Trustfire Cree Q5 torches, Wow!

[MidlifeCyclist]

Hi all,

After reading carefully about lighting solutions I decided to go with 2 x Trustfire Cree Q5 torch from Deal Extreme. Even with the exchange rate it was about $100 including 2 sets of recharcheables and a recharger.

Took them for a ride tonight and WOW they are bright! for their relatively small size they are amazingly bright. mounting them on my helmet I can go full paced 30-35km/h in pitch black paths with ease (pitch black, not even street lights). It can easily light up 30m or more in front of me and the spill is good enough to give good periferal vision.

Very happy indeed. I thought maybe I'd get these and then add an Ayup set later on for handlebars but to be honest I don't think I need to at all. These are very good and fit my needs.

One thing though I can't see how one would mount the very bright Ayups or any Cree equivalents on your handlebar... it's so dazzlingly bright it would be dangerous for motorists driving towards you? at least with a head mount you can look away?

Lastly the only bad thing with such bright lights is that it attracts 1001 insects!!! Makes you ride faster though to avoid them

[Spiza]

One thing though I can't see how one would mount the very bright Ayups or any Cree equivalents on your handlebar... it's so dazzlingly bright it would be dangerous for motorists driving towards you? at least with a head mount you can look away?

Lastly the only bad thing with such bright lights is that it attracts 1001 insects!!! Makes you ride faster though to avoid them

Re. the handlebar mounting... I've found the best adjustment for the ay-ups is pointing slightly down so that it lights up around 20m in front. The ay-ups are fairly directional, even the intermediate beam so it won't dazzle oncoming cars. I think the Trustfires are pretty directional too.

Re. the insects... just open your mouth for a free protein rich feed

[nimm]

I've been high-beam flashed by cars multiple times with my Cree Q5s. I did a test and looking toward the light it seems very bright until you move out of the spill completely (i.e. reflector cone angle). So unless you mount them virtually pointing down or way off to the side then cars will not like em.

After noticing this I started to look at car headlights, they're bright but what you find is they just spill in front of the car without a hard spot like a torch does.

[Kev365428]

How would you go about mounting them on the handlebars?

Kev.

[utopia]

got any pictures? to verify?

[bigfriendlyvegan]

dealextreme, where I got my crees from, have a genuine fenix mount that will take the torches. They're a bit bulky and not quick release, but they hold the torhc tight and have great movement when you need it (and they stay still when you don't). Cost about $8.40
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13004

The pic shows orange screw thingies, but mine were black and you also get an extra set of them.

Oh, and mounting them on your forks is a really good idea. It keeps the beam low so you don't blind people. the fenix mounts will hold it there perfectly.

David

[MidlifeCyclist]

I honestly don't have an issue with them being on my helmet instead of handlebars. They're not very heavy and the other advantage is that I can see my computer and what gears I am in. When I get to a road with street lights I usually switch one of them off so that the impact is minimal for cars.

RE: pictures to verify, I have not seen the Ayups in action but I honestly think it looks alot like this one in their website: http://www.ayup.com.au/images/gallery/beamshots1.jpg

Except that the spill is not as good as the Ayups. The trustfire torches have a very narrow beam in comparison. I am sure the Ayups kick some serious butt, but it would have to for $249. Considering the Trustfires were about $25 each I am not complaining one bit...

[MidlifeCyclist]

I've been high-beam flashed by cars multiple times with my Cree Q5s. I did a test and looking toward the light it seems very bright until you move out of the spill completely (i.e. reflector cone angle). So unless you mount them virtually pointing down or way off to the side then cars will not like em.

After noticing this I started to look at car headlights, they're bright but what you find is they just spill in front of the car without a hard spot like a torch does.

This is curious. I wonder if sticking some tape over the top 1/4 or so of the lens will at least block off the top portion of the spill so that it does not shine directly at cars when pointing not so low? might have to experiment here. For my needs though I would want all of the available spill...

On another note I have a classic car with classic 7 inch halogen headlights and I am adamant that these Cree torches are brighter than my headlights

[MidlifeCyclist]

Alright, after trying them out over a few nights I have realised that they are not THAT bright. Yes in pitch black conditions they light up the path quite well and I can still ride at full pace in the dark comfortably but I realised that when riding around street lights and generally moderate nigt lighting (Olympic park at night) they aren't as dazzling as I first thought.

I am also beginning to realise that the burn time on the rechargeables is quite short (under 3 hours) but I admit thats pretty good already.

Still I am very happy with them considering the price and will continue to use them as they suite my needs perfectly, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for...

[sogood]

Oh, and mounting them on your forks is a really good idea. It keeps the beam low so you don't blind people. the fenix mounts will hold it there perfectly.

I tried that concept years ago and found it wanting. The beam is constantly blocked on the off-side by the front wheel. Not smart at all.

