Prelimenary LED light tests

Two great weekends in a row is a blessing. I did my normal long ride (54 miles) last Saturday, but I soon realized an energy drink would help me avoid bonking out near the end of the ride.


Saturday night I fell victim to my kids' common cold, so my Sunday bike ride with friends and family was postponed. The weekend was not a total lost. The weather and home situation allowed me to go on a field test of my two LED 900 lumens flashlights.

This was a quick setup, mainly to test out how the testing process should proceed. I gathered all my equipment that I would use.

• two led 900 lumens flashlights100' long measuring tape
  
• markers for 100' sections (I used white water bottles)
  
• digital slr camera
• tripods (1 for camera & 1 to hold the flashlight)
• velcro strips to hold the lights in place on the tripod

Picking out a straight path on the Little Miami Bike Trail I setup the test and the results are below. I marked 100 and 200 feet with white drink bottles.

(click on image to enlarge)

Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight. Wide spill area, long throw (spot) area, a bright center area of illumination, middle area not as bright as the middle and outer. The 200 feet marker is easily seen. The Aurora uses (2) 18650 size batteries, runtime around 1 hour and 20 minutes on high.

(click on image to enlarge)

Aurora AK-P7-3 SSC P7-C 900-Lumen 2-Mode LED Flashlight set on low mode.

(click on image to enlarge)

MTE SSC P7 900-Lumen 5-Mode Super LED Flashlight set on high mode. The 100 feet marker can be easily seen. The 200 feet marker is not so easily seen, but still slightly visible. The MTE uses (1) 18650 battery, runtime around 50 minutes on high.

The things that I learned was that I forgot to bring pen and paper to record the camera setting. It took a while to get the right exposure settings and a second set of eyes to verify. Hopefully on my next test I will have it down correctly.

The results:

• The Aurora model gave out a wider spill, while the MTE was a bit narrower
• Both flashlights illuminated the trail visibly at 100 feet.
• The Aurora model had a much great throw towards the 200 feet mark.
• The Aurora model, being around 9 inches long, would be too long to be efficiently mounted on the handlebars.
  

For the cost of around $80-$110 (including batteries, charger, bike mount) these flashlights would make a handy and economical way in getting you through your night ride. For more information on the Aurora flashlight, please see my old post on this blog.

Keep in mind that these are 900 lumens flashlights. A Surefire U2 Ultra, rated at 100 lumens, would cost you around $295.

Note:
The images seem to be a bit darker a Macintosh.