These lights do not illuminate my husbands path enough (Parker Electron Light System EHP315 Twin)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Parker Electron Light System EHP315 Twin
Date:	10/03/09 (298 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: OK on roads

Disadvantages: not bright enough on forset tracks

I asked my hubby who is at home convelalescing from an illness to write me a review if he felt bored , he felt bored and wrote me this .

Electron Light System EHP315 Twin 5w-10W NiWH
RRP £107.65



Invited to join a group that ride their mountain bikes off road at night I was a bit worried about running into a tree or down a hole, with inevitable results, probably painful. I have memories of falling into a river one dark night using my old dynamo lights to cycle a riverside footpath. So I asked about how these other riders see where they were going and they explained that bike lights had come a very long way since the good old dynamo.

These days, bike lights are as bright as motorbike lights, or can be, and they are made from tiny, lightweight components.

I should have asked for more detail because I went ahead and soon found that there are hundreds of different bike lights from £3 to £350. None said that they were rubbish in their adverts, so I pitched at about 1/3 of the way between basic and luxury and came up with the Electron Light System EHP315 Twin.
You get two small and apparently bright (one 5W and one 10W) lights that mount on to the handlebars and a rechargeable battery that looks like a drink bottle and fits into a bottle cage, with a charging unit.

Sadly, the Electron Light System EHP315 Twin is not up to the job I need it to do. Neither the 10W, nor even both the two lights together (15W), produce enough light to see where you are going in the woods once moving at a reasonable speed with no other light source. A reasonably bright light pool is produced if both lights are angled to point about to a spot 1.5 -2.5 metres in front of the bike. This means that you get a really clear view of objects just before you crash into them.

Riding country roads that you know fairly well with this light system would be ok. There are no unexpected trees or rocks in the road (mostly!). In more built up areas you don't really need lights this bright as you can see the ground ahead through the street lighting.


After I bought these lights I found that for about £120 ( in other words a very similar price) others bought massively brighter lights that attach either to the handle bars or even more usefully, to the cycle helmet and come with tiny lightweight battery packs the size of cigarette packs.

Pros: You can choose between brightness levels, both lights on 15w, single 10W or single 5W. This allows you to spin out the battery's charge by only using the brightest light when necessary.
Each of the two lamps can be positioned to shine in any forwards direction.
Waterproof and (so far) after 5 months, durable.
Light produced gives natural colour

Cons: Insufficient light for good visibility if travelling above 10mph away from supplementary light sources.
Insubstantial mounting method that allows the lamps to change position as you go over bumps unless tightened to a very high torque.
Heavy battery and slow recharge time (8 hours)
Not designed to fit to a cycle helmet.

Recommendation: if you want bike lights for off-road night time adventure (and it can be an intense adventure) you need a minimum of 20W and ideally both handlebar mounted and cycle helmet lights. If forced (through poverty) to choose between these two options go for helmet mounted. These allow you to turn your head and see around corners before you reach them; bar mounted lights don't turn until you actually get into the corner. In the event of a breakdown, such as a puncture, helmet mounted lights are a boon in seeing to repairs. Bar mounted lights simply shine up the path away from the site needing attention.
Find a cycling buddy who has lights and try them to see how they operate in really dark places WHILE YOU ARE CYCLING. The Electron Light System EHP315 Twin looked great in a darkish corner on a stationary bike but they just don't work in the field.

Summary: Lights for a bicycle