The really bright one that everyone warbles about, is it this one:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Smart_1~2_Watt_3_LED_Rear_Light/5360026001/

??

Yep, they are the good 'uns.

ta!

Mine failed, sent it back.

Link to J E James Light clicky clicky

Great lights , really bright. But they are cheaper at J E James bought myself a second one a couple of weeks ago

speaking or rear LEDs (slight hijack) is there a good rack mounted LEd that fixed permantly like the old Infini Apollo (now discontinued)?

They are good, but eat batteries and start going dim quite soon.

They are good, but eat batteries and start going dim quite soon.

Noted. It won't be my only rear light and I use eneloop rechargers too, so should be able to keep them topped up. I use a fair few dual carriageways with lots of slip roads, so sheer wattage and 180 degree visability is what I'm after.

How does it compare to the Cateye Tl-LD1000?

I have a 'holy handgrenade' like that WWJR, and I had its predesessor the LD1000:

1. So heavy the mounts break in cold weather, no good commuting in winter. I had several go before I gave up and zip tied it to my rack.

2. When the mount & mount interface on the light unit wear a bit, it rattles, and can self eject on potholes. I've had two run over by cars after they went skittering down a dual carriageway.

3. Not that bright. Unregulated LED too so you gotta keep the batts topped right up.

4. The two rows of flash are not syncronised, so if you have both rows on flash, if you're further back than 50 yards from the light, it dosn't appear to flash at all, hence not that noticeable.

However, they do use AAs which are easy to get at for recharging, last ages, pretty indestructible and good side visability.

Is there a front equivelent to the smart?

adh,

I've heard many complaints of the Cateye flying off bikes.

TBH I've tightened mine up as tight as I dare & it hasn't ever shifted…

/just sayin'…/

I have a hand grenade and the Superflash – equally bright, just one is smaller and has fewer options and is about a third the price.

Only problem I've had with the Superflash is the switch which can be problematic – I've turned lights off at night, locked the bike away, gone out to the garage next morning to find that the light has turned itself on in the night and is merrily draining away the battery…..

TBH I've tightened mine up as tight as I dare & it hasn't ever shifted…

You might have tightened the clamp band, but you can't tighten the little retainer clip that clicks into place when you insert the light unit into the mount can you … unless you're going to superglue it in of course …

They could just do with a different, beefier, mount design, like the blackburn X3 I have … much more versatile. Oh and more modern LEDs and syncronised LED arrays …

I have been using them in various incarnations for 6 years now.

LD1000: BEST described as the haemorrhoid

Once again another use for the trusty elastic band made out of an old bit of butyl tube (cos they last a lot lot longer than regular elastic bands).

take butyl rubber band (sacrifice an old tube, it's worth it), put light in the bracket then (hmm this will be difficult to explain) then place the band around the light – on the side of the bracket that isn't open, then stretch it until you get to the other end of the light and let it drape over the other end of the light, it should act like a mini bungy cord and prevent the light coming out, if you've mounted it round 90° then you can do the same, just takes a bit more ingenuity.

i should really post a picture.

Check out the new Knog Boomers

i have the smart and the hand grenade. the smarts are fitted to seatposts and the hand grenades ride on my pack. if you've got nothing – smarts. if can have both, do. the hand grenade has better side vis. i haven't found the smart eats batteries ( still on the supplied set ) and used once a week on the night ride for nearly a year, but can suffer with water ( which is when i've had the switch play up too – leaving it to dry out on the bench and grease around the seal fixed that ).
they're both good lights in their ways. i've heard of switch trouble on the cateye too but no trouble with mine.