# Magicshine Tail Light MJ-818 3W review w/ video



## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

I would like to thank Geoman for the excellent customer service, I ordered the light friday around 2:00pm, shortly after he put it on his site and got it at 12:30pm monday.
First thing I noticed is the light has a dial around it which is the way to alternate modes, 120 degree turns change the mode. After realizing this I noticed that this means there is no button, which also means no battery gauge. Still the light is super bright from what I have seen so far and well worth the money.
Obviously this is only a partial review because it's not dark out yet but I went in my basement and took a quick video to show the modes of the light
Mode 1- Inner and outer lights flashing
Mode 2- Inner and outer lights alternate flashing and strobe while they are on.
Mode 3- Inner and outer lights on

If you have any questions feel free to ask and FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR OWN REVIEWS IN THIS THREAD!!!


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## stingray66 (Oct 2, 2009)

How long is the wire to the battery by the pictues It seem to short I have my batterys for my m/s900s in my seat bag I was planing to put the light on my rack end on the fender
and was hopeing that there was a long wire I do not know why they keep puting short wires on the lights:madman:


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

Wire is about 1 foot, i'm not near the light so I can't give the exact length


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

The cable on the lighthead is 18 inches then you can add another 8 inches for the cable coming from the battery so you have 26 inches all up, it is compatible with the standard Magicshine 40 inch extension cable if you need more than the 26.



stingray66 said:


> How long is the wire to the battery by the pictues It seem to short I have my batterys for my m/s900s in my seat bag I was planing to put the light on my rack end on the fender
> and was hopeing that there was a long wire I do not know why they keep puting short wires on the lights:madman:


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

Nice job, thanks for the support



GTR2ebike said:


> I would like to thank Geoman for the excellent customer service, I ordered the light friday around 2:00pm, shortly after he put it on his site and got it at 12:30pm monday.


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## stingray66 (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks for the info this helps a lot


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## Shitbox (Nov 29, 2009)

Thanks for the video and review. :thumbsup: 

Is it possible for you to take a few beam shot pictures 6+ feet away from a wall? A video would be awesome. 

It's difficult to gauge the brightness and spread of the light with it pointing directly into the camera. 

Cheers


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

Yes I can do that sometime today


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

I really like the no light up button design because that means the light doesn't draw any current while plugged in so no need to unplug it every time after use. 
I took the light in my basement to take the video and this light can be used as a flashlight if you don't mind the red tint. It is incredible how much light it produces.
Here is the video, it is taken holding the camera and light 10 feet from the wall. The second mode I really don't care for because of how large the gaps are in the between the flashing strobes and when the outer rings light it up doesn't project nearly any light, that's why the gaps seem so big. Ideally this mode would have been best with a both inner and outer strobing (like the 4th mode on MS900's)
The camera adjusts to the light in mode 3 so pause it right when it comes up that's how bright it really is. It makes it look duller the longer it's on the screen.


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## J_Hopper (Mar 5, 2005)

Great job so far! How about some outside pictures? What would be really cool is to see it compared to a car's brake light from a real-world distance, like maybe 100 or more feet away...


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

J_Hopper said:


> Great job so far! How about some outside pictures? What would be really cool is to see it compared to a car's brake light from a real-world distance, like maybe 100 or more feet away...


I can do that at some point but it's obviously only going to be the on mode. You want brake light or tail light, there is a difference


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

It's mounted on my bike rack but haven't put the rack back on the bike yet. the light is tipped down because the rack on the bike sits at an angle. I'm going to run the wire under the rack and poke a hole in the bottom of my bag, so the battery and connection are in the bag.


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

Good job on all your work GTR, if you feel like another project keep count on your runtime, that 4 cell pack seems like it lasts forever on a single charge.



GTR2ebike said:


> It's mounted on my bike rack but haven't put the rack back on the bike yet. the light is tipped down because the rack on the bike sits at an angle. I'm going to run the wire under the rack and poke a hole in the bottom of my bag, so the battery and connection are in the bag.


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## J_Hopper (Mar 5, 2005)

GTR2ebike said:


> I can do that at some point but it's obviously only going to be the on mode. You want brake light or tail light, there is a difference[/IMG]


To be visible on the bike, I'm competing with both brake and tail lights. I know a DiNotte 140L competes favorably with a car's brake light. I'd like to see the MS compared to either a car's brake light (if not feasible, then a tail light) or a DiNotte 140L.

