MTB Lights for Night Riding – $300 vs $18

MTB Lights for Night Riding – $300 vs $18

Today we’ll be testing a really high end bike light, and a really low end bike light. Is it worth using a cheap one and just replacing it when it breaks? Is it worth paying for a high performance one? We test the bikes for run time, go to the mountain bike trails, and even dunk them in water.

For a transcript of this video, turn on closed captions.

Buster 200 (helmet light) http://amzn.to/2hQbjs3
Buster 2000 (high end light) http://amzn.to/2hQ9KKE
Amazon Light http://amzn.to/2gLtFyc

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sethsbikehacks

50 Comments

  1. Sporty on June 27, 2019 at 8:31 pm

    great video lolololol



  2. James Hart on June 27, 2019 at 8:33 pm

    I just picked up the Bright Eyes Helios 1600 Luman head light and I’ve been using it for a little over a week. 57 dollars from Amazon, oh, that does include shipping. So yeah, there are alternative too the 300 dollar lights.



  3. StreetDreamzTT on June 27, 2019 at 8:35 pm

    I ride a bmx since I do city riding other than the regular trick session. I bought a $20 light from amazon a year ago and it’s still holding up. I don’t really ride in the rain so that could help. Seeing the cost of high end road bikes and mountain bikes tho, I can see how it will be pretty normal for someone to shell out $300 for that light. While in my application, $300 is almost the cost of the best frame in bmx. I think both lights are great when used in the proper situation.



  4. BIGCHUNGUS WABBIT on June 27, 2019 at 8:35 pm

    Why did u fish them out with a metal pole



  5. David Ross miller on June 27, 2019 at 8:35 pm

    Just put a small amount of ATV clear sliacone to seal the battery. But I don’t plan on riding in rain.



  6. Anthony Steele on June 27, 2019 at 8:37 pm

    circuit boards can be waterproofed with a waterproof coating



  7. Harrison Townend on June 27, 2019 at 8:38 pm

    I made my own lights for my bike from light pods



  8. dhudson369 on June 27, 2019 at 8:40 pm

    I got a civit bike light from lidl for £13 which is better than both of them



  9. Denys 277 on June 27, 2019 at 8:40 pm

    My bike light is 3$, what r u talking about 18$, that’s too much



  10. Ray Hughes on June 27, 2019 at 8:40 pm

    I really enjoyed your comparison. I have been using the nitecore br35. It is a 1800 Lumen headlight is amazing.



  11. Daan Huysmans on June 27, 2019 at 8:40 pm

    I’m using the buster 200 for a year now. Best light for biking on the road in traffic.



  12. Bulgarian George on June 27, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    5000 is nothing just been on ebay thought there might be a video showing the best light for the best price, just seen one for 17.99

    10,000 BLOODY Lumens are you mad



  13. Benjamin Rockwell on June 27, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    I call night time my little blue bubble of safety. Because of my light.



  14. Mark H Hendricks on June 27, 2019 at 8:42 pm

    I have had one of those Amazon lights now for near ten years. The new ones are a bit more waterproof (one for each of my regular bikes), BUT in daily commuting, through Midwest winter’s, it still has never failed. I still get at least five hours on the low setting and have never felt the need for anything more on city streets or rural MUPs. If I were mtn biking hard at night, I might want two.



  15. Erik ROSSEN on June 27, 2019 at 8:42 pm

    If you ride a lot at night it’s worth thinkig about a dynamo hub powered system. Yes granted the brightness isn’t anywhere near 2000 lumen, but you will never ever need to worry about having no light at all. Great to combine with a small head mounted batter powered unit as shown here.



  16. MrRedtaco11 on June 27, 2019 at 8:43 pm

    I had bought a headlight for my MTB many years ago from Europe on Amazon. Since that I lived in North America it was going to take a bit to get here, no problem. The company that I got the light from was all good until they couldn’t find it in tracking anymore. I ended up getting the light finally and it didn’t have all the options that the Amazon description had said. From what I remember, there was a mode that was posted on Amazon but wasn’t on the actual light. I kept on e-mailing the company and I was ignored. Since that I got the light Amazon wasn’t going to refund my money. I ended up leaving a bad review for the seller and stating why. The light is still good until this day. By bike light standards it’s big, bulky and kind of a pain in the ass. It’s still good for the city night time but I don’t believe everything I read when it comes to Amazon.



  17. Joshua Mack on June 27, 2019 at 8:45 pm

    i didnt bother Looking whether you said it, but the magic word for bright n cheap Lights on Amazon/eBay is "cree led"



  18. Nightshade on June 27, 2019 at 8:45 pm

    You don’t understand how lumens vs lensing works



  19. robbin - on June 27, 2019 at 8:46 pm

    My MTB was less then 300



  20. J## S#####r on June 27, 2019 at 8:47 pm

    The more expensive lights are "worth" it. I myself just buy the cheap lights and mount the battery packs in a water proof case ($2-10) Or I make my own battery packs. Either way it’s still better to buy the better lights if (if) you ride primarily in the dark.



  21. Blu BoX on June 27, 2019 at 8:48 pm

    Also that’s not the type of salt in water that’s a different salt you need a special kind of salt



  22. crimescene25 on June 27, 2019 at 8:52 pm

    This guys voice sounds like every workplace training video you are forced to watch.



