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CatEye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light

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Product Description,
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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

CatEye 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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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 CatEye 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.

Comment on this review

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 CatEye 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.

Comment on this review

Nov

2009

1.0

Not Worth the Money

By Mojobaggins

from Cambridge, MA

About Me Competitive Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Weak beam

Best Uses

Comments about CatEye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

Save your money. Mine died after one year. For the money, Cateye should warranty this product longer. Weak beam for the money. Do not recommend.

Comment on this review

Nov

2009

4.0

Great to BE seen, okay for seeing by

By BikinMom

from Chicago area, IL

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Great visibility
Long battery life

Cons

Best Uses

Front headlight
Night commute
Urban commuting

Comments about CatEye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

I lead a group of kids who ride to swim practice every evening. We ride until it's so cold that their hair freezes on the ride home (usually around mid-Dec.). The entire commute--both there and back again--is in full darkness.

Without a doubt, my son's CatEye 530 is the most visible headlight of our group. You can see him coming for blocks! The light is large, so it puts out a visually larger presence compared to the other lights in the group. It is also really bright for it's cost and for the batteries that it uses.

The vast majority of our rides are on well-lit streets in an urban environment (city of Chicago or suburbs). For this type of riding, this is a superb light. Where I notice him struggling with it is when we do nighttime trail rides. His light is much brighter and has a larger cone of visibility than my Planet Bike Blaze or my Cateye 450, but it still is not great for traveling at speed (~14 mph) on trails.

Since for us, most of our riding is concerned with us BEING SEEN rather than getting great road illumination, this is a terrific value for the money.

Comment on this review

Aug

2009

4.0

Flawed unit

By FitDoc

from Dayton, OH

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Long battery life

Cons

Best Uses

Front headlight

Comments about CatEye HL-EL530 Front Bike Light:

Although I generally liked this light and used it probably a couple years, it has now failed. The light portion screws onto the battery case. Part of the plastic housing actually pulled away so it cannot be tightened down. Sometimes you can play with it to get it to work a while but is not reliable now. Was a good light for the price so I am considering buying another but will review other lights.

Comment on this review

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 CatEye 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

Comment on this review

Jan

2009

(2 of 3 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 CatEye 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.

Comment on this review

Dec

2008

(14 of 14 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Good in-town or city commuting headlight

By Bowser

from SF Bay Area

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 CatEye 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.

Comment on this review

Nov

2008

(6 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

The Pointilist's Headlight

By Cyclocommuter

from Northern Alabama

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Narrow beam

Best Uses

Playing numbers games

Comments about CatEye 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.

Comment on this review

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 CatEye 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.