[Closed] Gloworm X2 lights - first thoughts

What he said. I'd also recommend if you are looking at this price range or above.

very polished review, you should write press releases. any shots of beam pattern from your ride?

Was out with ASK1974 last night and was really impressed with the gloworm. Long throw of light with a nice and wide profile. I'd say the perfect helmet light!

Always reckoned ASK1974 should write for magazines. You should see some of his write ups on actual rides, frigging marvelous!

Will see if we can remember to take comparison shots next time.
Three of us out last night with

1 x Gloworm
1 x Exposure MaxD
1 x Exposure Joystick
1 x High end Magicshine (not sure which one, but it has a cluster of 3 small lights).

All very different beam profiles.

I also had my first ride on my gloworm last night, perfect helmet light IMO due to its low profile and weight. Decent throw and spread of light, I was very impressed with mine. Delivery was really quick too, ordered thurs night and it was delivered sat morning. Satisfied customer so far : )

Cheers rOcKeTdOg and thanks Variflex, very kind. Must start up those post ride reviews again...

I'll get my camera out and take some shots as soon as I can, probably not much point trying to do it with a blackberry on the trail!

Sorry to hijack the thread but has anyone tried one of [url= http://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/ ]these?[/url].

hopster - Member

Sorry to hijack the thread but has anyone tried one of these?.

I have one of these.

Bought just before MM this year.

Its a great little lamp - good enough spread of light for my needs - I run mine bar mounted.

Not experiencing the full run time in Hi mode but that said I could probably run it 100% of the time in Medium.

hopster - yes i've just received my mtbbatteries 'V2' XML (next day delivery) and did a first ride last night.

It has bar and helmet mounts - i went for bar last night just to get out of the door quickly!. Unit is small and looks and feels robust. The light throw on full is impressive. There is a definite centre to the light then a dimmer, but usable wider spread. Because of the massive depth, i could attack all the straighter fast sections of trail full on, but when it got twisty, i realised that helmet mounting may be better, but again it didn't really hold me back. I only rode for 1.5hrs so didn't test the 3hrs on full battery capacity.

I'll get it on the helmet for the next ride. Also, my wife took it out a 5am this morning for a road ride and reported it to be excellent on the road. So far so good, but helmet mounted for mtb use I suspect.

Thanks for the reviews guys. I was thinking of getting one for the winter road bike so I didn't have to keep swapping it over. What's the weatherproofing like on the cables etc..?

hopster - cable weatherproofing - not tested yet, but looks reasonable. I'll find out soon!

It will be good on the road as the throw is great -which for me gets over the problem of running older underpowered mtb flood type lights on the road- just not enough depth for the increased speed.

The glow worm looks well sealed. Grommet into the main light unit and battery. Battery case looks waterproof but has not been tried. Cable plugs look similar to magicshine type and seem secure and waterproof.

Head unit looks well sealed.

Obviously I'll only find out how good it is after a winters riding but there is nothing that would give me concern (unlike cheaper magic shines that I have seen and used).

It has some useful settings for commuting such as flash and 100 and 300 lumens that give much longer battery life than blinding people with the full 1200 and charging everyday.

@ Hopster - Mine was fine for a single night lap at MM with no issues - I think that should demonstrate that the unit is well sealed!

Its amazing how lights have advanced in recent years due to LED's I remember buying some nightsun lights in late 80's early 90's from NTI (chipps will remember them) and being amazed how bright they were but now the tech is stunning for the money.

Thanks again for the reviews, really helpful.

Hopster, this video of the Gloworm X2 dunked in water was quite persuasive...

I've just ordered one to take advantage of the discount ........will try it at the weekend hopefully

Cool, I'm sure you'll be impressed. I'm off to Swinley tonight for my first night ride in the forest, the idea of riding Labyrinth in the dark gives me goose bumps. Can't wait, riding with a couple of STW'ers, perfect weather and perfect trails...

