# Niterider vs Magicshine



## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

I'm in the market for some lights this year. I got the 24 hour race bug this last summer. I was borrowing a Magicshine from a friend for the race. It got the job done. Then at the end of the season I won a Niterider mini 300 at a raffle. The 300 in not going to be enough for a 24 hour race, so I need to buy some more. I've been shopping around and here's what I know so far. 

Niterider pros are its build quality. Even the cheap 300 that I have is built with exceptional quality, so I have no doubt that the Pro 750 I'm looking at will not disappoint. They also test their lights to make sure that the claims they make are true. And customer service is a big thing for me. They are an American brand that has presence at the races and it appears that the customer is very important to them. Only con is the price

Magicshine has a great value. I see a lot of people talking about them in forums. I know a bunch of people that use them. They are bright and seem too good to be true almost. My concerns are customer support if product were defective or if it fails. Also, I don't know if their claimed lumens are accurate. I've heard a few negative things about the MS, where I have not really heard any about NR. 

So my question is this, is it worth the savings in cost to spend $100 or so on a MS for something I'm not sure about? Or should I just spend a bit more and buy something that I am fairly certain will provide me with quality service for a long time? If anyone can give me feedback on either light would be appreciated. Thanks


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## mochodurazo (Nov 29, 2008)

you should be fine, if you buy them from a seller with good reputation as GEOMANS & BRIGHTSONE.


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## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

Magicshine batteries are now American made (cells out of Japan[panasonic]) and CS from GeoMan cannot be better


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## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

highdelll said:


> Magicshine batteries are now American made (cells out of Japan[panasonic]) and CS from GeoMan cannot be better


I checked out Geoman last week or so and they only seemed to have the old style Magicshines. On the MS website they have some new products that look pretty nice but I can't find where to buy them.


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## mochodurazo (Nov 29, 2008)

i think you should look more. They now use an improve batt pack made in USA. Also the leds change.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

If you're going to get a magicshine i'd recommend Geoman, their customer service is top notch. Niterider also has great customer service. I'll let the warranties speak for themselves.

Niterider Warranty:
Lifetime warranty: All mechanical components (housings, covers, mounts and fasteners)
2-year warranty: MiNewt Mini-USB, Sol, MiNewt, MiNewt.X2 & TriNewt headlamp, power module (excluding normal degradation of the battery cells), AC Adapter and SlickRock 900 HID bulb and ballast
1-year Warranty: Cables and connectors, electronic components, printed circuit boards & HID bulbs and ballasts
180-day warranty: Rechargeable battery packs & 2.5-Hour fast chargers
90-day warranty: Overnight chargers
60-day warranty: Halogen bulbs

Magicshine/Geoman warranty:
Magicshine parts - 90 days
Geomangear battery - 1 year


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## TwoHeadsBrewing (Aug 28, 2009)

If you get a Magicshine, get it Geomangear.com. I have had a couple small issues (tail switch, frayed wire), and they replaced both free of charge, and had it back to me 3 days after they received it. My light was even out of their warranty period, but they did it anyways. The new batteries are very good quality, assembled in San Diego from Samsung cells, with a hard waterproof casing.

NiteRider, is of course an excellent company and has earned their reputation through decades of quality products and top notch customer service. If you have the extra cash to spend, I think NR gets the nod. If you have budgetary constraints, then you can go with a MS from Geoman and still be confident in their customer support.


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## Pisgah (Feb 24, 2006)

I have been a Niterider customer since 95. I have bunches of NR lights. I recently bought a couple of 700 pros from last year because they are on sale. They have a minimum of 4 hr burn time and have a nice low profile lamp. I don't like how the battery connects to the lamp. It's hard to explain, but looks like it could get contaminated easily.

That being said, I also have two MS units. They are far less expensive, and the lamps have a bright shine (although just a little floody for me). The lamps seem cheaper in design and are not really low profile. Moreover, the batteries I have (the basic ones) don't last very long on high (maybe an hour and a half or so). But I can say they are decent lights.

Basically what I do now is use the NR for helmet and MS for handlebars. Handlebar lights are the ones that usually get damaged in wrecks and having a less expensive light in a more vulnerable area is a good thing . . . and having the NR on the helmet reduces worry of contamination of the battery contacts.


