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CatEye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light

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Product Description,
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Reviews

This compact light produces more than 1,500 candlepower with just a single white LED.

This miracle is made possible by Cat Eye's exclusive Opticube lens, which focuses the beam so no photons are wasted
Side beams offer visibility in traffic
Innovative magnetic switch provides high water-resistance
Flex-Tight™ universal mounting bracket attaches securely to just about any size handlebar; no tools required

Imported.

Item 745539

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CatEye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light

3.4

(based on 20 reviews)

70%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Great visibility (11)
Long battery life (10)

Cons

Weak beam (4)

Best Uses

Front headlight (12)
Good for commuting (12)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid cyclist (11), Casual/ recreational (5), Commuter (3)

Reviewed by 20 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Dec

2008

(14 of 14 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Good in-town or city commuting headlight

By Bowser

from Martinez California

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Long battery life
Tight focused beam

Cons

Too easy to switch onoff

Best Uses

Front headlight
Night commute

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

I've used this light for the past year, and up until this past week, it has been the most powerful self-contained battery powered headlight I've ever owned. However, I've found it wasn't right for my riding needs, but still have used it to get my money's worth out of it.

If you commute in-town or in the city where there is lots of ambient light from street lights, porch lights, cars, etc. this will be a great light. The beam is very tight and focused, it is a great "be seen" light for commuting. It can be angled to project far ahead to light up street signs, etc. It is easily powerful enough to light up street signs and objects 60+ yds. away.

My commute involves a 3 1/2 mi. stretch on unlighted country roads, and for that part of my ride, the beam is too narrow to provide much peripheral illumination. If I set it low to see what's right in front of me, I couldn't see far enough ahead to ride at speed (my cruising speed on flat ground is 15 - 18 mph). On the other hand, if I angled it high enough to project far enough ahead to ride at speed, I found myself constantly dodging small obstacles in the road that I didn't see until I was almost right on top of them.

If you'll be commuting in the city, this will be a good, economical light. It is easily the most powerful non-rechargeable light in Cateye's product line-up. I just upgraded to a Single-Shot Plus, so this one will be going on my wife's bike as she doesn't commute outside of city limits.

Nov

2008

(6 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

The Pointilist's Headlight

By Cyclocommuter

from Alabama

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Narrow beam

Best Uses

Playing numbers games

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

If you think you can ride with a pencil point of light, 1'x2', some 15-20' in front of you, surrounded by a dim halo, this is the light for you! Note, after you see a rock or pothole, you won't be able to see whether there's another one 8" to either side, because the point of light has ruined your night vision, and there's not enough light wash to illuminate anything outside the lighted point. The point is so small and bright you can't use this as a high power, "seeing" light. Because that wash is so dim, I hesitate to recommend this as a "be seen" light.

This was apparently designed to win a "peak lumens per dollar" contest. Try the Cateye 500, or the Planet Bike 1W Beamer, instead.

Oct

2008

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Better than other AA battery lights

By thatkatmat

from Seattle

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Long battery life

Cons

Weak beam

Best Uses

Front headlight

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

Decent AA battery light....if you don't commute in the dark. If you do commute in the dark, get a better light. I'm constantly hitting root bumps unexpectedly on the Burt Gillman trail. I commute 16 miles at 5:30 in the morning and this light frustrates me. Gonna return it and try another battery pack light for the winter.

Jan

2008

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

a mediocre light

By Ilove2cycl

from Berkeley, CA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Helmet/Removable mount
Long battery life

Cons

Beam is too narrow
Light is not regulated

Best Uses

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

The beam is much too narrow, even for road use. It is only acceptable as an emergency light. There are much better lights out there for the money.

Jan

2009

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Best Battery LED Light I've used

By MtnMan74

from Colorado Springs, CO

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Bright beam
Flex-Mount
Great visibility
Long battery life

Cons

Best Uses

Front headlight
Moderate Trail Riding
Night commute

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

I've had this light for a year, and it has helped me avoid potholes, roots, etc. It is plenty bright for an easy trail (would not want to ride a technical trail night anyway). It is really bright, even at 10-20 feet in front of you, and has plenty of visibility to see where you are going (I have even been able to ride some of the bike trails in Colorado Springs at 20-30 mph. without dificulty). The flex-mount is great for oversized bars, and allows for the light to be mounted near the center so as to provide light where I need it, in front of the tires. It also provides great visibility for cars and pedestrians to see you coming. I definitely reccommend this light for those seeking a battery powered LED light.

