# CAt Review; Updated ( 2017 ) Raveman CR-900 and PR-1200



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

*Excitement has just hit the fan!* "The new Raveman lights have just arrived today! I'm getting ready for work so I can't give too many details at the moment but just a quick "shine around" inside my home has my heart a-pumping. Can't wait to get home now so I can take um' for a spin on the road ( even if it will be after 2:00 in the morning ).

Likely my "user review" won't start until the weekend but by then I should have a lot to say...Damn!...so much I want to say right now but before I start with the shining accolades of praise I want to go over all the instructions to make sure I'm not missing out on all the features.



> To whom it may concern; The two lamps I will be reviewing in this thread were provided to me free of charge by Raveman.com with the understanding that I would be providing an opinionated review of the two products. I already own a Raveman CR-500 which I bought with my own money and need I say, "I love the Raveman CR500". That said, "I will with my best intention try to be as unbiased as possible with the review".


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## ledoman (Apr 17, 2012)

Nice. There is already Review of PR-1200 at BLF. It might help you and maybe no need to dissassemble it so you can concetrate more on usability. See: [Review] bike light RAVEMEN PR1200 1200LM 2*XM-L2 supplied by Banggood | BudgetLightForum.com


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

ledoman said:


> Nice. There is already Review of PR-1200 at BLF. It might help you and maybe no need to dissassemble it so you can concetrate more on usability. See: [Review] bike light RAVEMEN PR1200 1200LM 2*XM-L2 supplied by Banggood | BudgetLightForum.com


Thanks for the heads up but I would personally not attempt to disassemble a lamp like these. A cheap Chinese setup I might be willing to tinker with but not these. These are too nice to mess with.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

ledoman said:


> Nice. There is already Review of PR-1200 at BLF. It might help you and maybe no need to dissassemble it so you can concetrate more on usability. See: [Review] bike light RAVEMEN PR1200 1200LM 2*XM-L2 supplied by Banggood | BudgetLightForum.com


Theres another one thats not bangood spam too. One I posted earlier this year.

But I want to see Cats review on BOTH. His comical way of wording things is AWESOME!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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

*Initial ride with the CR-900*

True to my word I came home last night and by 1:30AM I was riding my road bike. Very odd being out that late at night. Kind'a spooky as you don't see a lot of cars...Anyway...I'm not going to do this like one of those Youtube reviews where the guy opens the box and then at the end finally shows you how it works. I hate reviews like that. I'm going to give you the important stuff first and than talk about the fine points later as I go along....so

My initial impression is that the CR-900 is a very nice light. That said using it is very much like the **CR-500 I already have. The major difference being that the CR-900 is just much brighter. Same basic beam pattern but there are some differences. First, the 900 is using the XM-L2 emitter ( according to the manufacturer ). I think I can trust them on that because it is very much brighter. I did notice while using the 900 that there was some slight differences to the upper beam cut-off vs. what the 500 does. Apparently the larger emitter changes the dynamic of the cut-off and produces a more gradual transition of the upper cut-off.

Don't get me wrong, this still produces a cut-off beam pattern but it is not as sharp a transition as what I see when I use the **CR-500. Whether this is something good or bad is hard to say. It does make it harder to aim the cut-off though when riding when compared to the CR500, that I will say. Still, with some practice on judging the more powerful output of the CR-900 I think I'm going to like the CR-900 very much.

Just keep in mind these are just my first reactions to a ride where I was dealing with a good amount of ambient light from street lamps. I did get a chance to use the lamp on high and it is very bright, much brighter than the 500. On high I could barely tell there was a cut-off  it's so bright. Now the big question; "Is it 900 lumens"? To be honest, I don't know. Hard to judge relative brightness with lamps that use a beam pattern like this. If I had to ballpark an estimate I'd say maybe 700-800 lumen. Just really hard to judge because of the wide / evenly dispersed beam pattern.

About the beam tint; this was a surprise to me but it seems as though Raveman has decided to go with a more neutral white tint! Not sure what bin or tint level was used but my eyes could detect a bit of rosiness when comparing it to the much colder beam tint of the CR-500. Now I'm not sure yet how I'm going to like that. On the upper levels it really doesn't come into play simply because it's so bright but not sure how I'll like it when using the low levels as I usually prefer a cool white tint for riding on the road. That opinion may change as I get more rides in so for now I'll leave it at that.

Unfortunately I have to get ready for work now so I'll just leave a few more tid-bits to mull over which I'll comment on later....Believe me, I have much more to say...

1) new digital run-time indicator and flush touch button

2) a "user programmable mode", more on that later as I didn't even know about it last night

3) very interesting new mount design

4) bigger / better battery = longer run times. :thumbsup:

** ( If you want to know more about the beam pattern of the single emitter Raveman lamps please read the review on the CR-500 first )


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

Post deleted by CAt


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## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

The review for the 1200 looked very positive. Not my cup of dark roast...


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

Dirt Road said:


> The review for the 1200 looked very positive. Not my cup of dark roast...


I'll be doing my own review of the 1200 when I get a couple rides in with the CR900. Sorry I didn't look too much at the other review but from what I can tell by just shining the lamp on a couple dark roads it has a very nice beam pattern and tint. Looks better then the 900 tint wise but of course I need more time in with both. I'm hoping I won't run into the same ground fog / high moisture content I ran into last night. High moisture low to the ground tends to kill the throw.


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

*CR-900 and PR-1200; second ride*

Tonight I had a chance to take both the CR-500 and the PR-1200 for a short one hr. ride on some very dark back roads. I would of liked to have ridden a bit longer but I was tired from not sleeping well the previous night.

Conditions were perfect. No fog or low ground moisture and I was riding on smooth semi-light colored asphalt. On this type of road surface beam patterns like this tend to carry very well. I used the CR-900 for the first 45 minutes and then switched over to the PR-1200 to finish the ride.

I was very impressed with the CR900. My one complaint is that the flash modes are still included in the main UI. Gosh how I wish I could change that. Still, the more I ride with it the better I am at rapid firing through the modes when I want to go back to the high mode

I've still not had a chance to figure out how to use the user programmable mode. The instructions that came with the lamp were very brief and because the type is so small I need a magnifying glass to read it ( which I don't have ). Most of the modes are quite usable but I would like to replace the 4th lowest mode with a brighter mode. Now whether or not it will save the setting I have no idea. More on that when I get more info.

Most of the first 45 minutes I spent in the 2nd mode because as I see it that is going to be the work-horse mode of the 900. At start the 2nd mode gives you 2.5 hrs of run time or so the indicator tells you. The first mode is only giving you one hour. That being so it makes sense to me not to use the first mode unless I'm really going fast down a long hill. Thankfully I had a couple good downhills to use it on and found the CR-900 to work very well. On moderate climbs or straight level sections I go with the 2nd mode. Likely I'll ride in 2nd mode 80% of the time.

I have to love the beam pattern of the Raveman lights. The super wide beam pattern just lets you see the whole road ( including the other lane ). So far I've never felt as though I was out-running the beam pattern or losing the beam pattern when rounding a turn. On a good straight, clear, dark, dry section of road the beam easily carries 150 ft. ( although I need to do an actual measurement to verify that estimate ) When I get a chance I'll do just that.

Whew! Am I tired. I'm just plain tuckered out. I'd love to talk about the PR-1200 a bit but I'm sorry to say I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I'll just have to continue the part about the 1200 tomorrow.
I will however include some eye candy. *Photo below is of the CR-900 on high.*...and BTW when I switched lights ( after 45 minutes ) the CR 900 on 2nd mode was telling me I still had 2hrs run time.
( Note; no enhancement done on the camera phone photo. I was standing with the lamp directly under me )


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## Nsker (May 16, 2010)

So who's selling the CR900 at the moment?


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat,

Any idea what the price on this light is going to be set at? Looking forward to hearing more about the programming too.
Mole


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Nsker

No one has them in stock first shipment to us wont arrive fore about 3 weeks. EU distributor I believe has their shipment arriving any time.

Mole, $76.95 is the price for the cr900.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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

Nsker said:


> So who's selling the CR900 at the moment?


Well I was in the process of answering the questions ( although I had no good answers ) but I see RAKC has the inside information. I would consider the price a good deal for what you are getting.

Anyway, anyone wanting to get a good look at the lamp and what it can do might want to take a look at it on the Raveman.com website. Not listed on RAKC's website yet. Lots of nice photos and information on the other website.

About the programmable mode; I think I figured it out. Sadly you can't save the setting unless I'm missing something but it does work. It's not using a digital step-up or step down, instead it's more an analog fade up or fade down. If you can't save the setting I see no point in it but that's just my opinion. The upside is you really don't need it. The lamp offers the user 4 different steady modes and all the default modes are well chosen. *High mode* for the fast down hills, *medium mode* for all around use, *low* for the slower climbs or eco-mode and* sub-low* for either walking or extreme climbs. Of course in urban settings the mid and low mode are likely to see a lot of use

And speaking of urban use; I've noticed that the flash modes are a bit more intense that what the CR-500 had. I think that is a big positive but I wish the strobe on the last flash mode was a bit slower.

I need to test out the new mount. Right now I'm testing both lamps so I need to use the stronger mount because the PR1200 is quit heavy. Not to worry, the PR1200 comes with the stronger mount. The rubber strap mount of the CR900 should work very well but I have yet to test it while riding.


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

*Tid bits on the PR-1200*

Like I said last night I only rode with the PR-1200 for about the last 15-20 minutes of my ride so here are some of those observations based on that ride; First thing I noticed is the beam tint. To me the beam tint looks to be very much NW, especially if you compare it to the CR-500. No noticeable off-tint and to me seemed slightly warmer than the CR-900. Once again, very clean beam pattern and to my eyes the upper cut-off looks more defined when compared to the CR-900.

My preference when using this lamp is to just use the one emitter with the road / cut-off optic. When doing that I like the maximum setting which is similar in output to the CR-900 on medium mode. Of course when you have two emitters and two buttons on the lamp head to control the two emitters you have lots of options. If I start to go down a fast hill and want more throw I can reach up to the lamp head to turn on the second emitter which in turn gives you some additional spot throw. There is also a second option of pressing and holding the remote button which in turn gives you full output of both emitters. Letting off the remote button returns the lamp to previous setting. ( *Sadly, I didn't know about the last part until today when I went to the website. See edit below )

Unfortunately you can't control the spot emitter ( to stay on full time ) with the wired remote so if you want to turn it on or off you need to be able to reach the lamp. This creates a problem if you're in full high mode ( both emitters on via the larger lamp button ), riding at a fast clip and a car begins to approach you from the front. Thankfully you can still power down the lamp's road emitter using the remote but the second emitter remains lit. More than likely that is the best way to handle that situation anyway because at speed you still need throw. Of course if I could of had it my way I wish Raveman had included a two button remote.

As I made my way along I had good opportunity to test the PR-1200's dual emitter high beam. No doubt, the second emitter gives you a nice additional punch. Comes in real handy when you want to know if there are any deer up ahead of you. I also hit the high beams when on a very nice open straight away. Yes-sir-e-Bob, this little light puts out enough light out to carry as far as 300 ft. when conditions are right. I don't think it can out throw my Duo but my Duo is a 1500 lumen lamp with dual spots. Still, considering the two different types of optics use on the PR-1200, you get what might be called the ideal road beam pattern. No doubt when using the duel emitters you get an additional sense of security as the output just lets you see things a little bit sooner. That said, I'm fine just using the one emitter on it's highest setting most of the time.

Now here's where things get nice; If I was poking along with just the one emitter and it set on medium and started down a really fast downhill, it only takes one push of the bigger button on the lamp head to engage "Full high mode" ( both emitters @ maximum output ). No fumbling through multiple presses on the remote. One press does the trick. Like I said before, too bad you don't get a second button on the remote to do the same thing. (_ *Edit: Seems I missed out by not reading the instructions. I found out from the website that if you press-hold the remote you get instant high beam from both emitters although only as long as you hold the button down. Damn...wish I had known that last night. _)

Almost forgot to mention; When I first turn on the PR-1200 with just the one emitter on, the indicator tells me I have 3hrs run time. This differs from what the website tells you ( claims 3.5 hrs ). I've read a discussion on this issue on another review and apparently the Raveman people are holding to the higher number. This might explain that when I got back to my car last night the lamp was still reading the maximum run time. I guess that means I'm going to have to do a run time test on both of these lamps to get the CAt facts.


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## flat (Jul 31, 2016)

The PR-1200 is looking to be the correct road light for me. The instant-full-on mode should be available on every light. Thanks for putting some time in on both models.


