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Hixie's Natural Log

2009-02-10 03:11 UTC Bike light recommendation: BR Lights C2-K

I cycle a lot, including at night, e.g. on the way home.

The problem with cycling at night is that you can't see where you're going. Sure, you can get a $50 bike light, but frankly the moon gives more light than those silly lights. Indeed they are hardly even worthy of the name "light".

I have finally found the light to end all bike light debates.

The BR Lights C2-K.

It puts out a crazy bright ONE THOUSAND LUMENS. This is on the order of the brightness of car headlamps (they are typically around 2000 lumens as far as I can tell), and almost as bright as a mains-powered 100W incandescent.

This light costs $400 and comes with a ridiculously sturdy foam-padded carrying case and a charger. It runs for over two hours on high beam, and about 5 hours on "low" beam (still 400 lumens, brighter than any light at a comparable price!). It charges from about three-quarters full in less than an hour. The light itself is nigh on indestructible, and water-proof.

I can also vouch for the quality of service — I had an early version which wasn't quite as water-proof as the current one, and they repaired it without any complaints. I've since bought two more units and had my first unit upgraded to the new model, that's how happy I am with this light.

I cannot overstate how happy I am with this light. Every cyclist should have one. In fact, everyone who ever goes in the dark should have one. This light is the best flashlight I've ever had — mine survived Burning Man, for instance, and was great for finding my way around deep playa. It's also great for finding things under beds: where an ordinary flashlight would merely dimly light up a corner of the darkness, this light will light up every last piece of lint under the entire bed at once.

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