# Thoughts on light and motion vis 360



## piercebrew (Aug 6, 2004)

I just got a $500 gift card to REI for our wedding, and I was thinking of getting the 
light and motion vis 360 so I can commute to work. I already have an old school nite rider dual beam, but I don't use it as it is so bulky. But I do have a nice JET light, that I would use on my bars. I just don't know if buying this light is stupid, and my wife is going to ask WTF? But I'm thinking that I could also use it on evening rides if I don't commute to work. I'm a Resident and I have to be at the hospital at 6am, and I don't leave until 7, or 8 or 9pm. So I think I'll commute 3 times a week, and it would be nice to have light that was visible and that could be used on my nice bike that I don't commute on. 
Or should I buy a nice flash light from REI and just secure it to my helmet? I'd rather go with the L/M VIS 360 though. 

Thanks.


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## blakcloud (Apr 13, 2006)

First the bad. I own this light and I had to send it back for repair for this annoying habit of having something akin to a hiccup when it has less than full power. It shuts off and then back on about every two minutes. The "repair" didn't work which makes we wonder if this is just a bad design or just a defective light. I need to send it back but it is 25 dollars to send it back (I live in Canada). At the same time this light was sent back I had another L&M light die which they replaced. The new light has a wonky charger and works 50% of the time. So three L&M lights and three problems. I have decided to cut my losses and be done with L&M. I will use the lights until they die and then buy something else. 

Now for the good. This light is small and weighs next to nothing. You hardly notice it on your helmet. Helmet lights are great for being able to see where ever you point your head. It throws a great beam and has high low and flashing modes. The light switch is one of the best I have ever used. I also like that it is truly a 360 degree light. The mounting hardware is good and I have no problem with it. It also has a built in fuel gauge which works great, it is a nice feature. The other thing I like is being able to jump off my bike, quickly lock it and walk away. I don't have to spend time unhooking the light when I jump into a store for five minutes.

Now for the neutral. I like dedicated chargers and not the USB that it comes with. I use my IPod wall charger to charge it. If you don't have one, you need to charge with your computer etc. Some others complained the price was high for the amount of light you get, but I think this is outweighed by the form factor of this light. 

So take my review with a grain of salt. I am only a N=1 and I want to believe I just have bad luck. My Nite Rider MiNewt X2 had to be repaired twice, so I have spent lots of money just sending lights back to the US just to be fixed.


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## masfish1967 (Mar 3, 2010)

I have been using L&M for years without any issues/problems with various lights. Their customer service is excellent. I have the vis 360 and it has worked flawlessly since it first came out. It is great at being seen and ok for lighting up the road in front of you since it is only a 110 lumen front lamp but it would work if need be. I use it for visibility and run it in flash mode both day and night. I highly recommend this light. I also run the vis 180 day and night on my seatpost and a Seca 1400 at night on the bars. During the day I use a Stella 150 on the bars set to flash. As you can se I currently have several L&M products and previously had a couple of the arc hid lights.


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## piercebrew (Aug 6, 2004)

Thank you for the great reviews. My wife saw me looking at the review from MTBR last night and said, "oh you need one of those". And then we started looking at GPS running watches on REI. So I just ordered one, and got the 20% off from REI, so $135 shipped. I was thinking of getting a rear light but I think I'm going to use one of the ones I already have. I hope that it works out for me. I'lll let people know what I think of it.


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## SelfPropelledDevo (Aug 12, 2008)

piercebrew said:


> Thank you for the great reviews. My wife saw me looking at the review from MTBR last night and said, "oh you need one of those". And then we started looking at GPS running watches on REI. So I just ordered one, and got the 20% off from REI, so $135 shipped. I was thinking of getting a rear light but I think I'm going to use one of the ones I already have. I hope that it works out for me. I'lll let people know what I think of it.


how is the light?


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## piercebrew (Aug 6, 2004)

I love the light. Recharges quickly, and you can't tell you have it on by feel. They have a brighter version now, which I don't need since I right city trials and road and never have a problem out running the light or it not being bright enough. But it is not bright enough for mtb. In fact I'm looking for another one for my wife.


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## vmps (Feb 15, 2013)

I love this light. I also highly recommend that everyone have a helmet light, even if they have a bright bar light--being asked to point the light where you are looking is extremely useful. There's a newer version that lets you put the rear light on solid, which is useful for group rides.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Without knowing what you currently have, all that I'm saying below is just an alternative to think about.

The Vis 360 uses a dimmer head light and tail light then what can be bought separately.

If you have $500 to spend at REI I would consider a different lighting system...UNLESS you already have a really nice headlight for the bar and a bright tail light on the seat post, then the helmet combo light would be a good secondary light just don't expect it to perform like your others. 

You would be better served, again if looking for a primary lighting system, to get the L & M Vis 180 (not the Micro) for the rear for $100, then add the Cygolite ExpiliOn 700 for the front on the bar for $140 The ExpiliOn 700 can be mounted on the helmet if you already have bar light, and if your current tail light can be mounted to the helmet then you can use the Vis 180 on the seat post instead.

Just a thought among thousands you'll get here, happy deciding!

Congrats on your marriage, hope you two have a long and happy life together.


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## vmps (Feb 15, 2013)

Agree that it's not the brightest, and I generally recommend having two lights at all times. The 360 is great for augmenting a bar light, but is plenty bright for an urban environment by itself. You would want more in the deep dark at higher speeds, but even there having a steerable head lamp is a great addition, and a good backup.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

vmps said:


> Agree that it's not the brightest, and I generally recommend having two lights at all times. The 360 is great for augmenting a bar light, but is plenty bright for an urban environment by itself. You would want more in the deep dark at higher speeds, but even there having a steerable head lamp is a great addition, and a good backup.


I run with two headlights myself, one on the bar and one on the helmet, the helmet one I put on flash in urban areas, but in the country or a dark bike path I turn it on steady; but I actually run with 4 tail lights, one on each side bar end, one on the seat post, and one on the helmet. Rear accidents are more frequent at night so rear lighting in my opinion is very important. I leave my seat post light on steady, but the others flash.


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