# Review: Xeccon Spiker 1206



## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

I have recieved a Xeccon Spiker 1206 light. I will be doing a review of this light, but first here is some important disclosure.

*The Spiker 1206 package was sent to me free of charge for review of this product. I have no direct affliliation with the company except for the fact that I have done a previous review for another light made by Xeccon. This will be an unbias review reflecting the performance of the product good or bad.*

Leonard from Magicshine Australia now in joint with mtbRevolution sent me the Xeccon Spiker 1206 . It is a new concept in light where it has a light sensing mode. The light has a XML U2 Led. The power source is a 4400 mah battery which they tested to run the light for 3h58m. It came with the accessories listed in their website such as the extension cable, Swivel Flex mount, and Oring, battery pouch, and charger. The unit have several choices of color to choose from: black, blue, red and grey.

Here are some picutres of the package, There will be more to follow including lumens test, battery runtime, beamshot and many more.



















A sideview of the lighthead:









Picture of the top view (notice that is where the power button is located):









Bottom view:









Front view:









Backview where the light sensor is located:









And just for size comparison, here is a side by side with the Spiker 1206 next to a Magicshine 808E XML









Weight of the lighthead and battery:


















[edited correction for T6 to U2]
[edited Aug 21 for added picture of the battery and lighthead weight.


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## mtbRevolution (Aug 10, 2012)

Thanks for the nice pics Colleen. I need to jump in quickly to say the "Patant NO"
engraving typo has been addressed. We've sent that guy back to school.

The *Spiker 1206 is standard with XM-L U2*. You should have the sample in Pure White tint.

Leonard


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

Xeccon said:


> Thanks for the nice pics Colleen. I need to jump in quickly to say the "Patant NO"
> engraving typo has been addressed. We've sent that guy back to school.
> 
> The *Spiker 1206 is standard with XM-L U2*. You should have the sample in Pure White tint.
> ...


Old school typo? That's OK, my spelling is not so great as many has noticed :madman:

Thanks for pointing out the U2. My bad when I misread the spec. Correction made.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

I took a lumen test with my home madeDIY sphere. I checked the current correction factor and it had a 21.4 value. So whatever reading I got from my lux meter, I just divide that number by the correction factor to get lumens. This is a relative value and by no means 100% accurate, but instead it is great for comparing lights of known value with lights that are being tested or the difference of total lumination from two lights.

Since this was an XML U2 led, I was hoping to get into the 800 lumens range. Instead what I did get was a total value of 700 lumens on high mode and 398 lumens on low mode. This was taken within 10 seconds of powering up. It remain steady at this output even after 1 minute so there was pretty much some consistency as the Led warmed up. I wanted to be sure that the 700 lumens I recorded was a value that was legit by taken an amp reading off the battery. The amp draw with a current meter inline with the power cord read 1.13 amps. I also took another current reading measuring the Vdrop across a 0.5 ohm resister inline and that drop was 53.2mv thus yeilding a 1.064 amp draw.

This current reading was consistent with the reported runtime of almost 4hrs from their website. Personally, I feel that the driver can probably push the LED a little harder to get more lumens but OTOH, that will also mean less efficiency, higher loss from heat and less runtime. Is it worth it for possibly 50 to 100 more lumens? Dunno.

I also test the Magicshine XML 808E at the same time to see how the 1206 compare the result was very close. The 808E XML came back with 706 lumens. The initial lumens was higher (almost 750) during the first 15 seconds but dropped off rapidly and settle after about an minute.

Picture of the sphere test of the 1206 can be found in this link:
https://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l622/Colleenlc/Xeccon Spiker 1206/Sphere reading/DSCN2580.jpg

The range of the meter was set at X10.
Picture of the sphere test with 808e as a comparison can be found here:
https://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l622/Colleenlc/Xeccon Spiker 1206/Sphere reading/DSCN2582.jpg


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## mtbRevolution (Aug 10, 2012)

Also worth noting the 808E with T6 has a consistent runtime of 3 hours 15 mins with a 4400mAh battery. The 1206 has an approximately additional 43 minute runtime advantage at what's pretty similar lumen output. If the market wants Xeccon to drive it harder we may. It's a case of take from Peter give to Paul. I guess at the end of the day it's about balance.

