I have a 10W Halogen light that started acting as if it was allergic
to the cold. Inside, it would run for 2+ hours but if you go for a
ride at say 3ish, by time it starts to get dark 2 hours later, it
would only run for 15-20 mins before going into reserve mode. Back
inside after 5 or 10 mins it would run fine again. The tech said it
might be the switch/sensor and is sending one.
I ride enough after dark that the above was excuse enough to get a new
light. I had trouble comparing one kind to another (HID-LED-Halogen)
and even finding user feedback on specific models. These are very
different technologies so when I saw "equivalent to 20W" or whatever,
I was dubious. Maybe this will be of use to someone in a similar
situation.
The light I opted for is a Nitehawk K2 Emitter (single - they make a
dual).
Includes
* Lamp assembly (or Pod)
* Helmet mount
* Handlebar mount
* NiMH Battery pack
* Neoprene Battery case
* Recharger
The battery pack is a flat affair just a bit larger than a deck of
cards. Lay 4 AAs side by side and you get the idea. When used as a
helmet light it would be nice and flat in your jersey pocket. The
Battery case is a very cool foam-Neoprene sleeve with their name
festooned across it. It has a flap that tucks in behind the battery
and a long tongue which goes over the top tube and attaches with
hook-n-loop. It attaches to either the front or back of the sleeve to
allow for fat vs skinny tubes as in MTBs vs Road Bikes. There is also
a strap off the front of the sleeve to anchor it to the down tube. It
aint going nowhere!
You are supposed to remove it from the sleeve to recharge. I believe
it as the pack got VERY warm charging it. This will be inconvenient
though.
Shims inside the HB mount can be removed for oversized bars.
The cable connection from the battery to the pod and charger is *very*
tight and solid.
The pod attaches to either the helmet or handlebar mount. I use the
HB mount on a MTB which is a two piece setup: the part that clamps to
the handlebars and then the pod that slides into that with a definite
click! The tab on the pod is metal not just plastic. There is a very
small amount of play of the tab withing the receiver but not enough to
matter (at least when brand new). I prefer a one piece (NO chance of
play or rattling) but the tab setup has advantages: you can mount it
on the left or if you park somewhere dubious (like at Wal-Mart or next
to some bikes with AAA lights) you can easily take it with you and not
loose the aiming point.
The manual makes note that the mount has the ability to swivel.
Actually, you can loosen a screw and spin the pod up to 360 degrees on
the tab then tighten it. For the dual setups it would allow you to
aim left-right or near-far.
The cord is quite long with a portion of it coiled (If someone needs
to know the length, I can measure it). The excess comes nicely
wrapped in shrink wrap which, in my exuberrance, I ripped off and now
am using tape to take up the slack.
The pod can also be set to work with other power sources such as 4 AA
6v or 4 AA 4.5v instead of the 6V NiMH pack that it comes with. This
could be handy to allow you to use the light if the battery pack dies,
breaks or drowns.
Operation
The switch is on the pod as opposed to on the cord which gave me
pause. I was worried it would allow an entry point for water and
debris. But the only other contender I was interested in (Cygo Dual
Cross) had the same sort of thing. I needn't have worried: the switch
is a solid plastic protruberance which you can't even feel 'give' when
you press it and there is a tendency to press harder than needed.
(The Cygo had a 'scroll switch' which sounds mechanical vs the
NiteHawk which must be digital). I cant imagine working the switch
when helmet mounted.
The light works in 4 "Modes" with each mode having several settings or
options. For instance Mode 1 are Steady Beams while Mode 2 are
Flashing. Sounds complicated, but it works a lot like your
cyclocomputer. Press and hold the switch for a sec or so and the
light blinks 1ce, 2ce, 3ce or 4 times to indicate the mode selected.
Then within that mode pressing the switch rotates thru the options for
that mode. For instance: Press and Hold for 1 blink to select Mode 1,
release and the light defaults to 25%; Press again for 50% or again
for 100%.
The Mode Options are:
Mode 1 - Steady Beam
* 25%
* 50%
* 100%
* Standby
Mode 2 - Flashing
* 10% City Flash
* 50% City Flash
* Beacon (2 quick flashes then pause)
* Strobe
* SOS
* Standby
Mode 3 - Low Power Mode
* 5% Steady
* 10% steady
* Standby
Mode 4 - Ambiance (proof some engineer had way too little supervision)
* Flame flicker (*sort of* like a candle flame flickering, but also
like a loose connection).
* Standby
Mode 5 - Demo Mode (proof marketing people are taking over the world)
Rotates thru all the above
Strobe, SOS and Beacon are all at 100% power and not for use when
riding (the strobe is POWERFUL!) Note that each mode has its own
standby setting which means you can stop and power down and resume
with the previous setting when you turn it on. Also, when you switch
modes, it starts back at 1 so you dont have to cycle thru the goofy
modes. For instance, if you are in Flash Mode (2) and want to go to
Steady beam when you hold the switch it goes to Mode 1 first, not 3.
If you are already in Mode 1 it is smart enough to start cycling at
Mode 2.
According to the instructions, the processor still consumes power in
standby mode. The only true "OFF" is to disconnect the power cord.
They also indicate it is possible to set 1 emitter to Mode 1 and the
other to Mode 2 but they dont tell HOW to do that.