😀

Thanks for the positive feedback folks, it's appreciated. Gloworm make a quality light that will hopefully challenge the likes of Hope and Exposure.

I've had some cracking feedback from customers and a couple have been so happy with theirs they've ordered another for a family member.

singlecrack - you order is being packed now and will be with you tomorrow.

Neninja, really impressed and thanks for such prompt delivery. One comment though. It might be a batch issue but two of the little square [Velcro] bits to allow the switch to stick to my helmet both failed. The sticky backing came free. No big issue as I've super glued one of them back on but thought you might want to know.

One (tiny weeny) blemish on what is an excellent product.

Just received mine, not used it yet but the light itself is impressively tiny!

Does anyone have any tips for attaching the helmet mount? With just a velcro strap it seems like it is very wobbly?

I used tie wraps instead of the velcro, mine is staying as a semi permanent fixture on a helmet so thought the tie wraps would be better, i use one going across from left to right and another from the back slot in the mount securing in between vents - guess it depends on the placement of your vents. Mine is on solid.
As with ask1974 my square velcro patch also came unstuck but no great shakes as it came unstuck at home so just glued it back on.

Neninja what is your website. I know you are not meant to advertise on here. But I an not sure which is your site

Thanks for letting me know about the velcro patches. Sorry about that, I'll pass your comments back to the factory.

I've got some pretty strong self adhesive velcro here and will post you all some that you can cut to the size you require for your bar or helmet to mount the remote switch.

pypdjl -
Does anyone have any tips for attaching the helmet mount? With just a velcro strap it seems like it is very wobbly?

You might find you can do it up tighter if you either trim the velcro strap a little shorter to suit your helmet or wrap the excess a few times round one part of the helmet and then pull the other end tight to join it. I guess it depends on the helmet. I can get mine totally solid doing either of the above.

grahamt1980 - it's ok I do have paid advertising on here - there's often a Gloworm ad that appears on the right hand side of the forum.

ask1974 posted a link in the very first post of this thread

[url= http://www.crgmoto.co.uk/gloworm-x2-led-light-system---version-2---over-1200-real-lumens-1734-p.asp ]HERE[/url]

Grahamt, here you go...

[url= http://www.crgmoto.co.uk/gloworm-x2-led-light-system---version-2---over-1200-real-lumens-1734-p.asp ]Link to Gloworm X2 on Neninja's website[/url]

Pypdjl, I used the Velco tie and it was a firm fit. Probably depends on the shape and style of your helmet though, I removed the light from the bracket so I could apply force from both sides and get the fit nice and tight. Will probably move to cable ties now I'm happy that a helmet mount is ideal.

Cool thank you for the link will see about that later

I'm interested in how well the head strap works. Has anyone used it?

edit: Oh and also, is the flash mode full power or is that controllable? I don't like blinding people with it.

lemonysam - The flash mode is just over 50% power - about 700 lumens.

The headstrap works well with the battery in a back pack or belt mounted (it has a belt slot on the battery pack). Gloworm sponsor several adventure racers (Team Macpac/GirlsonTop and Sia Svendsen) who use the X2 on the headstrap.

There's a review from one of them here by Sia who is one of their sponsored racers -

Any chance of a photo or two of the headstrap and the mountin bracket?

This person on MTBR has taken a few pictures -
http://gallery.mtbr.com/showgallery.php/ppuser/345620/cat/500

It utilises the existing helmet mount which has a soft rubber back to it.

Cheers for the replies, will have another go with the velcro, failing that cable ties it is.

Cheers Neninja, What I can't quite see from that is how the straps thread through the mount. Do you have to completely unthread the adjusters or is there a more straightforward way?

There are 3 slots on the mount - you thread the over the top strap into one and secure it. The round the head strap threads through the 2 vertical slots and is secured through the back plate.

It only takes a few minutes mount it. If you swap between helmet and headstrap frequently I'm sure I could arrange an extra helmet mount so that you would just need to undo the small hex bolt to switch from one to the other.