Just a suggestion, Colleen. Be interesting to compare operating temperature test side by side.


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## cue003 (May 6, 2011)

The light sensor concept is going to start to show up more and more. I first saw this concept back at the beginning of the year with the Petzl Nao headlamp that is now currently available.

NAO | Petzl

Yes I know I am "comparing" a head lamp to a bike lamp. It is more of a representation to the concept of reactive lighting.

Thx


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## mattthemuppet (Jul 16, 2004)

so how's the light sensor supposed to work - more light the darker it gets or just an on/off? What about commuters who want a bright "to be seen" light for the road? What's the threshold for the light sensor controlling the light - full sunlight/ mid day shade/ twilight/ complete darkness?

It's an interesting idea, but the devil's in the details as they say  

I also can't tell from the photos - is the battery a standard 4 cell (2S2P) battery? I'm surprised that the capacity isn't higher - 4400mAh packs (2200mAh cells) were commonplace a couple of years ago and battery tech has moved on considerably since then. Panasonic even have a 3400mAh cell out now (as do Sanyo and Samsung I believe) and their 2600-2900mAh cells are much more affordable now.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

cue003 said:


> The light sensor concept is going to start to show up more and more. I first saw this concept back at the beginning of the year with the Petzl Nao headlamp that is now currently available.
> 
> NAO | Petzl
> 
> ...


Yes indeed it is an interesting concept. I will say that for commuting purpose it may have it's usefullness since I find myself not always in need of full lumination at certain point of my route. The cutback of the output will also conserve battery. For hills, trail and wood will depend on the condition. The mode can be change because it has several mode including High and Low which bypass the light sensor.

I have yet taken the unit out for a ride. I usually do that last after all other test including beamshot so that I will not get any prejudgement of the unit in a preview before all other test ic near completion. Honestly I can hardly wait to take it out for a spin.

[edited for spelling...me going back to spelling school]


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

mattthemuppet said:


> so how's the light sensor supposed to work - more light the darker it gets or just an on/off? What about commuters who want a bright "to be seen" light for the road? What's the threshold for the light sensor controlling the light - full sunlight/ mid day shade/ twilight/ complete darkness?
> 
> It's an interesting idea, but the devil's in the details as they say
> 
> I also can't tell from the photos - is the battery a standard 4 cell (2S2P) battery? I'm surprised that the capacity isn't higher - 4400mAh packs (2200mAh cells) were commonplace a couple of years ago and battery tech has moved on considerably since then. Panasonic even have a 3400mAh cell out now (as do Sanyo and Samsung I believe) and their 2600-2900mAh cells are much more affordable now.


It is a 4 cell battery pack. The charger label as 8.4v so I can almost for sure say that it is a 2s2p config.

The light has 4 modes to choose from. Each click of the switch goes from one mode to the next. It start in the Hi mode with no sensor control. Next mode is the Low mode with no sensor control. The third mode is sensor control and the 4th mode is blink mode. You can turn off the light from any mode by holding the switch for three second or flip through all mode and it will trun off after the blink mode.

From what I can tell, the sensor mode (third mode) will react to ambient lights. It seem to have four step of illumination. It is not infinite stepping but rather just the four steps. The high to low and inbetween illumination has a fairly decent range. I will set up the sphere to see what each of the four step are producing in terms of approximated lumen readings.

