{"id":1994,"date":"2017-02-22T16:02:23","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T16:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/?p=1994"},"modified":"2017-02-17T13:59:05","modified_gmt":"2017-02-17T13:59:05","slug":"barry-beams-oculus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2017\/02\/22\/barry-beams-oculus","title":{"rendered":"Barry Beams Oculus"},"content":{"rendered":"<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/623\/23154983446_48b7cda1a8_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"click for more\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/623\/23154983446_660f4d5ffb_n.jpg\" class=\"wb\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>This is one of the few products that have got me torn. On the one hand its a great light &#8211; on the other, the creator can be such a dick!<\/p>\n<!-- \/\/ --><!--more--><!-- \/\/ -->\n<h1>The Good<\/h1>\n<p>Bicycle lights have one purpose and one purpose alone &#8211; which is to illuminate the road&#8230; and I think the photo below speaks for itself:<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5659\/22885319420_6530e9301e_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"click for more\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5659\/22885319420_25dd8649d2_n.jpg\" class=\"wb\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>That&#8217;s up to [a marketed] 1500 lumens on a single 26650 battery being impressively dispersed &#8211; which makes for an extremely usable light. It clearly is even better than a stock motorcycle lamp &#8211; and my sense is if it&#8217;s better than a motorcycle light, it definitely is good enough for a <em>bicycle<\/em> light \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n<p>I also like how it can run on regular lithium ion batteries <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">1 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">That was one of the features that made me want to back it<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> and not require you to spend so much on a proprietary battery pack like the other bicycle light manufacturers usually do. And the running time is impressive as well; I left it at the lowest setting (which is still pretty bright) overnight, and it was still running the next morning.<\/p>\n<h1>The Bad<\/h1>\n<h3>Cosmetics<\/h3>\n<p>I&#8217;m going to be honest, this has got to be one of the ugliest looking bicycle lights I&#8217;ve ever come across. I mean seeing the packaging already should&#8217;ve given me an inkling of what to expect.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/600\/22813140049_b61d3347ee_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"click for more\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/600\/22813140049_e8282278e6_q.jpg\" class=\"wb\">\n<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/758\/22885283850_91ac81ca92_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"click for more\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/758\/22885283850_fa86d32d12_q.jpg\" class=\"wb\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Apart from the screws and electronics It was mostly made of specialized plastics &#8211; but the paint on the heatsink was already wearing off right off the box. By the looks of it he&#8217;s using two types, and the clear one seems to be plain acrylic. If it&#8217;s not then it&#8217;s not doing a good job in being &#8220;indestructible&#8221; because I accidentally pushed it from my desk (approximately 3ft) and it cracked &#8211; can&#8217;t imagine what would happen if you crashed on a bike with it, it might just break off the handlebars.<\/p>\n<p>Also, the battery compartment didn&#8217;t have any locking mechanism other than two posts that were to be secured by <a href=\"https:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5717\/22554049703_a9cef93464_o.jpg\">one of the provided o-rings<\/a>. <\/p>\n<h3>Batteries<\/h3>\n<p>Upon reading the manual, there seemed to be a few <em>gotchas<\/em> that limit what was supposed to be the very feature that made it appealing.<\/p>\n<p>For example, this is marketed as being able to use a &#8220;generic&#8221; 26650 battery, what the marketing pitch <em>didn&#8217;t<\/em> tell you was that you can&#8217;t just use any 26650 battery &#8211; lest you risk damaging the electronics. While I&#8217;m all for recommending quality batteries, I wish he took into account how <strong>normal users<\/strong> who aren&#8217;t savvy about different kinds of what seems to be the same battery &#8211; and built the electronics that would at least handle what a typical joe would buy from the nearest available store. <\/p>\n<p>I mean to begin with, 26650 batteries aren&#8217;t as ubiquitous as your regular A, AAA, D, etc., now you have to be looking for a <em>specific type<\/em> of 26650? And conveniently, he sells the cells that are recommended for the light. Sure, nothing wrong with that, but making the customer feel that they can use <em>any<\/em> 26650 battery &#8211; then practically having them find out that they risk damaging your light if they use anything other than the cells you provide is a bit disingenuous.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m sure most if not all consumers would&#8217;ve preferred that it worked with <em>any<\/em> 26650 battery &#8211; and any lack of power or capacity would merely mean less output or runtime &#8211; <em>not<\/em> the risk of damaging the light.<\/p>\n<h3>Charging<\/h3>\n<p>Same goes with the built-in charging circuit: the &#8220;special&#8221; adaptor that came with it <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">2 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Which seems to be your run of the mill china made one<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> practically outputs low current 5V &#8211; which is essentially USB voltage. Again, it&#8217;s not advisable to use it with a regular USB port lest you risk damaging the circuitry <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_3');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_3');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">3 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_3\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Because the electronics may not handle the transients generated by the higher amperage chargers &#8211; which are basically most modern day USB chargers, hubs, &#38; outlets.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Again, USB charging is so common today that it would&#8217;ve been better to just have it handle USB. Even the generic knockoff stuff sold in our country (CDR-King) work fine with regular USB specs, and here we&#8217;re supposed to believe that this clever little light couldn&#8217;t handle something so common without risk of damaging it? <\/p>\n<h3>Amazon and Attitude<\/h3>\n<p>So I included these issues on an Amazon review as they were valid criticisms. They didn&#8217;t in any way detract from the performance of the light. The light delivers as it should and does it well, but these were areas that <em>clearly<\/em> could be improved.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of accepting constructive criticism (as I practically had enumerated how to make the light <em>better<\/em>), Mr. Barry became defensive, messages me privately to take the perfectly valid review down and even threatened to get my Amazon account terminated because I had posted a review of a product that technically wasn&#8217;t bought from Amazon &#8211; which technically violated their ToS.