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## Nsker (May 16, 2010)

Cat-man-do said:


> Well I was in the process of answering the questions ( although I had no good answers ) but I see RAKC has the inside information. I would consider the price a good deal for what you are getting.
> 
> About the programmable mode; I think I figured it out. Sadly you can't save the setting unless I'm missing something but it does work. It's not using a digital step-up or step down, instead it's more an analog fade up or fade down. If you can't save the setting I see no point in it but that's just my opinion. The upside is you really don't need it. The lamp offers the user 4 different steady modes and all the default modes are well chosen. *High mode* for the fast down hills, *medium mode* for all around use, *low* for the slower climbs or eco-mode and* sub-low* for either walking or extreme climbs. Of course in urban settings the mid and low mode are likely to see a lot of use
> 
> ...


Thanks. I can't seem to access RAKC's site for the past few hours. Will try again later.

I'm very interested in the programming options. Could you possibly check if the flash modes are programmable? For example, the duration and output of both Pulse and Quick Flash? Really hoping that's the case.


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## Nsker (May 16, 2010)

RAKC Ind said:


> Nsker
> 
> No one has them in stock first shipment to us wont arrive fore about 3 weeks. EU distributor I believe has their shipment arriving any time.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the update. Was just able to access your site and saw the latest on ITUO. Very sorry to learn of it. Was holding out and waiting for the supposed new version of the Bolt due out this summer. Oh well.


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

Nsker said:


> Thanks. I can't seem to access RAKC's site for the past few hours. Will try again later.
> 
> I'm very interested in the programming options. Could you possibly check if the flash modes are programmable? For example, the duration and output of both Pulse and Quick Flash? Really hoping that's the case.


As far as I know the lamp modes themselves are not programmable. When you press/hold on the touch screen the lamp will enter into a "User programmable mode". It will do this while in any mode but has nothing to do with the default modes and will not supersede those modes when you change modes again. Nor will it save the last programmed setting if you change modes as far as I can tell.

Flash modes are not programmable but the steady with pulse mode is quite nice. In that mode when fully charged will run for 18 hrs. according to the indicator on the lamp. Compared to the same setting with the CR-500 the CR-900 pulse is twice as bright ( for the pulse itself ). It should be very noticeable. I haven't tested it outside in the day time but I'll do that when I get a chance.


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

*PR-1200; More observations*

I did another short ride when I came home last night. Once again after 1:00AM. Goodness, there are times when I just hate street lamps but the community I live in is just full of them. When I get a really dark stretch of road near my home it is usually very brief. Nevertheless I just had to try out that remote ( press and hold feature ) for high beam. Just out of curiosity I tried it on the CR-900 and it works on the 900 as well. Damn. How did I miss out on that? LOL. It even does it with the CR-500.

Yeah, I could wish for a second button on the remote but having the press/hold/High-beam feature adds a much needed feature when riding on the road and needing immediate high beam. Many times when I need the highest output it's only for a moment so having this feature gets the job done.

I had a nice ride last night even though it was short but the high humidity did tend to limit the dynamic carry-over of the throw. The good part is when conditions cause this to happen you can choose to aim the lamp a little higher and this does help some. I also discovered that using the second ( High beam ) emitter can help you judge how to aim the lamp because the added conical spot is a little more defined.

I noticed last night when using the PR-1200 that there is a slight wobble or feeling of "looseness" when adjusting the up/down tilt of the lamp. At first I thought this was caused by a loose screw on the underside of the mount. However when I look at and looked at the other mounts I have it seems they are all the same. The mount is designed to swivel ever so slightly side to side. Once again you have to make sure the screw is tight but I think the issue with the PR-1200 is that the added weight of the lamp makes the "looseness" more noticeable. I really didn't notice any vibrations looking at the beam pattern while riding so thankfully it's not a major issue. If it becomes a problem hopefully though it should be an easy fix by just using some electrical tape around the outer edge of the mount.

The last segment of my short ride I decided to take the MUP back to my place. At least on the paved paths I have complete darkness. One section has a fairly long straight away. I stopped to compare the difference when using the full ( two emitter ) high and just one. Couldn't help but notice that I wasn't getting the same effect as my weekend ride. That's why I'm figuring it's the higher humidity ( 90% ) that limits longer visibility. Wasn't a big issue on the MUP though because I was fine using just a single emitter. That's the thing about a lamp like this; the less surrounding ambient light there is the less light you need to see by.

Since I didn't recharge the lamp after the weekend I was curious as to what the indicator would read when I did my short ride. Once again, the indicator still read *3 full hours of run time when I pulled up to my building. However when I checked it again after taking the bike in the house it did start to read 2.5 hrs. ( *this is in high single emitter mode ). With about 30-40 minutes on the current charge that's not bad.


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## flat (Jul 31, 2016)

Thanks again. Time to make an order.


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

*CR-900; Another late night short ride.*

Once again I'm burning the late night oil. Work 10.5 hrs, get home at 1:00Am and jump on the bike. Not sure where I'm getting the energy but it's nice to have something left at the end of a long hot day.

As expected the CR-900 continues to please me. I did try out the press/hold on the remote to see how the "momentary high beam works". Well...it works. If you are in medium mode not a really big difference in output but very useful when in the two lower modes. Of course the effect is much more dramatic when on really dark roads. Otherwise using the press/hold-remote feature has a much more dramatic effect when using the PR-1200. No surprise there.

Tonight while riding along a very well lit portion of road I decided to try out the low-steady/pulse mode. I have to say I'm very impressed with this mode. I could see the pulse reflecting off signs from half a block away. I still haven't tried viewing the pulse mode in the day. I'll try to take care of that tomorrow. I did try looking at it in my darkened parking lot...Whew!...very noticeable at night but of course I expected as much when I saw how the light was bouncing off the street signs.

Tonight I think I counted about 5 cars and one truck passing me. That's a very low number considering the population of my community is somewhere around 100K. Two of the cars passing me were police. Yep, I have a feeling if I keep riding my bike late at night the police are going to get used to seeing me. Wouldn't surprise me if they decide to pull me over just for the heck of it...Likely the big question would be, "Where did you get all of those cool lights". :thumbsup: Thankfully the weather has been great lately. I hope it stays nice for at least another weekend.


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## flat (Jul 31, 2016)

After seeing how the pulse looked on a Wiz20, I figured that the PR-1200 would work at least as well with its spot. What would you guess the frequency of the pulse to be? Does the momentary high beam function work the same when in pulse mode?


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

flat said:


> After seeing how the pulse looked on a Wiz20, I figured that the PR-1200 would work at least as well with its spot. What would you guess the frequency of the pulse to be? Does the momentary high beam function work the same when in pulse mode?


The PR-1200 doesn't have the same pulse mode as the CR-900 unfortunately. The PR-1200 doesn't have a strobe mode either. It has what I'll call a fast fade in/out. I don't see that feature as being particularly useful except maybe for when on a MUP but that's for other users to decide. Only the single emitter on the PR-1200 performs the fade function. The upside of the 1200 is that if you chose to use both emitters on full time you get three standard settings, H-M-low. Other wise you get the fade feature only when using the single cutoff optic by itself.

The pulse mode on the CR-900 is a very sharp and defined high output pulse. I just wish the flash modes were hidden rather than being in the main UI. I'm getting used to it though. At least with the remote button you can toggle through the modes very quickly. That helps.

Yes, momentary high beam works even when in flash or pulse mode.


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## flat (Jul 31, 2016)

Cat-man-do said:


> The PR-1200 doesn't have the same pulse mode as the CR-900 unfortunately. The PR-1200 doesn't have a strobe mode either. It has what I'll call a fast fade in/out. I don't see that feature as being particularly useful except maybe for when on a MUP but that's for other users to decide. Only the single emitter on the PR-1200 performs the fade function. The upside of the 1200 is that if you chose to use both emitters on full time you get three standard settings, H-M-low. Other wise you get the fade feature only when using the single cutoff optic by itself.
> 
> The pulse mode on the CR-900 is a very sharp and defined high output pulse. I just wish the flash modes were hidden rather than being in the main UI. I'm getting used to it though. At least with the remote button you can toggle through the modes very quickly. That helps.
> 
> Yes, momentary high beam works even when in flash or pulse mode.


Thanks for the response.

Interesting difference in the modes between the models. I figured they'd all sport some kind of true pulse. Still, the momentary high beam is more important to me than some blinking.

Many of these mode questions and preferences could be addressed with a programmable interface, but that seems a bridge too far at this price point.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Programmable adds a whole new level of complexity to things. Truly the vast majority only care they have modes and the light works for their needs.

Was cool to see one user programmable on the cr900. May be a glimpse of things to come from ravemen.

Im with cat and others on the dual button remote (mentioned it back in the spring to them, the button that selects single/dual be added to the remote)

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## flat (Jul 31, 2016)

RAKC Ind said:


> Programmable adds a whole new level of complexity to things. Truly the vast majority only care they have modes and the light works for their needs.
> 
> Was cool to see one user programmable on the cr900. May be a glimpse of things to come from ravemen.
> 
> Im with cat and others on the dual button remote (mentioned it back in the spring to them, the button that selects single/dual be added to the remote)


Sure, which is why I won't complain about programmability missing from such an economically priced product. Adding a second button would be nice, but again, higher costs. I haven't played with a Raveman yet, but I think the controls will be a clear improvement over the Wiz20 v1.


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

I'm not sure the PR-1200 that Raveman sent me is an upgraded model. To me it looks like the model from last year unless I'm missing something. That said maybe there is no new 1200..(?)

Yep, having a second button would add a lot to the lamp. If they added the second button, used larger capacity cells ( think 3400mAh cells ), up the output to 1500-1800 lumen then you have something that would rival the newer Fenix. Even better if they could incorporate at least one ( digital ) user programmable mode that could be saved.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Its the same model as was released in the spring.

Fenix bc30r only puts out 1000 lumens (access is burst only via remote, only works while button is pressed, I still have mine somewhere)

You did mention tint difference which is new. They were the same as the cr500, I had mentioned changing the tint back when they were released.

I did put 3400mah cells in mine when I switched it to NW emitters because my commutes are 45 minutes one way.

My concern would be a good price increase moving to better cells and full programming.

Really want the 2 button remote though! .

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## tdurack (Dec 31, 2012)

Anyone know if the CR900 can be charged while on?


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## flat (Jul 31, 2016)

My PR-1200 arrived with some new tires & tubes. Bright little sucker, and my early impression is that the seals & cable insulation isn't junk. I like that I was able to quickly run through the modes without bothering to read anything. Charging now.

I know many would like swappable batteries, but the size of the unit lends itself to being an all-in-one flashlight & charging source for many users. I think it'd be smart to market it beyond the bike headlight market.


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

flat said:


> My PR-1200 arrived with some new tires & tubes. Bright little sucker, and my early impression is that the seals & cable insulation isn't junk. I like that I was able to quickly run through the modes without bothering to read anything. Charging now.
> 
> I know many would like swappable batteries, but the size of the unit lends itself to being an all-in-one flashlight & charging source for many users. I think it'd be smart to market it beyond the bike headlight market.


In the link that Ledoman provided the guy that reviewed the lamp tore the whole thing down. I personally would be afraid to do that least I screw something up but it's doable. That means it's possible to replace the batteries once the batteries gets old.

Yep, nice to know I have a back-up phone charger. I doubt I'll ever need to use it that way but I like knowing it's there.


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## flat (Jul 31, 2016)

I can see why they chose to use internal batteries. I saw the teardown, and I'll replace the batteries myself if the light continues to be useful. They should last about three years, which isn't bad.

Aside from the charging capability, the light works well in the hand, and would make a great dog walking or running light. Flashing a driver that didn't see you, or momentarily blinding an attacker would be easy.


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

*CR-900; continued*

Did another hour ride tonight using the CR900. So far the run-time indicator seems to be pretty close to,"actual time". Interestingly though that when on high the indicator measures in tenths of an hour but when I power down to the next level the indicator rounds off to 0.5hr increments.

Most of my ride I'm using the next mode down from high. With full charge it starts off reading 2.5 hr. When I finished the ride it read, 1.5 hr.
Not sure I like that it is only displaying changes every half hour. It will be interesting to see what it displays when I'm down to the last hour. Maybe it will switch over to tenths of an hour when on the last hour. After I got home I switch it over to high mode and the high mode reads 0.8 so that's encouraging.

Once again I can't help but notice how well the Raveman lights work when I'm on sections of road that are almost completely dark. In complete darkness it seems I can see much farther using the lamps than when there is competing light near by from street and parking lot lamps. I've never thought before that streets lamps could effect night vision so much but apparently they do...big time.

