# What else is this Bike Light good for?



## Action LED Lights (Nov 11, 2011)

I'd like to take a poll to see what other uses people have put there bike light too.
The addition of a head straps opens up lots of possibilities and I've sold lights for some pretty off the trail uses but I'd like to hear from other users to see what they've come up with. I'll add in some later if their not covered.


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## jugdish (Apr 1, 2004)

Skiing regularly. 
This summer I'm going to try and use it at dusk fly fishing, we'll see though. My eye sight isn't what it used to be and I'm not sure I'll be able to see the fly regardless of the amount of light I'm running. I might be able to see a large indicator though, at least that's my thought.

Edit to add: My neighbor also has lights and in the summer we put them on our kids bikes who ride out in front of the house(s) while the adults enjoy adult beverages. Pretty funny to see 3-6 year olds out riding loops w/ em!


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## midgedork (Nov 26, 2008)

trail running
taking the dog out at night
backcountry camping
crawling underneath the house to run speaker wire


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## BigJZ74 (Jul 18, 2010)

This fall and winter in Massachusetts we had 2 big storms that took out power for 4-5 days each time. Everywhere was out of lanterns and flashlights so I used bike lights. They lit up the room better than the lanterns would have.......I'd say this was an out of the box use for bike lights.


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## GraXXoR (Sep 29, 2011)

Emergency Lighting

I keep four magicshine 4400 batteries charged and ready to run at all times. I alternate two batteries every couple of days to run my dual X2s, MS-818 rear flasher and to keep the packs conditioned.

However, when I'm at home, all four batteries are always packed and ready to go with light heads near by, right next to my emergency kit of helmet, rations, water, thermal blanket, heat pads and bandages / antiseptic etc. which everyone in tokyo prepares, just in case "The Big One" strikes.


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

Last week I used my Xera and headband for work. We were doing night work on the highway, & the large amount of light was awesome, as we normally use flashlights (annoying when you need both hands for working) or cheapo led headlamps that generally don't throw enough light to be useful.

The headband is quickly becoming my favorite accessory.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

BigJZ74 said:


> This fall and winter in Massachusetts we had 2 big storms that took out power for 4-5 days each time. Everywhere was out of lanterns and flashlights so I used bike lights. They lit up the room better than the lanterns would have.......I'd say this was an out of the box use for bike lights.


*We had the same thing happen also just sat the light on the floor pointed at the ceiling and 1 light on low would light up the whole room the whole house was lit up but good....:thumbsup:*


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## MaximusHQ (Aug 6, 2007)

They are good for warming my hands when I forget to put on gloves while out with the dog in cold weather.


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## Jaydude (Apr 1, 2006)

*night snow shoeing*

...


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## scar (Jun 2, 2005)

*Landing light on a small airplane*

Not my airplane, but one of my lights :thumbsup:










Air Amoeba

***


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## RBrady (Jan 20, 2009)

Trail running in early am. One of the mechanics at our shop has started using a light for under car repairs. We also have our kids use them out in front of our house to ride their bikes after dark.


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## GraXXoR (Sep 29, 2011)

scar said:


> Not my airplane, but one of my lights :thumbsup:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This one wins...


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## Bernhardt (Mar 25, 2006)

As a light source for photography in remote/hard to light places. Not to mention working on cars and nighttime bushwacking dog walks.


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## Glynis27 (Sep 28, 2007)

I have used my Dinotte 400L to search for my friends' escaped cat on several occassions. Also use it while working on the car at night.


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## Action LED Lights (Nov 11, 2011)

Good stuff. 
These really are multipurpose lights and the head-strap makes it much more handy than a flashlight if you need both hands.
I'll give you some of my more obscure uses. 
I sell a lot of lights to X-country skiers in Norway, Sweden and Finland were the nights are very long and X-country skis are one of the major forms of transportation. (this was mentioned above)
I've sold lights to a guy who is an Equine Dentist and uses the headlight to see into a horse's mouth.
There will be 2 Gemini Xera's on mushers running the Iditarod next week.
Caving. 
As a headlight on Motocross motorcycles or ATV's that don't have then.
Coyote hunting.
Frogging.
Mountain climbing
I've had a couple of hikers use them doing a double cross of the Grand Canyon. (South rim to north rim and back in 24 hours)

In really cold weather the remote battery pack has the advantage of being able to carry it in an inside pocket to keep it warm and get more capacity out of it.

