Deal extreme/Ebay 900 lumen lights

I've posted this a few times in bits and bobs but this is my summary of the light.

Got it in a fairly quick, around 2 weeks or so. Packaged moderately well, not as you see in the DX ad or owt just bundled in a small box no packing but received without damage. I knew several issues existed with the lights, one was a woefully inadequate mounting bolt and when I removed it found that this was the case, new M4 bolt sourced and fitted. I'd also heard of swarf and debris inside the casing but this one was pretty clean and well finished. Next up was the battery pack, pretty poorly waterproofed its really 4 18650 batteries plastic shrink fitted with cardboard ends, a few runs of leccy tape should help the improve water resistance. In use the light is very bright as expected and has a heavy spot with a medium/low flood, I've ordered a refractor type lens to spread the beam a bit, one of the guys on the ride had one and it worked well. One of the problems I had was I had two spots one on the head and one on the bars, as they danced about it got a bit confusing, floody spreads seem to be the way to go. My only criticism in use is the battery connector which came apart 2 or 3 times, this could be improved by better looming of the excess cable or a bit of tape. Both the battery and connector have been addressed in the latest model of the light though but you pay a bit more.

All in all very happy and I'd consider another in the future.

Headtorch

yeh mine arrived in about 2 wks as well? Packing was fine, small box with some bubble wrap in it. I've secured the helmet mount better with 2 zip ties to attach it to the helmet. I've used it twice now in night rides an it's bloody great! My battery connector lead has never split though? :? I have the battery in my camelback type bag and the connector cable is held by the 2 zips on my bag with the cable coming from the helmet connected to it. But no issues at all. Also the rubber ring which attaches the actual headtorch to the helmet mount is good as well and doesn't move about when riding, but lets you adjust the angle easily as well when you're riding along.
In terms of beam it works perfect with the SSCP7 900 Lumen torch i have clipped to the bars as it has a wider beam, so with both of them on it lights up the trails nicely. I had to laugh at the CV (Carron Valley) the other night when i was there and was on the road very briefly, 2 cars which came towards me, both stopped!!! As they didn't have a clue what was riding towards them!!! One of the driver's was even flashing his lights for me to dip my beam Cannot recommend these lights enough, best set up you can get for £60 odd combined and on single track you can fly down the trails 35+mph at Mabie Forest last week with them on.

Got mine today - the Deal extreme one - took 4 weeks in total to come.

Quick Review (Office Test)

Pros:
Nice compact unit.
Very bright with a good spread and throw.

Cons:
A wee bit of swarf inside - cleaned out now in front of the LED, I'm a tad worried about dismantling it further to clear out the switch side.
Battery Pack is not waterproof as stated - cling film will be used.
Heavier than expected but even the reflector is made from billet.

Overall:
Really impressed with the light, nicely finished on the outside and solders and connectors seem solid.

I took out the mount screw to check the length of it and I think mine is fine - not sure it could get in any further as it would clip a brass mount that holds the switch inside the body.

Not sure where to put thermal paste as the candlepower forums are down, any advice would be appreciated.

do they need thermal paste dave ?

getting sheds ones later in the week , gonna strip and mod them to stop them switching off
also looking at other reflectors on them

I think the issues found relate to the original magiclight - although Kaiser had the screw issue but I didn't. there was a detailed break down of the older p7 model on candlepower forums that mentioned them needing paste but the xml led does run cooler so it might be less of an issue.

Troutie is the Troute Light maker so he knows his stuff...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... ost2980664

and less detailed here as candlepower rarely works for me....
http://forums.mtbr.com/5720994-post39.html
(from this thread... http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-diy-do-yo ... 17384.html)

This reminds me of the light shootout article I read last week (beam patterns included).

http://reviews.mtbr.com/2012-bike-light ... ern-photos

Seems the megabuck$ units are the best performers, if not the best value.

Got my diffuser lens yesterday, works well in the driveway but will try out on the trail tomorrow night

My light gets it's full test tonight - 2 hour burn in the local forest

I've noticed mine has a very bright spot without much flood - will this diffuser lens mitigate that? If so how do I go about getting hold of one and how much do they cost?

Ed this is the one I got

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wide-Angle-Le ... 963wt_1396


theres a light pattern at the bottom of the listing.