Hoping like heck I can get a mountain bike ride in on Sunday. Got a by-week this week but the weather report showing chance of rain. We could use some rain. Trails last week were dry as a bone and had virtually no tack. I'm hoping for just a few sprinkles to keep the dust down and help increase traction.

On a side note I took a picture of my bike tonight with some of those Scotchlite™ Salzman® spoke reflectors on my wheels. Sadly I under estimated how much the ambient light in my parking was going to effect the photo. Looked cool when I was looking at it but the camera reacted mostly to the parking lot lights. I'll do another one in a really dark area. I hate when photo's turn out sh***y.


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## idle1 (Aug 15, 2017)

Cat-man-do said:


> Hoping like heck I can get a mountain bike ride in on Sunday. Got a by-week this week but the weather report showing chance of rain. We could use some rain. Trails last week were dry as a bone and had virtually no tack. I'm hoping for just a few sprinkles to keep the dust down and help increase traction.


I'm about 95% of the way ordering one; interested to hear how this does on some trails as I've only seen this light advertised for road/gravel.


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

idle1 said:


> I'm about 95% of the way ordering one; interested to hear how this does on some trails as I've only seen this light advertised for road/gravel.


Which lamp are you most interesting in? The PR-1200 is supposed to be more geared for mountain biking because of the second optic. I wasn't going to use these for mountain biking but if want me to test it that way I'll do it. Which one do you want me to test on trails? I'm a bit curious myself now as to how well the PR-1200 will fair while going over rugged terrain. With the lamp as heavy as it is I'm wondering if the mount is sturdy enough to keep the lamp from moving.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

> QUOTE=Cat
> I'm a bit curious myself now as to how well the PR-1200 will fair while going over rugged terrain. With the lamp as heavy as it is I'm wondering if the mount is sturdy enough to keep the lamp from moving.


I was very pleasantly surprised with the off-road performance of my PR900 and would think the 1200 would only be better. Curious what you think though. I had no issues with the mount FYI.
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> I was very pleasantly surprised with the off-road performance of my PR900 and would think the 1200 would only be better. Curious what you think though. I had no issues with the mount FYI.
> Mole


Well, I've got the PR-1200 locked and loaded and sitting on my MTB bars ready to go. I had major problems with the mount though. The shim that comes with the mount was just too big to work with my handlebars. I needed a shim half the size. Luckily I have a bar extender that looks like it will accommodate the mount. I didn't mention it before but the plastic piece of the mount that goes around the bars is really thin. The plastic of the mount itself does not inspire a lot of confidence. If not careful I could see people having a lot of problems with the mount.

The sliding in/out quick release I still have issues with. There is still play in the part which slides into the mount. I just know this is going to produce a lot of unneeded vibration once I start down the trail. Not sure what to do about this but I'll let it go for the moment and see if it becomes more of a problem once I start riding. Didn't bother me on the road bike but for mountain biking it might be different.

Also had problems with the O-ring that holds the remote to the bars. The provided O-ring was just too small to go over my handlebar grips. Not a big problem, I just used a rubber band and that seems to work fine...for the moment.

Right now the weather is not looking good. Rain is coming my way but is still about 70 miles away. Forecast says thunderstorms by 8:30pm, not good. Heavy over cast right now and very humid. Days like this I hate planning night rides.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Im debating on heading out for a ride right now, pr1200 on the bars. If I decide to go Ill take the gopro so theres some video.

There is at least one video on our facebook page from when I ran it on the bars a while back.

Cat, that little bit of play I think is just inherent to the mount. Mine has it too, havent noticed the light moving while riding but Ill check it out more closely if I go out. On my trails though the roots and such have things shaking anyway which may be why i dont notice.



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## ATVMXR (May 19, 2012)

idle1 said:


> I'm about 95% of the way ordering one; interested to hear how this does on some trails as I've only seen this light advertised for road/gravel.


Same here. I'm very interested in buying this light, but all the reviews I've seen are for road bikes. I'm not sure if the mount is up to the rough single track riding.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Just got back, mount works just fine. Ive ridden a few times on trails with it. Better than band mounts. Ive sold about 70 of them so far since February , only mount issue is a couple of the lights (cr500 was one, a couple pr900s, all use the same mount) the screw inside the mount came loose because the factory forgot to loctite some of them.

Cat, I did notice the shaking, I expect you will too from the little bit of movement in the mount interface when trails get choppy but that partially was determined by my air pressure too. Playing with pressures on my plus bike, ran about 3 psi more than normal and I noticed the light pretty shaking. Dont like my mount job though. Cant till back far enough, pointed to low.

Look forward to seeing your findings, maybe it was more noticeable due to being pointed too low.

Ill get a video clip posted shortly. Was having issues with helmet staying put so couldnt get a good, fast bomb down the wood berms like normal.

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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Can't argue that the mount looks pretty petite. I run mine with no friction shim on carbon bars and still had no slippage during its limited (< 50 mi.) off-road use. I also noticed a slight amount of play in the interface between the mount and light when everything is tightened down but never noticed any beam instability in actual use. Plastic the mount is constructed with pliable not brittle. Not saying it will hold up to extended off-road use, just that I've experienced no problems and will have to see how it holds up over time. Were I to consider using the light off-road consistently I'd look for a different mount anyway since it won't fit 35mm bars.
Mole


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Sorry video quality is crap, Loaded via app from my phone. Yi App doesnt like to do 2K for some stupid reason. But my Yi 4K is much better on the gimbal than my hero5. no gimbal noise (due to weight of hte hero 5). Obviously not Hero 5 video quality but when I get a chance, Ill upload from my computer so its full res.


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

*PR-1200; Rugged trail test.*

Looks like the majority of the rain held off long enough for me to get that quick MTB ride in. I had a feeling the mount was going to give me trouble and it did. Didn't take no more than 30 sec too. I was crossing over a rock strewn creek when I noticed that the lamp had done a nose dive. Thankfully I was using my XP3 on the helmet during the crossing so I wasn't suddenly without light.

Continuing on I did everything I could while on the trail to keep the lamp from drooping but the problem unfortunately was that the bar extension I was using just wasn't providing enough grip to keep the lamp mount from sliding forward every time I hit rough trails.

And rough trails they were. Not only was I dealing with wet trails but I had forgotten that there was likely to be leaf cover and sure enough there was. The trails I rode were just filled with all kinds of rocks. Then there was the occasional patch of ( green ) black walnuts.  Riding over those was like riding over golf balls. With all the wet leaf cover it was almost impossible to see what obstacles were hidden under the leaves.

Now with all this going on ( which was pissing me off big time ) I had a very pleasant surprise. When I managed to keep the PR-1200 from nose diving _I was absolutely amazed at how well the lamp lit up the trails_. I was using what Raveman calls the mountain bike mode; Both emitters on , full time. _No way did I think ( going in ) I was going to like using the PR-1200 lamp for mountain biking but Wow! I couldn't of been more wrong._ Sliding mount be damned, this little lamp provides an awesome beam pattern off the bars for mountain biking. I was so impressed with what I was seeing that I almost didn't care that the lamp mount kept drooping...lol. Heck, I wasn't worried about that anyway because I knew that when I got home I was going to figure a way to make the mount more stable.

Using the lamp In MTB mode works very nicely. With both emitters on full time you can still use the remote to vary the output. In MTB mode you have three output levels ; high, medium and low. No flash modes in MTB mode. I could see fine using just the medium output most of the time. Of course using a helmet lamp in combo makes things even better. Even so a majority of the time I was using the 1200 just by itself.

What I found most impressive about the 1200 was how well it lit up a wide periphery and how close the beam pattern reached in relation to the bike. The 1200 lets you see things up close real well and I was riding in the worse possible conditions. While using the 1200 I think I dodged at least six frogs camped in the middle of the trail. Think about that for a moment. Six tiny frogs sitting on a bunch of wet dark leaves. The little buggers are practically invisible under normal riding conditions and here I was seeing them 6 ft. from my bike while struggling with 95% humidity, occasionally ground fog, my glasses fogging up, all the while juking right and left as I fought off the plethora of golf ball size rocks hidden under the wet leaves.

As I neared the half way point in my ride I finally decided to take the 1200 off the bike. It had started to drizzle a little. Getting wet made the lamp mount slip even more and eventually I got tired of realigning the 1200. After that I started to use my Gloworm X2 on the bars. First thing I noticed after turning on the X2 was that I no longer had that beautiful wide beam pattern and not near the about of light directly in front of the bike. No doubt in my mind that the 1200 is using NW emitters because they lit up those wet leaves real well. Even wet I could see the minute color differences in the leaves.

I think I was using the 1200 for about 45 minutes. With that in mind the mid level MTB mode still says I have 2.5 hrs of run time left. Oddly I didn't use my helmet light much during the first hour because there was so much head-high fog. Occasionally though the fog would break and I couldn't help but notice how well the 1200 worked in combo with my XP3.

Even though I fought with the mount the whole time I have to admit, the Raveman PR-1200 works unexpectedly well as a bar lamp for mountain biking. Even as I'm writing this I keep shaking my head because I really thought the lamp was going to suck for mountain biking. Now I can't wait to give it another try.

Once I get the mount issue worked out I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to be using the 1200 on more mountain bike rides. "Is it going to replace my Gloworm X2"? Likely not but I won't know for sure until I can take it on a ride and not worry about the lamp nose diving on me. One thing is very clear to me though. The wide optic on the Raveman lamps is a very unique feature and is a fantastic selling point. Coupled with the other spot optic you get the best of both worlds, wide beam and a decent amount of throw.

Below is a photo I took of the Raveman PR-1200 in full MTB high beam mode. I took another picture 10 ft. behind the bike but unfortunately my hands must of shook too much while taking the photo and the photo didn't turn out clear enough. Not to worry, there will be other chances for photos.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

> QUOTE=Cat
> Even though I fought with the mount the whole time I have to admit, the Raveman PR-1200 works unexpectedly well as a bar lamp for mountain biking. Even as I'm writing this I keep shaking my head because I really thought the lamp was going to suck for mountain biking.


Pretty much reminds me of my first mountain ride with my PR900 (except the mount problems). Future Ravemen lineup including a lighthead + battery mountain light would definitely be welcomed by me.

Interested in figuring out why your mount experience was so different than mine (I've never experienced any slippage). Setup I use was 31.8 carbon bars with no friction shim. My Kona has alloy 31.8 bars and my rigid single speed Raleigh has carbon 25.4 bars so that gives me a couple of different applications to experiment with. Medical tests are likely to keep me off the bike for the next couple of days but maybe can get to these by the end of the week. I noticed you said you used a bar extension. The one I have has a very small clamp diameter (I think 22.2) and am wondering if yours is similar and that my be the problem?
Mole


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## idle1 (Aug 15, 2017)

Surely there are remedies to a rattling or sliding mount on the bars. I have carbon bars on my road bike and mtb, but perhaps a mixture of friction tape and tightening it more (and maybe some old tubes would keep it tight.

Interested to see more photos at night; I have a night race in 2 weeks on mtb.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Ive had problems on my bar extender, just how smooth the anondizing is. Always have problems with mounts keeping grip.

Cat, for the handlebar issue, 31.8 bars the mount fits rather tight. I always get the screw started out a bit further where bar is narrower, slide down, then tighten up.

Never had them slip on the bars, partially I gather due to tight fit. But my GUB handlebar extension always has problems.

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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

idle1 said:


> Surely there are remedies to a rattling or sliding mount on the bars. I have carbon bars on my road bike and mtb, but perhaps a mixture of friction tape and tightening it more (and maybe some old tubes would keep it tight.
> 
> Interested to see more photos at night; I have a night race in 2 weeks on mtb.


Play in the mount on my PR900 is extremely small and I've not noticed any rattling or vibration in the beam while in use. It will be interesting to see If Cat continues to have problems with the mount. I just tried mounting it (no friction shim) to several different bikes with different bars (2 carbon/2 alloy all 31.8) and it ranged from difficult to rotate at all (smooth alloy) to worrying about breaking the mount if I used any more force (textured alloy), with the carbon ones somewhere in between. I can't imagine any front end hit would move any of these setups but no shim limits the mount to 31.8 bars. Will try other options later. Looks like it would be easy for Vancbiker to make a custom Gopro mount for these too.
Mole

**Was just on the Ravemen website and noticed price drop on PR1200 (89.95) and PR900 ($64.95) + you can now preorder the CR900**


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

Yep, the extension is the problem. Not the problem of the Raveman mount, works fine on my road bike. Unfortunately my MTB has riser bars and the width of the PR-1200 won't fit into the space near the stem. 

