Magicshine 872 lights, update, and more...

Feeling better at home i have been tinkering and getting more lights to play with for once i am riding again, hopefully in a week or two, -:)
As mentioned a few weeks back i had bought a 2nd Magicshine 872 light from there UK ebay shop to get more light for filming with the Go Pro HD camera...


Well the second lights battery was faulty and as soon as the charger was disconnected it would read 7.6v, they should read 8.4v...


I only got just over an hour burn time instead of 2 on full power, this has been an occasional fault of Magicshines that has popped up on reviews and various forums,
I contacted the ebay shop about it, at around 4 pm on a Saturday afternoon, and got a reply from Richard that same evening at 7pm saying;
`sorry about problem, return battery for replacement`,
Replacement came 5 days later, easily before they had received the battery i returned, that is service i cannot complain about,

I was after a small torch light with a spot beam for my helmet to use as an extra light for looking about off the trail, around corners, opening gates etc, and road riding between trails - the Magicshine 872s have a spherical flood so you shouldn't really use them on roads...


You also need a spot beam light to ride in mist, the flood lights just reflect the light back, One condition where less light is better!,

So i ordered an Ultrafire P10-R5 which is 350 Lumen's (claimed) lighting which was a bargain at £13 (without battery) from the DX (Deal Extreme) website,
i did have to wait 4 weeks for delivery from Hong Kong, this seems the normal delivery time from them...




This little torch is easily powerful enough to see with on its own at night if no one is behind you with more powerful lights...


The torch has 3 beam power settings and a fast and slow blinking setting,

I bought a USE Exposure helmet mount, costing more than the torch at £17!
to mount the torch...




At £13 this wee torch is a no brainer, you could buy 10 of these torches and a charger and 2 batteries for the price of one USE Exposure light which has the same claimed power!...


One 872 lamp (on 3/4 setting) and this torch helmet mounted is more than enough power for night riding with friends,
The 872 lamp will give 2 hours burn time on full setting,
3 hours on 3/4,
4 hours on half setting,
6 hours on low setting,

3/4 setting on one 872 lamp is more than enough light to ride by!...


But to film i still need more power!, enter the latest purchase;
The beast!

A CREE XM-L T6 kicking out 1300 lumen's! (claimed), and a bargain £15 on UK ebay (without battery) from a Hong Kong shop, it arrived in 10 days...


Bigger and a bit heavier than the P10 torch but unbelievable power,
a white spot beam that cuts through the dark like a big light saber!...




How can a torch of this quality and power be made and shipped half way around the world for under £20?, unreal!...




See how white the beam is, this is under streetlights...


This torch also has 3 beam power settings and a fast and slow blinking setting,

Both torches were bought without a battery but there are deals for the torches with batteries and chargers with different dealers,
I bought a charger and two 18650 batteries for £12 on UK ebay,




So with this big baby helmet mounted the Go Pro camera should always have light where ever i am looking, so when riding down a trail and i look off either side we should see the trees and stuff to the sides and and it hopefully gives a better film to watch,

To use it filming i made up a mount from a plastic bicycle pump frame mount with velcro strap, the ones that mount through bottle cage mounts,
secured to a jump helmet using 3M snap velcro and cable ties...


With the jump helmet having no peak i stuck on a self adhesive Go Pro mount on the front...


Torch and camera mounted...




Cannot wait to try this set up out once i am back cycling again, the torch should give at least 1 hour burn time on full power, long enough for filming, and burn for longer on lower settings if needed,

I also bought two mounts for fitting torches to handlebars for again a bargain £2 each on ebay...


So these cheap torches can also be used for road cycling,
with its 3 beam power settings and blinky modes its ideal and rechargable battery so no spending money on Lithium batteries,

Ultrafire P10-R5 mounted on the pub bike...


There is a lot of brand snobbery here in the UK on some forums regaurding Far East cycling products, from lights like these to parts by the likes of Superstar Componants (which i cant fault for pedals, brake pads, BBs, and headsets) so be good to see how these lights last, the preformance is more than enough!,
I don`t race and don`t require more than 4-5 hours lighting so will only be able to comment on there reliability for trail and beachriding, down to Temperatures of (hopefully again!) -15Celcius,

Once riding again in a few weeks i will blog the lights and torches run times and make some films, canny wait!...