The sensor itself is somewhat sensitive in the sense that a flashlight across the sensor can make it react quickly (video will be posted soon). This might be a good thing as the changes of ambient lights in the night time may not be all that much to begin with. When I do take it out for a test ride, it may tell me how well it reacts to ambient light changes. I have yet device a way to tell the ambient light changes indoor to see how much ambient lux requires as to when each of the four step changes. I may try to take a dimmer light and a lux meter using ceiling bounce and note the ambient light vs the lightheat output.

There is a fifth step in the auto sensor cutback. That happen to be fully off. When there is too much ambient light, the unit will shut off completely and automactically turns back on when the ambient light falls below a certain value.


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## mtbRevolution (Aug 10, 2012)

colleen c said:


> The light has 4 modes to choose from. Each click of the switch goes from one mode to the next. It start in the Hi mode with no sensor control. Next mode is the Low mode with no sensor control. The third mode is sensor control and the 4th mode is blink mode. You can turn off the light from any mode by holding the switch for three second or flip through all mode and it will turn off after the blink mode.
> 
> From what I can tell, the sensor mode (third mode) will react to ambient lights. It seem to have four step of illumination. It is not infinite stepping but rather just the four steps. The high to low and in between illumination has a fairly decent range. I will set up the sphere to see what each of the four step are producing in terms of approximated lumen readings.
> 
> ...


Didn't want to hijack your review so I waited for you to respond to Matt's question. The Light Sense mode reads surrounding lux and adjust the output accordingly as you worked out.

The approximate parameters are: surrounding ambient 0 lux = 100% output, 10-20 lux = 80%, 20-30 = 60%, 30-40 lux = 40% and finally 40-50% lux = 20% output. Don't think it turns off if you are riding in the sun but worth checking out. I don't have time to night ride in the afternoon so I don't know the answer to that one. See if it works according to the approximate parameters above which is actually in the leaflet supplied but in a graph form.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

colleen c said:


> I took a lumen test with my home madeDIY sphere.


When you're finished field testing the light could you pull the LED from it and compare with a U2 direct from a cree reseller (eg Cutter.com.au). Ideally with a 3A power supply but you could use the light as the driver.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

znomit said:


> When you're finished field testing the light could you pull the LED from it and compare with a U2 direct from a cree reseller (eg Cutter.com.au). Ideally with a 3A power supply but you could use the light as the driver.


I'm not fully understanding the request. Do you want me to swap out the OEM LED with a U2 from Cutter and retest the lumen output from the sphere? If I dig around, I think I have a disassemble Yezl "big head" flashlight that has the 2.8 amp XML driver but need to search around for it.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

I uploaded some picture showing the weight of the lighthead and battery pack. The lighthead weights 122 grams and the battery weights 285 grams. I edited the first post to include picture of the scale with the light and battery.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

colleen c said:


> I'm not fully understanding the request. Do you want me to swap out the OEM LED with a U2 from Cutter and retest the lumen output from the sphere? If I dig around, I think I have a disassemble Yezl "big head" flashlight that has the 2.8 amp XML driver but need to search around for it.


Yep, a test of bare LED so you can see if its U2/T6/T5 etc.

Ideally pull the LED, remount onto a testing block so you can compare multiple LEDs from different lights.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

znomit said:


> Yep, a test of bare LED so you can see if its U2/T6/T5 etc.
> 
> Ideally pull the LED, remount onto a testing block so you can compare multiple LEDs from different lights.


OK I understand better now. I see what I can do after the full review is over. It might be for a while before that happen since I will keep the unit fully intact until all answer and other test request is fullfill (beamshot, video, on the road picture and video etc....)

Just from the looks of the current test (1.1a) vs the total lux from the meter when comparing the lux from the 808e XML and current draw test from that (1.5 amps), I almost can say that the LED is an U2 because of the efficiency I am getting from the total lux vs current draw.