My extension is cheap and yes the part holding the mount is somewhat narrow. I think I have it fixed now but to be on the safe side I'm going to see about getting some friction tape. Ideally I'd like to get the mount to have as much closing distance on the mount screw as possible. Oh how I wish this mount used a cam-style locking clamp. Would help a great deal if the mount was a bit wider too. More surface area, more friction. This thing weighs, it could certainly use more contact area


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

MRMOLE said:


> ...... Looks like it would be easy for Vancbiker to make a custom Gopro mount for these too.


Have not had anyone inquire about a Raveman specific adapter yet. I would need accurate measurements for starters though.....


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## idle1 (Aug 15, 2017)

MRMOLE said:


> **Was just on the Ravemen website and noticed price drop on PR1200 (89.95) and PR900 ($64.95) + you can now preorder the CR900**


What's the regular price on the PR1200? Maybe $10 off?


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

idle1 said:


> What's the regular price on the PR1200? Maybe $10 off?


Honestly I have no Idea what retail is for the PR1200. Prices I've seen since released have ranged from $95 - $100 so not a big difference. 
Mole


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

Vancbiker said:


> Have not had anyone inquire about a Raveman specific adapter yet. I would need accurate measurements for starters though.....


I believe the dimensions of all the Raveman slide mounts are the same. No need to make the Gopro adapter overly large. Heat is not an issue with these lamps. The screws on the underside of the lamp are very small. Looks like some kind of mini hex screw. Maybe RAKC can send you one of the pieces from underneath the lamps along with the screws. Ideally it would be nice if a GP mount is made that could be supplied with screws with bigger heads.  I hate screws with tiny heads.

I think I found a way to eliminate the play in the upper part of the mount ( the slide part ). A couple of solutions actually; First one is to use a small piece of monofilament fishing line and wrap it around the sides of the slide portion on the underside of the lamp. Then slide it into the mount. This makes it much harder to slide the lamp into and out of the quick-release but it removes much of the wiggle. I had no fishing line on hand myself so I just used a small piece of electrical tape which seems to work as well. Actually though "the wiggle" as I call it might not be significant enough to notice while riding. Considering that the bike is bouncing up and down as it goes over trails I'm not sure the tiny wiggle is going to be discernible when in use. I never noticed it on my last ride but I was a bit preoccupied trying to keep the mount level.


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

*PR-1200; Mount issues*

Good news. I think I pretty much fixed the issue with the PR-1200 drooping while on my little bar extension. Tonight I picked up a roll of "_Lizard Skins_" bat tape. Hey, written on the package is that this is the bat tape of choice for MLB and they included a small bit on the outside so you could feel how tacky it is. After looking at the standard bat tape it was very apparent that the _Lizard Skin_s ( although 3 x the cost ) was going to work better than the standard cloth bat tape. I put some on the tube of the extension and it seems to be working like a charm ( although I have yet to test everything on a ride )

Now I'm figuring that the only problem might be that it's so tight that I won't be able to "easily" adjust it. That's the thing about lamp heads that are heavy. If you don't tighten them down enough they will move. Sadly this makes them harder to adjust while on the bike. I'm figuring it might be easier to just move the extension if I need to dial it in.


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

*PR-1200; MTB ride #2*

Today ( Sunday ) I took the PR-1200 on another ride. This time on different trails. The bar extension I used ( my own ) with the Raveman mount seemed to hold up very well. No drooping, thank goodness.

Although my ride was only about 1.5 hrs I had good chance to see just how well the PR-1200 was going to work as a MTB light. I also took some more photos hoping to show others the width of the beam pattern. Trails in my area are damp and leaf covered. Need I say, leaves can hide a multitude of different trail features. That said I was able to find some good open sections for testing at speed.

I was worried before that the lamp still had play in the part that slides into
the quick release. Seems this worry was not unfounded. Whenever I hit sections of faster speed, I did notice the stuttering fluctuations in the light beam as the lamp head vibrated. I'm figuring the only way to fix this is to tighten the screw underneath the mount, maybe add some Locktite on the threads like I did with the mount on the CR-500. This might not work with the PR-1200 though as the lamp is much heavier than the lamps in the CR series. It's fixable but might require some tape around the part that is designed to swivel. I'll try some fixes and let you know how it works. Now more about the using the lamp.

Most of the time I wasn't noticing the shaking of the lamp so it takes some good size bumps at speed to get it to move. Otherwise the bar extension and mount were holding up well and were not moving. Riding with the 1200 is very pleasant. I love the wide even beam pattern. That said the 1200 is likely not for everyone. The lamp excels on trails that are dry, wide and more moderate. I mention dry because wet trails can hide a lot of trail features. The beam pattern of the 1200 spreads out the light and in doing so loses some intensity that otherwise helps you see things you need to see. This isn't necessarily a negative but just means more light works better in some situations.

I was using my Gloworm X2 to compare the 1200 in order to judge how well I was seeing things. On the wide constantly turning trails the 1200 excels and preformed better than the X2. Still, the X2 while not as wide a beam pattern was able to provide better center visibility/throw and in certain situations that is worth it's weight in gold. That's real important when moving at speed. I see advantages to using both beam patterns but the best choice is always going to be best judged by the user for the trails that they ride on a regular basis.

The photos below are provided for comparisons and to help others see how well the PR-1200 works when used on natural surface trails. _The first three photos are taken on one trail and the last two on another trail._



> Photo #1 - PR-1200 on medium
> Photo #2 - PR-1200 on high.
> Photo #3 - PR*1200 on high again looking a bit to the side.
> Notice the far tree on the right in photo #2 is about 90 ft. away. The beam pattern carries farther but the camera can't show it because of the brighter light closer to the bike.
> ...


Going forward I plan to use both lamps on a regular basis. I do need to find a solution to the wiggle on the PR-1200 mount but if a Gopro adapter becomes available that problem will be solved.

A quick note on how the run time seemed to work; During the 1.5 hrs I was riding I started off with the lamp run time indicator reading 3.5hrs for the medium level ( for MTB mode ). When I ended the ride the medium mode was reading 2.0 hrs left. Keep in mind the indicator tends to round off to the nearest 0.5hr until the last hour is reached. I rode in the medium level most of the time and found the medium setting to provide more than enough light to see except on either more technical trails or the faster down-hills. I only used my helmet lamp when on the more technical trails or when moving at higher speeds. With the PR-1200 I've already noticed that I'm using my helmet light less. That's because the 1200 lets me see around turns better.


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

*Mount issue; continued*

Seems I might have misjudged the issue with the mount. Yes there is some movement in the area where the mount slides into the quick release but after I taped the area so it couldn't move I can't help but notice there is still movement due to the lousy plastic bar extension I am using. When I bang on the front wheel I still see the whole thing vibrating ever so slightly. :madman: At this point I can't blame the Raveman mount anymore. I need an "all aluminum" extension. The one I bought from Action LED is basically some sort of plastic. Even when I have it as tight as possible I can grab the extension and move it side to side. It simply has that much flex in the arm of the extension. I don't think an all aluminum extension would do that.

Forgot that I have an Aluminum extension on my road set-up. When I tug on that it doesn't move. :thumbsup: Damn, time to place another Amazon order.


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

*PR-1200; Mount issues continued II*

As luck would have it last Wednesday was not my lucky day. Amazon delivered my new bar extension and I promptly stripped the threads in my effort to get the damn thing to fit on my bars. :madman: So much for cheap Chinese aluminum products.

Luckily I was able to get the Raveman mount to finally fit on my MTB bars tightly. Seems the Lizard skins Bat tape did the trick. Tonight I went out to test it and sure nuff, it's as steady as a rock. No vibration going over bumps and no drooping. I just hope the mount doesn't break because I sure did have to tighten that finger nut really tight. Thank God the mount is quick release because I'd hate to have to take the whole thing off whenever I didn't need the lamp.


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## regulation12 (Oct 11, 2012)

Hi cat, thanks for the photos. The beam and tint look pretty good.


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

regulation12 said:


> Hi cat, thanks for the photos. The beam and tint look pretty good.


Thanks, beam tint is not quite as warm as I previously thought but the fact that the optics on the lamp spread the light out wide means that there is little issue with glare. I could want for more throw ( on the PR1200 ) but then again I always want for more throw.

It would be interesting if Raveman decided to create a three emitter bar lamp with an external battery. Visualize this; 3 emitter lamp head, center emitter with the Raveman wide optic and two spot optics to the sides. Couple this with a nice sturdy bar mount and all the standard options that are on current PR-1200 and you would have a fantastic bar lamp that would not only work for MTB's but be good on the road bike as well.

Of course if I could change anything on the PR-1200 it would be to add a second button on the remote for instant high beam ( on/off ) when needed. That said, the next coolest thing I'd like to see changed would be to remove the circuitry that lets you use the lamp as a phone charger and in it's place include circuitry that would "Let you power the lamp externally with a USB phone bank charger". THAT my friends would be totally cool. Think of the options that would give you.


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

Finished up a quick MTB ride tonight once again using the PR-1200 on the bars. This time...No problems with the mount. The lamp was rock solid. I just wish I would of had more time to ride but I had some errands to run today so had a late start. Now that it's starting to get dark earlier I don't feel comfortable starting a ride after 8:00pm. I usually like to start rides just as the sun is setting but that's getting harder to do with EST quickly approaching and Football games lasting after 6:00pm.

Not to mention it's getting colder too. Big cold front moving in tomorrow with heavy rains moving in by early this morning. ( sorry about that, didn't mean to sound like a damn weather man...) Damn, that pretty much screws the hope for a late ride tomorrow. Trails were perfect tonight. Once again though the heavy rains will move in an cause debris to cover the trails again. Even worse, I'll have to work outside in the cold rain Mon and tues ....Triple dog damn! ( noticed I skipped the _double dog damn_ and went right to the triple )  ( I learned that from a nerdy kid on T.V. ) :cornut:


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

RAKC Ind said:


> Finally got Ravemen shipment, CR900 is really nice. Cant wait to give it a go on the road bike!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice to hear these are available for sale. For the record the CR900 is now the lamp I rely on for "low beam" duties. The only reason I also use a second lamp is for momentary high beam and of course it always pays to carry a second lamp, even if you end up not using it.

Now for people who want to use only one lamp there is of course the Raveman PR-1200 that has the extra emitter for high beam use.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

For road I always have a something extra in my rack bag just in case Im out longer than anticipated.

I havent found a need for "high beam" on normal use, of course different when Im out on the Great River Trail. Out in the middle of no where a lot and some areas there I can hit over 30mph. PR1200 is just about right for that, if high/low switch could be done via remote it would be perfect since some of the route is on paved back roads. Has been met with a warm welcome by drivers when I can switch the high off.

Really like to have a CR500 with a focused beam for those rides to put on the lid.

Also got this tiny tr20 taillight. Have to wait till after dark but for small town type commuting or as a helmet rear light it would be perfect. I wouldnt roll the open country roads with it by itself but its still 1000x better than the cheap crap ppl grab from walmart and such to use that are all but useless. For $15 they are rather nice and REALLY DAMN SMALL!

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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Surprised no one has had anything to share here in a while.

Ive actually been enjoying the CR900. PR1200 is good for mellow trail riding but CR900 has been hanging out on my fat bike just in case and for a bar light for just tooling around on the fat bike, its not half bad. Commuting on the road bike is where I really like it.

I have noticed newer PR1200s and the CR900 are much more towards neutral white than the older pr900/1200s. Not sure I would call them 5000k but definitely not 6000k+

I do understand some liking cooler lights on the road better. As long as the humidity isnt really high/rain etc you can see a bit further. Not clearer but definitely a bit further for the same lumens. For me though there is almost always dust, fog, or just high moisture content in the air.

Anyone else have some miles on theirs now and have some thoughts/opinions on things now?

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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

RAKC Ind said:


> Surprised no one has had anything to share here in a while.
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


OK, as you know I ordered a PR1200 a couple of weeks ago, but as a Christmas present for my Stepfather. Wrapped it immediately so I wouldn't be tempted to play with it. I'll borrow it after Christmas and post my thoughts on it (especially compared to my PR900). 
Mole


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

I took my second winters ride tonight. This time dressed a little more warmer and it was much more enjoyable. Once again riding the paved MUP trails in my community. I rode a little longer this time and the PR-1200 once again holding it's own very well. Nothing unusual to report. Lamp run-time seeming to function normally ( outside temperature around 44°F ) Before going into my building I took my infrared thermometer and measured the temperature of the lamp body around the mid-area. Lamp body measured 55°F ( with only one emitter being used the whole ride ), not bad. The temperature on my aluminum bike frame was about 39°F.