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## J_Hopper (Mar 5, 2005)

GTR2ebike said:


> If you're going to get a magicshine i'd recommend Geoman, their customer service is top notch. Niterider also has great customer service. I'll let the warranties speak for themselves.
> 
> Niterider Warranty:
> Lifetime warranty: All mechanical components (housings, covers, mounts and fasteners)
> ...


Does NR still charge the bench fee? It used to be $15.

I had a NR Digital Evolution years ago that went bad after only a few months. I sent it in, had to pay the NR $15 bench fee to diagnose it, then they fixed it under warranty. I got it back, and within a few months the same problem reoccurred. I put the NR aside and got a different light (a DiNotte 200L, which was all the rage at the time), and eventually traded in the NR for the $100 Strykr rebate.

I think it's bogus if you have to pay to access the warranty. If that's still the case, I'd definitely pass on NR.

I think Geoman's customer service is outstanding. However, I've had a MS900 for about 2 years now, a good chunk of that time (several months) it was out of commission due to the battery recall. Unfortunately it's no longer under warranty. If it was, I'd send it in because I'm finding the button on the back of the light head to require a very hard press for it to work. This is especially irritating because I can't get it to change modes/turn off with gloves on.


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## Pisgah (Feb 24, 2006)

J_Hopper said:


> Does NR still charge the bench fee? It used to be $15.
> 
> I had a NR Digital Evolution years ago that went bad after only a few months. I sent it in, had to pay the NR $15 bench fee to diagnose it, then they fixed it under warranty. I got it back, and within a few months the same problem reoccurred. I put the NR aside and got a different light (a DiNotte 200L, which was all the rage at the time), and eventually traded in the NR for the $100 Strykr rebate.
> 
> ...


I had a problem with one of my new NR lights. I described the problem to them and I was sent a new part with a call tag for the bad one. That's the good part.

For NR to send the part unseen, I had to give them a card number which would only be used if I didn't send the part back within one month. It was called some kind of "trust" deal. I pointed out that it would only be a trust exchange if I didn't have to give them my card number. I guess if I didn't have access to a good card, I might have had to go the long way. That's the bad part.


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## GTR2ebike (May 3, 2010)

They didn't charge me anything, I just got a replacement 3000.


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## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

Hey thanks for all the input guys. I think that helps me decide to go with Niterider. I'm not saying that MS doesn't make a good light. But I would prefer to not have to worry about warranty and recall issues as much. From what it sounds, Niterider makes something a bit more well built. Maybe that would explain the added cost. But for me, that's worth it


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## Tim-H (Mar 20, 2010)

If you can afford it go niterider. They aren't even close to as expensive as they were a couple years ago.

Quality products. 

I did just buy a deal extreme light today to pair with my trinewt. I'm confident that I can disassemble and resolder anything that needs to be fixed on my own. So the cs isn't as much of an issue for me. 

Companies like niterider still push the industry forward though and definitely think they are worth it if you can.

Also something to put into the back of your mind. Electronics are prone to failure no matter how well you manufacture them. Especially under the conditions we put them through.


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## scoutcat (Mar 30, 2008)

MS is great unless their batteries burn your house down.


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## dobovedo (Feb 13, 2011)

Pisgah said:


> For NR to send the part unseen, I had to give them a card number which would only be used if I didn't send the part back within one month. It was called some kind of "trust" deal. I pointed out that it would only be a trust exchange if I didn't have to give them my card number. I guess if I didn't have access to a good card, I might have had to go the long way. That's the bad part.


I had to do this same thing. I had a battery problem on a 700 Pro, but it was still kinda/sorta working, so I asked if they would send the replacement before I returned the failing battery. They included a return shipping label and I sent back the bad part.

Yes, they asked for a credit card, which I understand completely. They didn't charge my card, they only took the information. The last thing you'd want is a company to have problems trying to track down people who don't return bad parts, and there would certainly be people who would try to take advantage and score a free battery. It would drive up their overhead costs in collections and then they might not offer the "trust" service at all.

So far my replacement battery is holding up well! :thumbsup:


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## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

Tim-H said:


> I'm confident that I can disassemble and resolder anything that needs to be fixed on my own. So the cs isn't as much of an issue for me.


Well I know that I could fix anything electronic also. For me its just a matter of not having to consider this in my lights. Sure, it's easy to fix. But that means that at some point before having to fix it, you were left in the dark. I am well aware (before anyone corrects me) that I could probably get 2 MS for the cost of a NR. But I still think that I would rather go with NR


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## Tim-H (Mar 20, 2010)

3fast3furious said:


> But that means that at some point before having to fix it, you were left in the dark.


