[Hivemind] Best Rear Lights

notsoblue

So this is my third rear light in the last year to have packed in due to water damage. First was a cateye, second was a Knog Skink, and the last was a Blackburn EH2016664. It seems that the mid range lights are false economy, so I'm looking for something a bit better quality.

I'm after something waterproof (that will last more than 4 months) and ideally rechargeable. What does the hive mind say?

asprilla

Exposure Flare.

iPete

How'd mine look last night, oh wait, I'm too damn slow!

Do the Ay Ups have a rear that shares the same battery etc? My Hope District is bit of a false economy if you run it on its own but its bombproof and don't see why I won't get 5+ years out of it.

Exposure Flare maybe?

notsoblue

iPete wrote:

How'd mine look last night, oh wait, I'm too damn slow!

Do the Ay Ups have a rear that shares the same battery etc? My Hope District is bit of a false economy if you run it on its own but its bombproof and don't see why I won't get 5+ years out of it.

Exposure Flare maybe?

Hehe, actually your rear light looks pretty good. How much time do you get out of the battery?

Asprilla: Doesn't the Exposure Flare use special batteries? Is there an option to recharge them or is it disposable all the way? How often do you replace them?

roger_merriman

I use a Fiber Flare very good visablity i'm an all weather cyclist and it's yet to have a problem takes AAA's I feed it rechargables.

I also have a halfords cheapie which also keeps working but is quite dim, but it's just a backup

DrLex

notsoblue wrote:

[...]
and ideally rechargeable. [...]

Moon Shield 60. £36 @ JEJames.

notsoblue

DrLex wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

[...]
and ideally rechargeable. [...]

Moon Shield 60. £36 @ JEJames.

Yeah, I quite like the look of them. Bit sceptical about how waterproof they are with there being a micro USB port there, even if it is protected by a rubber bung. Is anyone using them on a bike without mudguards?

iPete

notsoblue wrote:

iPete wrote:

How'd mine look last night, oh wait, I'm too damn slow!

Do the Ay Ups have a rear that shares the same battery etc? My Hope District is bit of a false economy if you run it on its own but its bombproof and don't see why I won't get 5+ years out of it.

Exposure Flare maybe?

Hehe, actually your rear light looks pretty good. How much time do you get out of the battery?

If I run the Hope 2 and the District on flashing I can get a week out of both, thats 10+ hours. I tend to recharge every 4 days to be on the safe side as there's no indicator. Burn time for the rear is quoted as 11 to 104 hours [assuming with larger battery].

iPete

woops

Kieran_Burns

I run my hope vision 2 on setting 3 and the district on bright - I recharge after every commuting day and haven't had a problem with the shared battery (45-55 mins each way)

davis

I use the Exposure Redeye with one of their single-cell piggyback batteries. I've gone entirely over to Exposure stuff and it all plays nicely together.

The Rookie

DrLex wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

[...]
and ideally rechargeable. [...]

Moon Shield 60. £36 @ JEJames.

Very happy with my Moon shield, its USB2 so I have a lead at home and at work, mine cost just over £30 off ebay.

Simon

bigmat

Been pretty pleased with my Smart one - may still be on special at Planet X. Not rechargeable but batteries have lasted pretty well (e.g. a couple of months' commuting 20+ miles a day plus occasional longer evening rides). Seems to cope OK with rain.

R_T_A

Using the Exposure Flash/Flare combo myself, although there is a bit of a quality issue with them.

I had to send the Flare back after 6 months as it stopped working, although it has been repaired for free.

I must admit, I felt a bit exposed (pun intended) with just my back up lights on, so they are good kit.

asprilla

notsoblue wrote:

iPete wrote:

How'd mine look last night, oh wait, I'm too damn slow!

Do the Ay Ups have a rear that shares the same battery etc? My Hope District is bit of a false economy if you run it on its own but its bombproof and don't see why I won't get 5+ years out of it.

Exposure Flare maybe?

Hehe, actually your rear light looks pretty good. How much time do you get out of the battery?

Asprilla: Doesn't the Exposure Flare use special batteries? Is there an option to recharge them or is it disposable all the way? How often do you replace them?

It uses CR123 batteries. Exposure do a charger and their own rechargeable batteries. A charge lasts abut 8 hours on pulse mode which is a little less than a week for me.

Wrath Rob

Asprilla wrote:

Exposure Flare.

+1.

Got a battery and charger of interweb for £10, get about 4 hours from a charge which is a week of commuting (less if training). Also got a Cateye hand-grenade job that I've had for almost 4 years running AA rechargeables. Not as good as the Flare but better side visibility and batteries last longer.

spasypaddy

the flare is the correct answer.

ride_whenever

Shield, without a doubt.