The lamp indicated that I only used about a half hour of run time but I'm pretty sure I rode a bit longer. I think I mentioned before that the indicator on the lamp really only changes after ever half hour of use so if you ride for say, 45 minutes it will just show a half hour of use. I think it does this until you get down to the last hour. After that I think it will display the last hour in minutes ( although I have yet to run the lamp long enough on any of my rides to get it down to the last hour ).


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

*CR-900; Revisted 9 / 29 / 18*

Been a while since I've been able to get a ride in because of bad weather. After spending most of the day messing with my new phone and getting it setup I decided to take a quick road ride.

The Samsung S9 I just bought looks to have a very nice camera on it. While heading back I decided to stop on a completely dark section of road to take a couple photos. This photo ( below ) will give those who don't own a Raveman CR-900 an idea of what to expect if you buy one and ride on dark roads. Just got to love the wide cutoff beam pattern. On a really dark road the light actually does carry quite a bit although you don't notice that as much if there is ambient street lights or cars around. I tend to use the light on the programmable mode set just a notch below the max. output. On that setting the indicator says it will run 1.5 hr. That's more than enough time for me to do my local ride.

Can't wait to try the S9's camera on some MTB trails. Only been three days since it stopped raining ( after raining almost all week ) but I might have to try to sneak a MTB ride in and hope for the best. First I have to get my Locus app back. For some reason that app didn't transfer when I was setting up the phone. If I go out I'll need it if I want to check out a new trail on OSMcycle.


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

*CR-900 revisited 11/07/18*

I really hate to post this but since this is a "user review thread" I have to post the bad with the good if just to show I'm an honest reviewer.

The last ride I did with the CR-900 was a couple weeks ago when temperatures were in the mid forties ( F. ). That's about as cold as I'm willing to ride nowadays if it's a road ride. Anyway while on the ride my CR-900 started to do some strange things. Basically it started changing modes all by itself, even going as far as entering the programming mode. I'm going to have to assume this was in some response to the cold damp weather :skep: 

Since that night I haven't had a chance to use the light again. Bad weather just seems to have plagued a lot of my riding opportunities this year. ( I almost feel like I now live in the Pacific NW ).

Never had any problems with the light before. When I get a chance I'll be doing a second ride in the cold if just to see if this was some kind of fluke or not.


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

*CR-900 Revisted continued 01/06/19*

Been a while since I last posted but sadly I had some misfortune which has kept me from riding my bike as well as posting. Beside the bad weather which has continued in my area ( as well as the colder temps ) I've had a strew of health issues ( three back to back to be more precise ) that have plagued me over the last month or so.

Anyway, I've really wanted to retest my CR-900 again in cold weather since my last post just to see if the CR-900 is still is going to act up ( per previous post ) or if the first problem was just some kind of a fluke. Well tonight I finally got a chance even though it was quite cold outside. The last time I rode temps were near 45°F and damp. Tonight the temps were more near 37°F. This is not the kind of weather I like to ride in but I needed to do the retest if just to give the product a fair second shake down.

Sadly, it seems the CR-900 I have continues to have cold weather problems. Once again the lamp will change modes indiscriminately once the cold starts to get to the lamp. This means I can no longer trust it to be my go to road lamp. This is really sad because I really love the CR-900. Of course if I had bought the lamp with my own money I likely could of gotten a replacement through the Raveman customer service. Since I received the lamp free for review purposes I really can't ask for a free replacement. That said I will probably just buy a new one once I get caught up on my bills and hopefully get a chance to test that one on a couple cold rides.

I suppose now I should test the PR-1200 I have on a cold ride.........Yeah, I'll do that but Dang I hate riding in cold weather....


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

Cat-man-do said:


> ...... I've had a strew of health issues ( three back to back to be more precise ) that have plagued me over the last month or so.........


Hey Cat, hope you are mended or well on the way! Have missed your posts and it has been pretty quiet on the forum lately.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> Been a while since I last posted but sadly I had some misfortune which has kept me from riding my bike as well as posting. Beside the bad weather which has continued in my area ( as well as the colder temps ) I've had a strew of health issues ( three back to back to be more precise ) that have plagued me over the last month or so.
> 
> Anyway, I've really wanted to retest my CR-900 again in cold weather since my last post just to see if the CR-900 is still is going to act up ( per previous post ) or if the first problem was just some kind of a fluke. Well tonight I finally got a chance even though it was quite cold outside. The last time I rode temps were near 45°F and damp. Tonight the temps were more near 37°F. This is not the kind of weather I like to ride in but I needed to do the retest if just to give the product a fair second shake down.
> 
> ...


Glad to hear your back on the bike! :thumbsup: Cold weather sucks but not as bad as not being able to ride at all. Disappointing to hear about the CR900's problems and curious to hear if they improve with use in warmer weather. 
Mole


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

*Raveman CR-700 ; Ordered, will review when it arrives*

I finally decided to go ahead and order a CR-700. Had to order from a U.K dealer as no one yet in the USA seems to have it. Really hard to not just order a replacement CR-900 but since I rarely used the max output on the 900 anyway the 700 seems the way to go. Crossing my fingers hoping the max output is to my liking and that the run time on high is near 90 minutes. I'm also hoping there are no issues if I use the lamp below 50°F. Going to miss the display on the CR-900 but since the 700 has the ability to charge and run at the same time carrying a small USB charging battery, losing the run time display won't be such a big deal.

Now the big question; Will the CR-700 be as bright using an external USB battery or will the output be limited in some way? Whatever, it looks like I get to play _guinea pig tester_ with my own money this time.

Hopefully I'll have it in about two weeks


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> I finally decided to go ahead and order a CR-700. Had to order from a U.K dealer as no one yet in the USA seems to have it. Really hard to not just order a replacement CR-900 but since I rarely used the max output on the 900 anyway the 700 seems the way to go. Crossing my fingers hoping the max output is to my liking and that the run time on high is near 90 minutes. I'm also hoping there are no issues if I use the lamp below 50°F. Going to miss the display on the CR-900 but since the 700 has the ability to charge and run at the same time carrying a small USB charging battery, losing the run time display won't be such a big deal.
> 
> Now the big question; Will the CR-700 be as bright using an external USB battery or will the output be limited in some way? Whatever, it looks like I get to play _guinea pig tester_ with my own money this time.
> 
> Hopefully I'll have it in about two weeks


Definitely interested to hear how the remote battery works. From looking at the beam pattern/output chart I pulled off the road.cc site even if you used 100% power with the 900 it would be difficult to tell much difference between the 2 lights unless you compared them side by side. 
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> Definitely interested to hear how the remote battery works. From looking at the beam pattern/output chart I pulled off the road.cc site even if you used 100% power with the 900 it would be difficult to tell much difference between the 2 lights unless you compared them side by side.
> Mole
> 
> View attachment 1239302


Agree. Since I was using the 900 on the programmable mode at a lower level I was running what was likely the same output as the 700 anyway.

FWIW, I still plan on keeping my Gemini Duo on my road setup so I have a decent "High beam" option. The CR-700 should end up being my go to low beam. Once I see how well it works I should be able to power both lamps with one external battery if I start doing longer rides ( over 1.5 hrs ) at night. A good two cell ( USB type ) battery should give me all the time I need.


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

Just got brave yesterday and decided see if Raveman ( in China ) would provide me with another CR-900. Not that they owe me or anything since the CR-900 they sent me a year ago was free for review purposes. I just got thinking and thought, "What the hell", no harm in asking. No response yet from Raveman. Would be real nice to test a newer CR-900 if just to see if the cold weather failure from the one I have is systemic to the 900 in general.

Update on the CR-700 I ordered ( with my own money ). Merlin Cycles ( U.K. ) says it is on it's way. Won't know the arrival date until it hits the US postal system.

I'm really looking forward to doing the user reviews since the camera on my Galaxy S9 is so much better than my previous phone. Sadly I learned yesterday that I had a death in the family so I'll likely be quiet for the rest of the week.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

https://road.cc/content/review/253459-ravemen-cr700-front-light

Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> https://road.cc/content/review/253459-ravemen-cr700-front-light
> 
> Mole


 Cat Crap! *In the above review it mentions that when charging using a remote battery that the CR-700 lamp will not function in high mode*. :madman:
A major "F" if I do say so. Sad that this was not mentioned in any of the promo's. Not a complete deal killer but it is disappointing to say the least.

Looks like mine is to arrive next week. I will of course test the "in use with external battery" function to see if I get the same results. If the mid-mode is 400 lumen that is not really going to be too useful unless you are in complete darkness and ride relatively slow. Glad now that I didn't rush out to buy a new 2-cell USB battery bank. I'll test using the PR-1200's battery bank function as well as my 4-cell Trustfire cell holder. It will be interesting to see if the single ( wide ) emitter on the PR-1200 ( when on high ) will be brighter than the CR-700 when the CR-700 is remote charging and on it's highest available output.

Going to be interesting to see if the CR-900 I already own will function normally once outside temps get warmer. That said I also need to test the CR-700 in the cold. I'm hoping that the issue with the CR-900 being problematic in cold weather is not going to be systemic to the other Raveman lamps....BTW, Raveman International ( in China ) never got back to me about the CR-900 issues and it's been more than a week.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

*New PR series bar mount?*


I recently picked up a couple of Ravemen PR series bar mounts (extra for my 900 and my stepfather's 1200) and noticed a couple of welcome changes compared to the ones that came with my 2 yr. old light. First the clamp retention screw now mounts from the top down instead of from the bottom and since I've lost a few of these screws already this seems like a far better design. Secondly and more important is the slide clip mounts far more solidly in the mount. My original had a bit of play that allowed the light to rattle a little which I couldn't hear off-road but bothered me enough on paved surfaces that I would run a bit of tape in the bottom clip portion of the bar mount. Kind of minor stuff but the mounts are dirt cheap so upgrade worth the cost IMO.
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> I recently picked up a couple of Ravemen PR series bar mounts (extra for my 900 and my stepfather's 1200) and noticed a couple of welcome changes compared to the ones that came with my 2 yr. old light. First the clamp retention screw now mounts from the top down instead of from the bottom and since I've lost a few of these screws already this seems like a far better design. Secondly and more important is the slide clip mounts far more solidly in the mount. My original had a bit of play that allowed the light to rattle a little which I couldn't hear off-road but bothered me enough on paved surfaces that I would run a bit of tape in the bottom clip portion of the bar mount. Kind of minor stuff but the mounts are dirt cheap so upgrade worth the cost IMO.
> Mole


Interesting. Yes as I remember I had problems with the mount with the PR series as well. I remember I had to use a piece of electrical tape to reduce the play in the slide / quick-release mount. If indeed the mount has been updated it would be nice if there was somewhere that one could just order the mount. Is there a link to a website that you can just order the mount?


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

I got mine from Merlincycles but I don't see them on the site currently. They still carry the Ravemen lights so I'm sure they would be able to get the mounts for you if you contact them. They were less than $7 ea. but coming from the UK might not be such a good deal ordered individually because of shipping.
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> I got mine from *Merlincycles* but I don't see them on the site currently. They still carry the Ravemen lights so I'm sure they would be able to get the mounts for you if you contact them. They were less than $7 ea. but coming from the UK might not be such a good deal ordered individually because of shipping.
> Mole


_Merlincycles_ was the first place I looked since it was the only place that had the CR-700. Not much Raveman stuff on there at the moment. Since I really don't need it I don't think I'd try to special order unless say, the other one broke.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> _Merlincycles_ was the first place I looked since it was the only place that had the CR-700. Not much Raveman stuff on there at the moment. Since I really don't need it I don't think I'd try to special order unless say, the other one broke.


Actually today was the first time I didn't see the mounts listed in quite some time so good chance they might restock. 
Mole


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Mount back on the Merlin site today!
Mole

https://www.merlincycles.com/ravemen-handlebar-bracket-113238.html


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

*CR-900 update; April 2019*

I guess I should of done this sooner but kept forgetting. Back on post #66 I mentioned that I was having problems with my CR-900. The CR-900 I own ( the same one ) is now working perfectly, cold or warm and has been working like a champ no matter what the weather. Go figure! I have no explanation for the previous problems. I'm just glad for small miracles. I've been using the 900 on the new bike for the last three weeks and it's worked like a champ.

Now if I could change some things on the CR-900 this is what I'd do.

1) Have a switch on the side of the light that will allow the user to switch between the default multi-modes and a two mode setting. Low and high ( with both being programmable and able to save the setting ). Give me that alone and I'd be ecstatic!

