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Dinotte: 800L - $439.00

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

The Dinotte 800L is a 4-led light and is currently the most powerful light in the Dinotte line-up with a claimed output of 800 lumens. Similar to the 600L, it features two buttons on the rear of the light. One is for turning the light on/off and the other is for selecting the light output. The light is quite fat but not as long as the 600L. The light head weighs in at 170 grams and is ideal for handlebar mount only.

For the price of $439, Dinotte ships two Lithium Ion Batteries. The user can select the size of the batteries as well to either optimize for run-time or weight.

Light Head close ups:

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Exposure MaXx D Review

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

The MaXx series of lights is a set of self-contained light systems from Exposure Lights in the UK. The Enduro has three LEDs and the Race MaXx has two. Both share the same case which about the size of two D-Cell batteries. The machining is impeccable and the laser etching is both attractive and informative. These lights set out to achieve a compact package, light weight, long run-time and a bright, clear beam pattern.

For 2009, Exposure stepped it up and added a 4-LED light called the MaXx D. It is slightly bigger than the Enduro MaXx but it shares the same run-time  values of 3 hours on full power.  The brightness rating is up to 960 lumens now.

Light Head Close ups:

Mounting Options:

The MaXx D is mounted on the handlebar using a neat little cleat system shared with the Enduro and the Race MaXx.  It is very small and light at 20 grams. And it allows for left to right a up/down adjustments. It is perhaps the most innovative handlebar light mount available today. The only downside is the handlebar mount is a bit sharp when there is no light attached to it.

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Dinotte: 400L

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

The Dinotte 400L consists of a 2 led lights encased side by side in a small aluminum housing. It feels extremely rugged and compact and is surrounded by lots of cooling fins. The light switch is mounted in front of the light in between the two bulbs. Power, like all Dinotte Lithium lights comes from the 2-cell and the 4-cell batteries shared with the rest of the line-up. The connector is a non-directional plug that snaps into place and keeps water out. The rubber switch is large and very easy to operate as it scrolls through the three light levels available.

Perhaps the greatest asset of the 400L is its versatility. It’s main application is as a helmet lamp but it can also be used as handlebar lamp. Heck two of these on the handlebar feeding off the same battery can be quite a bright and wide setup. And finally, it’s greatest application is… as a tail lamp. With different lenses, this light can be a mean tail lamp. With so much flashing lumens to announce your presence, no car is going to miss you. Most tail lamps are barely visible in the daytime or in bad weather. But the 400L will pierce through daylight or thick fog.

All Dinotte lights have three ‘flash’ modes for commuting. They are very effective and visible for greater visibility for oncoming traffic. These flash modes are extremely visible on the red tail lights as well. And the best part is that the ‘flash’ modes do not interfere with regular use. The user has to press the button for six seconds to enter this mode. After using other lights where the flash mode is always in the way, this feature is very welcome.

We consider the Dinotte connectors as best in class as well. They are non-directional and pop into place and are thus the easiest to connect. Last year, the connectors on our Dinotte lights were a bit stiff and and required some break-in. This year on the 400L’s, they are just right.

Light Head close ups:

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Here’s some nifty pages to compare the beam patterns of the the various lights. Allow all the images to preload then rollover the light names to view the beam patterns.

The backyard beam patterns have been updated with many new 2009 lights. The background and camera setup were set up identical to last year to allow direct comparison.

Backyard Beam Patterns

2008 Data:

Trail Beam Patterns

Side by side Trail Beam Patterns

Comments?

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Ayup: Roadie Kit $190.00 | MTB Kit $320.00 | Endurance Kit $415.00

The MTB Kit we tested at $320 includes the two lights below:

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

Ahh Ayup. This was our discovery last year as the land Down Under surprised us with a very fresh approach to lighting. Gone were the fancy everything found in lights these days. What they delivered is a singleminded focus towards simplicity, bright lights and light weight.  It seemed like the racer’s choice. It was light, bright and basic. But it wasn’t for everyone. Their approach yielded no light switch and very basic mounting setups. This is ok for some but not for all.

