ALDI Bike Light, thoughts ?

[Widget]

Hi guys,

Local ALDI currently have a light for $40, just wondering if anyone has any experience with this type or whether it's any good?

Mainly looking for a light so I can go riding at low light/night

specs

- 900 Lumen Peak Output
- 2x Cree XML T6 LED's
- 3.7v 4800mAh Li-ion rechargeable Battery
- 3 modes of lighting: Strong - weak - strobe

[Mulger bill]

I got one, seems OK but gets very hot if standing

I'd avoid the flash setting tho, way too fast.

[madmacca]

I got one of the earlier Bikemate models from Aldi - similar battery pack, but light rated at 550 lumens. It handles that power well - not sure how it would handle 900 lumens, but the model shown does appear to have extra fins to act as heat sinks.

Great light - have used it extensively on night time rural roads. Run times slightly exceeded advertised when new. Outstanding value, as you'll usually be paying well over $100 for an equivalent brand name light, and Aldi have a pretty good returns policy.

[Widget]

I came across one on ebay, very similar looking to the one from ALDI but half the price

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SolarStorm-6 ... Sw3xJVf8Sj

Though the one from ebay appears to require an external battery pack, whereas, from what I can tell, ALDI doesn't... anyone familiar with the one from ebay ?

[Mulger bill]

That Ebay one looks exactly similar apart from the lack of helmet mount.

Whether the internals are is likely contentious.

[find_bruce]

What Mulger BIll said. The Aldi light will also use an external pack. The design is referred to as a "solarstorm x2". While ubiquitous there are significant differences between the internals - both the light head and the battery pack.

Notice that Aldi's claims of 900 lumen (a measure of total light output) & 4,800 mAh (a measure of battery capacity) are about what I would expect, while the fleabay ad claims 6,000 lumens & 6,200 mAh which are grossly overstated.

Personally I would stay well clear of the fleabay version.

The direct from China price of the X2 from reliable sellers is around $30-$35, so not much of a markup from Aldi for an Australian warranty.

[bychosis]

I've been happy with my Chinese solar storm x2 lights, especially for the price. Buying from Aldi would provide me with more confidence the charger is AU rated. The cheapie Chinese ones have been suited for US plugs coming with a very dodgy adaptor and one has let the smoke out when I plugged it in.

[carcharias]

Buy it without hesitation.
I have got an Aldi bikemate bike trail light still going strong with regular use from 2014, also $40. It looks a lot like a mini version of a Magicshine MJ-808 (or what you can find on dx.com) except with a 2x18650 battery pack.
The only thing is its overkill for commuting purposes.
I will get around to solid mounting it to my bike one day...
A great buy from ze Aldi store.

[Nate]

Buying from Aldi would provide me with more confidence the charger is AU rated. The cheapie Chinese ones have been suited for US plugs coming with a very dodgy adaptor and one has let the smoke out when I plugged it in.

i'd be VERY careful of these...
Its illegal to sell anything in AU without a proper certified plug - so look for an AU seller.
If they sell u dodgy plugs from AU - get a refund (ive done this), and put RCD's in the house just in case!

[familyguy]

Are these latest release much different?

https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-buys ... e-light-1/

[Bunged Knee]

^^ Yes. And no info of run times???

[familyguy]

No info I can see. I am debating about buying one, but unless I can find some background (or at least the Alibaba/DX version of the same thing) I probably won't.

Jim

[find_bruce]

No mention of coming with a battery, let alone what capacity. The absence of a battery would explain the lack of run time

[Ross]

Battery shown in this image I would find it hard to believe they would sell a light without a battery

[uart]

Battery shown in this image I would find it hard to believe they would sell a light without a battery

Yes, and the text also says that it's "USB rechargeable" (which is entirely a function of the battery and has nothing to do with the light itself), so it definitely comes with the battery pack.

[mitzikatzi]

More than likely a cable like the one on the right. You need to supply the USB charger. They work it is just a little slow to charge the battery. I like it at least you know the charger is good quality and not a cheap Chinese made charger.

eBay is riddled with sub $40 led lights

[Ross]

eBay is riddled with sub $40 led lights

At least you know with the Aldi light it has a reasonable quality about it and also a warranty. The cheap chinese ones from eBay (or DX/Alibaba) you wouldn't know what you are getting quality wise (or if you will even receive it).

[find_bruce]

Cheers Ross I had missed that image - battery is 1/2 the size, similar claimed output so expect ~1/2 the run time, 1-1.5 hours.

Personally I would be very surprised if the light got even close to 1000 lumens, but that's ok.

[Warin]

No info I can see. I am debating about buying one, but unless I can find some background (or at least the Alibaba/DX version of the same thing) I probably won't.

The Aldi 60 returns work very well, no problem .. just keep the receipt and packing then it is fine. Gives you more than enough time to evaluate it .

[Discodan]

I picked up one of the Aldi lights on a whim last week after having a good look at it in store. The clincher for me was how small the head-unit it, a lot more compact than the Lenzyne or Magicshine cheapy I had.

I've hacked it to mount on a go-pro mount under my Garmin and it's nice and sleek. Light levels are as good as the Magicshine but not as sharp a beam so much better in use. The battery pack is also more compact so can be mounted tightly under the garmin mount. I haven't tested it to flat yet but easily go an hour at full beam on the first ride.

What I'm now contemplating is hacking a battery pack and building a setup that has the cells inside the bar drops with a cable running through to the lights. No, it's not necessary but that's not the point is it?
The cells on the supplied battery have too large a diameter so would need to be swapped out for AAA sized cells to fit inside the bars, most likely 4 cells (two in series, two in parallel) to get the right current and voltage whilst maintaining run-time. Does anyone have any knowledge if there are any smarts in the battery packs or is that all in the light and charger?

Here's the unit with and without the battery fitted, I ditched the neoprene sleeve the battery came it as it's already rubber coated

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlR9KEiul8ImtFHyFCf0Znu3vU7j
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlR9KEiul8ImtE-Gaykvje0E1gHS

[Discodan]

Rather than taking this thread too far off topic I've created a new one over in the shed?

http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... 34&t=96013

Would appreciate any thoughts from those of you with electronic backgrounds