And then my wife's favorite,----- I walked into the living room a couple of weeks ago after dark with my Xera on (after walking the dogs) and didn't turn on the room lights. I happened to look up and noticed some cobwebs in one corner. The headlight made them stand out like they were fluorescent. I thought I kept that room pretty clean but looked around and saw all sorts of cobwebs and dust that weren't noticeable under normal lighting. I now do the vacuuming with my headlight on.


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## Bernhardt (Mar 25, 2006)

*That's just wrong*

Jim, vacuuming & house work with one of these lights is wrong on so many levels....I think you need a shrink.


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## indebt (Nov 8, 2009)

scar said:


> Not my airplane, but one of my lights :thumbsup:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 A Big +1 !!!!!:thumbsup:


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

Action LED Lights said:


> <snip>
> 
> And then my wife's favorite,----- I walked into the living room a couple of weeks ago after dark with my Xera on (after walking the dogs) and didn't turn on the room lights. I happened to look up and noticed some cobwebs in one corner. The headlight made them stand out like they were fluorescent. I thought I kept that room pretty clean but looked around and saw all sorts of cobwebs and dust that weren't noticeable under normal lighting. I now do the vacuuming with my headlight on.


I can add one more to the list.

I use my lights with a 2 cell pack and headstrap. The tint of the led in combo with leaving both hands free is great for seeking out corners where my doggie has pee on the carpet. It really brings out the color differnce of the hidden spot wet or dry. I can clean the area with both hands wearing the light on my head....now if only I can stop my small doggies from marking his territory around the house because he hates my two cats. Ah the wonderful joy of having two cats and a dog under the same roof.

Edit: forgot to include.
One of my neighbor saw my light unit using the headstrap and battery. He was impress with the shear amount of lumens. He wanted one to use for assisting in docking and tying his boat when he return from night fishing so I gave him my old MS P7 set. I can hardly wait to see his expression when he see my tiny little Xera or my super bright Olympia on my headbands. He's going to be so jealous.


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## khaytsus (Feb 8, 2012)

I'm a flashlight geek and have a variety of lights, but my Magishine 808E is my brightest single light.

Neighbors across the street are simply white trash, no other way to say it. Always making noise, working on beater cars in the street, noisy when drunk, etc.. Anywho, one night there were 4 of them drunk and had a stereo with large subs turned way up for an extended period, so I hit them with the 808E standing on my front porch until they turned it down. Didn't have to say a word. :thumbsup:


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

In the event of a power outage all of those led bike lights come in real handy. Where I live though power outages are rare. Still all things considered I would easily be able to have light for several days. Perhaps longer if I charged the batteries during the day at work or with my car charger.

Other alternative uses would be night hiking and camping. I doubt I'll ever need the old Coleman lantern again.



khaytsus said:


> ..*.Neighbors across the street are simply white trash, no other way to say it. * Always making noise, working on beater cars in the street, noisy when drunk, etc.. Anywho, one night there were 4 of them drunk and had a stereo with large subs turned way up for an extended period, so I hit them with the 808E standing on my front porch until they turned it down. Didn't have to say a word. :thumbsup:


I prefer the using the term, " A**h**e's" for describing people as such. Race really has nothing to do with it.


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## wetmtnvalley (Feb 4, 2010)

I used the small Magicshine headlamp over the weekend to do some plumbing work under the kitchen sink. 

And my vet uses one when he files the horse's teeth.


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## smthgfshy (Nov 11, 2010)

Sled dog racing and training. aka dogmushing.

and snowbiking. 

here in AK, in the winter, activity doesn't stop because it's dark out. as a dogmusher I need a light that will last the night out on a run.....18hrs. To find trail markers or to detect moose in poor conditions or over long distances I need a long throw/focused spot 90% of the time. Through the trees this light is reflected around to give an adequate flood. The other 10% of the time I need a less powerful light while tending to the dogs around camp or at checkpoints. The light needs to be programmable. A high lumens rating of 2000lms would be nice, but realistically if it were 1000lms with a very tight spot that would be good enough and prolong the batt. A low lms rating would be around 100lms. The light would need to support those lums for 18 hours before being recharged. Charge times of 4-6 hours would be nice. Also, cold weather ability. Normal temps are anywhere between 15F and -30F, with extremes on both sides, as well as constant wind of 5-10mph and storms producing winds in excess of hurricane force. Cables that are thick and able to remain supple at very cold temps are key. Good connections are key as well, as we are tucking large battery packs into jackets, taking them off and on, getting them ripped out by tree branches, excited dogs, or crashes. Buttons need to be large and positive/audible that are able to be pushed while wearing large mittens or through heavy jackets. electronics need to be simple and failsafe with sound internal connections - no shorts. because they heat up they will melt snow on the housing so they need to be somewhat water resistant. 

for snowbiking a remote switch would be preferable to turn it on/off beneath your pogies, but all the rest remains the same.

most mushers are old school and are very slow to change, but some with high budgets have purchased the lupine lights and are happy. I would love to see an Alaskan twin XML come out on the market in the sub $300 range with a huge battery and 1000 lmn output.


