[Closed] new helmet light - joystick, axis or Diablo

No experience of those but I've had a Joystick for +4 years now and I'm looking at a more powerful helmet light too - what about the Equinox too?

I'd discount the Diablo - too heavy on my helmet anyway.

Diablo is bright but not great battery usage wise - you'll not want to use it in max power very often - better off with the Joystick or Axis... I've got the Axis - very happy with it, can't tell a huge amount of difference between it and a Joystick Mk 7, other than the diffuser lens makes it slightly softer at the edges so you haven't got a sharp edge to the shadow/light

mocha

I'd discount the Diablo - too heavy on my helmet anyway.

I wouldn't. I've happily used one almost exclusively as a helmet mounted light for five or so years. The difference between it and a joystick is barely noticeable. My friends axis is a great light and gets very close to my diablo in terms of beam (bearing in mind the mk 2 diablo is a mere 900 lumens).

frood - Member

Diablo is bright but not great battery usage wise - you'll not want to use it in max power very often - better off with the Joystick or Axis...

I'd have to disagree with that too. For the last three weeks I've been doing a 34ish mile ride that's roughly 3 hours moving (half an hour stopped), and about a 50/50 split between on off road riding and road/tow path. The diablo has been fine and hasn't come close to running flat. I use it on full beam on every trail. Mid for fast fire roads, low for tow path and flashing for the road. As long as you remember to turn it down when not on steeper trails it's fine.

I can't imagine their are too many places in the uk or Ireland where you'd get an hour's worth of descending on technical trails....at night necessitating full power . Since you're getting 600 lmns for 3+ hours, I think battery life is a moot point for most people.

If I was regularly doing more than that, then I might consider something else, but tbh I'd probably just get an axis or another diablo to supplement/ back up.

[i]I can't imagine their are too many places in the uk or Ireland where you'd get an hour's worth of descending on technical trails....at night necessitating full power . Since you're getting 600 lmns for 3+ hours, I think battery life is a moot point for most people.[/i]

Ok to disagree?

I run a Joystick with a single extra battery, which on full power equates to +4 hours use. This means I just turn it onto full power and leave it there all ride. Very handy plus aren't ever worried about turning down/off etc if we have a stop/problem etc.

Which is why I'm unsure what to go for.

I also run an Exposure on the bars but do toggle the power (remote switch).

Ok to disagree?

I run a Joystick with a single extra battery, which on full power equates to +4 hours use. This means I just turn it onto full power and leave it there all ride. Very handy plus aren't ever worried about turning down/off etc if we have a stop/problem etc.

Hey, it's the internet. I'd be disappointed if you didn't. Just bear in mind you could set up the diablo to run mid power and get roughly the same burn time as the joystick on full, and probably more light. And still have that 1300 lumen option if you needed it.

bear in mind you could set up the diablo to run mid power and get roughly the same burn time as the joystick on full, and probably more light

more weight though

18 grams?

I have the new model Joystick. Its more floody than the previous version and hugely bright. You do need to vary the power settings while out and about to get a 2.5 hr ride time but even on setting 2 its bright enough.

I run a Diablo as a helmet light and it's great, not overly heavy compared to my old Hope 2. Runtimes aren't great of full power but I have an additional support cell (battery) which I can just connect that works fine.

New Diablo has a tap to change power function so switching modes is easy and if you only run max power when you really need to the standard Diablo easily runs for 2 hours, with he extra battery I get 2 hours on max so for the extra £40 & 50 grammes it's worth it for me.

I've used a helmet-mounted Diablo for years - the Mk1 then the Mk3.
Don't really notice the weight. Great light, more than enough power and burn time for winter commutes along the canal towpath (about 80 minutes each way).

That said the Mk3 is beginning to show it's age now as well, the contacts on the button are obviously going as it can sometimes take several button pushes to actually flick between modes. Same problem as eventually befell the Mk1.

I use a Lezyne Power Drive - good power and a lot cheaper - mine (think its 1-2 years old) fits into the joystick helmet mount. I got it for about £50

Ay-Up.

The only choice IMHO 😀

The postie delivered my Xmas present today - An Axis MK2. Will be used for a mtb helmet light and for the road (with extra cell for road use).
Have only turned it on indoors to test it but I'm impressed so far. The beam comparison on the exposure site didn't show it to be much different from the twice as expensive Strada and was noticeably more focused that the Joystick.

I've been told that I can't use it until xmas day, bah humbug to Mrs CD, so I can't give you any real world feedback unfortunately.

Diablo, not much more, not much heavier and makes for a better light if you need a bar light for another bike, etc. As mentioned above regarding weight I doubt anyone could really notice 20 extra grams.

20g = 20% ish of the total weight though.

