Planet Bike 5000X - 3.5 WATT Xenon Bicycle Headlight (3002)

by Planet Bike

Product Features

• Dual Power circuitry with soft touch switch accesses two power settings
• Pop-out battery carriage convenient for using rechargeables
• QuickCam handlebar mount and side light for visibility

Product Description

3.5 watt, 4.8 volt Xenon Bulb with Vision Optics Beam. Dual Power circuitry with soft touch switch accesses two power settings: Low = 3000 Candlepower with 3-4 hr run time. High = 5000 Candlepower with 1.5-2 hr run time. Pop-out battery carriage convenient for using rechargeables. QuickCam handlebar mount and side light for visibility.

Product Details

• ASIN: B000HTX132
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,254 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good choice for nighttime city riding w/o bulky battery pack, September 1, 2006

By 

K. Yasuhara (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Planet Bike 5000X - 3.5 WATT Xenon Bicycle Headlight (3002) (Misc.)

I chose this light after being dissatisfied with the performance of LED-based options like the CatEye HL-EL500, whose battery life might kick butt, but the beam is too dim and too narrow to see with. (I haven't checked out CatEye's updated HL-EL520, FYI.)

Considering this light works off 4 AAs, rather than a bulky, external battery pack, I think it does a decent job of lighting the way. It's definitely bright enough that you can use it "to see" rather than just "to be seen". However, it's not a light I would recommend for folks who like to go 15+ mph in complete darkness. (You folks should consider big-battery halogens or pricey HIDs.) There are only a few stretches on my nighttime commute that are completely dark, and I feel comfortable going around 12 mph with this light. I'd go slower or get a brighter light for riding unknown routes in darkness, but that's very seldom here in the city.

I like the fact that you have to hold down the power button to turn it on, so it doesn't accidentally get switched on in my pannier. I also like the two power levels (3000/5000 candlepower) to conserve battery when I'm riding partially lit areas.

The quick release is indeed very quick, and the light slides into place with a confidence-inspiring click. The light is sturdy enough that it's survived a couple accidental drops onto concrete from about five feet.

I use this light with rechargeable NiMH batteries, but I can't say much about battery life, since my commute isn't too long and I recharge before draining batteries dry. With two power settings and NiMH batteries gradually increasing in capacity, battery life probably varies widely.

Planet Bike doesn't advertise this light to be waterproof, but the switch on top is rubber, and the battery cage has a rubber gasket. The only other opening I see is on the bottom of the light, and I expect that to be covered up by the quick release bracket. I wouldn't submerge this thing, but I've had no trouble riding in rain.

Finally, Planet Bike donates 25% of its profits to bike advocacy, which I think is terrific.

I wonder if the newest LED-based lights are approaching the brightness of this light. LEDs have the advantage of not burning out, but in my experience so far, they're just not bright enough. (FYI, Planet Bike sells replacement bulbs for this light.)

For self-contained (i.e., no separate battery pack) lights, I think this is among the best values out there...a great choice for folks willing to take it slow but want to see in the dark.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good choice for nighttime city riding w/o bulky battery pack, November 24, 2005

By 

K. Yasuhara (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I chose this light after being dissatisfied with the performance of LED-based options like the CatEye HL-EL500, whose battery life might kick butt, but the beam is too dim and too narrow to see with.

Considering this light works off 4 AAs, rather than a bulky, external battery pack, I think it does a decent job of lighting the way. It's definitely bright enough that you can use it "to see" rather than just "to be seen". However, it's not a light I would recommend for folks who like to go 15+ mph in complete darkness. (You folks should consider big-battery halogens or pricey HIDs.) There are only a few stretches on my nighttime commute that are completely dark, and I feel comfortable going around 12 mph with this light. I'd go slower or get a brighter light for riding unknown routes in darkness, but that's very seldom here in the city.

I like the fact that you have to hold down the power button to turn it on, so it doesn't accidentally get switched on in my pannier. I also like the two power levels (3000/5000 candlepower) to conserve battery when I'm riding partially lit areas.

The quick release is indeed very quick, and the light slides into place with a confidence-inspiring click. The light is sturdy enough that it's survived a couple accidental drops onto concrete from about five feet.

I use this light with rechargeable NiMH batteries, but I can't say much about battery life, since my commute isn't too long and I recharge before draining batteries dry. With two power settings and NiMH batteries gradually increasing in capacity, battery life probably varies widely.

Planet Bike doesn't advertise this light to be waterproof, but the switch on top is rubber, and the battery cage has a rubber gasket. The only other opening I see is on the bottom of the light, and I expect that to be covered up by the quick release bracket. I wouldn't submerge this thing, but I've had no trouble riding in rain.

Finally, Planet Bike donates 25% of its profits to bike advocacy, which I think is terrific.

For self-contained (i.e., no separate battery pack) lights, I think this is among the best values out there...a great choice for folks willing to take it slow but want to see in the dark.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fairly Bright, January 6, 2007

By 

James C. Duncan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Planet Bike 5000X - 3.5 WATT Xenon Bicycle Headlight (3002) (Misc.)

I've had this light for about a month now. Prior to the 5000x I was using a Cateye EL-500 LED light. The 5000x is much brighter, but is more of a yellowish color as opposed to the Cateye's white light. For seeing the road, this is superior to the Cateye. It provides not only a wider beam, but is overall much brighter. I use both at the same time, and on country roads with no streetlights and occasional potholes, I feel confident up to about 20 mph. It really helps to aim this light further down the road, while using the dimmer EL-500 to light the road directly in front of the front tire. While this combo pales in comparison to HID lights, it is much less expensive. I use rechargable batteries since this light does eat batteries fairly quickly. In comparison, the EL-500 LED light seems to go forever on one set of batteries.

For any inexpensive light, the 5000x is good enough to see with, though I recommend supplementing it with another light for seeing the road, though it would be enough on its own at lower speeds. If you don't have rechargable batteries, I think you'd be better off with one of the LED lights, but the 5000x along with 4 AA rechargables and a charger is still less expensive than the Cateye EL-500 or the newer EL-530. And it's much brighter too.