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DealExtreme HA-III P7 LED Bike Light
Posted by The Stig on August 28, 2009 under 'Reviews'.
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Now I hope the other Moles don’t think I’m stealing anybody’s thunder here, but in advance of the long awaited night light test, planned for one dark evening in September, I just wanted to scribe a few words about this wee beauty - the DealExtreme HA-III P7 LED Bike Light
And here's some further reading from the light fetishists on the candlepower forum, umm what an interesting bunch of people they sound!
Like a number of us, I have a rather unhealthy interest in lighting that, until recently, I thought I had under control. Already sporting a 900+ lumen iBlaast for the bars and my homebrew set up for my bonce, I really didn’t need anything else. But then 'Head of New Product Research' DaveC alerted us to the new DealExtreme bike light.
I was feeling a little low at the time of his email and before I knew it, I’d embarked on some retail therapy and a few days later, it arrived from Hong Kong.
I’ve only used it a couple of times so can’t comment on long term reliability (though LED’s as opposed to HID’s are generally highly robust and it seems very well made), but I must declare the Night Light Arms Race has to be over.
For £50 delivered, you really cannot do better. Its chuffin bright (a claimed 900 lumens) and nicely coloured, the beam spread is excellent, it has 3 modes with a three hour burn time on Hi, mounts easily and securely and comes with everything you need – that's light, batteries, charger, mounts, the lot. Not a strip of solder or zipties in sight.
Whilst homebrew stuff is fun, there’s the time factor and the way in which the cost always escalates to double your estimates. If homebrew isn’t your thang, at £50 this seriously undercuts anything else on offer and performance-wise, it sits at well over the £200 retail mark imho.
You may be tempted to wait until our lights test but I’d advise you get in quick and snap one up before the Autumn rush sees them run out of stock. The only drawback is the charger is a twin flat pin affair, so an adaptor is needed.
See beam shots of the DealExtreme HA-III P7 LED Bike light in our MTB LED Night Light Test and Beam Shots article.
Note: the views and comments expressed in this article are those of the author alone and should not be relied upon to assess the product with regard to quality, application, longevity and safety. Muddymoles.org.uk accepts no liability in relation to those who seek to rely on this article and any losses, direct or consequential they may suffer as a result.
If you would like to link to this post, please use the following url: http://www.muddymoles.org.uk/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/611
Further reading
You might also find the following interesting (includes further reading from the Muddymoles and third parties)
MTB LED Night Light Test and Beam Shots from Muddymoles.
A review of popular MTB LED night lights with beam shots including Ay-Up!, Exposure MaXx-D, Lumicycle LEDSys3 and LEDSys4, iBlaast and more.
Ride report: Wednesday 14 October - DealExtreme from Muddymoles.
The first proper night ride of the season now the clocks have switched back sees a typical North Downs ride taking in a variety of riding.
A quick round-up from Muddymoles.
A summary of what's been happening on the website recently and a look ahead
Reader comments
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I have just placed an order after my first night ride with the moles, the wet one! I will now be able to see a little better!
It seemed to do the job although you didn't see the badger!!
Being disposed to a bit of tinkering, I've pulled mine apart, and the shortcomings highlighted by the fella on the candlepower forum are correct (see new link at top of post).
The mounting screw is woefully short and the amount of material behind the LED is not generous leading potentially to inadequate heat sinking (only an issue I rec if you leave it on high whilst stationery).
I'll sort out the screw and do the mods with thermal epoxy and thermal paste to aid heat transfer. Finally, a bit of silicon sealant to stop water ingress where the wire enters the body and it should now be a reliable and cheap, high performance set up.
Mine didn't quite last 3 hours on its first outing. Switched off suddenly after about 2.5 hours, so make sure you get an extra batt. pack or have a spare light.
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DaveW says:
My McAfee is blocking a trojan download when I use the dealextreme site, so be careful people.
Posted on September 2, 2009 10:36 PM.