2) Increase the battery size and capacity to 20700 ( and around 4200mAh ) It will weigh slightly more and be a little bigger ( perhaps ) but the trade off will be much better run time.. This needs to be done for the CR-700 as well.

3) As per the CR-700; I'd like the CR-900 to be able to work on* full power* using an external USB power bank. That might require two separate micro USB ports. _ Anyway, makes no sense to limit the output of the lamp if you are using an external USB power source. _


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

*CR-900 Update May 2019*

I don't know how this got past me before but tonight I noticed that when I set the program mode on the CR-900 ( little blue light comes on the program screen ) that once I set it and don't touch the program screen again, I can turn the light on, off and back on again and the lamp saves the setting. Of course if I change modes while the lamp is on I lose the programmed setting but I already mentioned that before.


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

*CR-900 July 2019 ~ A three cop night*

Lately I've been switching off between my CR-700 and the CR-900. After using the CR-700 a couple weeks I started using the 900 again. Truthfully I can't say I prefer one over the over. Both are excellent road commuting type lights. That said the Raveman CR-900 is hard to beat since it has the digital read out and slightly larger battery.

Got home last night after work ( about 12:00 midnight ) and decided to do a quick ride. By the time I changed clothes, ate a little something, it was almost 1:00am. Turned out to be a beautiful night for a ride. Temps in the 70's ( F ), no wind, lower humidity and a nice little half moon hanging in the sky.

Lately I've been doing a lot of late night road riding as I purchased an e-bike last month and have been riding the heck out of it. Now the only reason I mention this is because with an ebike I do tend to ride much faster than what I would on my normal bike and since I was feeling good last night I was pushing it to get a better workout ( bike set on the lowest assist mode ).

Things got interesting last night because where I live there aren't too many cars driving around the local neighborhood and the local police like to hide on the darker roads as they try to catch the speeding unwitted motorist. Last night I happened to pass three of the locals hiding away in the dark. I can't but wonder what they thought as I passed them with all my lights on my bike making me look like a rolling carnival on wheels. On the last quarter mile of my ride the last one I caught hiding was sitting off of a well lit merging ramp ( although well hidden from the traffic on the main road ).

Because this road I was on was well lit by street lamps I had already switched the CR-900 to it's low / beacon flash mode. ( the beacon flash is very, very bright ) As I hit the ramp to the main highway I was going down a slight downhill. I was beginning to build speed when I saw the cop sitting on the shoulder of the ramp. This of course inspired me to push even harder. I think I buzzed the cop at about 23 mph. ( would of gone faster but the ramp then began to climb slightly ) Anyway, that had to be a wake-up call to the cop. ( unless he was not paying attention ) Photo of my bike below.



> *Cop on his radio;* _"What the...base I just got passed by a Christmas tree with wheels". "Are these legal"? ( Base response ) "Joe are you smoking anything"?  _


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## Ravemen (Dec 8, 2015)

LOL, I was just wondering whether the police would give a notice on you or not when seeing that you were riding so late. These lights surely will make your E-bike more eye-catching.
Thanks for keep updating your experience with the lights. We will consider the feedbacks in the next upgrading version in the future.


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

Ravemen said:


> LOL, I was just wondering whether the police would give a notice on you or not when seeing that you were riding so late. These lights surely will make your E-bike more eye-catching.
> Thanks for keep updating your experience with the lights. We will consider the feedbacks in the next upgrading version in the future.


*Mr. Raveman*, if your still out there watching this thread....I came up with a interesting idea just the other night as a possible upgrade for the remote control that is used on your lamps. ( which I think you'll like and I know others would really like. Read below...

As you already know the remote button as is on the CR series allows the user to scroll ( in circular fashion ) through the different modes. With the PR series ( dual emitters ) there is the added function that if you hold the remote button down you can activate the second emitter ( if only in road mode using just the one emitter. ( Note, the CR series has this function too ( press/hold to instant high mode ) but only with the one emitter. Of course once you release the "press and hold of the remote the lamp goes back to the previous mode. While this type of function is somewhat useful it is inconvenient to have to keep holding the button down if you need the high beam for more than a couple seconds. The only other choice you have is to rapid fire through all the modes and that too is inconvenient and tedious.

Now my idea for an upgrade is this; _*Change the "press and hold" function of the remote so that if you press and hold for more than two seconds the lamp goes into the highest output mode and keeps it there once you release the button! Then once you press the remote again it goes back to the previous mode it was in! *_ This would be a fantastic upgrade and I don't think it would be real hard to make this change.

Right now if I'm using my CR-900 ( single emitter ) and I'm using a lower mode and sudden want full output I either have to press and hold the remote or quickly rapid fire through all of the other modes ( including the flash modes ). Now while I'm pretty good at rapid firing through the modes, rarely do I just press and hold the remote for momentary high mode. Nope, when I want high mode I want it for more than just a moment and I surly don't want to keep pressing the button down on the remote if I really do need the high mode for a longer period.

Now if you make this change with the PR series then things really become interesting! Press,hold two seconds while in road mode ( single emitter on only ) and suddenly get both emitters on the highest output!! Oh how cool would that be! Then press the remote again and the lamp goes back to the previous ( single emitter ) mode it was last in.

Tell me you can do this and I'll likely buy with my own money both the upgraded CR-900 and PR-1200 or 1800!


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> *Mr. Raveman*, if your still out there watching this thread....I came up with a interesting idea just the other night as a possible upgrade for the remote control that is used on your lamps. ( which I think you'll like and I know others would really like. Read below...
> 
> As you already know the remote button as is on the CR series allows the user to scroll ( in circular fashion ) through the different modes. With the PR series ( dual emitters ) there is the added function that if you hold the remote button down you can activate the second emitter ( if only in road mode using just the one emitter. ( Note, the CR series has this function too ( press/hold to instant high mode ) but only with the one emitter. Of course once you release the "press and hold of the remote the lamp goes back to the previous mode. While this type of function is somewhat useful it is inconvenient to have to keep holding the button down if you need the high beam for more than a couple seconds. The only other choice you have is to rapid fire through all the modes and that too is inconvenient and tedious.
> 
> ...


Great suggestion! :thumbsup: I agree + I don't remember ever reading any "full review" of the PR series lights that didn't mention being able to toggle between cutoff only and cutoff/spot settings with the remote as a feature that would greatly improve the light.
Mole


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

*CR-900 ; Good bye to my old friend*

I guess I should of seen this coming. Last week I noticed when I tried to charge my CR-900 that only one of my micro-USB cords would charge the CR-900. Tonight after finishing my ride I took the CR-900 and a couple other of my rechargeables and put them on my 12 port USB charger to recharge. That was when I noticed that my CR-900 was not lighting up ( indicating it was charging ) when I plugged in the one micro-usb that usually always worked. Not'a, nothing. I tried all seven of the micro-USB cords I have and none of them got the CR-900 to charge. :nonod:

Nothing wrong with any of my cords. They all work with all the other stuff I have. *Nope, seems the micro-USB port on the CR-900 just finally gave up the ghost.* Real shame this is. _The CR-900 is ( was ) my favorite of all the Raveman lights that I own._ Since I didn't pay for the light I can't ask for a replacement. Probably couldn't ask for a replacement anyway since it's been almost two years since I got it. Looks like the CR-700 I have is going to have to take up the slack until I can replace the CR-900._ ( Oh yes, I will replace it with a new one. I like it that much ) _

BTW, I hate micro-USB ports. Not the first time I've had a micro-USB(type B ) port fail on something that I own. Sure would be nice if the next upgrades included an upgrade to USB-C or just switch to Mini-USB which at least is much easier to see when you are trying to plug the cord in.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> The CR-900 is ( was ) my favorite of all the Raveman lights that I own.


Sorry your light died (RIP) but awesome you enjoyed it enough to make a strong statement like this. I'm always curious why people like things especially when opinion is arrived from usage so hope you'll share why this was one of your favorite lights?



> BTW, I hate micro-USB ports. Not the first time I've had a micro-USB(type B ) port fail on something that I own. Sure would be nice if the next upgrades included an upgrade to USB-C or just switch to Mini-USB which at least is much easier to see when you are trying to plug the cord in.


I've had long term usage problems with usb too. Did you use the wired remote regularly? I have a couple of lights that use the usb port for the wired remote and have been reluctant to use the remotes because of this.
Mole


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

*New CR-900 ( with my money ) on the way*



MRMOLE said:


> Sorry your light died (RIP) but awesome you enjoyed it enough to make a strong statement like this. *I'm always curious why people like things especially when opinion is arrived from usage so hope you'll share why this was one of your favorite lights?*
> 
> I've had long term usage problems with usb too. Did you use the wired remote regularly? I have a couple of lights that use the usb port for the wired remote and have been reluctant to use the remotes because of this.
> Mole


Since you asked..A number of reasons. Got to love the digital run time indicator of the CR-900. That in and of itself just lets you judge better how long you can ride. This is real important since the lamp only uses one 18650 cell that is self-contained within the lamp. The battery in the CR-900 ( listed as 3000mAh ) has decent capacity and always gave me great run times.

Yes I always used the wired remote control. The remote allows me to easily change modes in a flash. Real important especially when riding on the local paved MUP's in my neighborhood. Since my neighborhood was designed with cycling in mind it has a lot of MUP's that are linked and often times I use them when doing local road rides. Now if I don't use the remote I have to use the button on back of the lamp. If I do that it's possible the lamp mount will move and change the angle of the cut-off. Not to mention that the roads in my area are not the smoothest so trying to hit a button on a lamp while bouncing down the road would not be easy. Using the remote makes changing modes OH so easy. ( You should see what I have to go through to change songs on my phone's Google Play list when riding.  )

Lastly, I always liked the smaller form factor of the single emitter CR series. Takes up way less space on my already crowded handlebars. Add to that the weight of the CR series lamps work well with the rubberized quick-release mount. If I use the duel emitter PR series lamps I have to use the stronger plastic mount because the weight of the heavier lamp tends to make the lamp move if using the just the rubber mount.

*MRM* I have to also give you a quick, "Thank You". A number of posts back you mentioned being able to buy the Raveman products from Merlin Cycles ( across the pond in the U.K. ). I almost made the mistake of buying a new lamp from Amazon when I noticed on the payment page that the lamp when ordered from Amazon was going to take half a month to get to me. That inspired me to look elsewhere. I checked ebay and when that didn't pander out I remembered what you said about Merlin Cycles in the U.K. ( as I had forgotten the name of the place I bought my CR-700 from ).

Now you would think it would cost a whole lot more and be much more slower coming from the U.K. but somehow Merlin Cycles gets it done and without jacking up the price. When I ordered the CR-700 I have from Merlin I was surprised at how fast it got here. Anyway shipping time from U.K. to East coast USA using the free shipping option should have it in my hands within about 7-8 days ( or maybe sooner ). Even more surprising, the Merlin price was better than some of the others I looked at. Guess that is why Merlin was getting five star ratings.

Now the only reservations I have about buying a new CR-900 is that I have a feeling the CR-900 will at some point in the future be upgraded with an even better battery ( hopefully a 21700 ) and / or a better U.I....WHICH....if any of that happens I'm going to want the upgraded version if it happens to look better.

Going forward; When the new lamp arrives I'm going mark the charging and remote micro-USB cables so I can see the orientation of the end piece better so I don't find myself so much trying to put a square peg in a round hole ( so to speak ). A small piece of white Duct tape on one side of the plug should help do the trick.....edit; _ Just had small brain storm; If I used something like this I could plug the remote into the female side and plug the male side into the female CR-900 port and then use the USB-A side for charging the lamp. This would work and if the splitter cable goes bad just buy another for a couple bucks. _


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> ....edit; _ Just had small brain storm; If I used something like this I could plug the remote into the female side and plug the male side into the female CR-900 port and then use the USB-A side for charging the lamp. This would work and if the splitter cable goes bad just buy another for a couple bucks. _


Thanks for the link to that splitter cable. I'm going to pick a couple of those up. It should provide me with some guilt free usage of the remotes for my PR900 and Gloworm CX lights
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> Thanks for the link to that splitter cable. I'm going to pick a couple of those up. It should provide me with some guilt free usage of the remotes for my PR900 and Gloworm CX lights
> Mole


 Had a feeling you'd like my idea and I just had another one. Should be able just to find a micro-USB extension ( male one end, female the other ) although I haven't had the chance to do a search on that. Hopefully find one that is real short. Anyway that would eliminate the worry over wearing out the Micro port on the lamp. No real need for the USB-A with the splitter unless we can't find just the extension.


