Herrmans H-Diver bicycle headlamp
We at Intelligent Design Cycles have been in the process of developing high quality but affordable hub dynamo driven lights for a number of years. Our mission is to bring high quality hub dynamo driven lighting systems to the market that rival if not surpass the best in the trade, but would nevertheless be affordable enough that parents concerned about child safety would consider putting them on their children’s bicycles. During the course of this exercise we have personally tested all the best German, Dutch, Finnish and other hub dynamo lamps we have been able to find with the intention of bringing the best aspects from each maker into our products. Two years later … we are still hard at work (the product development process is a bit more difficult than this former international trade economist imagined). But …
There is one Finnish company we have some across, Herrmans that has developed an outstanding light with most of the characteristics we intend to deliver in our products. The H-Diver bicycle headlamp produces a powerful and wide automotive beam pattern that is comparable to the best we have tested and conforms with the strict German StVZO regulation for bicycle headlamps as well as that for France. A trusted reviewer of ours even considers the H-Diver to have a better beam pattern than B&M Cyo R and to be comparable to the Supernova E3 Pro StVZO. My own experience is that the H-Diver has less throw than the Supernova E3 StVZO, but that the broad beam pattern is more uniform and thus more agreeable to the eyes. Notably, my experience is also that the H-Diver produces more peripheral lighting thus making it a more pleasant and reassuring headlamp for casual riders not normally travelling at high speeds i.e. over 18 mph (30km/h). For high-speed cyclists, the standard B&M Cyo or SON Edelux may be better, but the trade off will be a large dark area between the front wheel and the carpet of light beginning some meters ahead of the front wheel depending on how you aim the headlamp.
It is good fortune that Herrmans sometimes makes lights available on an OEM basis at a very reasonable price. This means that they will come with without retail packaging (good for the environment), and that we are able to pass the savings on to you here.
Although these lights are now warehoused in Taiwan, they are actually produced in Finland (surprising?) so you can rest assured that they have been designed to withstand use in very harsh winter conditions for years after purchase. Intelligent Design Cycles is an authorized agent for Herrmans products and these dependable lights thus come with a full 1-year warranty.
Specifications
Compatibility: This lamp is compatible with all hub dynamos we sell and are aware of, and is an excellent match with the SunUp Eco bicycle light generator.
Standlight: We are now stocking exclusively the standlight version of this light which will maintain light for at least 4 minutes after the bicycle has come to a rest in accordance with the strict German StVZO regulation.
No switch: Testing by Herrmans suggests that drag resulting from this headlamp - incorporating high efficiency electronics - being "on" rather than "off" is not noticeable to most riders. This conforms with my personal experience. Notably, multinational road traffic safety research shows that having lights on during the day especially under rainy and even under merely overcast conditions significantly increases rider safety. The fact that properly heatsinked LED lamps like the H-Diver have a high chance of outlasting the bicycle they are mounted on, makes leaving the lights on all the time quite a good idea (I leave my H-One S on all the time even though I have an automatic light sensor function).
Rear lamp: The light comes complete with mounting apparatus (spade connectors) that are compatible with any standard dynamo rear lamp.
Overvoltage protection: In line with most modern dynamo lights we are aware of, the H-Diver comes with overvoltage protection insulating the LED from excess power at high speeds. We have /confirm/ied this in our own facilities to include safe use of this lamp on 20" wheels laced to standard 6V3W hub dynamos designed for use with 700c/26" wheels.
Mounting hardware: This headlamp comes complete with the short stainless steel bracket pictured in the photo. This bracket is also suitable for mounting on cantilever bosses. Assembly instructions can be downloaded here.
Reflector: The detachable StVZO conforming "Z" standard quality reflector seen in the second picture - which meets demanding German peripheral visibility requirements - is also included as an additional option for further enhancing your nighttime safety.
Intelligent Design Cycles is proud to be an authorised agent for Herrmans products worldwide. In short, dealer inquiries are warmly invited.
