SON 28 or SON Deluxe

[martin113]

I know there are loads of threads on here about dynohubs and I'm sorry to be starting another. I have read them all and am not quite getting an answer to my question.

I am having some wheels built, 700c, and want a dynohub. The choice has come down to the SON 28 or the SON Deluxe and I am confused about the difference between them. The SON 28 claims to give more power at low speeds and I'm not a fast rider. On a loaded camping tour I'm doing about average 9 mph. I've also read that the SON 28 is better if you want to charge gadgets, and I would like to be able to recharge my Garmin as I'm cycling. The SON Deluxe however, claims to be "specially designed to match with the requirements of modern LED headlights" and " for nearly all applications SONdelux & Edelux are the ideal dynamo powered lighting system providing maximum illuminance at minimal physical effort" (quotes taken from SJSC).

Can anyone throw some light on this for me -- excuse the pun.

[BeeKeeper]

I've got the SON deluxe but realise now I should have got the 28 as I mostly use it for charging things and rarely cycle in the dark, using my lights only in tunnels or bad weather. With the lights on there is very little left for charging. I suspect the 28 will also not be perfect for charging when the lights are being used, but its performance is supposed to be better in this respect. The SON website says: "SON 28 is recommended when more light is required at low speed or when other devices are to be operated or their batteries recharged. " (my italics)

[geocycle]

I agree with BeeKeeper. If you want to charge stuff and use lights then go for the SON28, if you just want lights then the deluxe looks a better and much lighter alternative. I have the SON28 and its been great for the last 5 years.

[martin113]

Thanks for those responses, very helpful. And for info I have managed to find that the difference in weight between the two hubs is only about 50gm. Could you tell me what you charge from the SON28 and how you do it. I take a smart phone and a gps when I'm camping touring. Is it possible to charge them straight from the hub or what extra gizmos do I need? And could you recommend a front light to go with the hub? Thanks.

[BeeKeeper]

You can't charge devices like phones directly from the hub the because they need 5 volts DC whereas the hub produces a nominal 6 volts AC. This has been discussed here before if you search but my recommendation would a USB-Werk. Best price is from http://www.bike-discount.de
You can get front lights with a USB outlet but I don't know how waterproof they are.
I charge all my devices, phone, camera, GPS and tablet.

[meic]

claims to be "specially designed to match with the requirements of modern LED headlights" and " for nearly all applications SONdelux & Edelux are the ideal dynamo powered lighting system providing maximum illuminance at minimal physical effort"

Put simply it has slightly lower output at the same speed. Which is attractive to people who only run LED lights as it creates slightly less drag and provides enough power for the lights. This is especially true for faster, less loaded riders who tend to easily produce enough (electrical) power and value minimising drag.

[martin113]

Thanks for that Beekeeper and that is a very good price for the USB-werk. I'm a bit unsure as to how this works. I can see that the lead from the dynohub comes in and then there is a lead out which connects with a converter lead which has a USB plug to charge the phone etc. I can also see that the converter to the USB lead is going to be waterproof because it screws in. Two questions:

1. Does the front light also have to come off the USB-werk or do you have two outputs at the same time from the dynohub, one to the light and one to the USB-Werk?
2. How do you deal with waterproofing the connection between the USB lead and the item to be charged. Does that have to be in a bag?

Any photos of your set up?

Thanks.

[BeeKeeper]

The light needs 6 volts so it needs to be connected directly to the dynamo. The connectors I use allow 2 wires to be connected to each spade on the dynamo but I can't remember now where they came from. They possibly came with the E-Werk which is the same as the USB-Werk but has variable outputs, which I don't need but it was all that was available at the time.

I have the leads long enough so the E-Werk can sit in my bar bag and this means any connections are away from the weather and if it is raining I can put whatever I am charging in the bar bag as well. Remember whatever you are charging won't have a waterproof charging point either.

I'll try and take some piccies tomorrow.

[ConRAD]

Former SON-Deluxe name was, if I’m not wrong, SON20, where “20” was intended to stay for “20 inches”, in other words suitable for bicycles 20” size.
SON20, or if you prefer today SON-Deluxe, is therefore most suitable for smaller wheels size since at the same bicycle speed, when mounted on a smaller wheel size it will rotate faster thus delivering a little more power compared to SON28.
SON-Deluxe once mounted on a 28”/26” inches bike is not the best in term of output power but, on the other hand, it offers less dragging.
Now, considering that the cost of the two dynamos is roughly the same, considered that in terms of wheight the difference is a minor issue, I frankly do not understand why to keep still into production SON-Deluxe.
I’ve been using SON20 before and SON-Deluxe now but my next choice will be definitely SON28. That’s it !!

[rollinbone]

I've been running a Deluxe for about 2000+ miles on a 26" wheel touring bike (with front rack)
This I have wired to front/rear lights and through an eWerk to charge up a Garmin edge 800 or a SatMap
Find I have to be going 6.5mph or over to get the Garmin/Satmap to charge

[martin113]

Thanks for that Rollinbone. Do you use a cache battery between the EWerk and the Garmin Edge or do you charge straight from the E Werk?

[vernon]

I would caution against using the SON delux if you intend to charge devices. Not all devices will charge from the output of the SON deluxe via an e-Werk.

I had a bike custom built with a SON delux hub last year. It charged my HTC Desire HD phone perfectly well last year but struggled to maintain charge on my Samsung Galaxy 3 phone this year.