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I need some new lights and Gloworm's offerings seem really good. However, I haven't really found any places to buy them from other than Luminous.bike in Greece.
Does anyone have any experience in dealing with the company, how's the service etc.?
Any experiences with Gloworm lights would be nice to hear too!
I'm torn between them and Lupines. I'm sure Lupines would be top excellent but the prices are just astronomical compared to all competition, inc. not only lights but accessories and batteries as well.
I spoke direct to the guys in New Zealand and they dispatched the light via their distributor in Greece - they were really helpful. That was of course pre-brexit and I didn’t pay any duty - I assume
it’ll be payable now
Forgot to say - I’m running an XS on my bars and it’s been great - have also had an x1, x2 and an Alpha - all great lights
The x2 is the best light I’ve ever used .
I was looking at Gloworm, Xeccon Zeta 1600, Lupine Blika R and the Exposure Diablo Sync Mk2. I really wanted a remote for a head torch having owned an Exposure Diablo 7 which didn't have a remote but I liked the thought of not taking my hands off the bars to change settings. I also wanted to refine the modes so I liked the idea of an app to customise the settings.
I bought the Exposure and thought it was well made but the battery ran out too quickly. I may not have had the optimum settings but I really wasn't impressed with the remote which although connected and functioned responsively is not built with usability in mind. It's got tiny little buttons and just looks like not much effort or thought went into the design. I didn't like the cheapness of the button click either. Exposure's app also sends analytics data to Google so I sent the light back for those two reasons.
I sold my old Exposure Diablo and a Silva Trail running light and got the Lupine Blika R. It's amazing. It replaces both of those lights, has amazing control over the settings, a dual switch remote with sensibly sized buttons. The app is clean, well designed and sends no data to third parties. The battery is a sensible capacity. The light even has a stealth mode and it's just incredibly well designed both mechanically and electronically. It is really expensive though but better than any light I've owned in the past. I bought the additional heatsink and have a spare battery but because of the control I have over the settings and ease of mode change via the remote one battery lasts about four 15 mile off-road spins so I've not needed the spare. I have three remotes one for each bike and one zip tied around the strap of my G-Shock watch. Yeh I spent shit loads but I got carried away after playing with it. The battery can be used as a USB power bank if need be. It's my ideal bikepacking light for sure.
Excellent lights and customer service.
I had an XS for years, when that started to play up I messaged Gloworm who without any question about age or condition shipped me a brand new XS kit with new batteries, wireless remote etc. I’ve since bought the X2 which I use as a helmet light and can both be pared to the same remote (either independently or linked together on the same button).
Never had any issues with them coming from Greece, the guys there are super helpful and bits turn up quickly. Also Mark at MTB Batteries can help with out of warranty stuff and supply aftermarket batteries if needed.
Thanks for the replies! Nice to hear people's experiences and I'm liking what I'm hearing!
Been looking at XS + Alpha or X2 combo and seems like that could really be the way to go.
Found out that Luminous is offering 15% discount at the moment if one subscribes to their newsletter, so Bar + Helmet combo would actually come out cheaper than Lupine Piko with heatsink, gopro mount, and a spare battery. Blika does seem like an amazing light and would probably easily suffice in a 1 light setup. However, it ia out of stock everywhere in bluetooth guise atm, making the choice a little bit easier.