# Exposure Diablo Mk3 or Lupine Piko 3?



## cmd74 (Dec 19, 2008)

I am looking to get a new, more powerful light for my helmet. I've narrowed it down to 2 lights and was wondering what people thought was the better choice. I currently have a L&M Seca 700 on the bars and a Stella 200 on the helmet.

The 2 lights that I'm going between are the Exposure Diablo w/1 cell piggy back and the Lupine Piko 3. They both are around the same price, close in lumens and weigh about the same. Using the 1 cell piggyback for the Diablo, they seem to both have a 2 hr burn time on high.


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## RTM (Sep 17, 2005)

I'll make the assumption you've done your due diligence so I won't restate the obvious details. one thing that occurred to me is that perhaps the pico would be easier to upgrade some day, easier to replace batteries and small parts as well. Not saying that definitively but it seems to make sense.


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## skidad (May 23, 2005)

Loaded question..but

Piko is a very vesatile light with lots of mount options that can be used for other night activities like hiking, trail running, XC skiing, snow shoeing, caving etc. If you think you might use it this way besides mtn. biking it might make the choice easier and helps justify the price (do we need to??). Piko is also much more low profile and like RTM mentioned perhaps upgradeable. What do you guess (if the housing can handle it) this light becomes 900-1000 lumens next year.

Diablo also had the excellent build quality and should be brighter with triple LED's. The mount system is slick (use a catch lanyard though) but the profile is a bit high IMO. The piggy back cell is nice and small and you can use the light as a flashlight should you need to.

That being said IMO you might really consider the 800 lumen Gemini Xera for 1/2 the price. Very small and actually lighter than the Piko with a beautiful smooth beam and no hot spot. This thing comes with handle bar o-ring mount, helmet mount, even a head strap and extension cord. 2 or 4 cell battery option. Light head with 2 cell on the helmet is great.


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## woodyak (Jan 20, 2004)

cmd74 said:


> Using the 1 cell piggyback for the Diablo, they seem to both have a 2 hr burn time on high.


I get about 2:45 out of my Diablo with 1 cell piggy. I use it on my helmet and it's my only light. Never a problem with this light. By far the best light I've ever used.


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## 80sbmxkid (Mar 8, 2008)

I am wrestling with similar decision.

Is one easier to adjust the lighting level while riding?

Also, is it helpful to have a self contained flashlight type light as one of your lights?


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## woodyak (Jan 20, 2004)

80sbmxkid said:


> I am wrestling with similar decision.
> 
> Is one easier to adjust the lighting level while riding?
> 
> Also, is it helpful to have a self contained flashlight type light as one of your lights?


I can't comment on the others but the Diablo is as easy as it gets. There is one button on the back of the light that you push. It's big enough to easily change settings with winter gloves on.

I find the self contained thing to be very helpful. I do a lot of spring and fall riding where you only need about an hour or so of light. On those nights you don't have to worry about the battery at all. I just put the light in my pocket and pop it on when I need it. On rides that need about 1.5 to 2 hours of light I'll just turn it off when not riding and/or run it on medium when bright light is not needed. If I know I'm going on a longer ride that's 2 hours+ I'll mount the piggy battery to my helmet from the start and just role with that. So much nicer than dealing with running wires to your pack and dealing with connectors and multiple batteries and such.


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## Repo (Feb 26, 2009)

*Piko*

I just recieved mine today. I have only used it in the garage. I prefer neutral leds. It reminds me of the SST-90 leds. Its a little more neutral in the center of the beam. It's smaller than I expected. I have a Darkstar with 2 MC-E's which is pretty small. but the Piko is even smaller. I ordered mine with the hd headband so I can use it hiking, running or just going in the attic. I mounted it on the bars of my cross bike with their clamp. The clamp is a nice touch. Only issue is having brake levers on the top bar limits my mounting. This should not cause problems in any other case. I will probably use it on my helmet in the woods and figured I'd try it on the bars for cross bike. I'm wating to see if I get darkness befroe rain to take it for a ride.
The piko has a very similar beam and hotspot as the darkstar with spots. I'm suprised at how much alike these seem


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## 80sbmxkid (Mar 8, 2008)

*Helmet Light Profile?*



skidad said:


> Loaded question..but
> 
> Piko is a very vesatile light with lots of mount options that can be used for other night activities like hiking, trail running, XC skiing, snow shoeing, caving etc. If you think you might use it this way besides mtn. biking it might make the choice easier and helps justify the price (do we need to??). *Piko is also much more low profile *and like RTM mentioned perhaps upgradeable. What do you guess (if the housing can handle it) this light becomes 900-1000 lumens next year.
> 
> ...


How big a deal is the profile?


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## RTM (Sep 17, 2005)

80sbmxkid said:


> How big a deal is the profile?


speaking in general terms, the higher profile:

1. can possibly catch more low hanging branches, or other overhead obstacles like a hatchback. although, in my experience, you adjust to this very quickly. just like you adjust to having the helmet on in the first place, you sense it and just duck lower. I don't run across enough low hanging branches that this was an issue for me.

2. assume weights are equal, the higher profile light exerts a bit more force on your helmet (side to side, front to back) when you're bouncing down a trail. I use a fairly high profile light on my helmet. with proper placement and helmet fit it is so low on my list of complaints its a non-factor in reality. not sure of the weight of the diablo though. it could be something to consider.

3. low profile looks sleek and cool.


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## 80sbmxkid (Mar 8, 2008)

skidad said:


> Diablo also had the excellent build quality and should be brighter with triple LED's. The mount system is slick (use a catch lanyard though) but the profile is a bit high IMO. The piggy back cell is nice and small *and you can use the light as a flashlight should you need to.*QUOTE]
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## skidad (May 23, 2005)

80sbmxkid said:


> How big a deal is the profile?


Well, only you can decide that...and you can adapt to the height.

Your other question...I carry a Spark SL6S-800 as a backup now  Spark SL6S-800CW


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## 80sbmxkid (Mar 8, 2008)

Nice photos and lights. Thanks. 

I like the profile of the Lupine but I like the idea of the self-contained flashlight type Diablo. Looking at the beam patterns Lupine looks best, then Xera, and then the Diablo.

Difficult decision. Due to price I may lean towards Xera since it seems close to Lupine in profile and beam pattern.


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