My favorite bicycle headlight

This light only costs $30. I had the previous model to this light, the HL-EL220 which duly got ripped-off my bicycle a couple days ago. It was an excellent light with extremely long battery life and was very bright. This one is almost identical – the shape is slightly different but it still has the 5 led bulbs and uses 4 AA batteries. The output is the same: 250 candlepower which I have found to be a really decent amount of light without also being blinding to others on a trail at night. I really give credit to Cateye for making an affordable and very well-made light like this.

I was looking at various lights available and notice that there are now some pricey ones available which feature USB recharging. However the battery duration on these ones – even $100 ones – is really, really terrible IMHO. I want a light that is going to last because its a safety device and I may easily be in situations where I want and need light. A light with a 2 hour continuous battery life is just too short. Also, instead of USB charging capabilities, I’d rather opt for some high-current eneloop, low self-discharge (LSD) rechargeable AA batteries.

Most of the time in the city I have my light in flashing mode. But then I do sometimes end up on trails or in areas which have no lighting and need it in constant mode. With 5 LEDs these lights are more than sufficient for comfortably navigating a dirt trail at night.

I just have to remember to always detach it from the handlebars when I park anywhere in crackheadville.