Dinotte 200L-AA 4 Month Review

I've had my two Dinotte 200L-AA lights a bit over 4 months now so I thought I'd provide my impressions so far. I have used them quite a lot in an errand running/commuter role in the city during this time so that is what I'll discuss. I haven't done any all night rando-ish rides so I'll post about how they perform for that type of ride at a later date.

The construction and functionality of these lights is first rate. They mount easily on any bike and can be removed or swapped to another bike in seconds. This is a huge advantage when you have a diverse fleet of bikes and don't want to buy dedicated lights for each one. Part of the reason I moved away from a hub generator is having lots of different wheel/brake combos in my fleet. Another advantage to the Dinotte form factor is they are so small and unobtrusive I leave them on my bikes at all times. They don't interfere with the fold on my Tikit and they blend in well enough that the causal passerby doesn't notice them and is less likely to make off with them.

Riding in the urban environment you need lights bright enough to compete with car headlights to be noticed. The Dinotte 200L does well in this department. Running two of them is almost overkill, but it is fun to watch people do double takes when they realize it is a bicycle not a motorcycle coming towards them. I like the different power level and flashing options that are available to fine tune the amount of light I am putting out. I normally run the lights on strobe mode [5 fast flashes with a pause and repeat]. One thing that is nice about the mounting system [just a large industrial o-ring] is you can rotate the lights down when you encounter pedestrians on the pathway so you don't blind them.

I can't really speak to runtime as I haven't been out for hours at a time so far. However, I have left the same batteries in the light for over a week and done many shorter night trips in very cold [-10 deg C and colder] temps without having to replace/recharge the batteries. One problem I have had is that occasionally the lights would switch off - turns out one of the batteries would come out of the holder slightly. This is easily fixed on the fly if you can reach the battery pack. On a recumbent - especially on a fast downhill - this could be a bigger problem. For rando use I'll place a rubber band around the battery pack to keep everything nicely in place. Being able to use standard rechargeable AA batteries is great as they are easy to come by and are useful in other devices you have at home.

What don't I like?/Suggestions for improvement:

• batteries can come out of place in holder turning light off. Easily fixed with tape or a rubber band, but annoying at first when you aren't expecting it to happen.
• lack of a bike specific optical lens means a lot of light is wasted up and to the sides that could be focussed down the road. This also means you are putting light into oncoming motorists' eyes which may not be appreciated.
• mounting system allows for lots of adjustment up and down, but no rotation side to side to fine tune where you light is aimed.
• lack of remote switch means you can't change light settings while riding a bent if your light is at the end of the boom where it will do the most good. It would be awesome to have a handlebar mounted switch and be able to put these lights on high for a fast downhill and them back to a lower power setting for the flats.
• you have to choose between AAs or proprietary Li-Ion batteries. It would be awesome to be able to use whichever battery makes the most sense for a given ride without having to buy two different light engines.

Overall I'm quite pleased with these lights. If they were lost or stolen I'd buy two more from Dinotte Lighting. I do hope that a focused optic is made for these lights as it would take their performance to the next level. Also a remote switch option would be of great benefit to recumbent riders.