Enter the new Ayup lights. Let me just say that we are floored by their new offerings. First things first, they are much brighter. Next, it seems they went through our ‘Weaknesses’ list from last year and worked to address them all.  And they did it without losing the essence of an Ayup light. A no-frills approach to light and bright lights.

The most obvious of these changes is the light switch. There is an orange bulb on the battery and it does a fine job of turning the system on and off. It is big but unobtrusive. You can feel your way in the dark and click that sucker. There’s no fancy double-clicking or depressing for many seconds. Just on and off.

The second update is the very svelte helmet mounting system that they have designed. Gone is the tape and the zip ties and having an obnoxious black piece on your helmet when you don’t have the light mounted.  What they have now is a velcro mounted system that supports the light on four legs. It kind of looks like a gecko mounted on your helmet. It works very well and could not be easier to mount and remove.

The basics:

The Ayup ‘regular kit’ is a light system from Australia that features two light heads. Each light head has two LEDs that can be tilted up and down independently. The kit includes two small batteries and a large battery. Aside from the 110 volt charger, a 12 volt car charger is included as well. The whole system comes with a handy neoprene case to transport everything.

The beam patterns are selectable at the time of purchase. The patterns available are wide, intermediate and narrow. We tested the intermediate on the bar lights and the narrow beam on the helmet light.

Light Head and Switch Close ups:

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The light output measurement is performed by placing a Lux light meter beside the light. Both are pointed at the ceiling (five feet above) of a dark room. This measurement uses the ambient light produced by the bike light. We found this to be the most effective and repeatable measure of each light.

Pointing the light directly at the meter produced varying readings depending on exactly where the light beam was centered. Also, it was highly dependent on how focused the beam pattern was. Thus we chose the ambient light measurement test as the most effective for evaluating these lights.

Here is the 2009 Update:

2008 Data:

Chart 1: Here is a graph of our measured Ambient Lux compared the lumens claims of the manufacturer. The readings are normalized using the Niterider Trinewt as the baseline since they measure their lumens output. (click to enlarge)

Chart2: Measured Lux per gram, Measured Lux per $

Chart 3: Run time vs. Weight

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NiteFLUX Photon 4 Commuter and Enduro

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

NiteFLUX Photon 4 Commuter Photos

Description:

The Photon 4 Commuter and Enduro share the same light head. They differ in battery size as the Commuter has a 2 hour battery and the Enduro has a 6 hour one. The Photon 4 Commuter is a self contained system since the battery is mounted with the light head. The Enduro is a traditional wired system since the battery is quite big and needs to be mounted on the frame. Read the rest of this entry »

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NiteFLUX Photon Max
NiteFLUX Photon 4

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

Now here is a nice surprise! NiteFLUX is a company we’re not familiar with in the US. But this Australian company heard of our shootout and seemed confident that we would be impressed with what they had to offer.

The light comes in a very handy satchel bag that protects the light during transport and opens up nicely for setup. The light head features three LEDs and is fairly big but surprisingly light at 151 grams. The case is a mix of plastic and aluminum molded together in a design that includes nine cooling fins and five vent holes.

The battery is a neoprene wrapped unit slightly smaller than a coke can. The switch is on the battery and has very nice action to it.

Photon Max Light Head & Bag:

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Lupine Wilma 6 $695.00

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

The Lupine Wilma 6 features 4 leds in a relatively compact light head that weighs in at only 140 grams. It is very well built and it integrates cooling fins towards the rear of the light head. Mounting is done with a beefy rubber band.

The switch is external and is designed to be mounted close to the grips. The Wilma 6 has a small battery in a soft case that is meant to mounted between the top tube and the down tube of the frame.

Light Head and Switch Close ups:

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Lupine Betty 12 $1,185.00

Light Meter charts and comparison table available here.

Description:

The Lupine Betty 12 features 7 leds in a relatively compact light head that weighs in at only 156 grams. It is very well built and it integrates cooling fins towards the rear of the light head. Mounting is done with a beefy rubber band.

The switch is external and is designed to be mounted close to the grips. The Betty 12 has a waterbottle style battery and the Betty 6 has a smaller battery in a soft case.

Light Head and Switch Close ups:

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