I will do a temperature test as suggested from Leonard. It will be a comparison between the T6 XML 808E and the U2 1206.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

Xeccon said:


> Also worth noting the 808E with T6 has a consistent runtime of 3 hours 15 mins with a 4400mAh battery. The 1206 has an approximately additional 43 minute runtime advantage at what's pretty similar lumen output. If the market wants Xeccon to drive it harder we may. It's a case of take from Peter give to Paul. I guess at the end of the day it's about balance.
> 
> Just a suggestion, Colleen. Be interesting to compare operating temperature test side by side.


Check this out. This Xeccon Spiker 1206 is so cool. Not just saying literally but also physically. It runs pretty darn cool from what I can tell.

I took the suggestion above and ran it side by side with the 808E XML T6. I used a IR temp gun and check the temp right at the top of the housing where it seem to be the hot spot for both lights. I was impress by the housing temp of the 1206 during the test. I even had done the test twice with it mounted on my DIY sphere to be sure that the light was set on high and did not automactically cut back in power without my knowledge. During the entire test, it was always on high. It did finally reached 145 F degree but it took a while and it did lose about 100 lumens at that temp (which should be normal) but that's OK because when was the last time I rode in 145 degree temp? All temp recorded was in F and not Celcius.

Here was the results:

Minutes______________Xeccon 1206 XML U2__________MS 808E XML T6

Ambient-------------------------------------76-----------------------------------------76
1 min-----------------------------------------83-----------------------------------------91
2 min-----------------------------------------90-----------------------------------------101
3 min-----------------------------------------96-----------------------------------------114
4 min-----------------------------------------101----------------------------------------122
5 min-----------------------------------------107----------------------------------------129
6 min-----------------------------------------111----------------------------------------137
7 min-----------------------------------------115----------------------------------------145
8 min-----------------------------------------119----------------------------------------149 (I shut off MS)
9 min-----------------------------------------122
10 min---------------------------------------126
11 min---------------------------------------129
12 min---------------------------------------132
13 min---------------------------------------134
14 min---------------------------------------136
15 min---------------------------------------138
16 min---------------------------------------140
17 min---------------------------------------143
18 min---------------------------------------145

I got bored by the 18 minute mark so I shut it off. As far as I can tell, it dissipate heat fairly well. As a matter of fact it probably the best coolest operating light I have in my collection.


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## tb123 (Dec 20, 2011)

With respect to the light sensor, what happens when car headlight shines on it from nehind you, does it dim the light (i assume that's the sensor mounted into the rear of the unit?)


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## mtbRevolution (Aug 10, 2012)

tb123 said:


> With respect to the light sensor, what happens when car headlight shines on it from nehind you, does it dim the light (i assume that's the sensor mounted into the rear of the unit?)


You are correct to assume the sensor is at the rear of the unit. The modes of the Spiker 1206 are: _High > Low > Light Sense > Strobe_. You can choose to bypass Light Sense if you're mountain biking with a group of riders with bright lights behind you.

To your question. If the light unit is fitted on bars and you're on Light Sense mode with a car's headlight at your six, your body should shadow the car's beam. Doubt it will affect the Light Sense sensor much in this case.

However if the light unit is fitted on helmet then being about a meter above the central hotspot of the headlight (hypothetically speaking if the car is following closely) it should activate it. In which case, the car headlight should shine a light path in front of you albeit some shadowing from your body.

More homework for Colleen, if she is up to it. Be interesting to know how quickly Light Sense reacts and resumes. Suggest having the 1206 in the sphere at max, turn down/off the room lights. Have someone else use a floodlight (not too close) to momentarily shine towards the sensor simulating a car driving past and one at constant for a minute or so. Watch the lumen count drop and resume. This will give us an indication of how quickly it responds and resumes.


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## Torchy (Feb 7, 2011)

You can't compare Xeccon to Magicshine, I have found Xeccon bike lights and diving torches are much better quality.

Looking forward to seeing the new models.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

Torchy said:


> You can't compare Xeccon to Magicshine, I have found Xeccon bike lights and diving torches are much better quality.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing the new models.


