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Home > Product Reviews > Lights > Electron 5W And 10W Double Ni-Mh Lighting System Reviews

Electron 5W And 10W Double Ni-Mh Lighting System

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Electron 5W And 10W Double Ni-Mh Lighting System
More about Electron

Average Rating: 4 out of 5
No. of Reviews: 18
RRP: £49.99
Year: 2004

view enlarged image

Description:

Ni-Mh Bottle cage mounted battery recharges in approx 7.5 hours.

Remote handlebar switch for easy mid ride control.

Runtime up to 5.4 hours in 5w only mode 2.7 hours in 10w only mode (Based on a fully charged battery).

UK 110-240v fast mains charger.

REVIEWS

1 to 10 of 18 reviews, to post a review you need to be a member - Join now.Page: 1 2

Michael Campbell

Posted: 02/11/06
Updated: 22/11/07

'GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY STARTER OFF-ROAD LIGHTS'

Strengths:
The price, the brightness of both lamps, use of NiMh battery pack. Metal lamp bodies. Upgrade potential using Reflectalite bulbs

Weaknesses:
Lamp mounting on handle bars can be a bit loose. This can be cured by using a rubber shim (I used spare cateye ones) between the handlebars and lamp mounting. Mounting of extension switch can slip but use some self-adhesive backed foam pads to stop slippage. The charger is very simple and it is easy to overcharge the battery. Use a cheap mains timer to limit the charge times to 8hrs MAX

Overall:
For £40 (in October 2006), you can't beat these lamps. The bulbs have improved since earlier models. Even if you spend £15-20 on the Reflectalite bulb upgrades, the whole system is still cheap and more effective than some other well known systems on the market for double the basic cost.

Performance		80%
Reliability		80%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

87%

Adamski

Posted: 26/09/07

'GOOD STARTER LIGHTS'

Strengths:
Price, Bottle Mount NiMH battery, easy to upgrade bulbs.

Weaknesses:
Battery/light connector can unplug too easy, switch build quality.

Overall:
Lights that provide just enough light to be able to ride offroad, although they lack range for quicker trails, suggest upgrading the 5W bulb to a tighter spot 10w

Performance		60%
Reliability		60%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

73%

Pete Barber

Posted: 09/03/07

'GREAT STARTER LIGHTS'

Strengths:
Bright enough to get you off road.Bottle mount battery.Useful remote switch.Price.
I now have a Blacburn X3 and though better finished and more user freindly it is 3 times the price but not 3 times as good.Lots of spares available.Easy to upgrade bulbs.

Weaknesses:
Dodgy connectors,switch.
Finish is a bit cheap.Heavy battery.Need to use 10w off road.Run time not that long.

Overall:
For £45 they made the difference between me getting out on a winters night or staying in!
For that I reckon they deserve an award!

Performance		60%
Reliability		60%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

73%

Robert Strzelecki

Posted: 21/10/04

'GOOD BUDGET LIGHT, WORTH THE PITFALLS!'

Strengths:
Good strong spot beam, good running times, NiMH bottle battery, metal lamp housing, dual light control, Easy to attach handlebar clamp.

Weaknesses:
Not enough fixtures for cable (from battery to light is a very long cable!), power uses standard jacks to plug into each light, these can pop out as can main socket to battery! Bottle battery not standard size, slightly smaller than a normal bottle so a metal bottle cage is recommended, which you can bend a bit. Initial clamp setup is a bit fiddly.

Overall:
A good set of lights for the price, cables are nothing that a bit of velcro or a few cable ties can't sort out, fairly light long running battery, good well built lamps. With a few small improvements this could be a real winner!

Performance		60%
Reliability		60%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

67%

Geoff Wilson

Posted: 06/11/04

'FOR THE MONEY THESE ARE GREAT LEISURE XCOUNTRY LIGHTS'

Strengths:
Metal lights, easily attached and lightweight NiMH battery which lasts significantly longer than the more expensive lead/acid lights used by my buddies.

Weaknesses:
Velcro attachment for swich is not particularly strong. The reflectors seem to produce a dimmer light than more expensive lights.

Overall:
The lights are great for the cost, a true budget off-road lighting system .

Performance		80%
Reliability		80%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

87%

John Hollingsworth

Posted: 06/11/04

'GOOD FOR THE MONEY, GREAT FOR A BEGINNER.'

Strengths:
Solid, quality construction throughout.
Small, light battery which comfortably fits in bottle holder, none of this 'I can just about squeeze the SLA brick in' nonsense.
Nimh lighting system for under £50!
Good burn time.
10w+5w throw a decent amount of light.

Weaknesses:
Not bright enough for serious offroad, 5w is just enough for canal paths, 5w+10w required most of the time.
Mine has a dodgy connection somewhere- lights have gone out once or twice, requiring a wire wiggle to restore the light!!!!! Makes riding that bit more exciting though.