Cheers for that. I'll have a think...

Bloody 'ell ...that thing is small.............on charge now ....try it out tonight ..
Looks very well made ........

is it a similar size to a Lupine Piko - looks very similar design?

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

There are visual similarities between the X2 and the Piko which are hard to avoid if you are creating a compact twin XM-L light.

The Gloworm is slightly larger than the Piko and has more fins to aid managing heat more effectively allowing the Gloworm to work it's XM-L's harder (450 more lumens than the Piko).

The X2 has helmet and handlebar mounts and a remote switch. Plus the optics in the Gloworm are interchangeable so you can customise the beam pattern to suit your needs - Spot/Flood (standard setup), Spot/Spot or Flood/Flood.

I had a good three hour ride around Swinley on Wednesday with my new Gloworm X2. Really interesting. We set out at dusk (7pm) and rode into darkness so I started on the low setting. After a while we rode through a section of tight, dark woods along twisting singletrack and I was thinking wow this light's great, didn't realise until we were spat out back on to the fire track that I was still on low!

The switch made it really easy to use the light effectively. I spent most of the time on high just switching to low when climbing. Big, wide spread of even light. On the last section back to the car two of our team lost there lights with dead batteries, to be fair they were running older lights but when I lifted the battery I still had 80%.

😀

I did my first proper ride with it last night and noticed the same. I didn't need the high setting which means good things for battery life. Boost would come in handy if the riding was harder.

Neninja, really impressed and thanks for such prompt delivery. One comment though. It might be a batch issue but two of the little square [Velcro] bits to allow the switch to stick to my helmet both failed. The sticky backing came free. No big issue as I've super glued one of them back on but thought you might want to know.

We have sourced some new velcro spots which are slightly larger and have a much more powerful adhesive. This should make securing the remote easier and they certainly shouldn't come off if applied to a clean non-greasy surface.

I will be post some out to everyone who has received a light and will include them in future orders.

Just ordered one.

I've always used torches on my helmet - where does the battery pack go? I guess in a camelback.. any tips on this?

How long is that Gloworm cable? looks a good bet but can the battery cable reach a rear pocket?

Cheers reggiegasket

The battery pack can go in a back pack or a rear jersey pocket.

It comes with an extension cable long enough to reach a jersey back pocket.

mattsccm - The extension cable itself gives an additional 87.5cm length - total cable length from light head to battery pack is 127.5cm.

Danny - can you bob a few Velcro dots to me as well please mate - cheers!

ta.

M6TTF - no problem

neninja im tempted by one of these instead of a exposure diablo im running at the mo - im struggling to get it setup right on my sworks prevail helmet, as its pointing to far down and if i put right on top it still makes me have to dip my head to get a decent line of light 🙁

looking at the glowworm it looks like you would be able to change the angle to suit etc?

also does the remote etc strap to the helmet so its not flapping about?

http://cdn1.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net/2012/06/12/1/opqs_chavanel_helmet_600.jp g" target="_blank">http://cdn1.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net/2012/06/12/1/opqs_chavanel_helmet_600.jp g"/> &w=600&h=800&ei=7A5TUNTNK8Kf0QXT5YHoBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=330&vpy=392&dur=4096&hovh=259&hovw=194&tx=70&ty=161&sig=111263829523082037448&page=1&tbnh=134&tbnw=99&start=0&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0,i:120" rel="nofollow" >

thats a prevail guessing a glowworm would fit nicely on the lowest middle vent?

Yes, the X2 should mount in exactly the same way as the one on the Giro towards the top of the page with the light sitting over the middle vent and the strap going through the 2 vents either side.

The light can be set at any angle on the mount so you would be able to set it to the perfect position to avoid having to dip your head.