Absolutely agree. That's the main reason I'm getting a second light right now.


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## dobovedo (Feb 13, 2011)

scoutcat said:


> MS is great unless their batteries burn your house down.


This has been covered a billion times already, but hey.. a billion and one can't hurt, right?


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## bammbamm1961 (Mar 17, 2009)

we are having great results with Nightrider - can't comment one way or the other on anything else


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## Mr.P (Feb 8, 2005)

If support and warranty are of primary concern, check out Jet Lites: Jetlites

When you buy in, you can later change heads, batteries, what ever works in their inventory, with trade in and referb services.

On their website:
"The JetWay: JetLites prides itself on the highest quality customer service. Once you become a member of the JetLites family we will support your product for its life."

They are located in Reno and keep as much manufacturing local as possible (= parts are not on other continents and batteries are not old).

They also support the local 24hr races.

Sorry, not MagicShine nor NiteRider as originally requested, but worth a look. :thumbsup:

P


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## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

bammbamm1961 said:


> we are having great results with Nightrider - can't comment one way or the other on anything else


there are others?


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## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

Hey, hate to change the subject slightly but i just bought a Magichsine 808 secondhand from a someone, the light's 8months old but the battery pack was brand new (one of the new packs sent out by geoman). 

I charged it up for the first time and it worked flawlessly but the second time around it worked well for about 20 minutes then started cycling through brightness settings and cutting off on its own. Also, the LED has been red as long as I remember, it's never changed color. Has anyone had this problem?


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## pethelman (Feb 26, 2011)

rusty904 said:


> Hey, hate to change the subject slightly but i just bought a Magichsine 808 secondhand from a someone, the light's 8months old but the battery pack was brand new (one of the new packs sent out by geoman).
> 
> I charged it up for the first time and it worked flawlessly but the second time around it worked well for about 20 minutes then started cycling through brightness settings and cutting off on its own. Also, the LED has been red as long as I remember, it's never changed color. Has anyone had this problem?


Sounds like you're not able to charge the battery for some reason. When you connect to the charger, do you see the light on the charger change from green to red? If not, play around with the connection between charger and battery. There is always the possibility that you have an intermittent connection on the charger cable side. If the battery worked when you received it (I assume with some level of charge already on it), then you now have to suspect the charger. It's normal for the light head to sputter and go through weird transitions on it's own if the battery is completely drained.


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## rusty904 (Apr 25, 2008)

Hmmm, I can't get the light to go red on the charger when I plug it in so you're probably right, I'll play with the connections and see what i can do. 

Are there any differences on the newer chargers?


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## pethelman (Feb 26, 2011)

rusty904 said:


> Hmmm, I can't get the light to go red on the charger when I plug it in so you're probably right, I'll play with the connections and see what i can do.
> 
> Are there any differences on the newer chargers?


I suspect the "new" chargers operate identically, but I can't say for sure since I don't have one.

Another thing to try... plug the battery into the lighthead, but DON'T try to turn it on. Does the status light behind the light's power button come on RED? If you're not getting any battery status indication from the lighthead, then it's possible that your battery has either 1) tripped the internal "soft" cut-off protection, which is normally reset when you connect it to the charger, OR 2) the battery's internal circuit is now permanently "open" due to a faulty "fuse."

I've had a brand new Geoman pack do this to me once before. As a last ditch effort, if you have a voltmeter, you can check the output of the charger fairly easily (with the meter on DC volts), and if you get some output there, then you likely have a bad battery.


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## Rakuman (Oct 30, 2004)

*The battery is drained just get one of the new chargers from geoman and it will charge fine. this has happened quite a bit with the old chargers and the new batterys .*


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## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

Mr.P said:


> If support and warranty are of primary concern, check out Jet Lites: Jetlites
> 
> When you buy in, you can later change heads, batteries, what ever works in their inventory, with trade in and referb services.
> 
> ...