From the appearance of the exterior construction, I would have to agree that the Spiker 1206 is pretty good quality. The only area of concern I see is the sensor in the back. From initial view of the sensor, it looks to be fragile. It slightly stick out of the housing. However it is very small in size and mounted solid on the housing.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

tb123 said:


> With respect to the light sensor, what happens when car headlight shines on it from nehind you, does it dim the light (i assume that's the sensor mounted into the rear of the unit?)


I suspect that won't be an issue although I have yet taken it out to test it on a ride. I will test that after some beamshot. The sensor is much more sensitve in the center than it is from the side. A flashlight shine directly onto the center will make it dim much more rapidly than if I take a flashlight from the side and shine onto it. A car headlight from behind probably will be mostly block while from the side might not be enough to trigger that sensor.

The only other area where I was thinking maybe an issue will be for those who uses high power helmet light. I can see where looking down at something like the spedometer or GPS and having the spill from the helmet light may cause the sensor to react if the 1206 was bar mounted. I"m planning to test that as well.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

Xeccon said:


> More homework for Colleen, if she is up to it. Be interesting to know how quickly Light Sense reacts and resumes. Suggest having the 1206 in the sphere at max, turn down/off the room lights. Have someone else use a floodlight (not too close) to momentarily shine towards the sensor simulating a car driving past and one at constant for a minute or so. Watch the lumen count drop and resume. This will give us an indication of how quickly it responds and resumes.


I have this video I done two days ago. I was hoping to get a better video but it seem like my camera has auto exposure in video mode.  So I took the video using a Contour instead and worked out well. In the video, you can see the 4 step of light reduction as the ambient light on the sensor increased.

I have also taken some reading of the lumen with the sphere in those 4 step and got these results:

It went from High at 700 lumens to 632....485....304....and finally 200 lumens. If enough lights did shine on the sensor, it does completely shut off which is something may be bad or good.


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

colleen c said:


> ....I got bored by the 18 minute mark so I shut it off. As far as I can tell, it dissipate heat fairly well. As a matter of fact it probably the best coolest operating light I have in my collection.


Colleen, like you I found the MS 808E does heat up very fast. 
If you get time see if you can do a similar test where both lights are on high with some cooling added from a fan on low. At the ten minute mark I would be curious to know how much the light output drops with this set-up.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

Cat-man-do said:


> Colleen, like you I found the MS 808E does heat up very fast.
> If you get time see if you can do a similar test where both lights are on high with some cooling added from a fan on low. At the ten minute mark I would be curious to know how much the light output drops with this set-up.


I did the test last night. Both light started at ambient 78 degree. I did each individually on the sphere with fan cooling and identical setup. The 808E heated up to 113 degree in 10 minute even with fan cooling. It drop 149 lumens. The 1206 heated up to 103 degree and drop 63 lumens. The 808e started with more lux and ended up with less at 10min mark. Interesting to see how heat buildup can impair the performance of the light.

I did recorded the test on video. The first 3 min or so is interesting to see the lux drop on the meter of each light. The scale on the light meter is X10 and correction factor to change to lumens is 21.4.

The link for the 1206 is here:
Xeccon Spiker 1206 10 minute lux test - YouTube

The link for MS 808E is here:
MS 808E 10 min test - YouTube

At this point, I want to emphasize the reason I use a 808E as comparison although the beam is totally different for the 808E and 1206. The 1206 is flood while the 808E is spot. The only single XML led light I have in the same comparable size and performance is the the 808E. All my other XML lights are either multiple XML or super small single xml package size.


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

colleen c said:


> ..I did the test last night. Both light started at ambient 78 degree. I did each individually on the sphere with fan cooling and identical setup. The 808E heated up to 113 degree in 10 minute even with fan cooling. It drop 149 lumens. The 1206 heated up to 103 degree and drop 63 lumens. The 808e started with more lux and ended up with less at 10min mark. Interesting to see how heat buildup can impair the performance of the light....


