[mtnbikerva1]

I thought by now All the companies would have a fuel gauge type display of at the least: 100%, 80, 60, 40, 20, 0% battery charge.
The Lumina 1200 OLED BOOST is the only choice.
All the other models only have a red light that means 20% left and that is IT!
Also the all in one models are disposables(LUMINA). The owner is not allowed to buy and put a new battery in!
NO wonder their lights are not any near as popular as they once were.
I find it hard to believe that with the amount of time bike lights have been on the market and today’s and even the last 20 years of technology and NITERIDER has not and does not have it on every model!
Am I missing something?
Who wants to end up in the middle of the wilderness and not be able to look down and tell instantly how much charge they have left on their battery?? Then all the sudden a red light comes on and tells them they only 20% battery left? Then have to walk out in the dark possibly.
The other big thing is continuing to overcharge or charge the m battery needlessly decreases life expectancy of the battery.
SO for quality projector, LED, electronics, quality control, etc, is it LUPINE, Piko, Blika or GLOWORM?
I have seen a number of companies come and go, and others not really progress in quality and tech.
What if any others are superb? Again for helmet I like more feather weight. Handlebar light quality and beam pattern and spread is more important than weight.

For the others that need a quality bar mounted light feel free to discuss here also!
Cost does have a place also. Thank you!

 

[DETarch]

A battery gauge isn't a deal breaker for me...once I use a light a few times I can get a pretty good feel for its run time. Admittedly, I use lights primarily in the morning, so by the time I run down a light's battery, it's getting lighter outside.

My bigger issue is the general reliability and lifespan of Niterider lights. I've had my Lumina 750 and 1200 both serviced multiple times for broken housings (channels on the bottom of the housing body break during a ride and light flies off) and charging issues (lights stop charging consistently, eventually not charging at all).

The first services were covered free of charge, but I've since paid for subsequent services at $30 per light. I'm only willing to do that a couple times before it makes more sense to just get a new light. My Cygolite 1100 lumen headlight has worked flawlessly for a couple years now, and I use it 4-5 times per week.

 

[FatboyFarleyFuse1977]

The Lumina USB charging ports are ABSOLUTE $H!T.

Two of my three Lumina 1000 Boost lights barely take a charge from any USB cable, the same cables used continuously on other items, and more frequently.

Moving to The 1800 Boost solved that issue with a dedicated charging cable that works awesome 100% of the time.

Shame on Niterider for the poor quality and quickly worn USB ports. I've been using Niterider lights since the mid-1990s and plan to start using other brands in the future.

 

[physics-photographer]

I like Glowworm Lights.

LED Bike Lights | Rechargeable Cycle Headlights | Gloworm Lights

Gloworm Lights - the perfect balance of quality, performance & size. Convenience & technology at its best. Light up your ride with Gloworm LED Bike Lights.

www.glowormlites.co.nz

I have the Gloworm XSV 1.0, it's been an excellent light: reliable, replaceable battery, and has a battery gauge. I've ridden it in very wet conditions, and have crashed multiple times with it on the bars. Zero issues.

Haven't tried their 2.0 stuff yet, but if they are anything like the 1.0, they are solid.

 

[paramount3]

My lights are several years old now. Can't disagree with the comments about NiteRider failures, but my experience with their service has been excellent--to the point where I felt bad sending the lights back to them and having them fixed free of charge. Still have a functioning NiteRider, but then I have another that's been relegated to flashlight duty because it won't switch out of low beam, and another that can't be charged. I figure they are end of life and won't send them in for service. I switched to CygoLite a few years ago, and they have been flawless, Expilion headlight on the bars and Metro as a helmet light (though the corresponding NiteRider is lighter and preferred, when it's working.) I commute with the Expilion year-round, using it in daylight/flash mode most of the time, and I have this nervous habit of switching it on and off "to save the battery" which is not really good logic. So I'm expecting the overworked switch to fail someday, but it keeps going strong. If/when I need to buy more lights, I will look to CygoLite first.

 

[Thustlewhumber]

Im still using my original 650 from like 2011. Got an 1800 for my bar recently. Never felt a need to know the exact amount left?

 

[MRMOLE]

I thought by now All the companies would have a fuel gauge type display of at the least: 100%, 80, 60, 40, 20, 0% battery charge.
The Lumina 1200 OLED BOOST is the only choice.
All the other models only have a red light that means 20% left and that is IT!
Also the all in one models are disposables(LUMINA). The owner is not allowed to buy and put a new battery in!
NO wonder their lights are not any near as popular as they once were.
I find it hard to believe that with the amount of time bike lights have been on the market and today’s and even the last 20 years of technology and NITERIDER has not and does not have it on every model!
Am I missing something?

Niterider offers the OLED option on the 1200's and the previous 1100 Lumina's along with non-OLED versions. I would think if the OLED lights were the more popular version NR would include this option for their other light offerings. As far as the Lumina's being disposables you can at least send your old light to them for a new battery (for a reasonable charge) which is a service most light manufacturers don't offer.
Mole