WARNING: The battery pack of this light has been known to ignite while charging, causing a fire that destroyed a home.
Back in November I ordered the 5,000 lumen SolarStorm™ bike light on Amazon.com for the too-good-to-be-true price of $17.56 (plus free shipping). Here’s my review for those who are considering taking a chance and purchasing this or any other “cheapo” light from Amazon or eBay.
Ridiculous Delivery Times
I placed my order on November 22, 2014 and was given a delivery window between December 22, 2014 and January 9, 2015. I was cautiously optimistic that I might actually receive my light before Christmas, but it wasn’t really a gift so I wasn’t in a huge rush.
A few weeks after placing my order I mentioned my purchase to a biking buddy and he remarked that the delivery was probably slow because they still had to invent a 5,000 lumen bike light that cost less than $20. Ha!
In all seriousness, these lights are typically sold and marketed directly by the manufacturer (or at the very least, a company that’s located overseas close to manufacturing) so long lead times are to be expected. For such a low price (and free shipping!) I figured my light was making the slow journey from Asia on a boat rather than a DHL jet. The DHL tracking number I received was invalid but sometimes that happens, right?
No Show
The shipping information on Amazon.com said my light would be delivered by 8pm on Friday, January 9. It turned out that the price really was too good to be true, since the light never arrived! On Monday I decided to contact the seller to let them know about the problem but, surprise! No response.
Ok, again, I shouldn’t be shocked: at such a low price, how can anyone afford to offer reasonable shipping or customer service? Clicking over to the seller’s page I quickly realized I wasn’t the only person who was having problems. In one day alone the seller had received at least a dozen 1-star reviews with all the reviewers stating they never received their goods. Uh oh. I think I got scammed.
In writing this article I went back to the product page and lo and behold, there’s a new seller (the old one was probably tanked from all the poor reviews) and the new seller claimed to have 9 lights left in stock. Sure, the price went up a few cents to $18.00 but that’s still a deal–and the lights are in stock! Even if I end up paying for this twice, it’s still a 5,000 lumen light for under $36. You know how the old saying goes: fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
The Light
Clearly I don’t have the light, but after looking through reviews from customers who presumably did receive a light at some point, there are some red flags. Amazon reviewer Scott A. Hauert says:
Charged and tested in dark garage side-by-side with the 2800 [lumen] SecurityING. They are the same.
Ok, so the light might actually produce just half the claimed 5,000 lumens. I guess that’s ok. On our light buyer’s guide the closest (legit) thing we found was a 6,000 lumen behemoth… and it costs about $1,200. Not only does it seem the bulbs aren’t as bright as claimed, but other reviewers point out there are issues with the battery as well. Andrew McQuinn says:
…the battery pack is not as advertised. Two of four cells in the battery pack aren’t even real batteries, but rather dummy cells. As it arrived, the 2 working cells were wired in series for 7.2 volts with 2 useless dummies hanging on. As such, the capacity is 1300 mAh @ 7.2v, or 20% the advertised amperage.
Honestly I couldn’t even find claimed battery life listed anywhere on the product page when I ordered, so I didn’t know what to expect. But providing just 20% of the advertised amperage is completely ridiculous.
Buyer Beware
As many readers pointed out when we first published our light buyers guide back in November, there are many inexpensive light options out there beyond the big names on our list. However, clearly there are benefits to buying reputable brands from reputable sellers. Notably:
- Shipping and customer service. If I had purchased a light from Chain Reaction Cycles or JensonUSA or even a local bike shop, you can bet I wouldn’t be quoted a shipping date a month out. Plus, I feel confident I would at least get a response from customer service to address any issues.
- Truth in advertising. When I buy a light from NiteRider or Light & Motion, I expect the lights to be as bright as claimed, and I expect the batteries to last at least as long as stated.
- Safety. I expect brand name lights to be safe–batteries are packed with reactive chemicals that can pose a safety hazard if they’re not assembled correctly.
- Trust. How can anyone trust a company that inserts dummy parts into a product? Brands like NiteRider have built consumer trust over a 25-year period and won’t cut corners to undermine the trust they’ve worked so hard to build.
Is buying an inexpensive, no-name light from an Amazon or eBay seller worth the risk? Ultimately that’s up to the buyer. For me, risking $17.56 on a light that might not actually exist wasn’t a big deal but if it had been, say, $50 or more, I probably would have balked.
Still, there’s the off chance that my light might actually arrive one day. If it does, I’ll definitely give it a try and will post my review right here. Stay tuned. 🙂
What has your experience buying cheapo bike lights been like?