  23. Curly_fries03 on June 27, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    I use the nestling bike light and it is really good, it’s the same as the other amazon light, same price but is longer and better in my opinion, it says it’s 2400 lumen but I don’t think is as much as that. It’s rechargeable and battery lasts quite a while. And pretty waterproof



  24. Frank Stein on June 27, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    Fenix BC21R on my bike. I like it, good design with rechargeable AND removable battery



  25. William Carroll on June 27, 2019 at 9:00 pm

    Made a video to your video update.



  26. Ws M on June 27, 2019 at 9:01 pm

    I have had a number of those Chinese lights and use them on a regular commute in rural Vietnam (dark and wet). I keep the battery dry in a saddlebag under my seat and the cable is long enough to string along the top tube to the handlebar. One light was broken in a crash and one battery was destroyed in a flood. The weak component of these lights is the charger. I have had 2 break just trying to unplug them from a wall socket. I now just keep the charger permanently plugged into an adapter and plug that into the wall when I want to charge. Other than that they have been great. Reliable and more than enough light.



  27. Momo shapan on June 27, 2019 at 9:01 pm

    my bike is less than 300 bucks



  28. Thomas Weissbach on June 27, 2019 at 9:07 pm

    Now go and test a Lupine…



  29. shehryar khurram on June 27, 2019 at 9:07 pm

    Whos bike is cheaper than the light



  30. Jeremy R on June 27, 2019 at 9:07 pm

    If you spend like 45 bucks on an Amazon light I have one that lasts 4 hours and is bright enough dunno about lumens or anything ab that but it’s good



  31. A B Bikes Cars N’ Guitars on June 27, 2019 at 9:07 pm

    I just don’t know if saving money is worth potential crotch damage..



  32. AbusingMeta on June 27, 2019 at 9:08 pm

    i love how hes so scared to touch the water with the cheap lamp 😀



  33. BIGCHUNGUS WABBIT on June 27, 2019 at 9:09 pm

    Abyss you fish them out with a metal pole



  34. Pecsi Janos on June 27, 2019 at 9:12 pm

    when i left home my bike headlight, and the night happend, i always buy some cheap lighters with led inside. some red tape always under my seat 😀 2 lighters light up the road before me, and one to the back 😀 (some red tape to it and voila rear light 😀 ), not the best but u can survive a night cycle to home with it 🙂



  35. Beaks 1312 on June 27, 2019 at 9:12 pm

    Why does he jump away from the water after he put the lamp in??The voltage dont kills you,you wont even feel Anything



  36. Blu BoX on June 27, 2019 at 9:13 pm

    Uses metal hose to grab possible electrical hazard out of water to avoid shock… yeah that will.



  37. crimescene25 on June 27, 2019 at 9:14 pm

    LOL 18650 batteries will straight explode like tnt when they short…..Yeah, dont buy the amazon light lol.



  38. Freds Bloggs on June 27, 2019 at 9:14 pm

    How could you seriously look anybody straight in the eye knowing you just coughed up 300 bucks for bicycle lamp? Answer, you can’t!!!

    However, with the Amazon light (which I have) you can positively look menacing at every one!!



  39. take criticism lightly boiii on June 27, 2019 at 9:15 pm

    Lol now in 2019 you can get the same Amazon flashlight price, but this time with the same brighter lumens lights as the German one, man tech is just rapidly growing



  40. Filip fighter on June 27, 2019 at 9:16 pm

    Well you say it is bulletproof. I know why it is. Because it is $300 light and if someone shoot in the light, it would survive. 😂😂



  41. Paul Adams on June 27, 2019 at 9:16 pm

    My amazon light suffered from voltage cut issues…totally annoying. Good when it worked though.



  42. Anthony Steele on June 27, 2019 at 9:19 pm

    if there was no cardboard it wouldn’t soak up the water 😀



  43. Korup7ion on June 27, 2019 at 9:19 pm

    I use dual knog PWR lights, 2000 lumens each and 500 lumen headlight, I’m like a mobile mini sun



  44. Just Drum on June 27, 2019 at 9:22 pm

    the amazon light looks like wally



  45. donor 938 on June 27, 2019 at 9:24 pm

    my bike is 250 dollars :/



  46. m109rider1956 on June 27, 2019 at 9:25 pm

    Q: Youth comes in & asks parts counter salesman "how bout a MTB Light for my bike?"

    A: Salesman looks outside at the bike up from the parts book & replies "Ok, sonny, sounds like a fair trade!"



  47. shekky on June 27, 2019 at 9:28 pm

    i’ve been using the cheap amazon lights for a while now–on my helmet, with a nightrider 950-something-or-other on the bar. the older ones, you could buy lenses for to make them spot or wide-angle. it seems like they last about a year and for the price, i’m not complaining.



  48. Laurent Delacroix on June 27, 2019 at 9:28 pm

    O light makes a great mount for flashlights.
    Many lumen claims are BS



  49. Liviu Traub on June 27, 2019 at 9:29 pm

    Since when do you guys have salty snow??. In the EU the snow is not salty. WTF??



  50. MTB DOGS on June 27, 2019 at 9:30 pm

    I just added and Latin American Spanish translation. Current translation is very good though. I did’t realize there was already one. You could make a nice hack for the Amazon Light in which you cover the batteries and circuits with a balloon. You are welcome!