# Are Lupine lights worth 4x more than magic shine?



## Speeder500 (Oct 9, 2012)

I was looking at this really nice light from Lupine, then I saw that magic shine has a very similar light for 1/4th the price.

The Alpine looks slightly better, but they are piratically the same in specs.

I was wondering if I you would be crazy to pay 4x more for a lupine light when you can get almost the same thing from magic shine for so much less?


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

Personally I wouldn't trust MagicShine in what they claim for outputs. That's because in the past they used to out-right lie about the output of some of their light systems. Still some people claim to be very happy with the newer versions they sell. 

Lupine is still considered to be the cream of the crop when it comes to bike lighting but personally I would still recommend any of the Gloworm set-ups which are top notch light systems and will cost much less than the Lupines. The Gloworms have great mounting solutions, can be programmable, offer either wired or wireless remotes and have the option to change optics suitable to the type of riding that you do and are one of the most reliable bike light systems sold. Add to this if you buy from ActionLED you can request a change of emitter(s) ( for a small additional charge ) if you happen to want something in the NW range.


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## biking_tg (Dec 27, 2018)

As an owner of two lupines, i might add something to this. There are pro's and con's of a Lupine.
Let's talk about the pricing first and explain partly why those lights are pretty expensive. Except for the aluminum parts, which are milled in taiwan, all components are made in Germany. Then the assembly of those lights happens in germany. That is a part of the reason. Another one is excessive design features and a sticking to CNC processing, the runtime of a pico aluminum housing on the CNC machine is >60 min (per unit), according to their CEO (which he stated on the lupine forum). Switching to die casting probably could substantially lowert he costs there... Whether these things are worth it for the buyer is a different topic...The MS lights are made in china, which isn't a bad thing by itself, but it explains partly the price difference.

pro's: 
excellent customer service,
well designed products,
nice control features via app.
even years after warranty, spare parts are kept in stock and repairs/exchanges are usually done at fair prices.
If there are significant improvements in LEDs, updated LED boards are offered (and kept in stock for years for older lights)
nice different mounting options (helmet, bar, gopro)

con's:
-lights are not really designed to get rid of the heat properly, that is done way better by outbound lighting or some Magicshine lights (not really the monteer though). Still if used in cold conditions (remember winter nights in germany have usually temps around freezing points or below) on a bike ride, the lights can dissipate the heat sufficiently.
- imo too much focus on design aspects...
- standard light color is a bit cold, but lupine offers for most lights a 5000K option

the advantage of gloworm lights mentioned by cat-man-do are that you can modify the beam shape by replacing the lenses, this is not possibly with lupine lights.

light characteristic of the Alpha and the Monteer 6500 from a german bike magazin: both lights reached their claimed lumen performance, the Alpha a max brightness in the center of 471 lx (@10m), at the edges (30°) 10 lux (@10m), the monteer has a brighntess of 226 lx/15 lx, so a bit less focused

My suggestions: both the magicshine monteer 6500 and the alpha are a lumen overkill and drain your battery on full power pretty fast (60-70W Power consumption) and are not needed. The importance of high lumen value is often overstated. if you want a wide evenly spread light carpet as the MS monteer and Lupine Alpha offer, get a outbound focal trail edition and buy a seperate light for your helmet (e.g. a lupine piko (with the optional heatsink), a gloworm or a outbound hangover). That is way cheaper than the Alpha and a bit more expensive than the MS monteer. You'll have a better value for your money that way.


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

Maybe that really depends on what you like, how to perceive value, and if price is a big factor (price is not a big factor when I choose things like bikes and lights). I think Lupine lights are extremely high quality. I have been using them for maybe ten years and have one newer one. Of the four I have - Tesla, Wilma, and two Betty lamps- one older and one newer, they have all been 100% reliable and have never shut of or acted strange. The batteries are all still strong and a few downpours affected nothing. I admitted spend more of stuff than I probably should, but my 10+ years of Lupine ownership have revealed them to be fantastic. I'll probably get a small one soon- maybe the Piko. I had a Magicshine but gave it to a friend. They still work so no complaints. I was not impressed by the build quality or the beam much, and was just trying it out. They are just fine for a budget light. That is my take. I do have other lights too- Exposure, L&M, and a Raven, but I always end up using my Lupines for the beam pattern and reliability.


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

*@ biking_tg*: ( above ) very well said.

I'd just like to add some more comments. What you said here:



> ...My suggestions: both the magicshine monteer 6500 and the alpha are a lumen overkill and drain your battery on full power pretty fast (60-70W Power consumption) and are not needed. The importance of high lumen value is often overstated.


This is very true. For most people the need for a 6000 lumen lamp is really not necessary and from my point of view is way overkill. I would think that almost any lamp no matter how well thermally designed would still have a hard time trying to dissipate the heat from something producing that much output even when moving fast. Not to mention anything outputting that much light would surely require a very large battery. Even with a large 8 cell I would still think the high output would drain the battery really, really fast.

Personally, I don't see why anyone would need such a high output when mountain biking at night. Of course all that depends on the type of riding you do and how fit you happen to be. The other day I stumbled upon a Youtube video of two guys doing one of the downhill trails at Whistler B.C. during the day. ( The guy in front, a Pro, the other guy doing the video from behind I would judge semi-pro ) Of course these guys were just flying and I'm sure they had the best downhill bikes that money can buy but OMG, the stuff they took at speed I almost couldn't believe. Of course they were also catching some major air off some of the berms. Really was fascinating to watch. Maybe people who can ride like that might need that kind of output if riding at night on that type of terrain but for the 98% of the rest of us that don't have that kind of fitness level or ride that type of terrain on a regular basis, we can get by with much less light and still see very well.

At my age I now consider myself just an occasional recreational weekend warrior type of Mountain biker. None of my night time excursions are going to last more than two hours. This is one of the reasons why I'll probably not use my best lights that much anymore and lean more toward just using a nice set of ( lighter weight ) torches. That said I'll still be able to use over 2000 lumen with my newest combo if I feel the need for a bit of speed. Now if I manage somehow to lose 30lbs I might start spending more time on the MTB with my dedicated higher powered light set.


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## stu06 (Dec 8, 2012)

I own both the Alpha and Monteer 6500. Yes, they're overkill, but I have poor night vision and need this kind of wattage on very fast fire road descents. The Alpha throws farther but the Monteer is a better overall bar light--better tint, better beam pattern (no obvious hot spot when aimed properly), and a FAR better value proposition. I usually run the Monteer on the 2000-lumen level throughout the vast majority of my rides so there's no issue with overheating or rapid battery drain. Go with the Monteer--you won't regret it.


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## Speeder500 (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies. Actually, a few days ago I decided to get the Monteer because the Alpha was just way too much money over the Monteer to even consider it. 

Its good to hear that you you recommend the Monteer over the Alpha.


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## MRMOLE (May 31, 2011)

Speeder500 said:


> Thanks for all the replies. Actually, a few days ago I decided to get the Monteer because the Alpha was just way too much money over the Monteer to even consider it.
> 
> Its good to hear that you you recommend the Monteer over the Alpha.


Since you just bought a Monteer you'll like this light shootout from BikeRadar.
Mole


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## Dallboy (4 mo ago)

I have a collection of Lupine lights, torch, headlamp and tail lights plus an old Betty and Wilma, most bought off ebay. They have all worked faultlessly and I use the lights on a 10m daily commute along unlit roads. In the past I have had Cateye, L and M and Hope. For reliability, design and build quality Lupine are unbeatable. 
Their backup /support service is also faultless and many of their recent products are modular and can be fixed with replacement smaller components. I could never go back to another manufacturer.


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