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

Cat-man-do said:


> Had a feeling you'd like my idea and I just had another one. Should be able just to find a micro-USB extension ( male one end, female the other ) although I haven't had the chance to do a search on that. Hopefully find one that is real short. Anyway that would eliminate the worry over wearing out the Micro port on the lamp. No real need for the USB-A with the splitter unless we can't find just the extension.


O...K....Doing a quick search on Google I found just the micro to micro extension. Lots of those to chose from but most are quite long. Smallest I could find is one foot.  I think I can work with that. I ordered two from Amazon.


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

*Replacement CR-900 received*

Postman brought me my new ( replacement ) CR-900 yesterday. Hopefully the new one will work as well as the original did. I do have some initial worries though. While comparing it to the original I had ( while in high mode ) I couldn't help but noticed that the digital voltage indicator dropped a tenth while I was just shining it on the wall in my home ( for a couple minutes ). Now I charged the lamp yesterday so unless there is some self-discharge going on ( or lesser capacity battery ) no way should the indicator show a drop in run time that fast ( less than a minute or two ). Since the battery is self contained no telling what temperatures it might have been subjected to while in transit. ( it was quite warm when I took it out of the mailbox ). That might have affected how well the battery charged when I put it on the charger before going to work.

Okay, while writing this I put the lamp back on the charger and it only charged for a minute or two. Doesn't look like self-discharge is an issue....( paused to do a run time test )

After recharging the lamp I ran the lamp on high just to see how long it would run till the indicator changed. It ran ~ two minutes and 30 seconds. I'm pretty sure the original didn't drop down that fast when it had a full charge. I then ran the new one again to see how long it would take to drop to the next number and it took 5 minutes and 27 seconds ( which would be more accurate in relation to the advertised 1 hr run time on high. Still, it looks like the old one might have a better battery but I'll not jump to any conclusion until I have more time to play with the new one.

_( Note; the old one ran 6 minutes and 50 seconds between numbers but since I can no longer recharge the old one I can't really do a head to head comparison unless I can find a way to recharge the old one )_


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

*Problem with replacement CR-900, continued*

Last night I tested the replacement CR-900 lamp only this time I used only the mid-mode which is advertised to run 2.5 hrs @450 lumen. Mine is only showing 2hrs of run time on the mid level when it is fully charged. This time I used my watch to so I could keep track of the time it took to drop down to the next 0.5 hr. It took ~ 21 minutes to drop down to the next 0.5 hr. That is not a good sign. At that rate I'm only going to get 1hour and 24 minutes on the mid-level. My CR-700 ( which is using a 2600mAh cell ) is suppose to give me 2.7 hrs. of run time on the mid-level @400 lumen. *Oddly the runtime for the CR-900 on the box for mid-level is listing as 3 hrs!, which I may add is not what the website advertises.  *

I have contacted Merlin Cycles and Raveman International about this problem. Merlin has responded first ( the vendor I bought from in the U.K. ) They want me to ship the lamp back to the U.K. ( no offer to pay postage ) so they can take a look at it. I will probably do just that although it may take me some days before I can pack it up. PITA to do this but I'm not going to accept a product that is advertising a certain run time and the one I have is not getting anything near that according to the run time indicator. Before I decide to ship back I'd like to hear from Raveman International first just to see what their take on this is.

Tonight I'll likely do a full run-time test on the replacement CR-900 and run the lamp till it cuts off. If it gives me 2.5 hrs on mid-level I will be surprised. Even if it does that than something is still wrong with the run time indicator.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> Tonight I'll likely do a full run-time test on the replacement CR-900 and run the lamp till it cuts off. If it gives me 2.5 hrs on mid-level I will be surprised. Even if it does that than something is still wrong with the run time indicator.


Hope you get a chance to do this. For what it's worth my PR900 never showed a full 2.5 hrs of use time on the OLED but would run that long (just) when measured. I keep looking at the PR1600 they now have listed on the Merlin website. Wireless remote and claimed single click to high (not press and hold for high ) + chargeable while in operation would make a nice upgrade over older PR lights (and larger battery capacity of course).
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> Hope you get a chance to do this. For what it's worth my PR900 never showed a full 2.5 hrs of use time on the OLED but would run that long (just) when measured. I keep looking at the PR1600 they now have listed on the Merlin website. Wireless remote and claimed single click to high (not press and hold for high ) + chargeable while in operation would make a nice upgrade over older PR lights (and larger battery capacity of course).
> Mole


I got an e-mail back from Bob from Raveman and he has suggested that I run the lamp ( from full charge ) on the mid-level till it runs out of power. Then charge the lamp again and do the whole thing again. He said that doing this should recalibrate the indicator. Personally I'm not sure that this will happen but at least I'll know how much run time the lamp actually has. If he's right and the indicator recalibrates I'll be very surprised and a happy camper.

I'll try to do all this during the weekend. I get back to you when I have the results.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> I got an e-mail back from Bob from Raveman and he has suggested that I run the lamp ( from full charge ) on the mid-level till it runs out of power. Then charge the lamp again and do the whole thing again. He said that doing this should recalibrate the indicator. Personally I'm not sure that this will happen but at least I'll know how much run time the lamp actually has. If he's right and the indicator recalibrates I'll be very surprised and a happy camper.
> 
> I'll try to do all this during the weekend. I get back to you when I have the results.


Will be interesting to see how that procedure works. I've had my PR900 long enough to expect some battery capacity reduction so may try it on my light too. Look forward to seeing what you find out.
Mole


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

*Recalibration Success!!*



MRMOLE said:


> Will be interesting to see how that procedure works. I've had my PR900 long enough to expect some battery capacity reduction so may try it on my light too. Look forward to seeing what you find out.
> Mole


I did exactly what Bob H. from Raveman told me to do. I totally discharged the battery on the second mid-level mode and when I recharged the CR-900 the indicator showed the mid-level now displayed 2.5 hrs! Actually he told me to do it twice but in my case it only took one time. I am once again surprised and a happy camper. :thumbsup:


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> I did exactly what Bob H. from Raveman told me to do. I totally discharged the battery on the second mid-level mode and when I recharged the CR-900 the indicator showed the mid-level now displayed 2.5 hrs! Actually he told me to do it twice but in my case it only took one time. I am once again surprised and a happy camper. :thumbsup:


Glad to hear that worked for you. Will definitely try it on my PR900. Did you measure the total runtime? Thanks for the update!
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> Glad to hear that worked for you. Will definitely try it on my PR900. Did you measure the total runtime? Thanks for the update!
> Mole


No, didn't actually measure the run time. I just know it ran over two hours. As long as it functions like the previous one I'll be happy. Run time tests are a real PITA unless you have a video camera to do the watching ( of which I don't ).

Change of subject; BTW, I was very impressed by your review of the Cygolite you have. Not that I want a Cygolite but I found a Cygolite clone ( 1000 lumen ) on Amazon and it's so cheap I decided to buy it just to see how it might fair against the brand name version. I have a feeling it will have the same circuitry to control the output and maintain a steady output....we'll see. Should have it in a couple days. Hopefully the heat wave we're having at the moment will let up by Wednesday or Thursday. I wanted to take a ride tonight but too hot and humid.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> Change of subject; BTW, I was very impressed by your review of the Cygolite you have. Not that I want a Cygolite but I found a Cygolite clone ( 1000 lumen ) on Amazon and it's so cheap I decided to buy it just to see how it might fair against the brand name version. I have a feeling it will have the same circuitry to control the output and maintain a steady output....we'll see. Should have it in a couple days. Hopefully the heat wave we're having at the moment will let up by Wednesday or Thursday. I wanted to take a ride tonight but too hot and humid.


I got my Cygolte Metro Plus 800 from a place called The Bikesmiths (cheaper than Amazon) for $43.50 so not much more than what I saw for the Ceco 1000 that I think your referring to. Probably still time to stop the order if you want to get the "real thing" and not take a chance on performance quality. That Ceco light does look interesting and the fact they mentioned output consistency as one of its strengths is encouraging but the wording they used didn't really promise anything more than being better than the worst in this regard. Of course if this was just a curiosity purchase then looking forward to your review (either way).
Mole

https://www.thebikesmiths.com/collections/lights-all/products/cygolite-9090


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

MRMOLE said:


> I got my Cygolte Metro Plus 800 from a place called The Bikesmiths (cheaper than Amazon) for $43.50 so not much more than what I saw for the Ceco 1000 that I think your referring to. Probably still time to stop the order if you want to get the "real thing" and not take a chance on performance quality. That Ceco light does look interesting and the fact they mentioned output consistency as one of its strengths is encouraging but the wording they used didn't really promise anything more than being better than the worst in this regard. Of course if this was just a curiosity purchase then looking forward to your review (either way).
> Mole
> 
> https://www.thebikesmiths.com/collections/lights-all/products/cygolite-9090


Yes it's the Ceco 1000. More or less I was just curious and needed a couple other items as well. Been a while since I threw money away on a cheap light so I figured I was due. 

And yes you did get a very good price on the Cygolite 800. I would of thought there would of been a much higher price difference for the brand name. Anyway if the light I bought is half decent I might give it away to some needy kid.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> Yes it's the Ceco 1000. More or less I was just curious and needed a couple other items as well. Been a while since I threw money away on a cheap light so I figured I was due.
> 
> And yes you did get a very good price on the Cygolite 800. I would of thought there would of been a much higher price difference for the brand name. Anyway if the light I bought is half decent I might give it away to some needy kid.


:thumbsup: Since there really wasn't much difference in the price and the Cygolite peaked your interest I was just thinking this might be a better option rather than rolling the dice on the Ceco. Have fun with your new light!!!
Mole


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

*Super Deal !!*

Just saw the CR-900 on Amazon for $56.21! That is a super deal if I do say so. I paid about $76 for mine about a month ago. If you've thought about buying a commuter type light with cut-off beam pattern this deal is hard to beat. If you want one don't delay or they will run out of stock.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

I have 2 on the way. Thanks for the tip, Car-man-do!


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

BrianMc said:


> I have 2 on the way. Thanks for the tip, Car-man-do!


Your welcome. If there is a issue with the run time read out do the recalibration I mentioned in post #99. This was recommended by Bob from Raveman. Worked for me but I might do it again to see if I can get it more accurate as the first half hour tends to go by too fast. Even so the digital read out is great and helps you judge how long you can ride..


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Will do. Thanks.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Been using the two 900's on the higher flash mode as daytime running lights. Finally had a chance to shine them on the garage door and down the drive. My impression is that I would likely rarely run them on full output. Maybe with wet pavement. I think I am going to fashion a snood for them not unlike these:


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

BrianMc said:


> Been using the two 900's on the higher flash mode as daytime running lights. Finally had a chance to shine them on the garage door and down the drive. My impression is that I would likely rarely run them on full output. Maybe with wet pavement. I think I am going to fashion a snood for them not unlike these:
> 
> View attachment 1281109


When I first saw this photo I thought, "What the"!:lol:...until I saw that you were just using the photo as a reference. Had me going though for a few seconds. 

Now I don't usually call people out for choice of words but when you called these things a "snood" I had to pause for another minute or so because I've never ever heard anyone use such a word before. Had to look it up online. Google defined the word as, " an ornamental hairnet or fabric bag worn over the hair at the back of a women's head". Might have been better to refer to the object as a hood, less confusing. I knew what you meant simply because the photo gave me some indication but it did give me pause.

Anyway, I didn't think that you were going to use both lamps at the same time. Interesting idea though. I might try that myself just to see what it looks like.. Not sure why you would think you need to use a hood on these. The beam patterns are already very controlled by the optic. Whatever, if it works better for you with a hood, to each their own.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Sorry a typo. It is a Snoot:

https://www.photokonnexion.com/definition-snoot/

I have also heard it used for a similar device on a camera lens. It might be called a hood.

My shot at the garage door or down the drive and across to the neighbors look more like a car's high beam than a low beam or do you aim them down a lot?

As to the pair, my old pair of lights could pivot out 45 degrees to be more visible in the day to cars at cross streets and drives. My helmet light is good enough for straight ahead. I did not take the time to assess them as an oncoming motorist. Confirming that the light above the ideal cutoff is an issue needs confirmation.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

I have been using the pulse mode as DRL's (about 350 lumen peak and 16 hour runtime. The cutoff helps aim the main part of the beam well for this purpose.

I rode a bit after dark and shot some pics up against the garage door. I lit up overhead branches with the 900 lumen setting unless I sacrificed throw by lowering the aim. That is a lot of light and only 1.5 hour runtime.

