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Hi,
I like my Aldi rear light a lot. It is bright, it is USB re-chargeable but battery life is rather disappointing.
On full blast it barely lasts 1.5h and less than 5 hours on medium.
That brings me to the conclusion, that it just might be on it's last legs in regards to battery.
So new light is needed, especially with gloomy season approaching.
Any suggestions for bright-blinking tail light, do not need to be USB re-chargeable, with at least 8h running time on reasonable setting?
Cheers!
I.
Exposure TraceR has lasted me 14hrs of continuous use on flash mode. USB too.
Cateye Rapid X3 - superlative. Super bright, high speed flicker and more than 180 degree visibility at the same brightness.
Ive got one of the old smart 1 watt rear lights. I use it ziptied to the back of my helemet and charge the AAA's when i remember.
No idea how long it really lasts but assuming 900mah batteries at 1.2v it should be 2 hours or so on full. In reality in the random flash mode its a very long time.
Or invest in a dynamo. Ive got two now and planning on getting a proper winter road bike just to get a dynamo. Its just yet another thing less to bother with charging.
A Moon Pulsar & some of those rechargeable batteries that only discharge slowly when not used.
It's not as bright as my Exposure TraceR, but it is much cheaper & the battery life is very good - continuous gets you 45hrs on brightest setting & the brightest flashing mode gets you over 100hrs.
I use one as a back-up, second light.
I've been happy with my Aldi light until recently, I think the battery isn't storing as much charge as it used to and I got caught out at the end of last week's spin.
I've replaced it with a Moon Comet-X Pro, it's a bit pricier than the Aldi one (£20), but it has a similar form-factor, seems brighter and the run times are significantly better.
I've yet to use it in anger, but from playing with it at home it seems to be a pretty decent replacement.
I had one of the original kickstarter funded one of these:
fantastic rear light thats super bright and adapts to prevailing light conditions, speed and road surfaces and adjusts the light output and flash speed accordingly.
I this the latest ones have some additional functionality too
Im just gutted I cant find my original one now (Moved house and been off the bike for 18 months) itll be somewhere in the garage but I may end up buying a new one to find it
Cateye Rapid X3 – superlative. Super bright, high speed flicker and more than 180 degree visibility at the same brightness.
I have an x2, which is 80lumens vs teh 150 on the x3, and I find it very bright, assuming they both have the same size battery teh x2 might be the one to go for, for longer burn time.
I have an exposure TraceR. They are a bit pricier than others (about £34 at the moment) - but I've had mine for five years and it's showing no signs of degrading yet.
Apart from when the pull tab on the rubber dust band broke off once, most likely my fault manhandling it after a series of sub zero commutes. I emailed them Exposure see if I could but a new band, and they promptly sent me a replacement FOC.
If it does die I'll happily buy another, the actual cost per year isn't working out too bad at all.
I have an x2, which is 80lumens vs teh 150 on the x3, and I find it very bright, assuming they both have the same size battery teh x2 might be the one to go for, for longer burn time.
They both have the same run times.
Having ridden behind my lad the other day when he was using my Aldi light on its lowest flashing setting, I've no idea why you'd need to use it on a brighter setting.
Another vote for the Exposure Trace R here. I see used one for a couple of years now, and it's taken everything that I've thrown at it. I've only ever challenged the battery life on multi day rides.
I had one of the original kickstarter funded one of these:
https://seesense.cc/
/blockquote>Me too - changed to a See.Sense Ace as it is a smaller unit.
Excellent light - easy to check battery level. Which you hardly ever need to do as it lasts for a couple of weeks. I have it on all the time.
Quite pricey outside the kickstarter funding, but it's worth the dosh imo.
Eagerly awaiting their Beam front light.
Cheers!
I was sure I've seen that mentioned thread before, feeling dumb now I couldn't find it myself...
Looks like Flare TraceR or Ace. All down to 3 quid variance...
Quick question for Ace users. Is there full manual-override mode available or only automatic?
Cheers!
I.
Exposure TraceR.
Mine's o er 5 years old. Used on mtb and road.
Great run time, programmable modes, no signs of weakness.
I recently bought my 2nd TraceR (so we have one each) and treated myself to the front/rear multi pack from CRC at a keen price.
Four fourths Scorpion for absolute brightness. 12hrs on flashing mode. Visible for a mile. Not cheap, but essential when bashing up and down those dual carriageways in the Lycra.
Otherwise Exposure Blaze/Tracer
my wifes uses a Lezyne Zecto Max
and I use a Lupine rear light
Both last ages and are very bright.
I have an x2, which is 80lumens vs teh 150 on the x3, and I find it very bright, assuming they both have the same size battery teh x2 might be the one to go for, for longer burn time.
The x3 is two x2s in the same package, with the same battery - and they can be turned on and off, or indeed to different flash patterns independently. So if you run just one half of it you get twice the runtime of an x2.
Thanks everybody.
Exposure TraceR purchased 🙂
Cheers!
I.