The manual (single sheet of 6 pt font) is not clear on the reserve
power. I think when the battery gets low, the pod flashes and
automatically goes to Low power mode (3). Your options in reserve
power mode are the same as Mode 3 / Low Power, at any rate. It talks
of reserve mode as if it is different than Mode 3 though. I'd prefer a
more clear indicator for Low Power like and LED, but thats also just
what I am used to.
Changing modes while riding might be dicey as you have to have 1 hand
on the pod AND be focused on ot to see the flash to know when to
release. If it is not too dark yet, that might be difficult even
though the flash to indicate mode is at 100%. It might become
possible to do it with just a glance when you are more familiar with
it, but if I had designed it, I would have added an LED or something
to the back to make it easier (might also work to read the
cyclocomputer!). I also would have put the emergency flash modes as
Mode 4 so you dont have to cycle past Strobe and Beacon to go from 50%
to 10% flash. Even a little of that could [censored] drivers.
Performance
It started raining about 30 mins after the battery got charged, so the
outdoor test was a quick 10 mile ride on a wooded MU path and some
city street at midnight. I still have the 10W on the bike for side-by
side tests.
The web site says this puts out the equivalent of 20watts. The only
user discussion I could find was from MTBers who ride downhill over
roots, rocks, gulleys, fallen tree trunks in the dark (but dont
hesitate to ridicule those who wear Lycra). They were convinced the
20W claim was a lie by greedy capitalist swine. Well, they may be
running dog capitalists (and Canadian), but they are not liars. At
100% it is easily 2ce as bright as my 10W Halogen. The K2 washed out
the 10W altogether.
I am not saying the 2 or 3W emitter is actually outputting 20W but
between the reflector and "optic lens" it does have the appearance
and/or effectiveness of something in the 20+W range. It is simply
very bright and the blue-white light makes my Halogen look orange by
comparison. Output is also microprocessor controlled so that it
remains constant thru your ride (so sayeth the manual, cant vouch for
it yet).
The beam is much more of a spotlight than my Halogen. Where the
Halogen gave good 180 degree illumination up to about 15 yards, the K2
seemed best focused ahead at about 25 yards (the brighter center spot
spilled out to about 30 yds!). At that focus, it illuminated the
entire width of the path (8 ft). The blue-white light made things
seem much clearer and sharper too.
The Halogen could show what you are about to run over but its too late
to do anything about; the K2 gives you time to go around it. The
Halogen though gave a better illumination to the side preventing road
stare or tunnel vision; the K2 gave little. I did feel more
comfortable doing 12+ MPH at near midnight with the K2 (I would feel
comfy going faster but the asphalt was still wet and didnt want to
have to test the SOS mode).
I've had the 10W for 2 years and use it 3+ times a week. So, it takes
a little getting used to having the stuff you are passing not lit up,
but I got used to it pretty quickly (especially when I got it aimed to
my taste/speed). For a few short stretches, I ran both lights and the
Halogen could not be seen ahead only the 'spill' alongside.
I think the flash modes are too dim (but it was midnight) and would
prefer a 75% flash mode. I realize these are "be seen" and not "see"
modes, but they seemed underpowered.
The switch DOES take some getting used to. With gloves on, it was
hard to feel when you are on it. Even switching beams (not modes) you
have to hold the switch down a sec (or maybe my fingers were not in
the right spot) and I had to stop a few times to change beams or modes
when playing with it. On the other hand, with a 5h battery life on
high, there is less of a reason to change beams or modes simply to
conserve power on short stretches. The switch will take some getting
used to.
Battery Life
I havent had this long enough for real world tests, but here are the
specs.
Recharge time - 4 hours
25% steady - 23 hours
50% Steady - 11.8 hrs
100% Steady - 4.8 h (effective distance claimed is 650ft/200meters)
10% Flash - 223 hrs
50% Flash - 77 hrs
SOS Flash - 25.75 hrs
I think these times are flipped:
Reserve Mode
25% steady - 0.5 hours
50% Steady - 1.40 hrs
100% Steady - 3.50 hrs
SOS - 1.20 hrs
Elsewhere it says your only reserve power options are 5% and 10%
steady beam. Perhaps once it goes to Low Power, you can switch back
to Mode 1 and then have only 1.4 hrs at 50% beam. If flipped, the
reserve mode times are 10% of the run time which makes sense.
Emitter (whatever that is) life is rated for 50,000 hrs
PLUSES
* BRIGHT!
* Seems very well designed (the switch, battery case, pod disconnect,
alternate power source etc)
* I like the flash modes for in between times and on city streets.
* Seems Sturdy
* Reasonable price but not cheap
NEGATIVES
* Lighting Modes and semi quirky switch seems a bit too complex for
easy changing at speed
* No distinct Low Power indicator (like LED) - it just switches to
Mode 3
* NITEHAWK is emblazoned on the battery sleeve. I am not keen on
advertizing I have a $200 light, so I will probably tape over it.
* Small print on instruction sheet (proof I was having trouble coming
up with an equal number of negatives)
SUMMARY
The K2 allowed me to aim the beam MUCH farther ahead and the
blue-white light was very clear and added to visibility. In some uses
or cases (like for root riding) I can see how it might be too spotty.
For my purposes, it is twice as bright and runs twice as long as my
Halogen, so I am happy.
MSRP: $229. USD
I got it at Nashbar for $160 incl Shipping.