This year at the 2010 Veloswap, Amoeba was showcasing their newest LED light, the 2x Cree XP-G R5. The name makes this system sound complicated, but it really is not. The company’s name is derived from the amoeba, the simplest life form on Earth. They follow their name and design their lights to simply have one mode – on and off.
The 2x Cree XP-G R5 is a dual spot beam, 600 lumens lighting kit that features an anodized aluminum housing offered in matte silver, bright silver or dark bronze; and the lens is made from optical grade Lexan. The battery pack is a 7.4 volt 2400mAh Li-Ion that is capable of a 3-1/2 hour runtime with only a 3 hour charge time. With a total weight of less than 6oz., this kit easily mounts to your helmet with industrial strength Velcro, Amoeba is a very small operation and each lighting kit is hand built at their facility in Colorado. Continue reading Single Cell Lightform
At 60 lumens the Energizer Micro LED Headlight will shed light on your evening run.
Evening runs get to be a bit daunting in the winter months. It gets dark, and you want to be sure you can see and be seen. That’s especially true in residential or even rural areas where streets may not be lit to brighter-than-day standards. It’s for these late-day runs and camping that the Energizer Micro LED Headlight comes in use. The LED light packs 60 lumens into a small light, and is waterproof to 1 meter, so you can even use it in the rain.
The light is mounted to an adjustable elastic band that fits snugly around your head, and the single AA battery fits discreetly in the back. The light has three modes: bright 60 lumens, dimmed from 100 percent to 6 percent light, and light from two red LEDs. The bright spotlight is rated to provide two hours of power, while the red light will shine for up to eight hours on a single battery. The light itself can also be angled three ways while mounted on your forehead including straight ahead, and two angles facing down.
In our tests the spotlight was quite bright, and even at a dimmer setting we were able to see what was ahead of us, and even a little wider area. If you use the light for running, or doing work around the house, you’ll have no problems seeing where you’re headed. The interesting setting is the red light setting. This is best for camping or being able get around in a dark space but not necessarily doing work. The red color is a bit easier on the eyes, and doesn’t cause you to lose all sight when you turn out the light. We were able to see in detail objects at arms length, and even a little beyond. We could read text easily, and saw enough detail to get around tight areas without colliding into objects.
No matter the setting, we advise you to adjust the light to face down slightly. This will still shine a bright light in order for you to see and more importantly be seen. Yet you won’t blind oncoming traffic. You’ll also save your own eyes in case you look into the mirror. That bright light will shine right back in your eyes! There’s other headlights on the market we’d like to try, but we do think Energizer gets it right for providing different brightness and light settings, plus angles while keeping it light and secure enough to stay on your head while running or doing other activities.
This year at the 2010 Veloswap, Amoeba was showcasing their newest LED light, the 2x Cree XP-G R5. The name makes this system sound complicated, but it really is not. The company’s name is derived from the amoeba, the simplest life form on Earth. They follow their name and design their lights to simply have one mode – on and off.