After reading a couple of threads here in regards the Dinotte 5 Watt LED light, I went out and got me one (actually, got it online at a discount shop for about $160) -- I get off work (restaurant manager) at about 1am so the ride home is full of dark and drunks. The Dinotte is great, lights up the road ahead wonderfully! There is a dark spot (subtle) in the middle of it's wide beam, but I fixed that by using my old 1W emitter (which is like a spot) in concert. When some cars pass me, my combo 1W and 5W are occasionally brighter than their headlights. Kool! The thing attaches to the handlebar verrrrrrry easily too. I can't compare it to halogens or HIDs though because I've never owned any of those critters - - -
I know you posted that a while back, but bicycle lighting is always an interesting (and important) subject I find. Does your commute include any unlit roads at all or is it all city? I was wondering if the 5w LED would provide sufficient lighting on a pitch black road, especially in the wet. But as you say, you're actually running 6 watts in total. I also use a combo, 1w LED + 15w halogen. This puts out a decent amount of light, but on dark wet roads I'd say it's only adequate, particulary when the batteries start to fade (i'm using alkalines for the 1w led and an SLA for the halogen, so not the best technology out there).