The remote switch has velcro hooks fixed to the back of it. The kit then comes with some velcro loop spots to put on the side of your helmet and handlebar to mount the switch to. Have a look at the picture at the top to give you an idea. I've never found a need to do anything to secure the remote cable as it's held by the velcro but do tend to use a bit of electrical tape on the battery cable to hold it in the position I want.

Here's a couple of pictures of a helmet mounted X2 version 1 (which mounts the same way but has smaller optics).

[IMG] [/IMG]
[IMG] [/IMG]

How does the remote mount onto the bars if you are using the light bar mounted, is it just velcro as well, and does this work ok on the curved surface of the bars?

neninja - when does that special offer code end, today or tomorrow?

Thanks

A quick update - the £20 off promotion finishes tomorrow at midnight (Sat 15th).

After the crazy demand over the past couple of weeks, any orders placed from now will be shipped towards the end of next week.

If anyone would prefer to wait until the extra stock has arrived before ordering, that's fine I will honour the deal if they email me before the offer finishes - crgmoto@gmail.com

The velcro works fine on the bars. The remote switch is only small and very light and so stays in place very well. The new velcro patches we now have make this even better as the loops are deeper so grab even more.

Does this light use the same leds as the MTB batteries new luminator light?

If it does how come this only puts out 1200 lumens and the other claims to put out 2000 lumens?

(Sorry if that's a dumb question.)

The Gloworm X2 uses two Cree XM-L U2 emitters delivering 1300 lumens in it's highest setting. They have a theoretical output of a little over 1000 lumens each in perfect lab conditions (not mounted in a light). I think the MTB batteries light uses the U2 as well hence the claim of 2000 lumens.

Gloworm quote the actual lumen output rather than a theoretical maximum. The highest setting on the Gloworm X2 is within the Bush mode at 1300 lumens.

Gloworm have balanced battery life, lumen output, heat management and emitter life which means running emitters at less than their maximum output to optimise performance. This means the X2 gets good run times for high lumen output without constantly switching to a lower mode due to over heating.

By comparison, Lupine's Piko uses 2 XM-L T6 emitters with a potential of around 1000 lumens each but they claim 750 lumens for the pair for the same reasons as above. The X2 is slightly larger than the Piko and has increased surface area due to the size and fins so can drive it's more efficient XM-L U2's harder for increased output.

Heat management on the X2 is aided by the extensive use of those fins on the casing to increase surface area to dissipate heat quickly and efficiently, especially when air is moving across them.

I can't comment on what MTB Batteries light is like in terms of output or heat management as I've never actually seen one apart from in pictures.

Apologies to anyone who has tried to order today. The offer code finished 24 hours earlier than it should have. Doh.

I've reset it and added an extra 24 hours so no-one misses out as a result of the error. It will now expire at 23.55 on 17th September.

The same code GLOWORM20 still applies.

What's the price including the discount code?

150-20=130

philfive - as reggiegasket says the price is £130 with the discount code. Delivery is free.

For anyone who tried the code and found it had expired, it's now sorted and working correctly.

Neninja

i tried to order one of these lamps this morning , but the site wouldn't take me to paypal so i could pay and has left the order pending with no link to pay??
Anything you can do ??
email in profile.

cheers jim

Jim
I've not come across that problem before sorry it was being temperamental.
I've sent a Paypal request so you can complete the order. The website did collect your address and contact details.
Cheers

A reminder the £20 off promotion finishes tonight (Monday) at 23:55 - GLOWORM20

We are down to the last few unallocated lights from this weeks consignments so order promptly if you want to be sure of delivery this week.

More lights are arriving with us on Monday/Tuesday of next week.

Ordered one today! Looking forward to getting hold of it for the weekend. Can't recommend Danny (neninja) enough. Top bloke to deal with- answered all questions quickly and efficiently!

Thanks Luke, very kind of you.

I just ordered a set, girlfriend has too, hoping for child and dry this winter to get the use out of them

Just ordered a set off the back of this thread; thanks guys.

