Edelux I vs Edelux II

[dick220369]

Has anyone owned both the Edelux versions of Schmidt's headlight and, if yes, is version 2 much brighter? I am thinking of upgrade my Edelux 1 because I am looking for something with a wider/longer beam and extra light output. I do a lot of night riding on unlit tracks and need more of the track in front of me to be lit. I have read good reviews about the B&M IQ-X but I prefer to go down the Schmidt route again for the build quality and reliability.

[martinf]

Edelux I uses the same optics as the Cyo original version, and, AFAIK the Edelux II uses the same optics as the Cyo Premium.

I don't have an Edelux II, but do have Edelux I, Cyo original version, Cyo Premium and IQ-X.

Beam shape is different between Edelux I/Cyo original version and Cyo Premium. The beam on the latter seems a bit wider, but less even, with bright spots.

I have only ridden for about 6 hours so far with the IQ-X, which seems to have a slightly brighter beam than Cyo Premium, but a more pronounced spot very like the "nearfield" versions of the Cyo. The IQ-X is the brightest of all the laamps I have, rated at 100 lux, but in actual use, perhaps because of the bright spot close to the front wheel, the beam doesn't (to my eyes) seem significantly better than the original Cyo (60 lux).

I do notice a difference between the standard and "nearfield" versions of the Cyo, the latter have an integrated reflector, so a smaller useful lens, lower lux rating and put a bright spot close to the front wheel, with less light further away. 

[Danneaux]

FWIW, my experience largely matches Martin's description. I would take it as a reasonable proxy of what you could expect from the Edelux I vs Edelux II, since the internal optics are essentially identical.

All the best,

Dan.

[bobs]

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/headlights.php


Have a look at this, it will show you the differences.

Bob

[dick220369]

Thanks for the replies. I just recently upgraded to a Son28 hub, Edelux I (the price was good - £65 from SJS), B&M rear toplight, and a Igaro usb charging device. I must admit that I am surprised at the amount of light the Edelux outputs but it isn't as bright as the £15 Cree battery operated led light it replaced. The Edelux is perfectly adequate for cycling around lit roads but some of my daily work commute is through a forest with no additional lighting. The output from the Edelux isn't far off of what I need and since I know the forest track well it will suffice. I just wondered if there was an upgrade available that would be significantly brighter than what I have already. I don't want to go back to battery operated lights especially since I have my shiny new Son28. Plus I hate having to constantly recharge batteries.

[dick220369]

Just had a look at the peter whites article and version 2 of the Edelux does look significantly brighter than version 1. Shame it doesn't mention the IQ-X but I'm kind of hooked on the Schmidt anyways - quality and reliability will always attract me first and foremost. So it looks like a new Edelux II will be arriving on my doorstep sometime soon 

[RonS]

I've got an older B&M light (similar beam to Edelux 1), an Ixon Premium battery light (Edelux 2 beam) and an Ixon IQ-X. Here's my opinion of the three.

The Edelux 2 is definitely worth the upgrade if you do a lot of riding on unlit roads. The beam is much wider (probably 2X), and the highest intensity part of the beam is probably 3X wider. The distribution of light is much better within the beam.

As for the IQ-X vs Premium/Edelux 2, when I installed it I attempted to do a comparison by going for a ride with the battery light on the bars and turning off one or the other light. Not too scientific because there was always a point with two lights on, or none. I got a better sense of the beams by quickly covering one or the other with my hand. The more I played, the more I was impressed by the IQ-X. It does not appear much brighter than the Premium, but, the maximum intensity part of the beam is quite a bit larger, and the transition between the higher and lower intensity areas is smoother.
The IQ-X housing is higher quality than the older lights. The housing also acts as a heat sink, like the Schmidt. I think it still has a plastic lens.
A nice feature is the mounting bracket that allows the unit to rotate within it, allowing upright or hanging mounting.

Both units are good. The Schmidt has the advantage on quality, though the difference is not as much as it used to be. The B&M has the advantage on light output.

Peter White does have an opinion of the IQ-X. It is on the products page. No beam shots, though.

Remember that my testing was done on an unlit but wide North American style road. 8m/30ft wide. On a forest track the difference won't be as dramatic because a lot of the improvements are in the width of the beam, not the length. I still think it's worth the upgrade, though.

My view of the lights seems to differ from martinf's which just goes to show everyone's eyes react differently to different lights, and there's no "right" or "wrong" choice.

Hope this helps

Ron

[leftpoole]

Hello,
I use Edeluxe (1) on two bikes. I have never thought of them as being much good considering the prices paid.
Regards,
John

[dick220369]

I've ended up ordering the B&M IQ-X from SJS today. Should be with me tomorrow 

[DAntrim]

Can't comment on Edelux lights as never used them, however i have both the Luxus B and the newer IQ-X.

My commute takes me down old railway tracks without much ambient light and I've found both lights provide very good lighting for this and the beam spread is great - slightly better side spread on the IQ-X  and although the IQ-X has a higher lux rating there is not much difference that I see. The IQ-X is a smaller unit and the mounting bracket allows for it to stand higher than you would normally  above the fender, which seems to get rid of the dead spot in front of the wheel.

Carlos

[imperial_banana]

Hi, dick220369!

Are you able to post some pictures of IQ-X beam distribution?

Thank you,
Michael

[Pavel]

I have three B&M lights, the cyo I believe of different generations and find little fault with the light output.  If I were to dream of an improvement to the light performance it would be to have it wider, not brighter and to show the near more evenly.  But I'm satisfied as to their performance.

The reason I'm eyeing the Edelux II is for the build quality.  That switch is a joy to use, so much nicer than the more loose feeling of the B&M lights, and aluminum versus plastic scores points with me as well.  I've seen the peterwhite site and others as well, reviewing lights, and I consider that Edelux II to be just about perfect. 

A part of the choice of lights I never see considered or tested is how much light is thrown back at the cyclist, normally in the form of a brigh part of the lengs glowing and ruining my night vision.  On that score the B&M lights are very good except with one top end model (name eludes me now) where they thought a nice bright blue led ring would be "cool" in my eyes.  On that part I don't know about the Edelux but would like to hear on that point.  I do a lot of riding at night in coal black conditions, going slowly. Lighting wide to the side where I can see the signs is such a factor.