 16 lens never did. Even at 1 % there's a lot of usable light. I'm impressed.
Thank you Lupine for making the 22 lens available. Thank you Bill @ Gretna for being so easy to work with, and thanx for shipping so soon. The box was well packaged with lots of peanuts. Lupine = class act all the way.
Thanx:thumbsup:
The light from the XP-G's seems to be less harsh and more naturally balanced compared to the Seoul P4's. It looks like a different kind of light. Softer and more pleasing ( at least to me ) without that glaring hotspot. The 22 lens no doubt softens the hotspot as it spreads the light around. No more tunnel of light. The 22 lens does a very good job imo with spill yet gives very good center light but not with that hot blown out center I was used to with P4's. Distance is very good. I just got back from an hour ride. With Betty on the bar, and a Dinotte 400 in the rear I was very visible to everyone far and near. I kept Betty mostly at 60% but even then I had to point the light considerably downward so not to blind cars. The 22 lens throws a lot of light close and to the sides. It lit up the front of my bike in a way the 16 lens never did. Even at 1 % there's a lot of usable light. I'm impressed.
Thank you Lupine for making the 22 lens available. Thank you Bill @ Gretna for being so easy to work with, and thanx for shipping so soon. The box was well packaged with lots of peanuts. Lupine = class act all the way.
Thanx:thumbsup:
Wow, it makes an already fantastic light a really stunning light when the Betty puts on the 22 degree lens. So now I have an extra 16 degree Betty lens and an extra Wilma wide lens (16 degrees too, I think). Will they make for some excellent reflective lenses for an emergency or something? 
Congrats on the upgrade. Yes, the 22 lens makes a huge difference opening up the beam. I went from the red board to the gold board with the 22 lens. That was almost a quantum leap in lighting technology. Now get yourself a Dinotte 400 taillight if you don't already have one. Together they make a great lighting package.
Don't know what you can do with the old lenses. Just save them for now I guess. I'll never go back to the 16 lens, but it goes with my red board, so maybe I'll try to sell them on CPF to someone who does light mods.
Enjoy your Betty (!)
Don't know what you can do with the old lenses. Just save them for now I guess. I'll never go back to the 16 lens, but it goes with my red board, so maybe I'll try to sell them on CPF to someone who does light mods.
Enjoy your Betty (!)
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