I'm considering getting the MS tail light to add to my 140L, but I want to make sure it would be a valuable addition. I have a PBSF and it's virtually worthless next to the DiNotte.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

GEOMAN said:


> Good job on all your work GTR, if you feel like another project keep count on your runtime, that 4 cell pack seems like it lasts forever on a single charge.


I plan too



J_Hopper said:


> To be visible on the bike, I'm competing with both brake and tail lights. I know a DiNotte 140L competes favorably with a car's brake light. I'd like to see the MS compared to either a car's brake light (if not feasible, then a tail light) or a DiNotte 140L.
> 
> I'm considering getting the MS tail light to add to my 140L, but I want to make sure it would be a valuable addition. I have a PBSF and it's virtually worthless next to the DiNotte.


This is true but another inconsistency is what car I'm comparing the light to but I will do it sometime this week. I don't have a diNotte 140L or any good lights besides the 3 made by Magicshine . The 1400 hasn't even gotten used yet :madman:


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## martin_nj (Apr 21, 2010)

thank you for the effort of posting that video unfortunately it doesn't really show us much.

perhaps if you have some time add a second light source. a 7-11 storefront, a car headlight or tail light

this way we can compare the relative brightness

thanks!


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

martin_nj said:


> thank you for the effort of posting that video unfortunately it doesn't really show us much.
> 
> perhaps if you have some time add a second light source. a 7-11 storefront, a car headlight or tail light
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reiteration of something that I said I'm going to do.


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## martin_nj (Apr 21, 2010)

GTR2ebike said:


> Thanks for the reiteration of something that I said I'm going to do.


bah that's what i get for not reading the entire thread


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## cbcmtb (Jan 31, 2009)

*Lighthead only / new flash mode*

I have already asked Geoman if just the lighthead will be available if you already have a Magicshine headlight and Y cable (like I do). Hopefully he will respond here as well.

I would also recommend a flash mode that keeps the smaller outer lights on all the time and flashes the bright center light. That would be like a Dinotte. Or blink the smaller lights a couple of times between bright flashes like a PB superflash. That way you don't dissapear into a black hole between bright flashes!

Keep up the good work Geoman.

Chuck


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

Thanks for the support, we have placed an order for tailights only for those folks who want to share their existing battery and extension cables, it could be a few weeks before we have those in stock, but it works nicely with a Y-cable and a 900/1400 sharing the battery.



cbcmtb said:


> I have already asked Geoman if just the lighthead will be available if you already have a Magicshine headlight and Y cable (like I do). Hopefully he will respond here as well.
> 
> I would also recommend a flash mode that keeps the smaller outer lights on all the time and flashes the bright center light. That would be like a Dinotte. Or blink the smaller lights a couple of times between bright flashes like a PB superflash. That way you don't dissapear into a black hole between bright flashes!
> 
> ...


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

cbcmtb said:


> I have already asked Geoman if just the lighthead will be available if you already have a Magicshine headlight and Y cable (like I do). Hopefully he will respond here as well.
> 
> I would also recommend a flash mode that keeps the smaller outer lights on all the time and flashes the bright center light. That would be like a Dinotte. Or blink the smaller lights a couple of times between bright flashes like a PB superflash. That way you don't dissapear into a black hole between bright flashes!
> 
> ...


That is a great idea for a mode but I don't think they are going to change them since the light is already designed. Maybe if there is a V2 a few years down the road.


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## Tzvia (Sep 7, 2008)

GTR2ebike-

I too have a rack, but not a Topeak, mine's a Bontrager, and there is no ready place to mount a light with rubber o-ring mount like this. It looks like, in your case, you had a good horizontal spot and added a plastic piece of tubing to it to get it sized up. I had rigged up something similar, but as the mount was designed for a seatpost, (vertical), I grabbed the bike and bounced it a few times to simulate our wonderfully maintained Los Angeles roads, and the light rotated downward. You should test for this. I ended up using a hose clamp that has a screw that I positioned under the light, so it is stopped from rotating down. 

