# The TrailLED Halo - 6000 lumens



## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Be afraid. I know I am 

fc


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## scar (Jun 2, 2005)

Be afraid of what? 


****


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## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

I'm more afraid of the price $1,199.00. Ouch!

Halo - Trail Led

No pictures of the battery pack. It lasts two hours on high, so it must be a substantial battery pack.

They also have a ds for 499 that puts out 3000 lumens. 
DS - Trail Led


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## scar (Jun 2, 2005)

Wish Androgen was still around. He would love this thing 


***


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## varider (Nov 29, 2012)

scar said:


> Wish Androgen was still around. He would love this thing
> 
> ***


He would need at least two of them!


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## Gharddog03 (Sep 25, 2013)

That's insane!


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## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

OMG! :eekster:


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## zuuds (Jan 30, 2004)

"Low - 4000 lumens" LOL


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Pack is a big black shrink wrapped rectangular box. 640 grams.

Here's a photo with my other test product... the Dux Helm with built-in visor. 

I had a little accident last night as I looked into the light. Was looking at a mirror and then I turned it on. #searedretina.

fc


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## ironbrewer (Oct 17, 2012)

scar said:


> Wish Androgen was still around. He would love this thing
> 
> ***


Careful what you wish for.


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## indebt (Nov 8, 2009)

francois said:


> Be afraid. I know I am
> 
> fc


 Beam Shots!!!:thumbsup:


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

francois said:


> Be afraid. I know I am
> 
> fc


That's a lot of light

WOW, I can see forever with these lights! Sniff sniff you smell something burning?


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

> Be afraid. I know I am
> 
> fc


Afraid that it is the same outfit that was slow to deliver or failed to deliver product?

http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/trailled-com-753727.html

http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/trail-led-754174.html

Hopefully if it is the same outfit they have gotten the act together and can keep it together. Until then buyer beware.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Vancbiker said:


> Afraid that it is the same outfit that was slow to deliver or failed to deliver product?
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/lights-night-riding/trailled-com-753727.html
> 
> ...


Vanc...thanks for the heads-up warning.

My take on this lamp. Interesting design. I would love to see what the beam pattern looks like when on the trail.( Francois, are you listening? )
Sounds like the battery is a brick. You'd have to be a diehard downhiller to be willing to carry something that heavy not to mention that I'm sure the lamp itself probably tips the scales.

While I'm sure this thing provides retina searing output there is an issue sometimes overlooked; With 10 emitters ( widely spaced ) there is going to be a lot of glare feedback from lit particulate matter floating in the air. Mounted to a bar this wouldn't be as much of a problem but since the lamp is on the head the glare will be very intense and very close to your face/eyes. Just last week I was experimenting with the Nitefire Hero2 that has 3 inline XM-L U2's on the helmet. First thing I noticed when I fired it up was that I was able to see all kinds of stuff floating in the air. Since it is late fall I was surprised to see so much stuff still floating around in the air. No question about it, the wider array of LED points really lights up the air. This can be quite distracting, at least in my opinion. I can only imagine what 3X the amount of LED's spaced out on the helmet is going to do. Sure, it will be bright as hell, IMO too bright with too much glare... BUT...I'd still like to see what this lamp can do. I have lots of questions. Are all the LEDs aim-able or are they rigidly set? What emitters are being used? Optics or reflectors?

All said, the smaller version might make more sense ...BUT...beam pattern and throw are still the most important factors to consider. With something this bright you need most of the light to be projected as far forward as possible...UNLESS...the designer intends the illumination from the helmet lamp to be sufficient enough to NOT NEED A BAR LAMP. :ihih: With 3000-6000 lumen coming off the helmet in a wide dispersal pattern that would be a very distinct possibility.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

scar said:


> Wish Androgen was still around. He would love this thing
> 
> ***


No side visibility, doesn't come in orange.