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## Action LED Lights (Nov 11, 2011)

smthgfshy,

As I mentioned above there will be 2 Mushers using Gemini Xera's on the Iditarod next week. We'll see what they report back but so far they really like them. You could team it up with Gemini's new 8400mAh battery pack to get plenty of run time. Output is user selectable in 80 lumen steps up to 800 actual lumens. At 80 lumens you should get about 85 hours.
If you need a large remote button we have the MJ-808E-R that we had special built by Magicshine.


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

smthgfshy said:


> Sled dog racing and training. aka dogmushing.
> 
> and snowbiking......
> 
> The light needs to be programmable. A high lumens rating of 2000lms would be nice, but realistically if it were 1000lms with a very tight spot that would be good enough and prolong the batt. A low lms rating would be around 100lms. The light would need to support those lums for 18 hours before being recharged. Charge times of 4-6 hours would be nice. Also, cold weather ability. Normal temps are anywhere between 15F and -30F, with extremes on both sides, as well as constant wind of 5-10mph and storms producing winds in excess of hurricane force. Cables that are thick and able to remain supple at very cold temps are key. Good connections are key as well, as we are tucking large battery packs into jackets, taking them off and on, getting them ripped out by tree branches, excited dogs, or crashes. *Buttons need to be large and positive/audible that are able to be pushed while wearing large mittens* or through heavy jackets. electronics need to be simple and failsafe with sound internal connections - no shorts. because they heat up they will melt snow on the housing so they need to be somewhat water resistant.


I think your best bet might be to hook up with one of the DIY'ers and try to get something custom built so as to meet all your needs. You need a big easy click buttons along with some wires made to withstand the cold. I would look to the Troutie Lights and see if he can built you something that you can work with. Than again there is Scar and his Amoeba lights. The only problem I see might be with the battery. I'm not sure which chemistry works best in the cold but which ever one works best you buy and buy big amp hours. :thumbsup:

I doubt the system you need will be cheap but in your case, "Money should not be an object".


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## pethelman (Feb 26, 2011)

*Kayaking and Yard Mowing...*

Two more uses...

Friend of mine uses his headlight on the helmet, and the taillight, hard-mounted to the back of the kayak.

I throw 2 elliptical lenses in my DS-1300 and mount low on the front of the lawnmower for a super wide beam, which you really need for this job. Makes mowing the grass fun again...which I'm sure the neighbors just LOVE.


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## Magicshine Australia (Jan 22, 2012)

Lamping or Spotlighting for Foxes. Aim the spotlight to field or bushes. If the Fox is looking back, two highly reflective Orange "lights" will show. Shooter aims his .22 calibre rifle between the "lights" and pull the trigger. Don't approve personally but it's a free world.

As for Alaskan Light. It's a mighty tall order but possible with the new 2012 kit below.

Ok, seriously, the number one concern would be the batteries in such temperatures. You have that addressed by keeping them inside the jacket.

Runtime is a stretch. 18 hours with 4 hour charge an even bigger challenge. Suggestion would be to consult Pethelman about custom made batteries and light unit for the 2000 lumen boost, 1000 standard and 100 lumen rest light.

Alternatively, off the shelf suggestion would be the MJ-816E from Action and Two OLS 17.4Ah battery from OpenLight. The MJ-816 standard has a runtime of 10 hours 12 mins with a single 17.4Ah battery. Having the 816E plus 2 x 17.4 will give you runtime and variable dimming required but not quite the 2000 lumens you're looking for. Probably about 1200-1300 real lumens - it's theoretically rated at 1800 lumens. To blow the socks off the Alaskan winter at 2000 real lumens, I imagine it'd be another battery, at least.

With the winds howling, dogs barking, numb hands in thick mittens, don't know if haptic feedback or audible switching would be effective. 

