This Years ‘Cheap eBay Lights’ … ?

[WD Pro]

OK, not been on here so much lately (still been busy with bikes though ! ;-)) so I will apologise if I have missed something …

There’s normally a yearly thread for the best value / quality compromise eBay lights ?

What’s the go to light for this year ?

I had my eye on this trust fire light, eBay number 251571902883

Any comments or other recommendations ?

Cheers,

WD

 

[hamster]

At that price I would worry about the safety of the charger and whether the batteries use cells from old laptop battery packs.

My Fluxient lights from Torchythebatteryboy via ebay are now into their 4th season. This is his ebay shop:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Ilove-Torchyth ... 34.c0.m322

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

There was me thinking it was a bit expensive.

My original 'rose' is still going strong, well was but I've mislaid the battery and it's different to all the multi led light (4.2V against the 8.4V of the newer)
I have a nice dual light one, I bought it as one light is flood and the other is spot and it's working on,doesnt last any where near as long as the single led. It has a good battery pack with it (I timed and tested it and the first they sent was not their uprated pack, second lack sent free was the correct one).

£16 was about my price point, then spend the extra 7quid on a decent mount.

 

[xerxes]

Re:

I'd be inclined to buy a lamp without a battery pack and charger, for example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SolarStorm-T6 ... SwcBhWW~C9

Then buy a decent charger and battery pack, or make up a battery pack using decent set of 18650s from a reputable seller such as Torchy the Battery Boy, as mentioned before.

When they're that cheap the batteries and chargers are at best going to be garbage and at worst, dangerous.

 

[JamesM]

Re:

It seems these days your unlikely to get the claimed Cree emitters when buying these cheap lights.

http://budgetlightforum.com/node/41084

 

[hamster]

There are loads of LED fabs in China - my regular taxi route to a client in Shenzhen goes past (IIRC) 5! The misnamed emitter scam makes is all to believable.

 

[fagin]

Not sure multi led lights are really necessary, so I just bought one of these as a helmet light to go with the Trustfire (or whatever) torch on the bars.
Tiny, really bright (easily equal to the torch), reasonable price, decent well sealed battery pack and a trusted seller. And you don't have to wait ages for it to maybe arrive from China.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122209525143? ... EBIDX%3AIT

This guy also sells very good kit, bit more expensive than directly from China (or dropshipped here).
http://www.candb-seen.co.uk/

A lot cheaper than the fancy boutique lights some of my rich friends use.

 

[JamesM]

There are loads of LED fabs in China - my regular taxi route to a client in Shenzhen goes past (IIRC) 5! The misnamed emitter scam makes is all to believable.

How long have they been there???

I thought that up until a few years these lights came with Cree LEDs, just not the top bins as claimed. Probably the bins that no one wanted and Cree couldn't get rid of. But these days, despite the claims, it seems they are using inferior copies of Cree LEDs. Maybe they always have been?

 

[dazdc5]

Re:

Mark at MTB Batteries is a top bloke that can replace your tired/dodgy chinese units or batteries with loads of capacities to suit your spec.

 

[hamster]

There are loads of LED fabs in China - my regular taxi route to a client in Shenzhen goes past (IIRC) 5! The misnamed emitter scam makes is all to believable.

How long have they been there???

I thought that up until a few years these lights came with Cree LEDs, just not the top bins as claimed. Probably the bins that no one wanted and Cree couldn't get rid of. But these days, despite the claims, it seems they are using inferior copies of Cree LEDs. Maybe they always have been?

There was an investment boom in LED fabs from around 6 years ago. In terms of what ships, it's all kinds of everything. That's why you get what you pay for with branded. Some of the cheaper LEDs are very good - others lose brightness very rapidly. Generally my experience with cheap lights is that the detailing and material choices are inferior. Of the original cheap Chinese LEDs that LGF outed (I bought 4):
1 The reflectors have tarnished, faded and flaked on 3.
2 Two have dodgy switches, one is unusable as a result.
3 Two have misted up and leak moisture
4 All 4 came with rears just like the ones in the OP's picture - all have failed. The brackets were brittle and all failed.
5 Two have faded on the chemical blackening to bronze
6 Two have faded the red colour to pink
7 All have poor driver design so that the flash stops working early on with battery drain - also the flash never is at full brightness.

By comparison, of the 4 Cateye cheap 3 LED lights two stopped working from internal corrosion (I have had to do a soldered repair) and another has the reflector lose all its silvering.