WARNING: The battery pack of this light has been known to ignite while charging, causing a fire that destroyed a home.
Warnings added on December 14, 2015.
20 Comments
Jan 17, 2017
As far as batteries. People have to rethink the way they do things. Adapt or die. I use one of these http://a.co/5DBX33T (Amazon mini charbroil charcoal grill) in my garage to charge all my batteries. Now you might argue that getting an expensive name brand which will relieve your worries about your house burning down. It is just a false sense of security, Do you trust one of the largest electronics manufacturers Samsung and their newest Note cellular phone? These batteries are used in e-bikes, cars, drones, Radio contolled toys and other hobbies, yes even lights for bikes. If you are going to charge batteries, put them in a grill in your garage or outside and charge them. Or you could make your own battery bunker. http://www.flitetest.com/articles/lipo-battery-bunker
Stay safe. It is ok to buy Amazon lights for 17 bucks if you charge your batteries in a safe way. Being safe requires you change the way you think about charging batteries.
Jan 17, 2017
Jan 19, 2015
One theme I'm picking up on (and which I included in my article) is the fact that quality/customer service is inconsistent. Some people claim the lights work great, others claim they smell smoke when they charge the lights. Clearly there are two sides to the story and I tried to make that clear.
Another theme seems to be that readers own MULTIPLE sets of these lights (more than 1 person claims to own 4 or more sets.) This is either a ringing endorsement or we're not getting the full story. A person might also buy 4 sets because:
1. The batteries don't last like they should
2. One or more of the sets died
3. The lights aren't bright enough by themselves
4. Replacement parts are good to have on hand
Finally, perhaps it was unfair to call this a review of the light itself; a better title might have been "Review of the process of shopping for and buying an inexpensive light."
It's true that you can buy 4 cheap lights for the cost of one set from a name brand. However, not everyone wants to deal with the potential hassle or risk their time/money on tracking down a reliable light.
Additional edit: I should also note that I purposely chose to purchase and review this light because it was so ridiculously cheap and bright. Admittedly it's an extreme example of the off-brand lights available for purchase online. However, it's not clear where the line is (is a $40 light a safe buy? how about an $80 light?)
Jan 17, 2017
A solid group of us have done 24hr races for the last decade, the common trend (in almost ever csde) is that anyone who spends less than ~$125 will find themselves walking out at some point.
The other thing with some cheapy lights is that they just aren't tidy packages so you wind up struggling with cables and electrical tape.
My advice is to spend a little more than $100 on something from a company that focuses on riding lights vs less from a battery/electronics company.
Jan 19, 2015
Jan 12, 2017
I've ridden with people who spend hundreds on a light and this was in practice just as good. I tend to mount it on handle bars and put a knog light on my helmet - not having wires to a battery the knog are more convenient on the helmet. However with the superior battery life this the one I rely on even though it much cheaper. I have spare knogs I so I can swap thess if I need to.
Jan 22, 2015
Jan 19, 2015
However be very careful to not let the battery charge without you being around it. First charge I smelt smoke\burning wiring. However it still works. I've been told by others you can get the battery pack rebuilt or even replaced at Batteries Plus + or other battery shops that rebuild batteries and sell replacement batteries.
I really just bought mine for the driver and not the battery.
Would I buy another? Yup! At $17.xx it was a good gamble.
Jan 19, 2015
Jan 22, 2015
Jan 20, 2015
Jan 19, 2015
The nerve that has been touched is that you, yourself, are publishing a review without any first-hand experience of the product itself.
I read the Amazon reviews before buying my lights and thought there was enough positive ratings to take the chance when I bought my first set. But I do still wonder if how common the negative issues are with these lights. So I clicked on what I thought was going to be a professional review.
The shipping issues are a problem and I did have a friend who went through the same ordeal (though the lights did eventually show up with an odd english-as-second-language not included apologizing for the delay). But the savvy Amazon user knows better than to just blindly order the lowest price listed for a product.
The fact of the matter is, that for me, these lights have performed to the level of lights costing 5-times as much.
Jan 19, 2015
I have until April to request a refund from Amazon so there's still plenty of time. :)
Jan 20, 2015
Jan 19, 2015
Jan 19, 2015
I will say, it's hard to pass-up these lights for the price. Though I am usually a big supporter of my local shop and don't often buy no-name products I cannot figure out why bike lights are so expensive. It was while researching a replacement battery for a Light & Motion Stella (over $100) that I came across the "Cree" lights on Amazon. It just made more sense to give the cheap lights a try.
Jan 19, 2015
Jan 28, 2015
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Jan 21, 2015