Chinese Lights

Just a heads up for anyone considering buying a light from China. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has placed heavy restrictions on the transport of lithium ion batteries. I ordered 2 lights from China and both packages were rejected by customs security checks, there is a chance they could get through but it’s a real spin of the roulette wheel.

Amazon.ca has some of these Chinese lights, the cost is higher and the selection is lower. Of course the quality of these lights and their clones is still as risky but I took a chance on this Magicshine MJ-880 clone, we’ll see how it goes.
https://www.amazon.ca/OxyLED-Waterproof-Rechargeable-Headlight-Hiking--Black/dp/B00JGNEMK6/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1475757407&sr=1-1&keywords=oxyled

I believe @JeffV and myself both ran into that issue. Our lights ended up being shipped on the slow boat from China (literally…there’s a reason that’s a saying). I think mine took ~3 weeks to get here, Jeff’s was the better part of a month or so.

Note, the batteries and headlamp do not need to come from same supplier.

The LEDs seem to be bomb proof. Only the batteries are in question. I think someone mentioned the top are Panasonic or something. That was a while ago though.

The batteries are groupings of 18650 cells, named after their dimensions in mm — 18 mm x 65 mm.

Dx.com didn’t seem to offer different shipping methods that I noticed. I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of re-ordering.

@JeffV, you’re right about the Panasonic, much better than the generic Chinese ones, the other big issue is with generic chargers that can be prone to over charging the batteries, regardless of the protection circuits on the cells. Apparently there are also cheap knock off Cree LED’s showing up in lights that specifically state Cree XM-L T6 or U2 in the description.

If you’re willing to piece together a kit from different suppliers you can have an amazing light with excellent burn time and durability with no risk of explosions. For half the price of the brand name lights.

I had the same experience with the same light from DX.com. It took an extra 2-3 weeks because they tried to send it by air, it was rejected and had to be rerouted by boat. Unfortunately DX doesn’t offer different shipping options, otherwise I could have selected boat to begin with and saved some time.

It’s a really great light though for only $30.

P.s. I never leave the battery unattended when charging.

I had a problem with a charger not charging fully and left me in the dark and in hoc quite a few ride before I figured out the source of the issue.

Thanks again, @Jetter for the battery loans, lol.

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I have one like this:

They say free 24hr shipping now too.

What’s your thoughts on it @jeff ? Do you like it ? And did it come with everything.

I’m happy with mine so far, and got mine in 2 days from amazon.ca, well worth the extra cost and guaranteed that it will arrive. There’s no way you’re going to get a light from China in 2 days, it will very likely get rejected by customs.

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Some light sets do not come with a head strap. The strap can be easily modified to attach to a helmet.

Has anyone seen just a head strap alon for these lights? I have 3 light sets that 2 could be loaners but only have bar mount possibility for them.

So what happens if they get rejected

It gets sent back to the shipper, only ground shipping (boat from China) will clear for sure, and you’re looking at up to 5 weeks delivery time. I got a refund and purchased one that ships from Canada

mine didn’t come with a head strap, I just used the helmet mount from my old light. It’s pretty easy to come up with something just unscrew the original mount and screw on anything you want. Heard of people using gopro mounts pretty easily.

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I juuuust got this one in the mail today after ordering 5 weeks ago. I got my buyer protection extended the day before it showed up.

What’s the best way to modify the headstrap to attach it to a helmet @JeffV?

I have one like this for mine; Helmet mount. Added some velcro to the bottom of the mount and top of my helmet to make it extra secure with less wobbles.

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Not sure I have a best way… I cut the headband on one side and then pass the strap through the vents in the helmet and use the adjustment buckle to tighten it so it will not move. The elasticity of the strap helps with that.

Some use a Velcro strap instead.

The plastic light mount ends up sitting on top of the helmet instead of on the forehead where it would sit if the head mount was used as intended but it works well and the vertical angle of the beam is adjustable.

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@JonMacD I have the same light. I attach it to my helmet with this helmet mount that came with another light I got from MEC.

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If you’re looking to get a light quicker, the Planet Bike Blaze 500 and 600 lights at MEC aren’t super expensive - $50 and $67. A pretty basic helmet mount is another $5.

Made in Taiwan (which is sort of China).

Figured this video should be posted here for anyone interested:

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Got to say I’m pretty happy with my Chinese light. It’s plenty bright and lasts long enough for any night ride I’ve done to date. My battery is much better sealed than the one in the video.

One of the wires on mine had a bad connection, I emailed the company and they sent me another, no questions asked, no returns necessary. Now I have 2 lights.

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