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## cue003 (May 6, 2011)

scar said:


> Wish Androgen was still around. He would love this thing
> 
> ***


He IS still around. He hasn't had much to write about lately since I think he is still looking to fine tune his setup... He will resurface again for sure.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

cue003 said:


> He IS still around. He hasn't had much to write about lately since I think he is still looking to fine tune his setup... He will resurface again for sure.


Actually he was banned but apparently the powers that be decided to lift it ( as I see he has a recent post )


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## cue003 (May 6, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> Actually he was banned but apparently the powers that be decided to lift it ( as I see he has a recent post )


His recent post is what led to my response.

Ok... Let's get back on track with this beast of a light.


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## indebt (Nov 8, 2009)

Cat-man-do said:


> Vanc...thanks for the heads-up warning.
> 
> My take on this lamp. Interesting design. I would love to see what the beam pattern looks like when on the trail.( Francois, are you listening? )
> Sounds like the battery is a brick. You'd have to be a diehard downhiller to be willing to carry something that heavy not to mention that I'm sure the lamp itself probably tips the scales.
> ...


 Hey Cat-man-do,,,, I found a video on the Trailed website for the DS- Trail Led set up on the helmet. Scroll up to post #3 from varider as he has that link highlighted. Once that page is open scroll down to the bottom and you will find that video.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

photos today


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

indebt said:


> Hey Cat-man-do,,,, I found a video on the Trailed website for the DS-3000 lumen set up on the helmet. Scroll up to post #3 from varider as he has that link highlighted. Once that page is open scroll down to the bottom and you will find that video.


Thanks indebt, I must of missed it earlier. After looking at the video of the 3000 over all it looks impressive. If you pause the video in spots where the rider has some distance ahead you get an idea of the throw WHICH is not so super impressive. Then again most of the time the lamp was pointed down so the rider could see what was directly in front. This is why a two lamp system ( bar/helmet ) is much better as it will allow the rider to point the helmet lamp more forward without losing track with what is directly in front.

While the lamp does look to have a brighter center area it is no so much a hot spot although hard to tell from the video. Anyway this is pretty much what I expected judging the size of the unit. Without a defined hot spot most of the light is going to hit the ground within the first 100ft area. Depending on riding preferences you will either love it or have some doubts. Really is hard to draw a conclusion from a video because the cameras are only going to be so sensitive to the constant movement of terrain and the lamp is usually aimed for short distance. Stills are usually more representative as the camera can adjust to the light more easily but that is my opinion.

Still, I would love to demo one of these but sadly I can't drop $500 to do so.


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## zen bicycle (Mar 23, 2007)

Yes Cat that is us, and we did run into some issues, but resolved all of them to our knowledge and have been working hard for the last year to make sure we don't run into them again.

As far as the video and throw it is a little deceiving as it is as the camera takes it no enhancement so the camera focuses on the area in front of it more than your eyes do. There is no hot spot on purpose but a slightly brighter Center area with a smooth even beam. This is to not blow out your night vision and allow you to use your peripheral vision. You can recognize object to 100 yards and react to them at 50. Also due to the curvature of the light it produces what we call MPSD (Multi Point Shadow Definition) which actually allows you to see trail features with one light as good as or better than with 2 lights.

As far as the battery pack goes it is smaller than my competitors and the guy who rode with it at Terra Firma's Rocky Hill Ranch 24 in the SS Solo class said it was a non-issue due to the configuration of the pack.

I am going to let everybody decide for themselves whether it is a good innovation and light or not, but just wanted to get some things clear in the beginning.

Thanks

Zen


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## RojoRacing53 (Jul 23, 2013)

A handlebar light because it's not in line with your line of sight will cast shadows behind obstacles and gives you a sense of depth. 

A helmet light because it's very closely in line with your line of sight will still cast shadows but you won't see them. If there are no shadows and all the light is coming from your helmet then is will tend to drown out trail texture and blend in rocks and features. 

I understand where you guys are trying to go with the wide multi point light bar but I just can't see it working like you describe. I'd love to hear I'm wrong but until I tried one in person I'd be skeptical at best. 

Regardless its a sick looking setup and if I had an extra $1k I buy one just to show it off. Honestly I'd be way more interested if you did a similar design but strait bar for use on the handle bars.