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s actually right &#8211; I <em>didn&#8217;t<\/em> get it from Amazon. But while I have seen numerous reviews of other products by people who brought the products elsewhere <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_4');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_4');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_4\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">4 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_4\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">I&#8217;m pretty sure I was safe from his threats<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> but hey, I wanted to be fair. What&#8217;s more is that us Kickstarter backers had received what essentially were <a href=\"http:\/\/kck.st\/VzxiRp\">prototype units<\/a> &#8211; so I would assume the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/aag\/main\/ref=olp_merch_new_seller_1?ie=UTF8&amp;#38;asin=B018797NI2&amp;#38;isAmazonFulfilled=0&amp;#38;seller=A3BDW30AECO8UD\">commercial versions<\/a> should have been much improved. <\/p>\n<p>In the spirit of that possibility, I took the Amazon review down in good faith<span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_5');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_5');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_5\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">5 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_5\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">I even let him continue using the comparison shots I made to help market the product<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script>&#8230; and am doing the review here on my blog instead.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve made the necessary disclaimer that what I have is <em>indeed<\/em> a prototype unit, based on his arguments, one would <em>hope<\/em> that the units being sold in Amazon have these issues addressed. Because if not, how different are they from the prototypes (apart from being sold at MSRP)? &#8211; if they turned out to have the same issues I mentioned &#8211; that would be an amusing way to be vindicated.<\/p>\n<h1>Final Thoughts<\/h1>\n<p>You know, I really don&#8217;t mind that the light had its limitations. It still was a feat of engineering to get it as small, light, bright, and long lasting as it was &#8211; and I wasn&#8217;t remiss reminding people (as I am now) of that &#8211; the criticisms were supposed to be <em>constructive.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>What put me off was the fact that in his defensiveness &#8211; he started giving me attitude like he was offended that I didn&#8217;t see his light the way he did. If I were to distill his arguments, it basically was that he simply couldn&#8217;t (or wouldn&#8217;t) accept <em>any<\/em> criticism of it because he accomplished some great thing. Well, let me tell you Mr. Barry, even if you had made something great &#8211; it doesn&#8217;t mean you made something <em>perfect.<\/em> <strong>FAR FROM IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Criticism\/feedback exist so products can be improved. It&#8217;s still your choice if you want to do it or not &#8211; and nobody would take it against you as it is your right as the manufacturer. <\/p>\n<p>But don&#8217;t go pretending that you made this perfect thing that entitles you to nothing but praise. I&#8217;m telling you your light, as great as it is, has its flaws. It&#8217;s up to you whether you want to take that feedback and make it better, or leave it flawed. The market will ultimately decide which approach works best.<\/p>\n<h1>Pros<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>Brighter than average<\/li>\n<li>Good spread<\/li>\n<li>Great runtime<\/li>\n<li>Small &#38; Light<\/li>\n<li>Limited lifetime warranty <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_6');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_1994_1('footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_6');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_6\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">6 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_6\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Unless you piss him off, I guess LOL<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1994_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1>Cons<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li>Doesn&#8217;t work with regular USB (even if the voltage of the plug is USB spec)<\/li>\n<li>User has to be extra careful when choosing 26650 batteries for it<\/li>\n<li>Creator doesn&#8217;t respond well to constructive criticism<\/li>\n<li>Plastic casing not as &#8220;indestructible&#8221; as marketed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can purchase the Oculus @ Barry&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B018797NI2\">Amazon Webstore<\/a>. Someone, <em>please<\/em> buy it and let me know how the commercial units fare against this prototype I have.<\/p><div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_1994_1();\">Notes<\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_1994_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_1994_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_1994_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\">Notes<\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_1994_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_1');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_1\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">That was one of the features that made me want to back it<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_1994_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_2');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_2\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>2<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Which seems to be your run of the mill china made one<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_1994_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_3');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_3\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>3<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Because the electronics may not handle the transients generated by the higher amperage chargers &#8211; which are basically most modern day USB chargers, hubs, &#38; outlets.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_1994_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_4');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_4\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>4<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">I&#8217;m pretty sure I was safe from his threats<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_1994_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_5');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_5\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>5<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">I even let him continue using the comparison shots I made to help market the product<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_1994_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_1994_1_6');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_1994_1_6\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>6<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Unless you piss him off, I guess LOL<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_1994_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_1994_1').show(); 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jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } }<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Barry Beams Oculus bicycle light from Kickstarter; a feat of lighting technology which sadly was overshadowed by the creators&#8217; prissy attitude.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,6,13],"tags":[312,655],"class_list":["post-1994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cycling","category-reviews","category-technology","tag-cycling","tag-kickstarter"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1994"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2002,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1994\/revisions\/2002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}