Smart 1/2 Watt problems

il_principe

Recently bought a Smart Front/Rear light set from Planet X - was cheap and they seem well though of. The rear light has been used twice in the rain and is already letting a little water in. As a result the light keeps turning itself on and off at will. Anyone else had problems. Don't know whether to replace or refund.

On another note, why does no one make reliable, waterproof lights. I've gone through so many. Love the Knog design - lack of mount etc, but had so much trouble with those last year. Have tried and hated Cateye as well.

Meh.

bails87

Bit of grease.vaseline on the rubber seal between the plastic parts of the case? I do it by default on all my lights and have never had a problem with water getting in.

veronese68

There's a thread about this on the commuting workshop bit. I think silicon grease around the seal sounded like a good bet. Vaseline should work though.

tgotb

I used to have this problem with the 1W lights (I have two of them). Vaseline on the "seal" and mudguards seems to have solved the problem.

If you're looking for an alternative, Blackburn Mars seems very good in the wet, but mine bounced out of its bracket somewhere on the A24...

rjsterry

I have an ancient VistaLite - maybe 10 years old - that was still going strong until a week or so ago, when the clip mysteriously unscrewed itself from the body of the light. Luckily have the clip and light (it fell off on Clapham Common) , but now need to find two very small machine screws. I think thew key to it's continued waterproofness is that the back and front parts of the light are screwed together, and in tightening the screws, the gasket is compressed, forming a really good seal. Don't know which models are screwed together these days.

My old Cateye has lasted pretty well also, and is only now non-waterproof after having been sat on and cracked.

Headhuunter

This is a perpetual problem with Smart lights of any wattage IME. I keep buying them because they end up in sales going for a song, but they can be a PITA, I've had 5 or 6 over the years. 2 of them have bvroken down completely after rain. They improved the design slightly of the 1 watt lights but even those have problems in the rain I find. They were clearly designed by a fairweather cyclist, probably someone living in California or something...

The best way to stop the problems is to have mudguards, it's not the rain itself but the spray off the back wheel that kills them. If you don't have mudguards then a bit of grease or Vaseline round the seal helps, but even that lets water in sometimes...

Another thing to do is to remove the batts after you have ridden in the rain because I sometimes find that even though they appear to have survived the ride in the rain, you switch them off but water ingress means they turn themselves back on again in your bag or attached to the bike whilst it's parked and next time you want to use them, the batts are flat.

I found Cat Eye lights to be better in terms of waterproofing but the mounts are sh!t so they end up bouncing off into the road and getting run over...

il_principe

Thanks all. Will try vaseline. Also think attaching lights to my bag rather than seatpost might help. Don't have 'guards and will not be getting them.

iPete

Had two die from the rain and one fall off. So more than happy to splash out on a Hope District, expensive but reliable. Enough to buy 15 Smarts but I'd probably go through that many in a couple of winters!

p.s. put some guards on you tart

Kieran_Burns

Hope lights. Waterproof, never mind water resistant (well the vision 2 certainly is)

and Yes, I paid a lot of money for my lights >£250 in total but I cycle down unlit country lanes in Winter and I value my life.

(oh and I DO have cateye lights on the back - been through multiple Winters without missing a beat... I do have mudguards.)

(Hope Vision 2 + 1 on the front, Cateye LD1100 and LD610 on the rear)

rolf_f

Kieran_Burns wrote:

and Yes, I paid a lot of money for my lights >£250 in total but I cycle down unlit country lanes in Winter and I value my life.

Two RSPs and a torch from Lidl will cover me this winter for about £90. Blindingly bright combination - nobody will miss you on the unlits. No idea how long the torch will keep power for but the RSPs last about a week between charges.

Main potential bother is that the much recommended Twofish mount seems to allow more wobble than I'd like but possibly it won't notice on the road.

As for the rears - vaseline has worked for a couple of winters for me on the Smart 0.5 and 1 watts but I think units that have previously gone funny can remain troublesome irrespective of the vaseline. Still, if you carry a spare there's no problem.

Kieran_Burns

Cycling specific lights put the illumination where it's needed and not into oncoming drivers eyes - it's all well and good being seen, but when you dazzle someone driving towards you at 60mph you can end up:

a) p*ssing people off
b) smeared across the bonnet of a blinded driver
c) the witness to a car embedded in a hedge
d) p*ssing people off

jzed

Il Principe wrote:

Recently bought a Smart Front/Rear light set from Planet X - was cheap and they seem well though of. The rear light has been used twice in the rain and is already letting a little water in. As a result the light keeps turning itself on and off at will. Anyone else had problems. Don't know whether to replace or refund.