To put some background on this, I'm not being a weight weenie! Over the years, I've tried a few attempts at helmet lights, and I always wned up with a wobbly helmet which I don't like.

I suspect a lot of this is to do with the helmet mount, and I understand exposure have got it right. Keeping the weight closer to the helmet should stop it pulling on the helmet so much.

Having said that, the Lezyne macrodrive I used (too heavy, and not bright enough) weighed about 98g, and the deal extreme torch was definuitely too heavy, at about 124g.

Had two joysticks. Now have a diablo. I found the joystick (my last one was the 320 lumen one i think) got 'lost' against my Lumi XPGs. Diablo doesn't 😉 I just turn it onto max for the descents and click it down to min everywhere else. Don't notice it being heavier than the old Joystick.

I am still using my original Diablo Mk1 exclusively on my helmet (the original bar mount was rubbish anyway). I have never noticed the weight and have never run out of battery, but I do only use it on high for the descents. Before that I had the original Joystick, but it wasn't powerful enough. I know the new ones are more powerful but I would definitely go the Diablo route, 1300 vs 400 lumens is a big difference.

Leon - Member

20g = 20% ish of the total weight though.

To put some background on this, I'm not being a weight weenie! Over the years, I've tried a few attempts at helmet lights, and I always wned up with a wobbly helmet which I don't like.

I suspect a lot of this is to do with the helmet mount, and I understand exposure have got it right. Keeping the weight closer to the helmet should stop it pulling on the helmet so much.

Everyone's different of course, and what might irritate me, you may not notice and vice versa, but reading that would make me wonder if your helmet fits well, and where about on the helmet are you mounting the light. When I was playing about with an equinox I tried mounting it in a side vent, and a front vent just out of curiosity. Both caused the light to pull on the helmet noticeably more. Granted, it's a heavier light but I found mounting it in my most rearward vent, practically on the back of the helmet worked best as it does with my diablo. That way it's not pulling the helmet down or side ways since I ride with my head down/forward.

I run a Hope R4 as a helmet light and an old Lumicycle HID bar light, which works great apart from the heavy old Nimh pack for the HID wearing the anodising off my bars. Thinking of moving the Hope R4 back to the bars and getting an exposure head lamp but the Hope kept breaking when I ran it on the bars due to water coming off the front wheel, so might just buy a Lumicycle LED to run on the bars instead, bloody lights!!!

JimJam- I think you're spot on. The lights I've described I've always had to use a compromised position with the light.

I've decided to go for a Diablo & a spare battery pack. I almost went for the Axis, but decided that the tight beam limited it's use a bit, and when I ride nighttime CX I only use a bar light. I think the diablo will make a good bar light too.

chuck my experience into the mix.

Hope Vision R4 - dodgy connections and not really very bright.
Exposure Joystick Mk7 - Got it for £56 from Evans and it's streets ahead of the Hope stuff. Really well made, really neat, really bright. Loved it.
So when Evans were doing 30% off Exposure Equinox with piggy back cell a few weeks back I got one of them. It's really seriously bright, but quite floody for a helmet light. Feels a bit heavy on the helmet but not too bad. The main problem is that the ball socket on the helmet seems to rotate too easily. Also the handlebar bracket rotates as well. I keep trying to push the Equinox further forward so it;s better balanced but the waist on the Equinox is very short so it just eases back again and then the back end weight causes it so tilt skywards again.

Lezyne Power Drive. I also got one of these last year very cheap and it's a piece of shit. Can't be bothered exaplaininig all the details but the most annoying one (apart from it bouncing out of the bracket frequently and not having a good run time) is that the on button needs huge amounts of pressure to operate it; so you either have to use both hands or it just rotates on the handlebar as you press the switch. Oh and whilst I'm at it the brackets are really fiddly and shit too.

So - Exposure - excellent. Hope less so. Lezyne - junk.

splendid

I run a Diablo on the bars on my commuter - proper bright.

As for MTB helmet lights, I run a gloworm up there, with the battery in my backpack. Light and very bright.

as an aside, I had same problem with loose ball joint on the lezyne helmet mount. simple solution - carbon friction paste on the ball. works a treat

I use a diablo. And it nearly lasts 2 hours if I toggle the power. But when the light is nearly out it flashes on and with a brief gap in between which is enough to get you home.
Heads up: I've broken 3 helmet mounts which cost nearly £20 wtf. I now adapt plumbers 22mm pipe clips to fit the helmet at a cost of 67p for 15 ! I love exposure lights but £20 for a new helmet mount

Sorry to drag this thread up again. Does anyone with a Diablo know whether the Exposure helmet mount is a standard size? Evans only show one on their website and label it as "Joystick only".

Exposure have not been helpful and won't answer emails on the subject.

Answer is yes one helmet mount fits all