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

zen bicycle said:


> Yes Cat that is us, and we did run into some issues, but resolved all of them to our knowledge and have been working hard for the last year to make sure we don't run into them again.


Great to hear that!


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## neninja (Jul 11, 2010)

I have to agree with some of the points mentioned above. That's way too much output for a helmet light.

Glare from very high output helmet lights can be a problem. In totally clear conditions it will be OK but if there is any haze in the air, rain, snow or fog, a light with that number of emitters is going to create glare across the entire field of vision. I've been amazed with how much light you can get reflected back on what seemed a clear night from particles in the air or a light mist.

Trail definition will suffer with that bright a helmet light. Brightest light on the bars is the way to go to throw shadows to highlight obstacles etc.


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## indebt (Nov 8, 2009)

This light,(Halo) I believe will be for a limited select group. One, it looks like it was designed to be your only light,, and as we know despite quality any light system can fail. Two,, this puts anyone interested in the Halo in an expensive dilemma,, needing a bar light with enough power to compete. Something like the NR Pro3600,, or Lupine Betty-R or even the Full Beam Night Nemesis are three of a select few. And of coarse this will bring costs in the 2K range.
I think the Halo could work well with any of the bar lights mentioned but only if there is enough adjustability on lamp head angles. Have your bar light angled down a bit so to light up the first 25/30 yards and have the Halo angled upwards enough to light up anything further down the road. This should still provide enough shadowing from your bar light to react to obstacles at fast speeds. That been said, it is going against what I believe as the better set up for me,,, higher power on the bars with a flood beam, and spottier beam on the lid.

Two features I would liked to see in a set up of this price is a wireless remote since it is a designated helmet light, and a (Glare Mode)on the UI, shutting down the four outer emitters on either side giving the user 1200 usable lumens using just the two inner most leds. I think this would be the only resolution when experiencing glare from fog, or riding through a due point and bugs of coarse.

It would be nice to get a little more information on the UI and where the switch is located.


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## zen bicycle (Mar 23, 2007)

Switch is mounted top center of the light making it very easy to reach from either hand. Wireless is in the planning stage as we believe that will be the future. UI can be programmed to a lower level brightness for increased runtimes or different conditions if desired.

Thanks


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

I want an option to wear it under my face for an epic light-beard


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## ATBScott (Jun 4, 2006)

I think they are missing the boat here a little - a light-bar that mounts below your bar, with maybe the two end-lights aimed off 15-20 degrees to the side, with 4 or so aiming straight ahead would be awesome! For me, a helmet light is usually only really "used" for lower-speed tight turns, switchbacks, or fixing something on someone's bike! 500-800 or so lumens is plenty.


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## Bronsondude (Apr 23, 2013)

I for one love the innovation. I give them credit for pushing the lumens higher. Sorry but I still feel more lumens is better. To say 500-800 lumens is enough is just silly. I ride rocky terrain in complete darkness at full speed and solo a lot of times with my two Lupine Betty's. I say bring on more lumens.


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## zen bicycle (Mar 23, 2007)

*Bar V Helmet*

I wanted to give our philosophy behind a super bright helmet light vs. a super bright bar light. Riding trails at speed at night is all about shadow definition and feature recognition. The higher the angle of attack the more defined the shadow is, making it easier for our eyes and brains to calculate height and distance. If you take a moment to think about this it makes sense as stadium lights for sporting events and the sun itself work in this way. Putting a very bright light on the bars makes shadows long and flat much like the angle of the sun at twilight or sunrise. Which leads to the problem of flat light and flattened trail features. By moving the brightest source of light to a higher angle the shadows more closely resemble optimum daylight lighting conditions.

Yes Trail LED lights can and do function as stand alone lights due to MPSD, but we also understand that even though we practice and promote KISS engineering things do fail and usually at the worst time, so a second light mounted on the bar for fill or emergency use is never a bad idea. Does it need to be able to compete with the Halo? In short no. While we would love to have everybody buy a Halo and DS combo we too are realistic (sometimes) so get a bar light that will allow you to get out, or limp home in case the worst happens.

