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

Planet Bike 5000X - 3.5 WATT Xenon Bicycle Headlight (3002)
By: Planet Bike Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 9
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Very good light for the money

On: 2007-10-04

We purchased this light to put on my sons 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 LEDs 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.

Great light for the price

On: 2007-07-19

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. Its also very compact. My commute leads me through an urban area thats well lit and a country area thats 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 $$.

excellent service, great headlight

On: 2007-03-31

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

Light bulb has a short life

On: 2007-03-09

It took about two weeks to use up the bulb.

Good Commuter Light

On: 2007-01-10

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

Fairly Bright

On: 2007-01-07

Ive 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 Cateyes 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 dont have rechargable batteries, I think youd 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 its much brighter too.

Fairly Bright

On: 2007-01-06

Ive 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 Cateyes 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 dont have rechargable batteries, I think youd 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 its much brighter too.

Bike Light Review

On: 2006-11-10

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.

good choice for nighttime city riding w/o bulky battery pack

On: 2006-09-02

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 havent checked out CatEyes 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. Its definitely bright enough that you can use it "to see" rather than just "to be seen". However, its 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. Id go slower or get a brighter light for riding unknown routes in darkness, but thats 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 doesnt accidentally get switched on in my pannier. I also like the two power levels (3000/5000 candlepower) to conserve battery when Im 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 its survived a couple accidental drops onto concrete from about five feet.

I use this light with rechargeable NiMH batteries, but I cant say much about battery life, since my commute isnt 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 doesnt 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 wouldnt submerge this thing, but Ive 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, theyre 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.

good choice for nighttime city riding w/o bulky battery pack

On: 2006-09-01

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 havent checked out CatEyes 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. Its definitely bright enough that you can use it "to see" rather than just "to be seen". However, its 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. Id go slower or get a brighter light for riding unknown routes in darkness, but thats 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 doesnt accidentally get switched on in my pannier. I also like the two power levels (3000/5000 candlepower) to conserve battery when Im 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 its survived a couple accidental drops onto concrete from about five feet.

I use this light with rechargeable NiMH batteries, but I cant say much about battery life, since my commute isnt 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 doesnt 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 wouldnt submerge this thing, but Ive 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, theyre 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.

good choice for nighttime city riding w/o bulky battery pack

On: 2005-11-25

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. Its definitely bright enough that you can use it "to see" rather than just "to be seen". However, its 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. Id go slower or get a brighter light for riding unknown routes in darkness, but thats 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 doesnt accidentally get switched on in my pannier. I also like the two power levels (3000/5000 candlepower) to conserve battery when Im 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 its survived a couple accidental drops onto concrete from about five feet.

I use this light with rechargeable NiMH batteries, but I cant say much about battery life, since my commute isnt 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 doesnt 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 wouldnt submerge this thing, but Ive 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.