Review of CatEye Bike Head Light HL-EL120

CatEye Bike Head Light HL-EL120
By: Cateye Average Rating: 2.0 Total Reviews: 1
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Beam is too dim and narrow to be useful.

On: 2007-12-09

I bought this as a second, backup light to complement my main headlight, a 3W LED light. This light uses a single low power white LED powered by two AA batteries. The light has a very tight focus and can be set to flash, or be constantly on. I havent tested the runtime, but it should be in the order of 100 hours.

I fully understand that a single 5mm LED will only put out so much light, so I was hoping this could help others see me, not necessarily help me see the road. Unfortunately Cateye made the beam VERY narrow, which is NOT what you want for a "to be seen" light. Its WAY too dim to serve as a headlight but the beam is WAY too narrow to help others see you - unless its pointed directly into their eyes. I know this will sound harsh, but this light isnt good for anything. If you want an LED headlight, spend the extra $15 or so to get the Cateye HL-EL530 or the Planet Bike 1W Super Spot (which I also reviewed). Both of them have a VASTLY brighter, 1W LED which actually puts out enough light to be useful as a headlight at night.