The rubber bung is a really tight fit and works well, mine lasted 3 months after I removed the bung permanently by accident. I ride in all weathers with no mudguards.

My colleagues with shields have had no issues with the bungs.

rick_chasey

notsoblue wrote:

DrLex wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

[...]
and ideally rechargeable. [...]

Moon Shield 60. £36 @ JEJames.

Yeah, I quite like the look of them. Bit sceptical about how waterproof they are with there being a micro USB port there, even if it is protected by a rubber bung. Is anyone using them on a bike without mudguards?

Perhaps the solution is to HAVE MUDGUARDS.

sketchley

I've got a couple of cheap smart lights on the rear.

One of these



And one of these



Battery life on both is excellent, one is mounted on end of saddle bag the other under the seat clamp, I have no rear mudguard and they have both been out in recent downpours so I'd guess they are waterproof. They also seem very bright particularly the first one.

I did have a Knog Skink before, I liked it but water got in and it broke. Not impressed.

notsoblue

Rick Chasey wrote:

Perhaps the solution is to HAVE MUDGUARDS.

SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH

Ok, so my options are:

Moon Shield 60
Exposure Flare
Hope District

Alas it would be overkill to have two battery packs on my bike, so the Hope Districts are out. That leaves the Exposure Flare and the Moon Shield. They would both appear to have equivalent battery life. But the Moon Shield can be recharged pretty easily at work and at home and doesn't need a special charger/batteries. The Exposure Flare looks like it would last a lot longer... But I think I might take a punt on the Moon Shield. If I have to make another thread like this in 4 months, I'll get an exposure flare...

bails87

Magicshine MJ-818.

Means fixing another battery pack though.

bobbygloss

Is it too late to suggest Cateye LD1100?
Lasts 2 weeks on 2x AA rechargeables (20 hours or so), bright from all angles but not dazzling.

Mine lives on my mountain bike all year round, probably 100 winter commuting days per year and its lasted 6 years so far (with mudguards).

Kieran_Burns

Bobbygloss wrote:

Is it too late to suggest Cateye LD1100?
Lasts 2 weeks on 2x AA rechargeables (20 hours or so), bright from all angles but not dazzling.

Mine lives on my mountain bike all year round, probably 100 winter commuting days per year and its lasted 6 years so far (with mudguards).

That's my backup light for the District - it's completely swamped by the light from the district but it's a good light in its own right

vermin

I run a District as the main light and a Moon Shield as backup. Both emit huge amounts of light and have been used in pretty horrid weather. I agree with comments that the USB plug on the Moon seems to be adequate. I've no idea about battery life because I just take the precaution of plugging the Moon into my work PC during the day and the Hope into the mains at night (I have to, because my Hope Vision 2 front light runs off the same battery and the two of them together pretty much flatten it within 2 hours on full beam).

For convenience, the Moon really is fantastic. From behind, the light appears very similar to the Flare to me, but it's cheaper and easier to keep charged up. It's very well built too, although the clip on the back looks a little flimsy.

Not to say that the Flare isn't also excellent, probably.

dodgerdog

I am a sworn user of the Blackburn Mars 4.0 of which I have one per bike, they run on 2 x AAA and need new batteries about once per year - currnetly being used about 50mins each way on a flashing mode.

Find them to be excellent - no issues to date with water ingress and cost about £20

vermin

Dodgerdog wrote:

I am a sworn user of the Blackburn Mars 4.0 of which I have one per bike, they run on 2 x AAA and need new batteries about once per year - currnetly being used about 50mins each way on a flashing mode.

Find them to be excellent - no issues to date with water ingress and cost about £20

You got lucky. I had one of those (no, I still have it in fact), and it drains new batteries overnight. Must have some sort of short circuit. Always did it from new - never got round to returning it. YMMV, of course.

asprilla

I used to be a massive fan of Mars 3.0s and 4.0s but then I lost a number in succession to water ingress.

Still like them, but I'd only use them as a back up.

My current back up is a Fibre Flare but I have lost one of those to water. However I don't think that it was anything that couldn't be solved with some vaseline around the rubber end cover.

spasypaddy

i liked the mars 4.0 until i got the exposure flare.

supersonic

I use a 99p ebay light on one bike, and one I got free with MBUK on the other. Both still work fine, through rain and shine! Maybe I am lucky.

In the past I have sealed them better with tape.

However I don't think that it was anything that couldn't be solved with some vaseline around the rubber end cover.

Or this.

symo

Bobbygloss wrote:

Is it too late to suggest Cateye LD1100?
Lasts 2 weeks on 2x AA rechargeables (20 hours or so), bright from all angles but not dazzling.

Mine lives on my mountain bike all year round, probably 100 winter commuting days per year and its lasted 6 years so far (with mudguards).

+1 for this under-rated light.