Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Very good commuter light. Casts a broad and bright beam. Only downside is short battery life especially in the cold.

I tend to ride between 15 - 20mph on my 8 mile commute. This light is powerful enough and has a wide enough beam for me to ride safely at that speed at night. It's also very compact. My commute leads me through an urban area that's well lit and a country area that's very dark, and it does the job well in both areas. I like the fact that it has a hi and low setting so I can adjust it as needed. I also like the fact that it takes regular AA batteries because I can use rechargeables and save $$.

This light works very good! I use rechargeable batteries in it and the light is good and seems to last several hours. I wish there was a holder for the battery case, so I would not have to remove the batteries to charge them up, the case is difficult to get the batteries out of.
All in all this is a very good light and a good buy.

We purchased this light to put on my son's dirt bike for a night ride a few weeks ago. We put a total of three lights on the bike. One primary and two backups. The trail we were riding was woods mostly single track. Light worked well plenty bright as this light as the primary.
Never needed the backup lights.
I will use it on my bicycle in the future plenty bright enough for road use.
Much brighter than the LED's that are becoming popular.
Nice item at a fair price for ocassional use.We used it about 2 hours with no problems
I would want a battery pack for longer use.
Worked great for us.

It took about two weeks to use up the bulb.

I wasn't pleased at all with the light output and the battery life isn't good either

Headlight was delivered very promptly, packaged well and product is working great. Would recommend buying from them!