[wombatK]

dealextreme, where I got my crees from, have a genuine fenix mount that will take the torches. They're a bit bulky and not quick release, but they hold the torhc tight and have great movement when you need it (and they stay still when you don't). Cost about $8.40
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13004

Good find. Will it fit a 32 mm or 25 mm bar ? Hard to tell from the link.

I've actually got Ayups (intermediate beam) and a couple of Trustfire TR-801's http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13095 which also use the Cree Q5 LED. Presently using elastic straps to mount the TR-801 on the better halfs' bike which isn't used enough to justify the Ayup expense.

How do they compare ? Based on just 2 weeks use of the TR-801 and 6 months of the Ayups...

The Ayups have optics (a lens) which focus the beam. So at 5m, the center of the beam of a single Ayup light (they come in pairs) gives 68 lux compared to 44 for the TR-801 (big win to Ayup, 50% more). But at 3.5m and 1.5 m below the beam centerline, the TR-801 wins - 5.9 lux compared to 2.3 for the Ayup. The TR-801 is clearly spreading the light over a wider angle.

The wide beam from the TR-801 is actually more suited to one-off handle-bar mounting commuting on urban roads.

The focussed approach on the Ayups is necessary when you go for the full kit with both helmet and handlebar mounted lights for lighting up dark MTB trails (with 4 x Q5 leds all up). I've found the helmet mounted Ayups work brilliantly, but the intermediate beam doesn't work so well on the handlebars (e.g. going around corners). The fancy optics might not be all that useful in you don't get the full kit.

The manufacturing quality, waterproofing, design and whole package of the Ayups is also way superior to the TR-801. The Ayups come in a kit with mounting for handlebars on 2 bikes and 1 helmet; plus a neat bag to keep charger and all the bits together.

Ayups will run for 3 hours on a charge (at full output, then you've got a limp home mode - that will give you another hour or two). The batteries are very well sealed and protected from physical damage. More details: http://www.ayup.com.au/dms/images/custo ... SEPT07.pdf.

The TR-801 with Trustfire 18650 protected Li-ion 2400 mAh cell (SKU 12397) runs for 2 hours at 100% output, and drop only 20% over the third hour. There's about 30% left after four hours - still plenty to limp home by and be seen by cars etc.,. It has the advantage of a flasher mode and medium and low output modes that would obviously extend these times.


The 18650 cells are 46 grams. This is so light that carrying a spare is a practical option - as long as you protect it well from physical damage. Li-ion cells can explode if struck with a nail or even a blunt object (see http://www.valence.com/technology/batte ... fety_video) - pack it in your saddle or seat bag, not your jersey.

Some reviews on the net are critical of the heat of high power LED torches. The external case of the TR-801 was 36 deg C - about 12 deg C above ambient after two hours running, and just below body temperature. Nothing uncomfortable or dangerous - but it mighe be an issue on a 40 deg day.

The review on dealextreme mention issues with the TR-801 threads, and one of the two I bought had that. So yep, they're cheap and effective, but they're not Ayups which I expect will stand up to heavy-duty use much better.! The reviews on dealextreme often mention quality issues - and they moderate-out critical reviews. It would be reasonable to conclude they are seconds quality, so there is a risk in buying them - and returning goods to Hong Kong is expensive (can't trust unregistered mail).

[joneblaze]

Ordered some torches from Dealextreme earlier this year and they never came. THeir customer service is also shocking.

How does these Crees compare to say even one Ayup light?

[wombatK]

Ordered some torches from Dealextreme earlier this year and they never came. Their customer service is also shocking.

How does these Crees compare to say even one Ayup light?

That's exactly what I reported above. A single TR-801 v's a single Ayup LED unit (I pointed the second one 180 deg away). The TR-801 does at least as good a job in terms of lighting for general cycling, but might be found wanting on trail riding.

Agree about Dealextreme - I bought these only after getting a discount for a dud MTE P7 - returning it would have cost more than the difference - and they were anything but forthright in their response to my complaints. The bargain hunter in me thought it worth giving them a second chance. The dodgy cap on one of the TR-801 has me thinking they're selling seconds quality stuff, and relying on returns being too expensive for overseas customers. I'd hesitate to recommend them - especially as I've gone nowhere close to testing how durable they are.

Dealextreme also charge your a/c immediately, but take weeks to deliver items listed as in stock - and for both my orders, the order was broken into multiple deliveries. It wasn't much use getting the batteries and chargers 2 weeks ahead of the torch. So for customer service, I'd given them about 2 out of 10.

[joneblaze]

Yeah, if I was to continue riding I would have bought an Ayup starter set. They're not the cheapest, but from everyone's feedback the quality and more importantly client service are A+, plus Aussie support and a very simple plug and play.

Those Niterider setups cost almost twice as much, from my initial research!

I can't stand giving dodgy operations like Dealextreme my time and money!

[Spiza]

As }SkOrPn--7 mentions here http://bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10812 you can get 10% off AY-UPs until 15th Jan. I highly recommend these lights