Waterproofing is not a problem especially with Pethelman's DS lights. His "blender test" is yet to be taken up by other manufacturers as Standard Waterproof Test.


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## pethelman (Feb 26, 2011)

*Alaskan lights...*

All the requirements could be met, but the battery capacity is the biggest challenge.

As long as you didn't mind carrying around a 3 LB battery like this.

This wouldn't quite give you 1000 lm for 18 hours, but it'd be close, given that it was paired with an efficient buck controller and the battery was kept at a reasonable temperature. Li-ion really doesn't like sub-zero.


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## Bizman (Oct 11, 2010)

Power outages at the house, and as an emergency work light incase I need to work on a vehicle along the road at night, loading my truck in the dark.


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## smthgfshy (Nov 11, 2010)

the cables, connections, and large buttons are available at the mushing supply store. I just wouldn't know how to/want to myself modify a lupine or even a magicshine to make the connections and batteries that I'd want. My old brunton L3 is still my furthest throwing light I own compared to the gloworm, bd spot, and pt apex extreme. 

Is it possible to throw an XML into a BD apex extreme and change the battery to an 8amp OLS batt??


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## smthgfshy (Nov 11, 2010)

most rest times at checkpoints are 4-8 hours....finding electricity is spotty. two batteries is a must. one light attached to the sled would be nice in driving snow. the dogs are quiet most of the time so audiblility is not an issue - i suppose it's more of feeling the vibration of the click anyway.... two 8mA batteries or one 14/11 and a 5 would suffice. the long spot and a constant 500lms for 12+ hours is really what I'm after. most 16 dog teams stretch 80 ft in front of you and seeing an additional 100 ft for moose or trail splits is key. there is a cord that alaskans call "arctic cord" that is used on modded lights such as ones sold by cold spot feeds that is very thick, is rubbery in texture, and has what looks like hemp twine running inside it next to the +/- wires. the connections are a dual prong thingies (I'm not an electrician or know jack sheet about light tech terminologithings).


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## Magicshine Australia (Jan 22, 2012)

smthgfshy said:


> I just wouldn't know how to/want to myself modify a lupine or even a magicshine to make the connections and batteries that I'd want. My old brunton L3 is still my furthest throwing light I own compared to the gloworm, bd spot, and pt apex extreme.
> 
> Is it possible to throw an XML into a BD apex extreme and change the battery to an 8amp OLS batt??


Not sure if the driver in the BD Apex Extreme (is it Princeton?) or the Brunton L3 will drive a XM-L or not being a headband light which normally doesn't go beyond 400 lumens - suspect not. I'm sure the DIY boys will respond.

If you like using the Lupine and want extended runtimes, then get the OLS built for the Lupine. Ask Josh about it. I'm still not sure if a 4 hour charge is possible though. They come with or without a bottle.

How many rest points and what is the actual max brightness burntime are you boys doing? If you're only after 500 lumens constant for 12+ hours, I think the options open up quite a bit, compared to 2000 lumens for 18 hours.


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

If you want throw, your best option is an aspheric light. You'd be able to get away with fewer lumens too. Get in touch with Troutie, he's built some killer aspheric lights. I'm sure he'd be able to include bespoke cables and connectors if you can supply him with them.


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## Action LED Lights (Nov 11, 2011)

This is getting a bit off topic. 
It's suppose to be what original uses have you found for your bike light. 
This is interesting but might be best in a separate thread.


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## honkylipz (Feb 24, 2012)

my light see's almost more time walking the dog than it does on the bike lol


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## GraXXoR (Sep 29, 2011)

*Walking the dog and/or pulling sleds*

All this talking about dogs got me thinking about a page I saw a while back.

Interesting link


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## FullBladdy (Aug 26, 2011)

I just got my new light but have some plans for it's many uses:

- Kayak light for fishing at dusk/night. Having a torch on your head you can aim is very handy for finding the right spot to cast and letting that drunk dude in the boat heading your way that you are present. 

- Light Painting - I am a photographer and having a strong light that can be used at night for light painting is awesome. Imagine Arches at night.

- Security - Blinding strong and the strobe option will really be effective in this use.


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## jcolby (Dec 11, 2011)

*yardwork*

I regularly mow the lawn with my niterider attached to the bar. I usually try to have all the yardwork done before the weekend hits.


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## pucked up (Mar 22, 2006)

Using the strobe feature in the bedroon when the ladies come over is just awesome! The ladies love it and so will you!!!!!!


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