In our experience as riders up until now though, it has been impractical due to size, weight, or form factor to effectively mount a super bright light on your helmet so the tradition of a brighter bar light persists. 
While this can and is a boxers vs. briefs debate as some riders will always prefer one over another for comfort. I wanted everyone to understand our design philosophy and reasoning for creating the brightest helmet mounted light on the market.

Thanks
and overshare warning,

I prefer boxers when it isn't a chami


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## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

Bronsondude said:


> I for one love the innovation. I give them credit for pushing the lumens higher. Sorry but I still feel more lumens is better. To say 500-800 lumens is enough is just silly. I ride rocky terrain in complete darkness at full speed and solo a lot of times with my two Lupine Betty's. I say bring on more lumens.


I agree. As they say in the auto/engine industry - "there is no replacement for displacement".


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## ATBScott (Jun 4, 2006)

Bronsondude said:


> I for one love the innovation. I give them credit for pushing the lumens higher. Sorry but I still feel more lumens is better. To say 500-800 lumens is enough is just silly. I ride rocky terrain in complete darkness at full speed and solo a lot of times with my two Lupine Betty's. I say bring on more lumens.


I think I was mis-understood - I only meant that 500-800 on top of my helmet was plenty... I still want lights on my bar that will ignite the brush as I pass by!!!


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## stu06 (Dec 8, 2012)

zen bicycle said:


> The higher the angle of attack the more defined the shadow is, making it easier for our eyes and brains to calculate height and distance. If you take a moment to think about this it makes sense as stadium lights for sporting events and the sun itself work in this way. Putting a very bright light on the bars makes shadows long and flat much like the angle of the sun at twilight or sunrise. Which leads to the problem of flat light and flattened trail features. By moving the brightest source of light to a higher angle the shadows more closely resemble optimum daylight lighting conditions.


This rationale does not make sense. Used alone, a helmet-mounted light "flattens" the visual field, essentially converting it into a two dimensional perception. This occurs because the light source and our eyes are nearly coincident, thus "hiding" any shadows directly behind the illuminated objects (e.g., rocks, ruts). In order to see these shadows--and consequently the "texture" of the trail--the light source needs to be FARTHER away from our eyes. I've experimented with mounting various brands of lights both on my helmet and on the bar and it has been obvious that bar-mounted lights do a MUCH better job of revealing the three dimensional nature of the trail surface.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

zen bicycle said:


> I wanted to give our philosophy behind a super bright helmet light vs. a super bright bar light. Riding trails at speed at night is all about shadow definition and feature recognition. *The higher the angle of attack the more defined the shadow is, making it easier for our eyes and brains to calculate height and distance. If you take a moment to think about this it makes sense as stadium lights for sporting events and the sun itself work in this way. Putting a very bright light on the bars makes shadows long and flat much like the angle of the sun at twilight or sunrise. Which leads to the problem of flat light and flattened trail features. By moving the brightest source of light to a higher angle the shadows more closely resemble optimum daylight lighting conditions. *
> 
> Yes Trail LED lights can and do function as stand alone lights due to MPSD, but we also understand that even though we practice and promote KISS engineering things do fail and usually at the worst time, so a second light mounted on the bar for fill or emergency use is never a bad idea. Does it need to be able to compete with the Halo? In short no. While we would love to have everybody buy a Halo and DS combo we too are realistic (sometimes) so get a bar light that will allow you to get out, or limp home in case the worst happens.
> 
> ...


Like the previous poster I'm not sure I can agree with your point of view. The example of "Stadium lights" is not a good one because stadium lights completely surround the venue with 360° of light. As such there is little lack of depth perception because in a stadium everything is illuminated from roughly a 360° angle.