My solution is not as elegant and robust as I would like, so I am off to Home Depot to see what I can come up with. I may end up removing the mount on the lighthead and putting a different clamp on it; we shall see what HD has...

The light itself is plenty bright, and I am currently using a Y cable and MS 900 up front with the 1400 battery tucked under the rack. Just got the whole combo (Thanks Geoman!) and I think it will work nicely on my commutes.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

Tzvia said:


> GTR2ebike-
> 
> I too have a rack, but not a Topeak, mine's a Bontrager, and there is no ready place to mount a light with rubber o-ring mount like this. It looks like, in your case, you had a good horizontal spot and added a plastic piece of tubing to it to get it sized up. I had rigged up something similar, but as the mount was designed for a seatpost, (vertical), I grabbed the bike and bounced it a few times to simulate our wonderfully maintained Los Angeles roads, and the light rotated downward. You should test for this. I ended up using a hose clamp that has a screw that I positioned under the light, so it is stopped from rotating down.
> 
> ...


The rubber band is pretty tight on mine and it hasn't moved in the 22 miles i've put on it. Mine also goes around the piece of plastic you see behind the pvc pipe so that helps keep it a little tighter. But that is a good idea to stop it from rotating down, maybe i'll do that just incase because i have quite a few small hose clamps lying around lol.
I was going to originally remove the mount from the light head and put a screw threw that into the pipe to have it extra secure but when i started looking at the light I noticed it has a notch for the mount which made me think that the mount is the back of the light and if you take it off the guts will be exposed. So i just didn't bother looking for a different solution.


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

You can unscrew the mount it's designed as a replaceable item in the event that the mount is damaged then we can just send you another to screw back on. :thumbsup:



GTR2ebike said:


> The rubber band is pretty tight on mine and it hasn't moved in the 22 miles i've put on it. Mine also goes around the piece of plastic you see behind the pvc pipe so that helps keep it a little tighter. But that is a good idea to stop it from rotating down, maybe i'll do that just incase because i have quite a few small hose clamps lying around lol.
> I was going to originally remove the mount from the light head and put a screw threw that into the pipe to have it extra secure but when i started looking at the light I noticed it has a notch for the mount which made me think that the mount is the back of the light and if you take it off the guts will be exposed. So i just didn't bother looking for a different solution.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

Ahh I was wrong but that's a good thing, btw I just emailed you Geo


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## Tzvia (Sep 7, 2008)

*Back from Home Depot...*

I knew I would need a section of pipe to use the band-mount on the taillight on my Bontrager rack, so first I bought a piece of PVC. Then I trekked over to electrical and got conduit clamps, #2 size. Followed that with some plastic-dip for the 900 battery.

My rack had a piece of stamped U s haped metal under the rack for a reflector. It had already broken and had been removed, and would have been useless anyway. I decided to use the two conduit clamps, one attached to each side of where the reflector holder had been attached. Bridging them, a short piece of the PVC pipe. Ugly, but my commuter is a beater Fuji Newest 3.0 frame with a mix of MTB and road bits which would not win a beauty contest anyway. I don't want to dump the Bontrager rack because I otherwise like it, as it is lighter than the Topeak, and I have the cool QR trunk, and plan to buy the basket they make at some point.

While looking at the smooth pipe and thinking of the best way to keep the light from rotating down, I thought- why not plastic-dip it to give the mount something to grip, and tied some thick string around it first, both to hang, and to create an extra bumpy rough spot for the lightmount to grab. Also dipped the two clamps.



The light does not move on that plasticdip surface with the string bumps underneath. Yea! I then took the whole thing outside and turned it towards the sun, turned it on and stepped back. That is visible in daylight for sure! Now I know I will need two more heads and a Y for the sides, so I can get rid of those Sefras blinkies you see on the seatstays in my second pix. Well, I hope this helps others here who plan to use this light on their commute and don't have a chunk of visible seatpost. My only worry is of the PVC breaking, even though it is quite thick, but if it does, I'll use a piece of aluminum pipe. I may yet do that anyway.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

I put reflective tape on the piece of pvc pipe on my mount, that is plenty grippy.


