Review of NiteRider UltraFazer Max Headlight 2 AA batteries included LT9144

NiteRider UltraFazer Max Headlight 2 AA batteries included LT9144
By: NiteRider Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 2
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Really good flash for your bike.

On: 2008-01-07

Simple. Easy to install. 2 AA batteries run hours with the led lightbulb. Id buy again if they come out with even brighter flash.

Pure white light, Well Made

On: 2007-10-20

Bought this pup as a backup like to my Niterider MiNewt Dual. Niterider claims it puts out 70 lumens, the same as my MiNewt In a side by side test Id say its weaker than the MiNewt, but not by much. More bluish cast to the beam. Beam is tight with a wide even peripheral corona that should do well for an average commuter. Plastic lens and reflector are thin

Its kind of expensive but well made. Its waterproof to 50 meters (overkill). Because of this it uses a magnetic on/off switch. This is a likely a feature from their underwater lights that they have obviously adapted to this pup. So a strong magnet can turn it on if it gets to close to the housing.

Uses a 1 watt Luxeon which are the most renoun (and likely most expensive) LEDs available. I called Niterider to ask how they dissipate all that heat and the tech I spoke to didnt have a clue. I discovered that underneath the front cap is a large heat sink which does get hot on the high setting. Again this is like an underwater light. The outside of the plastic housing feels lukewarm to the touch after a long burn. In practice the light burns for longer than advertized but reverts to the low setting for brightness.

The battery life is adequate for a backup light, but for regular use youd want to get some NiMH rechargeables. Thats where this light really shines (pun intended). With NiMH cells it is brighter for longer than with Alkaline batteries. According to Niterider its the only 2 cell high wattage LED headlight thats designed for NiMH. From my cursory search this appears to be true.

alkalines in general dont work well in high current applications such as digital camera and high wattage lights. Because of the high current draw alkalines are damaged by the current load before they can deliver their rated power. So if you going to use this puppy regularly, use it as intended: with rechargeables.

In my application as a backup light I will load it with alkalines since it will only see usage if I ever have a failure of my main light. It will live in my seatpost bag. For me its perfect. Its extremely small. It runs on the same cell type as my other bike lights so I can scavenge the other batteries in an emergency.

For my purposes as a backup light It fits the bill nicely and Im confident itll work when I need it. If you use this light as a backup itll be a good idea to but a piece of tape across the switch to prevent an accidental turn on in your bag.

Highly Recommended