Overall:
I was suprised by the build quality for a £50 set of lights, metal cased lamps, sturdy mounting bracket, no vibration or shaking when riding. But the 5w is just not bright enough on its own, 10w + 5w throws a pretty good beam, but not enough so you can go bombing through a forest. Anything over 15mph and i felt i was struggling (not that I'm an experienced offroad rider anyway, 15mph downhill scares me in daylight!).

The mounting bracket is simple and quick to use, both lamps are on one bracket, I see that as a good think (I have room for a computer and LED light too). The 5w has a switch on the back of the lamp, the 10w has a velcro attached switch on a wire for easy access. As long as you get the velcro tight enough in the first place the switch stays put. The lamps stay steady as a rock.

Do yourself a favour and buy a few velcro ties in a DIY store, just to keep the cables out of the way.

So, if your new to offroad and have a nagging wife/ shallow pocket, these IMO are pretty good for the cash. But as always you get what you pay for, and if you can afford lumis or vistas, go for it, they offer more light than these, albeit at double/triple the cost.

I'm torn between sending these back because of the dodgy connection (and the lack of light produced by 5w) or trying a 10w bulb in the wide angle (5w) lamp and living with the reduced burn time (I think tinfoil will solve the connection problem I have). I'll report back after a trip to maplins.

BTW, if you want a few pics of the lights email me, I've found a few websites with reviews, and only one website online that has a picture!

Performance		60%
Reliability		80%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

80%

Jim Panzee

Posted: 12/11/04

'NICELY MADE BUT MEDIOCRE LIGHT OUTPUT'

Strengths:
All-metal construction of lamp housing and handlebar bracket is a bonus for a light costing under £50. Handlebar switch for 10w lamp is useful - encourages you to save power.

Weaknesses:
Tiny (30mm) halogen bulbs don't give out much light compared with their larger equivalents. Particularly the 5w which seems about as bright as the 1972 Pifco battery lamp on my Chopper. (With 1972 battery)

Overall:
I haven't had these lights ages but they seem well made for the price. Don't expect to go bombing around too fast with them - you will soon fail to spot a boulder or pothole. As stated above, the 5w bulb gives out an orangey glow like the parking light on a car but the 10w is acceptable for road riding at lower speeds. I would say they are a good commuter light and one step up from a regular 'all-in-one' battery light. They would be ideal used with a helmet-mounted light.

Performance		60%
Reliability		80%
Value		60%

Overall Rating

67%

Richard Ford

Posted: 16/11/04

'GREAT UNITS, GREAT BATTERY AVERAGE BEAM.'

Strengths:
Build quality, battery life, control

Weaknesses:
cable come out of lamp, light output on 10W

Overall:
I like these, The 5W is perfect for road riding and some gravel tracks. The 10W is great for most singltrack but anything downhill or slightly faster and there just isn't enough light I am looking for a 15W Spot and I will then be a very happy bunny. The little handle bar switch for teh 10W is inspired so you don't need to take you hand off the bars to tun the light on.

Performance		80%
Reliability		80%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

80%

Peter Atkin

Posted: 30/11/04

'INCREDIBLE FOR THE MONEY - AFTER A CHANGE OF BULBS!'

Strengths:
Well made, easy to fit, bottle battery doesn't scratch your frame. Cheap! Look good too.

Weaknesses:
Charger a bit slow and doesn't cut itself out. Standard 5w bulb is feeble and 10w spreads the light around a bit too much. Make sure you cable tie the battery down, or it might jump out!

Overall:
As they are sold I'd give them 31/2 out of 5. But I never leave things alone! First go to www.reflectalite.com and get a MR11-C 6v/10w bulb and replace the low beam with this. This is LOTS brighter and concentrates the beam a bit more for the area just in front of you. I aimed it about 15-20 feet in front of me. Then go to Maplin electronics and get one of their 10w/6v bulbs and replace the high beam with it. The Maplin bulb is a pretty tight spot light and when aimed furter in front of the low beam makes a MASSIVE difference. Believe me. Reflectalite are not cheap (£11.99 incl p+p) but Maplin are! (1.99) Which is strange....
Run times suffer of course, but as you can turn the high beam off easily that's not really an issue.
After this mod I give them 5/5, and have based my scores on this!
And I do race off road at night too!

Performance		100%
Reliability		80%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

93%

andrew rowat

Posted: 15/02/05

'POOR USING SUPPLIED BULBS'

Strengths:
Nice construcion & appearance.
Using the supplied 5W and 10W bulbs gives a poor light - my Smart twin 10/2.4W SLA lights were better.
Upgrading using 1, or even better, 2 10W Maplin MR11 bulbs makes a huge difference.

Weaknesses:
Light output using supplied bulbs.

Overall:
Overall they deserve probably 2/5 out of 5 but 4 out of 5 if you spend an extra £3.98 on the 2 Maplin 10W MR11 bulbs.
Have only used them for a few weeks so reliability should not yet be an issue. I ensure I run them down completely before recharging.