Neninja, my order ref ends in 73, could you email me to confirm the delivery address as paypal is trying to send it to my home address and I wanted it to go to work 🙂

Cheers

Neil

Thanks Graham, does your girlfriend have the initials CD?

Neil - email sent. Our website captured the correct delivery address, it's just a Paypal oddity.

Thanks for the orders. They should be with you on Friday.

No email confirmation for me yet mate? I'm guessing I'll just get one when dispatched as I paid by phone?

Luke - you'll get confirmation at point of dispatch (Thursday) and also email updates from the courier to confirm that the order is out for delivery.

I can email you a confirmation of receipt of your order as it's on the system.

Hey Neninja, yep that's correct. You may as well stick them in the same parcel if you want.

Graham - great, I'll make a note to ship them together.

quick report - firstly danny 'neninja' is an absolute legend! seriously his customer service is absolutly top draw, and i mean that, hes up there with the best companies/people ive ever had the pleasure to deal with!

secondly used this light a helmet only light (whilst waiting for new exposure bar light to arrive), and i must say im absolutly massively impressed by it, the 1200 lumens on full is stupid bright, its such a good spread of light, and its a very very crisp clear lens system....

thirdly this isnt some cheap dx jobbie, this thing is superbly made, the battery looks classy (if thats possible), the light unit is so small and neat you dont even notice it on your bonce!

its infinitely adjustable on the go, so you can throw the light further ahead, or just point it down on techy sections on the go...something i struggled with torches etc as they are only really adjustable left or right

im massively impressed with it, ive got a very powerful bar mount on the way, but to be honest, this as a helmet light was plenty for me last night (thought i'd never say a helmet light is enough on its own), but it really was, one on the bars and one on the helmet would be superb i'd guess, though i cant comment on the bar setup as i used it as a helmet light...

its perfect as a helmet light, due its weight, ease of use, compact/small and its runs for hours on high mode so you'll never be caught out!

honestly ive used exposure joysticks, diablos, dx' lights, fenix torches etc etc etc on my helmet and this blows them all out of the water!

cheers again danny, keep up the good work!

Wow - thanks Oscillate Wildly, glad you're so happy with the light and the service.

I hope you have lots of fun riding with it.

Hmm.Was looking for a new helmet light and OW's gushing review may well have persuaded me .....

no probs danny - credit where credits due i say! you are also selling an excellent product imo!

toxic socks, i ride peak stuff , and some lets say challenging sections in pitch black, and from my first outing last night, it was more than enough on its own, i doubt id really need a bar one as well as this helmet one, i was never caught short of vision last night on any section i did..

as said ive used all the torches you can buy really, from exposure to chinese ones, and this is just mentally brilliant as a helmet light... its lighter, easy to use, great spread of light, powerful, nice crisp colour and has loads of run time etc etc...

its just a no brainer i must say! if i hadnt already bought a new exposure bar light, id just buy another one of these for the bars no questions asked!

Just a quick post to let people know that the new Gloworm QR handlebar mount will be arriving in 2-3 weeks.

They will be a £15 upgrade for the X1 and X2 (the O-ring mount will still be included free with the X2) and will be CNC'd from billet aluminium alloy so a quality bit of kit.

[img] [/img]

People have kept asking if I'll do another offer on the X2 so I have decided to offer a 10% discount running until the end of the month - 'bonus10' gets you £15 off! Perfect for Christmas 😉

Sweet, does that code work on the X1 intro too 😉

Looks good, any chance of an email when that's available?

😮 1 week too late for the discount...oh well.

X2 is great, very pleased so far. Quick delivery too! Another satisfied customer.

New bar mount is on shopping list.

Yes I will email all X2 customers when they are in.

Matt - I'm afraid it only works for X2 purchases - the £20 off introductory offer on the X1 is plenty 😉

Should have quality pictures of the production version of the X1 and beamshots by the weekend.

Edit - Pukeko, pleased to hear you are happy with your X2. Email me and I'll sort something out.