small, light, flashing lights for daytime

ben-----
ben----- Posts: 573
edited September 2014 in Road buying advice
I'm looking to get some blinking lights for daytime riding. Small, light (weight), preferably USB rechargeable, lights. Are the Knog Blinder 1's any good? Are they bright enough to get seen in the daytime? Or what other ones are there that are good? Thanks.

Comments

  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    Blinder 4 road
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
    https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
    Facebook? No. Just say no.
  • kingstonian
    kingstonian Posts: 2,847
    I have Lezyne - they fit the bill too
  • gethinceri
    gethinceri Posts: 1,517
    Knog Blinder 4. some give bad reviews of this but mine is ace after a year.
  • nollag
    nollag Posts: 13
    hi,i have the Moonshield 60 and its the brightest rear light I have come across,its usb chargable,I have mine for about 6 months and its been great,I have bought a few good rear lights but the moonshield is the brightest by far
  • holiver
    holiver Posts: 729
    Would the Knog Blinder 4 be suitable run as a bright front flashing light in my circumstance?

    I currently use a Hope Vision 1 as a main beam and a Cateye Uno as a helmet light. However, I need a flashing light, as the one I use for this purpose is on its way out.

    Or would a Lezyne Zecto Drive front be any better? Any other ideas?
    2013 Kinesis Racelight T2
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    holiver wrote:
    Would the Knog Blinder 4 be suitable run as a bright front flashing light in my circumstance?

    I currently use a Hope Vision 1 as a main beam and a Cateye Uno as a helmet light. However, I need a flashing light, as the one I use for this purpose is on its way out.

    Or would a Lezyne Zecto Drive front be any better? Any other ideas?

    Very much so. I currently have a Micro Drive on the front, with my Mega Drive, but, if the quality of the Blinder R on the rear I have is anything to go by, the front should be excellent.
    My blog: http://www.roubaixcycling.cc (kit reviews and other musings)
    https://twitter.com/roubaixcc
    Facebook? No. Just say no.
  • Nick_M
    Nick_M Posts: 58
    The Knog Blinder 4s, front and rear, are very bright. I often run one as a rear daytime safety light (lots of gloomy tree-lined lanes where I ride). It will run for about three hours from one charge in the very bright "all-four-LEDs-flashing-at-once" mode. If you need longer lifetime, look at Cateyes etc that run on AA batteries. I use rechargeable AA cells recharged after each ride so that I don't have to try and guess when the batteries will go flat.
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Exposure Trace
    Small, bright, easy on/off, no reports of snapping rubber bits (unlike Knog), USB charge, pulse mode etc.
  • alex222
    alex222 Posts: 598
    edited September 2014
    If you are on a budget I have been pleased with the Lifeline ones from Wiggle (one of their own brands). Come in at around £30 for the pair. They got a good write up on Road CC.
    http://road.cc/content/review/116626-li ... rear-light
    http://www.wiggle.com/lifeline-usb-led- ... light-set/
  • ben-----
    ben----- Posts: 573
    Nick_M wrote:
    The Knog Blinder 4s […] run for about three hours from one charge in the very bright "all-four-LEDs-flashing-at-once" mode.

    The Knog website says about the Knog Blinder 4, "3 hrs (steady), 50 hrs (flashing)". (Is that the same as the Blinder 4s? I think so.) So that 50 hrs flashing statement is either rubbish or it's on some super low setting -- going from what you say Nick_M.
  • Nick_M
    Nick_M Posts: 58
    They have a range of different flashing modes. If you use the fainter ones then I am sure the light would run longer. But using the fainter modes rather defeats the purpose of a daytime safety light.
  • Ouija
    Ouija Posts: 1,386
    Nick_M wrote:
    I use rechargeable AA cells recharged after each ride so that I don't have to try and guess when the batteries will go flat.

    Which, incidentally, completely ruins AA batteries....

    Should always drain old style Ni-MH and Ni-CD AA/AAA batteries completely before charging or you'll find they only hold a fraction of the charge they used to.

    Completely the opposite for modern Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) style batteries where completely draining them destroys them.
  • Nick_M
    Nick_M Posts: 58
    Yeah, lithium-ion batteries are just so much better than NiCads. I remember back in the 80s running model aircraft radio-control gear with NiCads. Absolutely horrible things, heavy, slow charging and easily damaged *shudder*.

Categories