Sick lights..

[durianrider]

I run a nite flux photon max(been great) and just grabbed some of these 'magic shine' lights from this site as some extra lighting in 24hr races. http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.29489

I used em at the recent 24hr and was very impressed. I dont know how the bicycle light industry will compete with these super cheap, bright and light lights..

Anyone else got em? Your experiences?

 

[BroDeal]

Magicshine will doom the traditional lighting companies. There was never a reason why lighting systems should cost hundreds of dollars. This change has been lurking under the surface for quite a while as people made their own homebrew lighting systems. It was only a matter of time before someone commercialized what the homebrewers were doing.

 

[Boeing]

thanks for the heads up on this I need to check them out

 

[Cloxxki]

Oh great, just half a year after I bough a Petzl 3xAAA headlight of €35 and about as many lumen, for my infrequent XC skiing and street skating. That thing sort of amazed me, I could ski downhill almost my normal pathetic pace with it.
So now the above listed light is THE sh!t? Thanks for the heads up, lighting forums are difficult to browse to get the good info from, if you don't know the screwside of the driver from the handle, and are firm about wanting to spend little money.

 

[durianrider]

I bought the extension cable so I could run the light on my head and battery in my jersey. My nite flux photon max didnt need an extra cable. So be aware if you order the magic shine light to buy the extension cable too if you want to run it head and jersey mounted.

You can get 3 mode or 5 mode. I got 3 mode cos its easier to turn off and get the setting you want, plus came with a head mount bracket.

I got 2 light sets and 3 extra batteries. I remember getting a Cateye Stadium that was worth 1200$ back in 2002 and weighs a tonne. Its insane how much they have progressed since then.

I feel lights like these at super cheap prices are just going to make night time/early morning commuting even more popular.

 

[Boeing]

I bought the extension cable so I could run the light on my head and battery in my jersey. My nite flux photon max didnt need an extra cable. So be aware if you order the magic shine light to buy the extension cable too if you want to run it head and jersey mounted.

You can get 3 mode or 5 mode. I got 3 mode cos its easier to turn off and get the setting you want, plus came with a head mount bracket.

I got 2 light sets and 3 extra batteries. I remember getting a Cateye Stadium that was worth 1200$ back in 2002 and weighs a tonne. Its insane how much they have progressed since then.

I feel lights like these at super cheap prices are just going to make night time/early morning commuting even more popular.

what are the mounting devises like for both Helmet and Bars?

 

[dsut4392]

No offence to cyclingnews forums, but if you want good info on MTB lighting you need to be on the MTBR forums (or candlepowerforums for the more technical stuff).

There are several threads on there with tear-downs of the magicshine and related units.

For a first light it's hard to go past one (two really, head + bars) of these, though if you do lots of night riding and 24 hour races you may want to consider upgrading the electronics in them.

If I didn't enjoy the challenge of building my own lights, I'd probably buy a set of these as the lumen/$ is unbeatable.

 

[pedaling squares]

Thanks, this thread is very timely. I was surfing the sites yesterday cursing at the prices and I decided to risk my neck for another year by sticking with my old and ineffective system. I ordered one of these - at that price it doesn't have to be perfect, it's a steal at average.

 

[durianrider]

I know when they first came out they had a few problems with em but if you read the recent reviews on the net, you hear great things. Im a fan. I got 2 lamps and 5 batteries delivered for LESS than most typical spare batteries from other companies..if thats not a deal..I dont know what is.

Ive dealt with Niteflux with warranties and they are great to deal with as well if people want a light product from an established company.

Magic shine are such good value that there is ebay sellers buying them at retail and selling them at double the price and still selling them!

How are the brackets? With such a lite light and battery, I havent had any issues. It goes on the bar with a rubber o ring. easy to get on and off. super fast transitions. I just zipped tied 2 batteries to my stem and put my finger nail in the zip tie and removed em when it was time to have lights off. Helmet mount is good. you just trim the velcro mount to suit. When my order arrived, I thought they forgot to send the batteries they were so light compared to what Im used to.

Magicshine really are giving the other light companies a full moon!

 

[Anonymous]

Post post post.

 

[dsut4392]

I know when they first came out they had a few problems with em but if you read the recent reviews on the net, you hear great things. Im a fan. I got 2 lamps and 5 batteries delivered for LESS than most typical spare batteries from other companies..if thats not a deal..I dont know what is.

Quality control has improved, but the electronics in the more recent versions are still underspecified as far as I know - check out the tear-down threads.
I still think they're a decent light and great value, and like I said would buy a set myself. But be sure to recognise that for about $80, they're built to a price, and don't be upset if they suddenly die....It doesn't mean they don't perform well, but they are considerably more likely to just stop working all of a sudden when the driver burns out. Compared to €300 for a similar performing Lupine Tesla, you can buy the Magicshine a few times over and it's still great value.
Lights like this are just another aspect of our "disposable society"...use them till they break, then buy another set. Pity since it wouldn't cost them much more than $5 to use better parts...

 

[durianrider]

Im definitely a fan of products that last vs products that a cheap and nasty. Thats why I only ride alloy stems,steerers, bars, posts etc as they are way stronger. I ride frames with lifetime warranty as to me this indicates quality manufacturing.

The internals of the magicshine are so basic, Im sure any kid with electronics basic skill could fix em.

 

[dsut4392]

The internals of the magicshine are so basic, Im sure any kid with electronics basic skill could fix em.

I think that's overstating things somewhat, unless by "kids" you mean electrical engineers...

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=6161774#poststop

Of course you could replace the driver board, but the 'best' available ones (e.g. maxflex) don't fit in the housing, so it's not as trivial as it sounds...