Help me choose!

getdownmonkeyman

I have searched the forum for a semi-definitive answer, but am still struggling despite lots of comments.

I am looking for a bright rear light, bright under constant use, I am not a fan of blinkies, so have narrowed it down to the Mars 3.0 and Smart 1/2 watt, though I am sceptical about the Smart.

Primarily used for being seen on the road, with a little off road at night.

What is the general concensus?

Al_38

I have 2 smarts... I have had complaints that they are almost too bright to ride behind. While they are quite hard on batteries you can always run them on rechargeables - I think the hybrid ones are the best bet. Decent visibility from the side too. What makes it even better is they are quite cheap too

spasypaddy

i have a blackburn mars 3.0 i love it. Its a fantastic light. Highly recommended

The complaining tadpole

I use a Mars 3.0 on constant on my seatpost & a cheap Halfords thingy on flashing mode clipped to my rucksack. I commute on mostly unlit country roads 10 miles each way & as yet have had no near miss episodes. I do however realise that now I have said this I will probably be spending Christmas in hospital due to some tool running into the back of me on my way home tonight!

alfablue

A smart 1/2 watt for £11 ish is impossible to beat for brightness. All LED lights benefit from rechargeable NiMH over alkaline, which will fade well before they are exhausted - trouble is for the first minute or two when you set off they look fine, then when you're on the move they fade badly - saw a guy with a pathetic rear light this morning, probably because of this.

I run mine on 2 AAA "Instant" batteries (hybrid ones) from www.vapextech.co.uk and probably get in excess of 40 hours on flashing mode. Get a smart charger too, otherwise you batteries will suffer (with a "dumb" one).