On another note, why does no one make reliable, waterproof lights. I've gone through so many. Love the Knog design - lack of mount etc, but had so much trouble with those last year. Have tried and hated Cateye as well.

Meh.

Used mine last night and it is a complete and utter pile of w@nk. It turned itself on mid-commute and then wouldn't go out without opening and ripping the batteries out. Even worse than the Knog I had which would turn on but not off, and then decide not to turn on.

rolf_f

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Cycling specific lights put the illumination where it's needed and not into oncoming drivers eyes - it's all well and good being seen, but when you dazzle someone driving towards you at 60mph you can end up:

The RSPs are cycle specific. All the lights I've seen seem to have pretty circular beams anyway which, once dipped to aim at an appropriate spot on the tarmac, cause no problems to oncoming drivers (certainly less so than the dazzle the oncoming drivers cause me!).

If the torch causes any problems, I'll remove it. It's intended primarily as a backup as it uses removable batteries rather than being rechargeable as a unit like the RSPs which make them a lot more convenient.

Kieran_Burns

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... ght-32406/

rolf_f

Kieran_Burns wrote:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/lights/front/product/review-rsp-laa883-light-32406/

Completely different unit.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... ght-35502/

Paid £40 each for mine.

bails87

Kieran_Burns wrote:

but when you dazzle someone driving towards you at 60mph you can end up:

b) smeared across the bonnet of a blinded driver

I don't buy this. If I've been driving towards another driver who's left their main beams on I don't think (oo, that's a bit dazzling, I'd better drive into it)

Admittedly it might end up with someone else smeared across the bonnet.

I've got an XML-T6 from DealExtreme, but it'll be on low while I'm in traffic and under street lights, once I'm on the almost deserted country lanes it'll be on full but there are so few cars that I can just put my hand over the light while they're passing me, which they'll be doing slowly because the brightness of the light causes confusion which tends to make drivers slow right down.

il_principe

JZed wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Recently bought a Smart Front/Rear light set from Planet X - was cheap and they seem well though of. The rear light has been used twice in the rain and is already letting a little water in. As a result the light keeps turning itself on and off at will. Anyone else had problems. Don't know whether to replace or refund.

On another note, why does no one make reliable, waterproof lights. I've gone through so many. Love the Knog design - lack of mount etc, but had so much trouble with those last year. Have tried and hated Cateye as well.

Meh.

Used mine last night and it is a complete and utter pile of w@nk. It turned itself on mid-commute and then wouldn't go out without opening and ripping the batteries out. Even worse than the Knog I had which would turn on but not off, and then decide not to turn on.

EXACTLY. I'm having the same issues. Bet the Knog you had probs with was the Boomer?

I am disappoint.

jzed

Il Principe wrote:

JZed wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Recently bought a Smart Front/Rear light set from Planet X - was cheap and they seem well though of. The rear light has been used twice in the rain and is already letting a little water in. As a result the light keeps turning itself on and off at will. Anyone else had problems. Don't know whether to replace or refund.

On another note, why does no one make reliable, waterproof lights. I've gone through so many. Love the Knog design - lack of mount etc, but had so much trouble with those last year. Have tried and hated Cateye as well.

Meh.

Used mine last night and it is a complete and utter pile of w@nk. It turned itself on mid-commute and then wouldn't go out without opening and ripping the batteries out. Even worse than the Knog I had which would turn on but not off, and then decide not to turn on.

EXACTLY. I'm having the same issues. Bet the Knog you had probs with was the Boomer?

I am disappoint.

Boomer, skink, I've tried them all. They all have the same inability to operate whenever you need them to work.

Best light I've had is the one they gave out on the Marmotte. Turn it on, it comes on, turn it off it goes off, Leave it alone it does nothing. Just how a light should be. Except its one little LED so pretty useless.

I'm going to buy a load of cheap ones, superglue them together and dispose of them when they run out.

SimonAH

I'm using Knog Gekkos to be seen and a MiNewt 150 cordless to see. It's been a pretty reliable combination so far (although I grant that the Gekkos are not very old).

I have however had a set of Knog Skullys for about eighteen months - never missed a beat (and not had to change the batteries even). Brilliant little chappies, but not as bright as the Gekkos.