I appreciate the input as I hadn't looked into these lights yet. One thing I noticed with them which is one of the reasons I didn't like the magic shine, is that it looks very bulky. The niteriders seem much more compact, which I like


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## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

Well, I made my decision and ordered 2 lights. I bought the Niterider Pro 750 and the Niterider 600 cordless. I found a good deal and picked them both up for under $300 shipped. I think I made the right choice. But I appreciate everyone's thoughts on the matter


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## dobovedo (Feb 13, 2011)

3fast3furious said:


> Well, I made my decision and ordered 2 lights. I bought the Niterider Pro 750 and the Niterider 600 cordless. I found a good deal and picked them both up for under $300 shipped. I think I made the right choice. But I appreciate everyone's thoughts on the matter


Let us know how you do with that 600 cordless if you're gonna mount on handlebars. In the past couple weeks I've ridden with two guys who both had problems with it slipping forward on the bars. It just doesn't have enough grip, especially on bumpy downhill terrain. The solution apparently is to wrap the bars with something like tape or even zip tie a piece of inner tube before mounting the light.


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## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

dobovedo said:


> Let us know how you do with that 600 cordless if you're gonna mount on handlebars. In the past couple weeks I've ridden with two guys who both had problems with it slipping forward on the bars. It just doesn't have enough grip, especially on bumpy downhill terrain. The solution apparently is to wrap the bars with something like tape or even zip tie a piece of inner tube before mounting the light.


I will most likely run my 300 on the bars as more of an emergency light. The 600 will be my secondary main light for my helmet. My plan is to run the 750 on the helmet until the batteries run low and then swap it for the 600 while it charges. Rinse and repeat as needed. This is my 24 hour race plan. On a normal outing. I may run the 600 on the bars, so we'll have to see how it holds. The 300 holds pretty well on the bars because it is so small.


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## SCTallboy (Nov 7, 2011)

3fast3furious said:


> I will most likely run my 300 on the bars as more of an emergency light. The 600 will be my secondary main light for my helmet. My plan is to run the 750 on the helmet until the batteries run low and then swap it for the 600 while it charges. Rinse and repeat as needed. This is my 24 hour race plan. On a normal outing. I may run the 600 on the bars, so we'll have to see how it holds. The 300 holds pretty well on the bars because it is so small.


What would you guys think of a 600 on the bars and a 600 on the helmet set up? I am asking more from a few hour local ride perspective. Thanks!


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## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

SCTallboy said:


> What would you guys think of a 600 on the bars and a 600 on the helmet set up? I am asking more from a few hour local ride perspective. Thanks!


I thought about doing that, actually. It seems like that would make a good setup. I suggested that to a few friends that wanted to get into night riding but didn't want to spend a ton. For casual riding, go for it. I don't think you can go wrong.


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## epicxt (Dec 24, 2007)

SCTallboy said:


> What would you guys think of a 600 on the bars and a 600 on the helmet set up? I am asking more from a few hour local ride perspective. Thanks!


This is what I'm running right now, and it works great!


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## johnny settle (Mar 10, 2011)

I have two Trail Rats. They are 11 years old and still work perfect! So when I upgraded, I stayed with NR.


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## Rogus (Nov 15, 2011)

I had the 600 mounted on my handlebars. It is very well built and I like it's beam, but hate the mount as it's very difficult to mount the light securely on the bars. It's also very diffucult to adjust the settings with heavy winter gloves. The button is not raised enough and there's little feedback as to button movement. It sometimes takes a minute or two of fumbling around with it to change the setting. I may try it as a helmet light even though it feels pretty heavy. I will use either my L&M Urban 500 or my Cycolite Expilion 400 on the bars.


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## 3fast3furious (Dec 10, 2010)

Rogus said:


> I had the 600 mounted on my handlebars. It is very well built and I like it's beam, but hate the mount as it's very difficult to mount the light securely on the bars. It's also very diffucult to adjust the settings with heavy winter gloves. The button is not raised enough and there's little feedback as to button movement. It sometimes takes a minute or two of fumbling around with it to change the setting. I may try it as a helmet light even though it feels pretty heavy. I will use either my L&M Urban 500 or my Cycolite Expilion 400 on the bars.


I agree that the bar mount sucks. The helmet mount is way better. I actually bought it with intentions on using it on the bars and then my 750 on the helmet. But I went out last night and tried them the other way around and I really liked it better. The 600 makes a good helmet light because it is light and you don't have cables to mess with. And honestly it's pretty much the same brightness as the 750. I can't really tell the difference


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## bloo (Apr 2, 2008)

i have to agree that the 600 does actually work better on the helmet, the helmet strap/bracket feels a bit sturdier. i was expecting the light to feel a bit heavy but after a few minutes i wasn't even thinking about it. definitely recommend the 600 on the helmet.


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