In contrast, with ( the Halo ) being so close to your eyes and the fact that it is also a HIGH POWERED multi-projection light source, to me I figure this should translate over to almost *_a complete wash-out_ of trail features once you start looking at features that are closer in to the bike. ( *assuming a 6000 lumen output )

Now just to be fair this effect can happen with other helmet lamps as well if they are very bright, aimed closer to the bike and using a very confined beam pattern. While this can be a problem when using helmet lamps if the lamp beam pattern is in fact very confined and used mostly to illuminate terrain beyond 100ft there shouldn't be too much of a problem. In "real world" use though the helmet lamp is going to point anywhere the rider points his head. At times that means the majority of the light will be much closer to the bike as the rider tries to negotiate around technical terrain.

The trick to successfully using a helmet lamp is to be using the appropriate brightness level / beam pattern to suit the given line of sight distance and terrain that you are riding at any given moment. 
This of course is more easily said than done. In my opinion having a good flood bar light makes this a bit easier as most times you won't have to point the helmet lamp so close to the bike ( as you attempt to negotiate a sharp turn ).

Now with everything I just said I also think that a lamp like the Halo can be useful as long as the user doesn't point the full intensity of the lamp too close to the bike. Whither this is going to be possible in real world application is any one's guess. For a lamp like the Halo a wireless remote would be the perfect add-on feature to allow the user to make "instant up-down mode changes". Add a programmable feature to that and you might sell more of these.

I've love to demo the 3-up version but would definitely pass at the full output of the Halo. For the type of riding I do it really wouldn't suit me.


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## blackbean (Nov 20, 2012)

Last night I rode with bar lighs for the first time in many years (the Cateye Volt 1200 and the L&M Tazz 1200). I found them to be pretty useless on the road or any extra wide trail or in any area where there is additional lighting (street lamps, homes, shops, etc.). On the single-track they were better, but did not light up the trails nearly as much as my Gloworm X2 v2 at MED (about 900 lumens I think) on my helmet. I'm so underwhelmed by the bar lights that I think I will return them both. I've been riding only with the X2 (and a backup Niterider Minewt 600 on the bar in case of my main light fails) the past year and most of the time at MED and find I have sufficient illumination 90% of the time (I run at LOW when climbing). Anything above 18 mph I feel the light to be a bit insufficient but that only happens on fast road sections or decents.

So for me a bar mounted light does not seem to add much. If I do decide to add one again, I would look or 2000+ lumens but in all reality prefer the light on the lid. I find 900 lumens on the lid to be more effective than 1200 lumens on the bar.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

I think the bar vs. helmet debate is a bit misleading - I think that you need BOTH. A bar light to throw shadows and a helmet light to look around corners/ spot bears hiding in the woods. I've ridden with a helmet light only from ~2000 to 2010 or so and just about managed on the smooth single track I used to ride, but riding "loose" so that I wouldn't get knocked around by stuff I couldn't see. Then I came to central PA and crashed pretty much every night ride in rock gardens. In fact, most of the trails here are just long rock gardens.

Then I built a bar light and everything changed. I could see lines through rock gardens which I couldn't see before and it actually became easier at night because of those shadows. It's also not the amount of light either - I get the same benefit using my commuter lights (~500lm each) or my dedicated night riding lights (~1200lm helmet, 2000lm bar, both theoretical values). I've ridden with one or the other alone, from lending one out to people I ride with when theirs run out or get left at home, and I really don't care for it.

However, that's very much a trail type centric view. On smooth buff trails, especially twisty ones, a helmet light might be all that you need. I certainly managed with just that for years. On the stuff around here, just a helmet light would be a nightmare.

As for the light in question, I think it's cool that people are pushing the limits of what's possible and the machine work looks awesome. I'm not much impressed with the mounting though as getting the angle right looks like it'll be a hassle and very much a helmet specific one at that.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

I see this Halo light being used in the film industry. all sorts of applications.

for actual riding a bike, not so much. for lighting up a scene, hundreds of uses


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## MK96 (Nov 5, 2012)

Hmmm the pack might be something about 16Ah or more @ 7.4V comparing it with my lightmalls 7 led thing that eats about 32-36W. Lipo or 26650/32600 Li-ion. Just guessing from the weight posted.


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