The 450 setting may have a bit too much light at driver height, but I was not sure in a walk towards the standing bike at a normal oncoming driver distance to the side. The garage door shot is at the 900 lumen setting. You can see the door frame is lit up some above the cutoff. Look carefully in front of the left brifter and see a diagonal beam which was the brightest of three. So there is some wasted light that might be useful in creating an amber sidelight. The light front bezel will likely get pretty warm, so it may be a bit tricky to mount. Pretty happy with them.


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

BrianMc said:


> I have been using the pulse mode as DRL's (about 350 lumen peak and 16 hour runtime. The cutoff helps aim the main part of the beam well for this purpose.
> 
> I rode a bit after dark and shot some pics up against the garage door. I lit up overhead branches with the 900 lumen setting unless I sacrificed throw by lowering the aim. That is a lot of light and only 1.5 hour runtime.
> 
> ...


While the Raveman's do supply a cut-off beam pattern the cut-off is not designed to be sharp but more or less tapered. The way you have yours mounted ( down where the fork meets the head tube ) will mean more brighter light directly in front of the bike, shorter range side throw and likely less forward distance throw ). I mount mine on the bars.

If you aim the lamp perfect straight ( level ) there is going to be some light that filters above the horizontal. There are some good aspects to this and some bad. *The bad;* It can be blinding to pedestrians or other bikers if met directly head on if the lamp is used on the higher output levels. When on MUP's I don't worry about this because the lamp has some really low output settings which helps to aleve this issue. * The good;* It allows for the ability to see a little farther down the road and to the sides. This helps because this type of lamp is not designed for really far distance throw. The sooner you can see something in the road the better. Besides it also helps to have a small bit of upper illumination so cars still see you better from afar. If the cutoff were more defined you wouldn't be as noticeable to motor vehicles and you wouldn't have as much forward throw for seeing things in the distance.

Last night I took a short ride after 1:00am. Little traffic at that time of night. Not too far from my home is a 4 lane boulevard ( 2 lanes each way ) that is about a 5° descent for about a mile and a half as I head south. I ride this road a lot at night even though it has no shoulders to ride on. I was in the mood to push things a bit last night so I had the CR-900 on it's high setting. Most of the time I was going over 20mph except in places where the road leveled out or rose up a bit. Regardless I was moving fast most of the time since I only planned to be riding maybe 20 minutes or so. The CR-900 has a wide enough beam pattern on high to light up all four lanes. This came in handy last night as I saw a fox chewing on some road kill way on the other side of the road. Not wanting the fox to suddenly run in front of me I made a loud hissing noise and the fox took off running in the opposite direction. Even if it had chosen to run in front of me I would of had time to slow and/or avoid the fox.

Most of the time though I generally run the 450 lumen mode and I'm fine with that as long as I'm not going over 20mph or riding an area known for deer munching on the roadside foliage.

I am curious as to how you got one of these to mount on a fork extension mount seeing that the CR series lamps are all using QR slide mounts designed for the bars. Not that I'm interested in doing that, just curious. ( can you supply a close-up photo? )....Anyway, mounted in that fashion, while it might be better for MUP use I wouldn't think it would be better for road use ( but to everyone their own opinion ).

( edit; BTW, I don't think you have enough rear light going....:smilewinkgrin: LOL )


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

The fork mounting is HD Caliper Brake B&M 470H1.

Peter White on Mounting lights that meet the German StVCO standards:

"Most of the dynamo powered headlights I sell are designed to meet strict German standards for bicycle lights. In a nutshell, the standards exist to ensure that the headlight beam illuminates the road surface without blinding oncoming drivers and cyclists. The beams are brightest at the top, and become progressively dimmer towards the bottom. The road closer to the rider needs less light to appear as bright as the road further away. These progressive beams are like an automobile's low beam. In order to work as well as possible, the beam is designed with the height of the headlight off the ground as one of the parameters. If the beam is too low, the ground near the rider gets more light than is optimal. If the headlight is too high, the ground near the rider gets too little light. However, mounting too low is far worse than too high."

The rest of that article and his chart of light mounts including the one I use:

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/light-mounts.php

I ride the tops of the bars a lot, and found I was switching the modes on these lights unintentionally. My DIY lights had more light above the cutoff the new light have and getting them down to car light height was a help, and they are 35 mm so took even more bar space. So I took Peter's comments to heart.

I looked to see if the slide mount could be reversibly removed from the 
handlebar mounting strap and adapted to the slide mounting I had. The bolt used is not a hex head and has no driver socket. So I adapted a portion of the aluminum shaft of a former ice and snow scraper. Right light and mount removed to show setup:


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

I have a very narrow angle long throw helmet light (XML, XPG, and XPC) projecting the dies in a stacked array like a snowman.

I want to compare 2 x 450 compared to 1 x 900 as far as how much they affect an oncoming driver. If it is not blinding, but merely a bit annoying, I am OK with that. Hitting something in the road or being hit by a motorist is a lot more damage than a bright light is.

Yes there is the narrow 2 W Hot Spot which I run on pulse, though it was on full for the photo, plus a 1W Turbo Super Flash on a pivot that keeps it vertical on the back of the helmet. The DIY twin taillights are about 300 lumen of wide angle output. The brightest are about brake light level. We have few cyclists and fewer at night. So I kept ramping up the lights to get reasonable passing distances.

Another shot of the front mount:


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

Seeing that you intended to run both of these on the lower mount you might have been better served buying one of the new Raveman PR-1600's. Of course one of those would have cost more but you would of been able to run the cut-off side at 800 lumen for 2.5 hours and also be able to hit the wireless remote when you need the 1600 lumen high beam feature.

The down side to running two lamps is that you also now have two lamps with two remote switches. Trying to remember, "What lamp is in what mode" could be tricky not to mention annoying trying to rapid-fire through the modes on both lamps. That said if I were to use the same set-up as you I would likely just let one lamp run on the third or second highest mode and then just use one remote to control one lamp.

I own one of the PR-1200 lamps. I would probably be using that more but that lamp takes up more space on my bars and I have a bunch of stuff mounted around my stem and bars. The CR-900 takes up less space. The high beam function of the PR-1200 is not bad but it is not quite enough light to satisfy my needs. When I want high beam I want a "super high beam". That is why I use a Gemini Duo with twin spots for high beam duties. The Duo with it's "two button wireless remote is perfect " for when I need a moment of super bright light. While I only use the "momentary press and hold function for high beam I can also control the output in steady mode if I felt the need. So far though I've never had to do that. A single CR-900 usually meets my needs when on the road and if I were to do a night ride lasting more than 3 hrs. I could also just bring the CR-700 I own along ( for back-up ) which also is a very good light.

I may at some point buy a mount similar to yours and try using the 1200 on that to see how that might work. If I like the beam pattern I could just as well use that in that fashion. Down side to using a mount like this is that you can't read the digital read out as easily. Not a big issue though ( although on my road set-up with my phone holder mounted on the stem, it might be more problematic ) Anyway, not a lot of money for the mount so I'll likely give it a try.

I'd love to try the new Raveman PR-1600 but I'm pretty satisfied with the two lamp system I'm using now. Now at some point I might be tempted to use a different set-up if the _Outbound road version_ comes up with a UI that is programmable and provides a two button remote control switch. :ihih:


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

The Outbound road version was on my short list, but the sale on the CR-900 was too good to pass up.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Saw this in an email add I got from ebay. CR900 + TR20 taillight for $56.21. Only 2 left last I checked so hurry!
Mole

https://www.ebay.com/i/142798469568?campaign-id=90001&run-date=20191023081000&templateId=f49d4209-bef9-4f79-99de-4053ed1f03b0&templateVersion=29&co=13&placement-type=mfe.piyiP&user-id=44368209325&instance=1571843400&site-id=0&trackingCode=32TE76001_T_AGM_ORM&placement-type-name=mfe.piyiP&mfe-Id=100690&ul_noapp=true


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## velock (Jun 7, 2008)

MRMOLE said:


> Saw this in an email add I got from ebay. CR900 + TR20 taillight for $56.21. Only 2 left last I checked so hurry!
> Mole
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/i/142798469568?campaign-id=90001&run-date=20191023081000&templateId=f49d4209-bef9-4f79-99de-4053ed1f03b0&templateVersion=29&co=13&placement-type=mfe.piyiP&user-id=44368209325&instance=1571843400&site-id=0&trackingCode=32TE76001_T_AGM_ORM&placement-type-name=mfe.piyiP&mfe-Id=100690&ul_noapp=true


In your experience.. does that light work for technical singletrack? I would also be pairing it with a light on the helmet. I was looking at the more expensive Gloworm options but wouldn't mind saving some $$ if possible


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

velock said:


> In your experience.. does that light work for technical singletrack? I would also be pairing it with a light on the helmet. I was looking at the more expensive Gloworm options but wouldn't mind saving some $$ if possible


Sorry I don't own a CR900 so my opinion is not from experience. I wouldn't think the cut-off beam would be ideal but probably OK if used with a helmet light. I would think the limited 1.5 hour runtime in hi may also be a limiting factor. That ebay seller also has the same deal on the PR900 (dual beam - spot/cut-off flood + extra hour of runtime in hi mode). I own a PR900 and it works fine off-road but also consider it a downgrade (in performance but not quality) compared to any Gloworm (with correct optics).
Mole


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

velock said:


> In your experience.. does that light work for technical singletrack? I would also be pairing it with a light on the helmet. I was looking at the more expensive Gloworm options but wouldn't mind saving some $$ if possible


If you're going to MTB you'd be best going with the GW option. That said, like MRM said the CR-900 can work if used with an additional helmet lamp. The CR-900 though is more geared toward commuters and road use.

@MRM, The free Raveman TR-20 while interesting in that it can be aimed is only 20 lumen. Better than nothing but apparently the battery is small. Run time on steady is only a little over an hour although 8 hrs. on flash. I guess that's why they are offering them for free with the e-bay deal.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

*PR1600 Bling*



road.cc has been adding new reviews for the last few weeks but today was the first time I noticed they updated their beam shots. PR1600 looked particularly sweet!
Mole

https://road.cc/content/review/267368-ravemen-pr1600-front-light


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

*CR-900; After one year. ( 2020 )*

Did a short road ride tonight with the CR-900 I bought last year ( a replacement for the original that had the connector port that broke ). Was a very warm night. 80°F but with 70% humidity, felt like 85°.

Couldn't help but notice that the digital read out on the lamp seems to indicate that the battery has lost a bit of capacity. Although I was riding slow most of the time I don't think the ride lasted more than 45 minutes. I was glad I didn't decide to take a mountain bike ride now because after 45 minutes I was starting to get quite warm and I was not even remotely pushing for speed. If I had taken my planned MTB ride, no doubt I would of suffered, particularly if I would have had to ride the usual half mile long road hill to take me back to my car. Not to mention the trail itself has a number of short / steep hills that always tends to make me work up a sweat if it's really hot.

Anyway, when doing the road ride the indicator got down to 1.5 hr. ( starts @ 2.5 hr. on the second level ...450 lumen ) before I got home. I'm fairly sure that is the fastest drop in runtime I've ever seen the lamp do and I started out with a freshly charged lamp. Usually when I do this ride the lamp will always indicate that I still have two hours left. Of course as I've said before the indicator on the CR-900 will only change in half hour increments until it gets down to the last hour, in which case it then reads out in tenths of an hour. The next time I do a ride I'll have to switch to high just before I get off the bike as that will give me a more accurate reading of how much time I have left since it will always read in tenths of an hour on that setting.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> Anyway, when doing the road ride the indicator got down to 1.5 hr. ( starts @ 2.5 hr. on the second level ...450 lumen ) before I got home. I'm fairly sure that is the fastest drop in runtime I've ever seen the lamp do and I started out with a freshly charged lamp. Usually when I do this ride the lamp will always indicate that I still have two hours left. Of course as I've said before the indicator on the CR-900 will only change in half hour increments until it gets down to the last hour, in which case it then reads out in tenths of an hour. The next time I do a ride I'll have to switch to high just before I get off the bike as that will give me a more accurate reading of how much time I have left since it will always read in tenths of an hour on that setting.


Do you think doing the recalibration procedure from post 99 would help?
Mole


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

MRMOLE said:


> Do you think doing the recalibration procedure from post 99 would help?
> Mole


 Ya know, I forgot all about that. It might make a difference but I should point out that the lamp did start out at 2.5 hr. ( unlike the previous post you mention ).

Could be the battery is self-discharging at a higher rate now. I noticed that after I charged the lamp, out of curiosity the next day I put the lamp back on the charger and to my surprise the lamp began to charge again and continued for some time. This may indicate a higher rate of self discharge.

Right now I'm just going to make sure I charge the lamp just before I leave to take a ride. That might make a difference in perceived run time. I'll post up again if it makes a difference.


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