Nov

2007

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Works great for me!

By OrthoPT

from South Jordan, UT

About Me Casual/ Recreational, Commuter

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Helmet/Removable mount
Long battery life

Cons

Flimsy mounting hardware

Best Uses

Front headlight
Night commute

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

Used this for 5+ months, it provides great light for commuting purposes, not a trail light though.

A few things to keep in mind. Alkaline batteries don't do so well in this because the beam gets weaker as the batteries get weaker. Get some 2500mAh NiMH batteries and re-charge 'em frequently and you will be AMAZED at how bright this thing is. I get strong reflections from street signs and other reflective stuff from 200+ft.

There is only one drawback, the mount is a little flimsy and tends to tilt down if I hit a good pothole needing adjusting on the fly. This can be a little hairy at 30MPH in traffic!!

Overall this is a great light for the money, it is as bright as you can get without going for the really expensive suckers with separate batteries etc... I like it!

Apr

2009

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Great, but does wear down

By For Real

from Whittier.CA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great Seenability

Cons

Breaks
Could be better strap
It's Durability Could Imp
Rattles

Best Uses

Well Lit Roads

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

I've bought this one and 500 and they both performed equally, though the 530 is somewhat brighter, but not by much.I mostly use this light in the city, it's a great product... for awhile, until it no longer withstands the test of actual use. This product would be even better if it had a stronger and more secure strap(it rattles), and if it didn't turn off every little nook and cranny that it hits while riding. It would also be better if it would light up the road that way you could otherwise avoid hazards. I've since bought the MiNewt from NiteRider in a few weeks I'll post a review for that light

Nov

2007

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

It is good to use it to be seen

By becool

from Houston, TX

About Me Commuter

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility

Cons

Beam too focused
Weak beam

Best Uses

Bee seen
Front headlight

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

While this may be the brightest "inexpensive" AA battery operated LED headlight that I have ever used, I ended up buying the Nite Rider MiNewt X2. The light beam is typical of this type of light that is very focused to a small area. The light also does not go out far enough to make it easy when you want to paddle fast. In residential areas that are quite dark, you need to ride carefully w/ this to avoid pot holes and other obstacles. Although this light is cheaper than the MiNewt, which is [$], it does use batteries, whose cost will add up over time. If you commute in the dark regularly, buy the MiNewt X2 and skip this one.

May

2010

1.0

Buy something else

By jonnyt1

from Olympia, WA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Long battery life

Cons

Not durable
Poor battery connections

Best Uses

A paperweight

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

I've had this light for a few years, and it has always had issues with loose wiring connecting to the batteries. I returned the original that had the problem, and the second one does too. Bummer, but managable by shaking it when the connection goes. Never bothered me because I only used it on my loaner townie bike. Recently, while changing the batteries on it, I noticed that pieces of the interlocking plastic groove and what not, that holds the lens on and batteries in place, was showing signs of fatigue - I must of tried putting it back together too tightly (well, ya have to do it to keep da water out!) because a little chip of plastic broke off. I now have the thing taped together with electrical tape...For the price, this is a decent light when it comes to illuminating, but the materials are very poor quality and the design of how the batteries are held in place is terrible.

Dec

2009

4.0

Good light, better with the old bracket.

By Werehatrack

from Houston

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Night commute

Comments about Cat Eye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

Cateye still sells the old-style brackets (H31 and H32, one for standard and one for oversize bars) separately as spare parts via the factory website as of December 2009. Having additional brackets makes it possible to swap the light between bikes; if you have several rides, get a mount for each. (Not all manufacturers will sell you spares!) They work MUCH better than the one supplied with the light, and make what is otherwise an annoyingly slip-prone unit into a solid and useful illumination source. While it's not bright enough for high speeds on uncertain surfaces, it is more than adequate for most commuters...and FAR more effective than any conventional xenon or halogen that I've used. You'd need something that was twice the price to beat it for light output from among the current competitors' models I've tried.