Magicshine 1500 headlight?

[Kitty Goursolle]

Does anybody use this light? It's on sale, so I risked my $64  (inc shipping). It claims 30 hours of run time (on low beam). I may yet make the switch from all  generator lighting to all rechargable lighting if this is good enough. 

https://magicshine.com/products/allty-1500s-bicycle-light

My current set up is a Son 20 hub paired with a Sinewave beacon headlight and Supernova taillight. which has been good for me ever since 2009. My backup lights--  a Niterider 1000 headlight, and a Serfas tailight. 

The Beacon is really nice for a generator light.  No faffing at controls to recharge.   But it has no high/low beam option. On slow climbs, there's very little light output.  On fast nighttime downhills, I add in the high beam from my Niterider 1000, for the few minutes needed. I like the USB port on the Beacon too, I use it in line to keep the gps charged. 

I'm looking forward to hearing back about this. 

Cheers,

Kitty

[Ramsey Hanna]

Hi!

I have used this particular headlamp before and think it is a great light depending on the use case.

It was reliable and the runtime is as advertised. I still use it sometimes though not so much anymore.

My opinion is that the best lights for ultra are the ones that have rechargeable batteries you can just pop in and out, so you just carry a few extras and swap them in. This allows me to put my lights on pretty much full blast the whole time I’m riding as long as I know I have spares. I use a fenix HM65R on my helmet and two fenix bc21r lights on my handlebars (these use the same style batteries), and they haven’t let me down yet (and have been through a lot!)

Ramsey

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[Mike Sturgill]

I have a Magicshine EVO 1700 ($72 at Amazon) and love it. It has a remote switch, mounts on a GoPro mount under your GPS and a cutoff beam. 

Here are the runtime number that I found online.
Low beam modes:
  200 lumens: 11 hours
  400 lumens: 5.5 hours
  800 lumens: 3 hours 
High beam modes:
  1700 lumens: 2 hours 
Flash modes:
  Day flash: 5 hours
  Night flash: 3.5 hours 

I've had mine for well over a year so I don't remember exactly what my run times measured. I tested all 3 Low Beam modes, 3 times each, and every one of them was slightly longer than the spec. I seem to recall the 200 lumen mode lasted about 13 hours, 400 lumens - 6 hours.
https://www.amazon.com/Magicshine-EVO-1700-Rechargeable-Black/dp/B0CFHCHB3L

-Mike

[Brook Henderson]

I did parts of an 8k600k with Mike a month or so ago. His Magicshine headlight was indeed noticeably bright. 

That said, I'm in Ramsey's camp and prefer lights with replaceable batteries to proprietary battery packs and USB recharging. Unfortunately, there aren't many good options. I have two Fenix BC30v2 lights. Great lights, but the mounts are poor. Fenix sells sturdy replacement mounts, but they're overly bulky, IMO. Ramsey's BC21R are discontinued.

Lately I've been using a custom setup that combines a Lezyne ebike gopro-mount headlamp with a weatherproof battery pack that can be opened and swapped with fresh batteries that I carry and/or add to dropbags. (And I have an old USB headlamp mounted on the bars as a backup/extra.) This system worked well this year on some overnight training rides, three 600k, and the upended LEL. I need to add a switch to the connector so that it's easier to turn on and off, though.

I completely understand why certain folks love dynamo setups. However, the kinds of events with long self supported remote sections that would require a dynamo aren't what appeals to me. [Well, maybe the Sverigetempot in 2028...? IDK.]

This is one example of what I love about randonneuring: there's so many ways to do it -- different bikes, different kits, different strategies, etc. -- and not one single "right" or required method. (And, the folks doing it are also great people.)

-Brook

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[Rob Hawks]

I have two of the Magicshine 1500s. On last spring's 600km worker's ride, I took both on the ride with me plus an external battery. I know the whole unit will weigh more than just the battery pack but can it be that much more to where it is a deal breaker? Maybe someone here has an opinion. The 1500 can be recharged while using the light

I'd prefer a dynamo hub to a battery powered light any day, but to build a second wheel that would match the wheelset would be way, way more than the price of a second battery powered light.

The things I don't like about the Magicshine model I have are:

the light gets warm to hot when running the light and when recharging

the lens on this model is oriented to the light mounting on top but the outfront mounts I have use the top position for the head unit (which obviously can't go on the bottom). This bottom mounting position means you can't see the warning setting when the light is running low on charge.

the mounting unit that comes with the light won't work on aero bars

The 1700 Mike has linked sounds interesting to me (it addresses at least one of the downsides I've listed above), so I'll be checking that out.

rob

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[Cheng-Hong Li]

There are some battery lights that can do pass-through charging (you can charge the light with a power bank while the light is on.) The light's running time is only limited by the capacity of the power banks you carry and the light's own internal battery combined. 

B&M also has a few. I have used their Ixon Space. It has the best light pattern among battery and dynamo lights. But unfortunately most of them will die after a few rain showers, mine included.

Lezyn has a line of StVZO compliant lights that also support pass-through charging. The brightest model is this. The light pattern is good enough, though not as good as Ixon Space.

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[Julien]

Yes pass-through charging is a very nice feature for us. I've also used the B&M Ixon Space. The beam pattern is great. I also like the ability to switch up and down the intensity (higher output when leading, lower when drafting). The B&M mount is clunky though (how did they come up with such a design...), I also wish it was usb-c, maybe they'll make a new version one day.

Another  StVZO model I use is the detour from Outbound Lightning, also pass-through enabled. They have a useful adapter so it can conveniently be mounted under a garmin. While I don't think the light pattern is as good as B&M, the fact that it's different makes for a very nice combination when paired with the B&M even at low intensity (it fills the dark space between short and long distance that B&M optics typically have). I also use the detour as the backup light on the dynamo bike on long rando.

Cheng, that Lezyn model you reference doesn't mention pass-through. How do you know that it is? I'd be tempted to add another model to the collection, but pass-through is a hard requirement for me now :) If only there were more choices...

Thank You,

Julien

[Dave Thompson]

I use cygolite and fenix lights that both do pass through. 

Dave

From my iwdt

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[Rebecca Clark]

(with apologies that this is a side note for most, but relevant to lighting options) 

For those who use flashlight-type lights as bike lights (I carry an AA-powered Fenix flashlight as a backup to dyno lighting), TwoFish Lockblocks make for really great long-lasting, versatile, portable light mounts.  (I can't speak as to using them for their supposed purpose!)

Cheers,

Rebecca in Albany, NY

RUSA 6012

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[Cheng-Hong Li]

I actually bought the Lezyn model that I linked in my previous post as a replacement of my dead Ixon Space. I tested it with a power bank and the pass through works. 

If you notice, Lezyn offers two options of the same light. The more expensive one has an additional external battery. You don’t need their dedicated battery since the charging port is a standard USB-C. 

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