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

We just received the individual tailight lightheads from the manufacturer, they are available on our site with y-cable and o'rings included. :thumbsup:



cbcmtb said:


> I have already asked Geoman if just the lighthead will be available if you already have a Magicshine headlight and Y cable (like I do). Hopefully he will respond here as well.
> 
> I would also recommend a flash mode that keeps the smaller outer lights on all the time and flashes the bright center light. That would be like a Dinotte. Or blink the smaller lights a couple of times between bright flashes like a PB superflash. That way you don't dissapear into a black hole between bright flashes!
> 
> ...


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## punkaccountant (Mar 23, 2009)

GEOMAN said:


> We just received the individual tailight lightheads from the manufacturer, they are available on our site with y-cable and o'rings included. :thumbsup:


Geo: Is the length of the cord from the taillight along with the y-cable long enough to connect it to a 900 (old battery) that is mounted on the stem? I typically ride on the roads so I am particularly interested in this set-up for a standard size road bike. I would prefer not to add the 1 meter extension cable as that seems like it would be too much cable.

Thanks in advance.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

Taillight head cable is 18 inches
Y-cable is 12 inches
Battery cable is 8-9 inches
that's a total of 38 inches or 3 feet 2 inches


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

See GTR's response below he's got the correct numbers. :thumbsup:



punkaccountant said:


> Geo: Is the length of the cord from the taillight along with the y-cable long enough to connect it to a 900 (old battery) that is mounted on the stem? I typically ride on the roads so I am particularly interested in this set-up for a standard size road bike. I would prefer not to add the 1 meter extension cable as that seems like it would be too much cable.
> 
> Thanks in advance.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

Dual set-up. It's pretty sweet, I did this because I wanted to have the ability to run one on solid at night and one on strobe and both on strobe during the day.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

Pics from 40 feet away. couldn't really move back any further. 
MS > Taillights 
MS = Brakelights


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## MaximusHQ (Aug 6, 2007)

Wow that is bright. I may have to get one of those as I already have a magicshine with battery. Nice job with the pics.


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## GEOMAN (May 30, 2006)

Agreed, something tells me cars shouldn't have any issue seeing you ahead :thumbsup:



MaximusHQ said:


> Wow that is bright. I may have to get one of those as I already have a magicshine with battery. Nice job with the pics.


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## punkaccountant (Mar 23, 2009)

GTR2ebike: I just want to confirm that those pics were only one taillight...correct? It looks that way but your previous post showed a set-up with two lights so I just wanted to make sure.

Thanks!


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## stingray66 (Oct 2, 2009)

I will have to try this at night next to my cars brake lights
Today is a cloudy and I just took this picture The top light is a mars 4 the botton one is the M/S bouth batterys are charged up My m/s tail light looks like the same as the mars 4 I hope my light is not bad out of the box because it is no brighter than the mars 4


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

punkaccountant said:


> GTR2ebike: I just want to confirm that those pics were only one taillight...correct? It looks that way but your previous post showed a set-up with two lights so I just wanted to make sure.
> 
> Thanks!


Yes that picture is one light on. I took pictures with two on also, it doesn't make much if any of a difference in pictures but in person it certainly does.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

To anyone else who made a bracket out of pipe and has a problem with the light head tilting down. I put a screw in the underside of the pipe just before the end of the ms mount, so now it no longer rotates down.


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## MaximusHQ (Aug 6, 2007)

stingray66 said:


> I will have to try this at night next to my cars brake lights
> Today is a cloudy and I just took this picture The top light is a mars 4 the botton one is the M/S bouth batterys are charged up My m/s tail light looks like the same as the mars 4 I hope my light is not bad out of the box because it is no brighter than the mars 4


How do they compare at night. When I first got my Lupine lights and tried them out in the daylight they were not as impressive as I thought they should be, but once it got dark and I took them out I was impressed. I just ordered the tail light just now so I will get a chance to test it out myself soon.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

MaximusHQ said:


> How do they compare at night. When I first got my Lupine lights and tried them out in the daylight they were not as impressive as I thought they should be, but once it got dark and I took them out I was impressed. I just ordered the tail light just now so I will get a chance to test it out myself soon.


