There have been various threads on lights, I found what works great for me. I ride either a 24 or my Coker on Crushed limestone, blacktop or sidewalks and this works EXCELLENT, considering the price.
Until Saturday, Sears has this on sale,
Only 12.99 - No I don’t work at Sears, no stock in Sears, I don’t even know anyone who works there. This light has a 1 Watt Luxeon LED, These are not your typical LEDs. This LED pulls about .35Amps of current. A typical LED only uses about .020 Amps (20 milliamps). This sucker is BRIGHT. In a dark subdivision, this light will shine nearly 200 ft. I just attached it to my helmet with a Velcro strap. $13 and you have an awesome light. If you really need more light, buy 2. REALLY, buy one try it. If you dont like it Sears will take it back.
Does this light work in flood or spot mode? Is it variable like a Mag-lite? I like the 3 AAA’s, 17 hours, lightweight, and small all in one. Will it use NiMH batteries which are somewhat lower in voltage than alkaline?
And a good beam spread. Some (many?) LED lights have a very tight spot beam with no spread. This one has a bright spot in the center and a wide dimmer flood all the way around. Nice. Light output is better than some of the $40+ 1W LED lights I’ve looked at. I’ll have to wait and see what the battery life is.
It’s bright enough to use for casual urban use. Not quite bright enough for muni unless you’ve also got a full moon and no tree cover. Still a nice light. I’m not planning to use it for a riding light, but rather a utility flashlight and an emergency backup light for night rides.
It’s sort of a flood. More of a flood than most LEDs.
It is not adjustable like a Mag-Lite.
It lights up just as brightly with several week old charge NiMH batteries. No idea how log the NiMH batteries will last.
I’d be surprised if you could get 17 hours of full light. They’re probably letting it dim quite a bit more than you’d let it dim if you were using it as a riding light. I’m more expecting single digit burn times to keep it bright enough for riding use.
It’s as bright as the LED light I had on the Iron Horse tunnel ride. I had a 15W halogen and the LED light in the tunnel. The Craftsman light has a better flood than the LED light I had in the tunnel. I’d guess two of the Craftsman lights would be adequate for the tunnel ride if you’ve got good night vision.
