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Magicshine/ cheap lights long term review?
So I saw everyone was buying the Magicshine lights a while ago.
Even though I've had my Aye ups upgraded, I'm not really happy with them when I'm training on the road.
I have some powerfull homemade lights that I use for Mtb events but I'm looking for a cheap light I can put on and take off the road bike quickly.
Is everyone happy with the Magicshines and are they more powerful than the Aye ups?
Cheers in advance,
Gazza
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The Ferei BL200's aren't too bad. I'd still have a helmet light though in case you need to light up a car interior to get a driver's attention, so I'd keep the Ay Ups for that.
I bought from Magicshine a helmet light.
It's an awesome bit of kit. I am yet to actually use it while riding, though is powerfull and comes with everything in a nice foam box.
The after sales service is second to none. I thought I had an issue with an incorrect mount, I sent an email and received a call 15 minutes later and all sorted, it was the right mount.
Definitely recommend.
Looks like a nice light but I'm buying two lights (one for my partner) so the price of the Magicshine is much more appealing.
Has anyone done a head to head test with the Aye Ups?
One of the importers down in Melbourne who used to sell them doesn't stock them anymore. His website is still www.magicshineledlights.com.au but he sells Tobest and Xeccon lights, which are apparently Chinese companies that used to build other brands (they may have been building the magicshine lights).
Anyway I brought an Xeccon spiker 1207 and S12 two a couple of months ago. They are relatively cheap and I am happy with them but they are the first proper set of lights I've had so I don't have anything to compare them to. Very bright but not sure how they will hold up in the long run and a bit of an overkill for road rides. If you want to have a look at them let me know.
Cheers
I've got two of the older MS 900 lumen units from October 2009, cheap batteries were the only issues for me. The batteries(A$30) I purchased 12 months ago are still going well.
In late 2009, the MS 900 and Ayups looked comparable on the trail.
Hey
I've got a "Magicshine MJ-880", I've only used it 20 or 30 times over the last 12 months. No problems so far. It out lasts me, we usually ride for around 2 to 2 and a half hours and it's still burning bright. There are 5 power settings, I usually use the third setting because it's so bright. The control buttons are a bit fiddley with gloves on but that could be more to do with wearing full finger gloves.
I ride with a couple of blokes with new AYUPs. The Magicshine puts out much more light and doesn't have a really bright spot like the AYUPs, which could be good or bad depends what you like. The Magicshine has a much larger heavier battery, I ride with a Camelbak and the battery fits in the top pocket so it’s not a problem for me. Those AYUP batteries are incredibly small and mount on the helmet, you definitely would not do that with the Magicshine battery.
They both provide more than enough light to ride off road at night.
I hope this is helpful.
Tony
I've used the majic Shine since 2010. I have 4 batteries 2 of which stay on about 30 min full 1 on about 90 min and one about 150 min on full.
I've had to replace 1 light in those 3 years and 2 batteries I also inherited one from somewhere.
my best battery is about 12 mths old. the next one is about 18 mths the 2 crappy ones about 3 years I always keep them charged. I charge them as soon as I can, after each ride.
Ive been doing a fair amount of night riding recently.....as well as early mornings stuff.....but went out the other night of course one of the main batteries was charging so I took the 2 crappy ones plus my one good one.....
had planned an epic night ride but it got cut short as the first battery only lasted 30 min. so the rest of the ride was juglede between low beam and only single light when on fire trail. Full power on single track & downhill.... LOL
I love riding at night.
So they seem to be ok then? Especially as you can change the settings to suit the road so they don't blind drivers etc.
Next question, Best place to buy from?
I've got magicshine s by 2 (torpedo 7 branded version ), a $50 eBay one from a year ago, 2 $20 jobbies from deal extreme and a spiker 1207 from exxecon ( the guy in oz who used to do magicshine).
Seriously, just buy a light from him. They cost quite a bit more , ie mine was $130, but the battery uses bak cells, and they actually provide service and parts backup, and the light is bright, it's waterproof, nice and floody, use his online advice option, and describe what you are trying to achieve, and take his advice, very well regarded on mtbr which is why I bought them from him.
It's mtbrevolution is the site, owners name is Leonard .
Oh ayups still have value for form factor as helmet lights for sure, just not bright enough for me, and I'm happy having a light sticking out of the top of my helmet, knowing its lots brighter than the uber cool guys with ayups
I got mine from
http://www.magicshineaustralia.com.au/
I had no problems with them and they arrived in a couple of days.
I got mine from Deal extreem for around $85 or $90. you'll need 2 for offroad. Mine are called Magic Lite or something
Mine are the 900 lumen ones most people have.