They are pretty bright either way, first time I looked at my bike from the back(bright out)it hurt my eyes after 5 secs but at night any light will look brighter. When I look behind me (when riding at night) the road and trees are bright red. I'd recommend the light to anyone


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## Whitedog1 (Feb 3, 2009)

I wrote my question in the other MS taillight thread and thought i will try it here too

Has anybody measured the current draw of the taillight?

How long is the runtime with the standard magicshine [email protected],4Ah in steady mode?

Thanks


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## ragnar.jensen (Jul 21, 2009)

I use a piece of Tesa anti-slip tape on my plastic pipe.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

Whitedog1 said:


> I wrote my question in the other MS taillight thread and thought i will try it here too
> 
> Has anybody measured the current draw of the taillight?
> 
> ...


I don't think anyone on here knows but it was mentioned in another thread that Geoman ESTIMATED that a 900 taillight on high (180min runtime) and a taillight on steady would run for 160 mins. In theory if you break that down it takes 20 minutes off of the headlights runtime in 180 mins then it should last 180/20=9 x 180 =1620 mins(27 hours) again that is just in my head. I don't know how much sense it will make to someone that isn't in my head(which I hope non of you are)


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## Whitedog1 (Feb 3, 2009)

Thanks for your headwork :eekster: :thumbsup:

But I think 27h is too much :nono:

ragnar.jensen did a good job in the other MS thread :eekster:


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## ragnar.jensen (Jul 21, 2009)

GTR2ebike said:


> I don't think anyone on here knows but it was mentioned in another thread that Geoman ESTIMATED that a 900 taillight on high (180min runtime) and a taillight on steady would run for 160 mins. In theory if you break that down it takes 20 minutes off of the headlights runtime in 180 mins then it should last 180/20=9 x 180 =1620 mins(27 hours) again that is just in my head. I don't know how much sense it will make to someone that isn't in my head(which I hope non of you are)


It doesn't make any sense to me, but then I'm here at my desk and not in your head.
I'm not sure who of us is the happiest for that 

EDIT: It does make sense now. Does that mean I'm in your head?

Anyhow, my estimate after measuring the current pull of the MJ-818 at full blast is about 150 minutes together with a 900 running from one battery.
That estimate is also based on real-time measurements of my three 900s, who all give me 195 minutes.


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## suba (Jun 25, 2009)

I don't know why you guys buy these cheap lights from China when there are good American companies to support that produce quality lights. Take Dinotte for example. The 400 taillight is imo without peer. Buy American. German quality is also good. Anything but China. We had our chance in the 70's and 80't to buy American but people were too greedy and shortsighted. Today China just about owns us.

Don't be a pawn. Don't get played. Buy American before your children are required to study Chinese in school.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

suba said:


> I don't know why you guys buy these cheap lights from China when there are good American companies to support that produce quality lights. Take Dinotte for example. The 400 taillight is imo without peer. Buy American. German quality is also good. Anything but China. We had our chance in the 70's and 80't to buy American but people were too greedy and shortsighted. Today China just about owns us.
> 
> Don't be a pawn. Don't get played. Buy American before your children are required to study Chinese in school.


 what other lights do you suggest? I'll gladly buy the dinotte, paypal me the difference and I'll support whoever you want.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Anyone using this for increased day visibility on the road?

If so, are you game for a day and night videos of it riding away especially with something like the Planet Bike SF as a comparison, and posting them here?

Anyone have lux/lumens measurements?


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

BrianMc said:


> Anyone using this for increased day visibility on the road?
> 
> If so, are you game for a day and night videos of it riding away especially with something like the Planet Bike SF as a comparison, and posting them here?
> 
> Anyone have lux/lumens measurements?


I am using it during the day.
I have a planet bike SB also but I don;t use it since I got my MS taillight


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

GTR2ebike said:


> I am using it during the day.
> I have a planet bike SB also but I don;t use it since I got my MS taillight


Agreed on PBSF day use. I have three. Many cyclists do, so they make good referrences.

Even on fresh cells, PBSFs are almost useless in bright daylight (about 12.5 lumens once the NiMH cells settle to 1.2 V. They work in the shade of buildings, trees, or overcast days, but not very far.

I have two Radbot1000s (24-25 lumens with NIMH at 1.2 volt), and two 1.5 watt DIYs 100 lumens each with 12 volt NiMH pack.