Thanks Colleen. You just confirmed what my eyes were already telling me. I too will be using the 808E for comparison. Nothing wrong with the 808E, it is a fine light but it does get hot. When I do my review I will be doing pretty much the same thing...ie...measuring the output after ten minutes to see how much it drops.


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## seeker (Feb 15, 2004)

The auto-ramp feature is interesting, but I wonder if it actually saves any battery for most users. I'm almost certain it would not produce a significant runtime increase in my nighttime rides. It seems like more of a gimmick than an actual useful feature. I think I'd prefer a simpler, less costly, more reliable circuit. 

One question, for Colleen or Xeccon: Is the switch on the top waterproof? It's positioned perfectly for water to collect in the housing switch depression. I can find no mention of waterproofing in the link in #1, other than "battery is waterproof". Switches are sometimes a point of water intrusion into the light housing.

Looking forward to beamshots. Thanks for the fine review Colleen.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

seeker said:


> The auto-ramp feature is interesting, but I wonder if it actually saves any battery for most users. I'm almost certain it would not produce a significant runtime increase in my nighttime rides. It seems like more of a gimmick than an actual useful feature. I think I'd prefer a simpler, less costly, more reliable circuit.
> 
> One question, for Colleen or Xeccon: Is the switch on the top waterproof? It's positioned perfectly for water to collect in the housing switch depression. I can find no mention of waterproofing in the link in #1, other than "battery is waterproof". Switches are sometimes a point of water intrusion into the light housing.
> 
> Looking forward to beamshots. Thanks for the fine review Colleen.


I suspect it would not increase too much for most folks in terms of runtime. Just based from what I experienced so far, it seem that most ordinary street light on the street will not trigger the sensor to cut back in output. It takes a little more ambient light. I will know for sure this week since I will be using it more often since I just got the beamshot done.

I will take a closer look at the switch covering to see how well sealed it is to keep water out.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

Here are the beamshot. Picture taken at F4, manual focus, daylight, ISO100, and 4sec. The bottle is at 100ft while the back tree is at 185ft.

The beam is smooth and even. The color is white and no hint of blue tint. You can see this is more of a flood light than it is of a thrower. It is suitable for bar light. There is very little hot spot if any. The orange peel reflector helps smooth out the transition from the center to the spill. Although the light is not as bright as some other light (such as Gemini Xera), the overall effect is hardly noticeable. Also keep in mind that the drop in light output after the unit heats up is minium which will keep a better consistent beam throughout the runtime.


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## Baja Designs (Aug 3, 2010)

After looking at your gallery Colleen, my Factory Shill senses are tingling just a little bit. Not too many people are willing to do a highly technical "review" of so many lights, and spend so much time on MTBR. 

I do think the light sensing technology is pretty neat though.

(to be fair I should say fellow Factory Shill):thumbsup:


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

BajaDesignsShannon said:


> After looking at your gallery Colleen, my Factory Shill senses are tingling just a little bit. Not too many people are willing to do a highly technical "review" of so many lights, and spend so much time on MTBR.
> 
> I do think the light sensing technology is pretty neat though.
> 
> (to be fair I should say fellow Factory Shill):thumbsup:


Hi Shannon. I totally agree with you and like to add that doing any review of this nature does take a lot of time and effort. There are little tricks I learned to help save time. At this point, I think it would be best to kind of take mini break and give a little history of how I got to this point of doing some of these review. I think many readers deserve to know the history in the making.

This kinda started over 3 years ago when I took up commuting for enjoyment. It was to be a summer thing because at that time I had nothing more than a Bell Dawn Patrol light running 4AA on a Xeon light. I though that light was God sent. Then I join Bikeforum for their wonderful Commute forum but that's also where I learn about the P7 torch and that about knock me over when I first used it for a night ride. Than came the famous Magicshine MJ808 and that about a turning point for me as this light interest sort of grew on it own and became an addiction. Thanks to the wonderful work from Greta at Candlepower forum and the info I gather here at MTBR, I learned much about lights and battery. Now it kinda became a hobby and pastime I guess.......