R_T_A

Try the Exposure Flash/Flare combo. They're bright, really well made, small (fit in hand) and aluminium case so very light. Perfect for commuting with the rechargeable battery option.

Like everyone else, I got fed up with forking out for lights every year. Still performing well even after the recent deluges:


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/exposure-flashflare-light-pack-with-rechargable-batteries/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products

asprilla

Having used Cat Eyes, Blackburn Mars, Knogs, Smarts and Blackburn Fleas in the last two years and had them all die doe to water ingress I've not settled on a Fibre Flare down one seat stay.

It's lasted so far and it's fairly bright.

For the new winter commuter (rack / panniers means the set stay isn't a mounting option) I've just bitten the bullet and got an Exposure Flash / Flare bundle. £70, but that gives you a front, a rear, two rechargeable batteries and a charger. Waterproofiness is supposed to be second to none.

iPete

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/gear/access ... rict-3.htm

Done.

No more faff, failure, worries in the rain or fiddling with AAs but your wallet will feel a bit lighter and people will ask you where you got them from all the time.

singlespeedexplosif

Yup, I've been using a couple of Flares on the back for the past 10 months or so, absolutely superb. Before that I was using Smart 1/2W and did notice a few issues with the poor switch.
Flares on the back, Maxx-D on the bars, Joystick on the lid. Exposure lights and all-year-round commuting FTW.

asprilla

singlespeedexplosif wrote:

Yup, I've been using a couple of Flares on the back for the past 10 months or so, absolutely superb. Before that I was using Smart 1/2W and did notice a few issues with the poor switch.
Flares on the back, Maxx-D on the bars, Joystick on the lid. Exposure lights and all-year-round commuting FTW.

Exposure Flares or Fibre Flares?

il_principe

iPete wrote:

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/gear/accessories/lighting/hope-district-3.htm

Done.

No more faff, failure, worries in the rain or fiddling with AAs but your wallet will feel a bit lighter and people will ask you where you got them from all the time.

That looks like a huge faff! I commute in London. I want lights I can quickly & easily attach/remove from any part of my bike/clothing bag i.e. when stopping at the pub/shop. I;d also like these lights to work properly. Knog used to tick these boxes, but their quality has nosedived in the last year or so.

fossyant

The Smarts I've had have let moisture in. They generally dry out on a radiator.

Waterproof, then go for Blackburn Mars 3.0 or 4.0, or the RSP Astrum - these don't need vaseline to make them waterproof.

Don't get me started on my Knog Toad I use as a backup - slightest rain and they play up. Regularly need drying on the radiator.

Main front lights are Hope 1's x 2, and 2 x Magicshine rears - no trouble with these at all.

asprilla

fossyant wrote:

Waterproof, then go for Blackburn Mars 3.0 or 4.0

I beg to differ. I've had both die on me because of water and will now only use them on bikes with guards.

Torvid

Been using cat eyes off and on for a good few years and they work well in teh rain never had a water proofing issue with them but they do seem to burn though batteries.

iPete

Il Principe wrote:

iPete wrote:

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/gear/accessories/lighting/hope-district-3.htm

Done.

No more faff, failure, worries in the rain or fiddling with AAs but your wallet will feel a bit lighter and people will ask you where you got them from all the time.

That looks like a huge faff! I commute in London. I want lights I can quickly & easily attach/remove from any part of my bike/clothing bag i.e. when stopping at the pub/shop. I;d also like these lights to work properly. Knog used to tick these boxes, but their quality has nosedived in the last year or so.

Point taken, if your bike ever lives outside they are too valuable to leave on.

Or a clear sign that you need a pub bike

bails87

iPete wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

iPete wrote:

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/gear/accessories/lighting/hope-district-3.htm

Done.

No more faff, failure, worries in the rain or fiddling with AAs but your wallet will feel a bit lighter and people will ask you where you got them from all the time.

That looks like a huge faff! I commute in London. I want lights I can quickly & easily attach/remove from any part of my bike/clothing bag i.e. when stopping at the pub/shop. I;d also like these lights to work properly. Knog used to tick these boxes, but their quality has nosedived in the last year or so.

Point taken, if your bike ever lives outside they are too valuable to leave on.

Or a clear sign that you need a pub bike

...with pub lights?

iPete

Yes but that's off topic!

My answer would be buy a Brompton but my Smart fell off that last week, arg cheap lights.