So I have measured these lights' outputs but I also made videos:

Daytime video of my lights here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=3435483&postcount=46

Night videos here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=3437637&postcount=48

Comparison to car brake lights here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=3428252&postcount=109

I was wondering if one or two who have the MS tailight could do something similar?


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## Long Run Nick (Jun 13, 2010)

Nice job. Thanks for your efforts. I went overboard on lights: Exposure Toro/w red eye, Joystick w/red eye(helmet), MS900 and Dinotte 400 tailight. I know Edison would wet his pants if he saw this light show. I don't have capability to video. I spent all my money on lights. Nick


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## bpnic (Aug 14, 2005)

suba said:


> I don't know why you guys buy these cheap lights from China when there are good American companies to support that produce quality lights. Take Dinotte for example. The 400 taillight is imo without peer. Buy American. German quality is also good. Anything but China. We had our chance in the 70's and 80't to buy American but people were too greedy and shortsighted. Today China just about owns us.
> 
> Don't be a pawn. Don't get played. Buy American before your children are required to study Chinese in school.


Where was your Pugsley made? How about the clothes on your back? Just sayin.


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

suba said:


> I don't know why you guys buy these cheap lights from China when there are good American companies to support that produce quality lights. *Take Dinotte for example. *The 400 taillight is imo without peer. Buy American. German quality is also good. Anything but China. We had our chance in the 70's and 80't to buy American but people were too greedy and shortsighted. Today China just about owns us.
> 
> Don't be a pawn. Don't get played. Buy American before your children are required to study Chinese in school.


...and Dinotte makes those lights with parts made where? Do the letters SSC mean anything here? :nono: Remember, there are American people who also sell those same Chinese made light sets. The U.S. middle man gets to make a buck too. Besides, the Chinese aren't going to get rich selling us cheap electronics. If it was that much of a cash cow there would be more international competition. Damn, wish someone had taught me some Chinese when I was young, some of those Chinese chicks are hot. 

On a side note: Happy Independence Day...nice to be free to express yourself and to buy and live the way you want. Cheers...:cornut:


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

This has been a great review and helped me to make the decision to purchase this tail light as well. I've used it once so far and overall I think it is an excellent light, with a couple of significant issues. Just for the sake of information, I have used numerous tail lights in the past including the Niterider universal tail light which is a similar type of light.

The Magicshine tail light is an excellent value. It comes with the first version of the magicshine battery along with the tail light. For the cost, it can't be beat. I also love the compatibility of the system. Right now I use the magicshine 900 helmet light with a battery in my pack and the tail light hooked up to its own battery, but all of the plugs are interchangeable, so I can use the cable extension, the y cable, the batteries all together. It's wonderful!

Problem 1: As it has been noted before, the first version of the battery has mounting problems. It's just not that easy to mount. Not a huge deal, but it's annoying nonetheless

Problem 2: The tail light has an identical mount to the headlights. I question the durability of the wire being so close to the O ring mount, but that's will only be determined through the use of the light. My issue is that the light direction is perpendicular to whatever it is mounted to. In most cases, this will be your seatpost, which is not vertical. This causes the light to hit the pavement about 15 feet behind the bike. There is still ample light for cars to see from far away, but to not be able to point the light directly behind you is a significant flaw. I ended up mounting an aluminum cylinder horizontally behind my saddle rails to attach the light. Problem solved.

I also ordered this from Geoman. Needless to say, it was a smooth process.


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## HamfisT (Mar 31, 2010)

For my MJ-818, i use a small pice of soft plastic about 1" X 1/8" X 1/16" wedged under the bottom edge of the seatpost mount... Pretty much aims the beam level and straight. 

Battery pack goes in a Topeak micro-wedge seat pack, fits perfectly with room for the extra cable. 

I use it on my road bike, and get plenty of respect from drivers!


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

As I mentioned earlier as well as in another post, I was unhappy with the mount since I move this light on a daily basis to different bikes as well as a trailer and running stroller. I was very concerned about the durability of the light while swapping the o rings all the time since the o ring pushes against the cable.

I decided to change the mount. With a quick modification, I mounted it the light to a reflector bracket and mounted the other part of the bracket to each vehicle I use. I then only have to turn a thumb screw to move it from vehicle to vehicle. I drilled a hole to support the rubber cable protector, so it's pretty safe in the mount.