The Australian Magic Shine ones are exactly the same except the battery case looks stronger. Every one of my battery cases is ripped. I Just tape mine to my bike now & put one into my camel back or jersey with an extension cord.
Those ones from deal extreem have 3 settings. High, low & flash. the newer ones also give you an indicator how low the battery is. Green for full. Less than 75% for blue. Less than 50% for orange. less than 25% for red.
replacement batteries are about $30.
http://dx.com/p/mj-808e-ha-iii-cree-xm-lt60-3-mo...
this is the one. except mine is a 900 lumen.
you can also get versions with the helmet clamp as well. just have a look. also get yourself a extension cord they cost about $2.50This set up is great but its nothing like the quality of AyUps. but then.....over 3 years I've spent $200.....Ayups would be more like $500 for the same set up but the price certainly reflects this. Plus People Ive ridden with say Magic Shines are brighter & perhaps even a better beam for MTBiking.
hope that helps
Have a look at 'Sonlight Bike lights' on Facebook. I have the SL2000 light, the baby of the range, and its great for road riding. The throw is a lot further than my magicshine lights. They also do 2 more powerful models. Best of all he is based in Perth.
I just bought one of these... like just then off..
http://www.magicshineledlights.com.au
A mate an I finished a ride earlier tonight and he has the 'S12 TWO' not the 'U2, I think... and it was perfect for the 40 mins or so we needed a light to finish the ride. This light and the battery pack going for $99 bucks I didn't think I could go wrong.
I'll be combining this with a bar light also, only about 1/2 as bright though (480 lumens) but until it went flat tonight I thought it threw plenty of light while I was hammering down Mercury St. So once I pair them both up I couldn't imagine needing any more light.
I'm hoping it arrives super fast so I can go on the night ride next Wednesday, so ill report back after that
-TJ.
I purchased 2 mj816's and an mj808 about 3-4 years ago.
The 808 (900lm) is still going well and I use it on my roadie on flash mode. Battery is still good and holds charge like new.
One of my 816's has a loose wire now so has been retired. The other goes well, but seems to have dropped around 20% in light output (heat? Overuse?) one of the batteries only only lasts 30 mins on full power, the other lasts at least 2 hours maybe 3.
I've since added another Chinese version to my lid (2400lm) it is awesome and I've run it for hours without issue. (12 months now)
I've also added an updated version of the 816 for my bars. Excellent spread of light, but chews power! The supplied battery turns orange after 10 mins and dies within the hour. I now use a bigger battery that lasts 2 hours on high ( the battery is a couple of years old now) because of this I've splashed out on a high capacity battery that should last twice as long.
Lets put it in perspective. The new 12000mah battery set me back $20
Most of the light kits I've purchased over the years have costed less than $70 shipped.
If I get 12 months of regular night rides out of them I'm happy.
Would they survive daily commutes ???? Don't know.
On eBay you can get all sorts of Cree XML LEDs for around $30-$70. Not bad really.
So would I recommend these. Yes. At that price it's hard to beat. Sure, a mate had one turn up DOA. But the Chinese company just sent him a new one free of charge. (Now he has a spare battery! They sent a whole new kit!)
All this talk makes me want to get another set... Can you have too much light????
Just my 2 c.
http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?2...
I've just purchased one from the link to see how it goes.
I'm still looking at buying one of the smaller Spiker units as I've heard the Magicshines are quite a big unit but ill wait and see for myself.
For under $30 how can you loose? Even if I just use it for camping/work etc its still a bargain.
Cheers for the info and links guys
I've got one of those lights.
I've only used it a couple of times, once round Manly Dam and a ride round the National Park.
It fared well against the other guys lights who I was riding with and their lights were a hell of a lot more expensive. Giving out equal, if not more light than theirs. There is a hot spot in the middle but the spread is more than wide enough. Not sure on run times as I've not done a ride long enough. The NP ride was about an hour and there was no drop in brightness and the coloured switch didn't change colour to show a drop in charge. The only thing wrong with the set I brought was that I had to bodge together a helmet mount and the cable wasn't long enough to reach my Camelbak, a quick trip to Jaycar for a couple of connectors and a metre of wire soon sorted that though.
For the price, I highly recommend them.
In the rotorburn link above there is another link to a wide angle lens that you can retrofit to the 1800 lumen magicshine-ish lights. I can wholeheartedly recommend this upgrade. For about 8 bucks it turns the spot into a massive wide beam. I needed to wrap a bit of electricians tape around the lens to give a snug fit but I've been using it for about a year of commuting and it is still going strong.