My first review was the Gemini Titan P7 at Bikeforum. I did that for fun because at that time I thought it was a good alternative light to the MS808. However it seem that most light manufactor was introducing their lines here at MTBR. So that's pretty much how I crossed over and meander here. There are several folks here that probably can relate me to the other forum over the years and probably know what I am refering of this info.

I guess one thing leads to another and I got reference to do a review here (Speed II) and accepted it because I wanted a thrower light and it would be nice to see how that unit perform. Then off course came Xeccon request for a review and so I accepted it since I have yet to see any other manufacture to offer the Sensor mode feature.

There is no factory shilling here. I just report it as it comes. Sometime unexpected things happens like the last light that stop working in the middle of a test. In honesty, it take a lot of time, effort and devotion to the love of biking to be doing a review of this nature. Many times it's hard to keep neutral in the review but as they say "Honesty is the Best Policy". So to be fair and unbias for all manufactor, I pretty much have to keep a standard format for all regardless of who the manufactor happens to be including BD if a light was requested for a review. It will be subject to the same test as you see here. :thumbsup: However that may take awhile since I also got the Speed I(Xeccon America aka BR), 1207, and 1210(MTB revolution) for review comming up. :eekster:

(Hint for those who does do review), there are many step I learned to save time and effort. 
1) use a EyeFi SD card in your camera. The picture gets uploaded to a specific computer automatically. It will save time and headache of having to remove that #$%^& card everytime.

2) Battery testing is a real headache to monitor....don't spend too much time staring at the light because you will end up seeing stars floating around. Instead, use a video (Gopro, Contour, or Replay and record the runtime exactly at the last one hour or so of runtime. Log the time you starty recording. When playback, you can see when the light shutoff including the color of the indicator or volt meter all on video on the computer. A baby monitor will also work fine if you want live action.

3)I ride with a Replay helmet cam in my commute and whenever a part of the route seem fit for a video of the light I am testing, I would save that clip and use it. That save time from me having to do a special ride.

4)Park beamshot is the hardest. I like to do that by driving out to the park and taking the dog for a walk right before sunset. Afterward while I am still at the park, I set up the camera and lights for the beamshot while the dog either watch me like I am a dummy or sleep in the car while dumb dumb me is out fiddling with camera setting.

5)Take out food will keep everyone happy in the house. So is paper plate and plastic forks.

Anything I missed?


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

seeker said:


> One question, for Colleen or Xeccon: Is the switch on the top waterproof? It's positioned perfectly for water to collect in the housing switch depression. I can find no mention of waterproofing in the link in #1, other than "battery is waterproof". Switches are sometimes a point of water intrusion into the light housing.


A closer look at the top switch reveal that it can be pull off of the housing body. It is not seal with any sealant of any type AFAIK. However, the groove is deep such that it should keep any standing water accumulated on the top from getting in. Since that switch also sit below the rest of the housing, it may be possible that any accumulated water on it may settle in from constant switching pressing of the button and forcing some of the water around the button. It probably will take a lot of pushing in heavy rain storm to do that.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

I loaded this video several days ago and wanted to do a better video but it was kinda hard to show the effect of the sensor in relation to the amount of ambient light. The camera show the ambient light at the sensor much brighter than it is. However, you can see the effect of the output changes out on the grass.






This video show the blink mode. kinda fast for my taste. I think a slower blink speed might be better but than some like it strobing fast.


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

*Ride Test*

I used the Spiker 1206 for several days now. The beam pattern with the OP reflector provide a beam where the spill is as wide as three lanes while the the hot spot has a nice shape projecting forward with a smooth transition in the foreground. The tint is cool white with no hint of blue or green color. The low mode is useable such that it is not too bright or too dim to be non useable. Overalll, the beam was consistent will little loss of lumens from heat that I can tell.