I also like that the tail light can now move on two axis instead of just one with the original mount. This has solved one of my main complaints of the light not pointing in the right direction.

I'm glad I saved all of the reflector mounts over the years.


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## Tzvia (Sep 7, 2008)

Been using the MS taillight since I got mine about 2 weeks after they became available. So far, one person standing at a corner and 3 strangers in cars went out of their way to ask me about the light while I waited at a red light. All said they saw me from at least a block away (in the summer morning daylight) and one said he thought I was a motorcycle cop from down the block. The person standing at the corner mentioned he saw me over a block away coming towards him (MS900 on blink) then saw the rear light and commented on that-4PM summer. Two co-workers also have come up to me to mention my lights and said they saw me down the block as they approached in the morning light. Nobody ever commented on my AAA rear blinkies or my Stella 150 which is now my winter helmet light. And now that it is getting darker in the morning (I commute before the sunrise at this point) I am glad I bought the MS lights. I can't believe I went out last January at 6:15am with just a rear AAA blinkie and crappy AA front light :nono: ; I'm not doing that again.


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## rickbike (Aug 14, 2006)

So I'd be interested to know or hear your opinion on the way i made my own rear light with a ms 900 headlight.

Been riding with it for over a year and i know everybody gives me a wide berth.

Basically put a piece of red automotive rear light repair tape and stuck it on the MS900.

The MS 900 already puts out what, 600-700+ lumen, + the tape might decrease that some, so lets say now down to about 500-600 lumens.

How does that relate to the 3W MS taillight and the Dinotte 140 or other high powered rear lights?

Ps. ragnar.jensen i'm going to steal your method rear light mounting =
"A plastic pipe, some zip ties and anti-slip tape..." ! )

pss. yes i cross posted this to another ms rear light thread to get more responses-)


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## BadPirate (Dec 9, 2009)

How does this hold up in the rain. It is good and water tight?


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## roofus (Apr 2, 2007)

No it's not german made. So it wouldn't be goodentight.


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## drsquirrel (Nov 6, 2009)

Does anyone know how to open this unit?

I too k the mount off, and screwed it to my saddle bag, but I didn't do anything about the cable and the rubbing wore through the cable (surprisingly fast). Now I need to open it to sort the wire but cannot figure out how to open it yet...


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## ggusta (Jul 3, 2006)

*I used to agree with you.*



suba said:


> I don't know why you guys buy these cheap lights from China when there are good American companies to support that produce quality lights. Take Dinotte for example. The 400 taillight is imo without peer. Buy American. German quality is also good. Anything but China. We had our chance in the 70's and 80't to buy American but people were too greedy and shortsighted. Today China just about owns us.
> 
> Don't be a pawn. Don't get played. Buy American before your children are required to study Chinese in school.


1st off: Not trying to pick a fight and this is way way off topic.

2. That argument is really contrary to what freedom to choose is all about. I believe that if American companies made the best product for the money, then people wouldn't be encouraged to support mediocrity on the grounds of patriotism. I love my country, but to continue to purchase items which do not offer the best value (to me) is just a way to encourage mediocrity. Look at the car companies, GM and chrysler essentially became wards of the state based on about 40 years of inexcusable mediocrity.

3. If you feel the dinotte or whatever gives you superior value, then more power to you. It's all good. My 150 lumen niterider minewt was about $125 when I bought it. I probably would have bought a magicshine had I heard about it or if it was on the market when I made my purchase.

I think the niterider is a great light, and it may well be better than the MS, but to think of a sub-$100 light (the headlight) that puts out about 4-5 times the light of the minewt and then to know that and turn around and buy the nr on the grounds of patriotism is silly. Buying it on the grounds of better perceived value is a much better reason, imo. I hope both companies thrive profitably.

To think of buying anything-but-chinese sounds a little, well....questionable. But maybe that belongs on another thread on another site.:nono:


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## Gharddog03 (Sep 25, 2013)

Old thread but I wanted to see if anyone else has purchased one recently. I just bought two I am impressed with the output. I wish they redesigned the way you switch modes. One light has a stiff dial and the other one is loose.
Mj-818 - YouTube


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