Wilma's getting a makeover

Last summer when I was researching bike lights I knew that I wanted to put my money into LED technology because they are more durable, bulbs have a longer life span, and burn times are typically longer. The downside had always been brightness. The 12W Lupine Wilma was the brightest “off the shelf” LED I could find but also the most expensive. However, Lupine is the only light company I am aware of that builds their lights with upgrades in mind and this helped justify the cost.

Lupine just announced an upgrade for the Wilma that nearly doubles the lumens while not reducing burn time…and I can do the upgrade myself! Woohoo! The new Wilma will put out 830 lumens which is very close to their high-end HID light, the Edison, which puts out 900 lumens and has been the brightest HID around for a long time. Here are a few beam shots that I “borrowed” from the Lupine site:

12W Wilma LED old (420 Lumens)
15W Wilma LED new (830 Lumens)

16W Edison HID (900 Lumens)

I see the HID light market taking a swift kick to the crotch this year as other companies are releasing some very bright LEDs as well.