I find that in order for the sensor mode to start ramping, it requires much ambient surrounding lights before doing so. I rode through a very brightly lit shopping mall parking lot where I could almost ride without a light and yet the sensor mode did not react to those surrounding light. I place my hands over the sensor to see if it even changed at all and it has been in the high output. That being said, riding through typical lighted street will not provide enough ambient light to ramp down the output. I did find that it will response if I use the Sensor mode right at sunset to total darkness. When the sun is below the horizon, the sensor mode will activate and ramp down to lo mode. It will step up as the lights in the sky begin to dissapear. Once there is only a little bit of light left,the unit will be on high. I'm not sure is this is only specific to the unit I have or if this is standard for all unit. I notice that the sensor is most sensitive if the lights were shine on it dead center than it is around the edge. This might be making it less sensitive than it should. I think an extra mode for sensitivity selection for the sensor mode will be nice if that can be implemented. Some user would like to use it being more highly sensitive while other may like it as it is.

*Battery Runtime and Charging*

I was able to get 3hrs and 56 minutes out of the battery running on high. The indicator light turn red near the 2 hour mark. The light shutoff at the end of the battery cycle. Here is the bit that needs to be looked at. When the unit shut off, the indicator light in the back also shut off. I was wondering why was that so I check the battery voltage and it was at a SOC of 0 volts. It appears the under voltage of the pack has trip before the light auotmatically shut off. I double check this twice and in both cases it repeated itself. The second test I had a meter showing the battery volt to see just how low the battery got it showed about 6 volts right before the pack tripped out. I think the driver of the light head needs to shutdown before the battery pack low voltage trips out..

The charging time took 4hours 16min to charge from a totally drain pack to full charge.

*Worth Noting*
The other thing worth mention is the soft case that came with the unit. It has this neoprene material which makes it less prone to water soaking but it does make the pack much more bulky if it was to be place on the handle bar or stem.

Overall, a few tweaking is needed for the undervoltage and possibly sensor sensitivity issue. Beside that, the beam is fine and so is the U2 led that is used in this light. The biggest plus for this light so far is the case temp stay cool for a long period of time while still providing plenty of light. The sensor is a neat little idea and possibly a stepping stone for more inovation for things to come.


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## slyfink (Apr 15, 2004)

Cat, Xeccon or Colleen,

I'm very interested in these lights as I'm looking for a spot thrower for use on the helmet. Cat's review of the S-12 suggests it is the king of spot-throw! But a quick look on the mtbRevolution site indicates this light is very similar. 

So here's my question: how does the Spiker 1206 compare to the S-12 in terms of beam? On paper the Spiker 1206 and S-12 seem pretty similar, maybe with just a different housing. Is the reflector the main difference? I like the housing of the 1206 better mostly because of where the cable comes out, and it seems to be more waterproof. But if the S-12 is a more focused, powerful spot-thrower, that is where I'll go....

Thanks guys and keep up the good work!


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## colleen c (May 28, 2011)

slyfink said:


> Cat, Xeccon or Colleen,
> 
> I'm very interested in these lights as I'm looking for a spot thrower for use on the helmet. Cat's review of the S-12 suggests it is the king of spot-throw! But a quick look on the mtbRevolution site indicates this light is very similar.
> 
> ...


Hi slyfink. Leonard posted the answer at the Introduction Xeccon thread. In case you have subscription on this thread you may not get that post so here is the link to the post of the answer for your question.

http://forums.mtbr.com/9726144-post33.html


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## mtbRevolution (Aug 10, 2012)

*Another review by subwoofer*

Here's another review by subwoofer on the 1206. I am bringing up these 2 threads now to compare the reviews. Going by the "Patant" typo on the light, I would say the 1206 in this review is standard U2 not the OD bin.


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