Blackburn Quadrant Bicycle Light Review

I'm generous, at times, in reviewing books or CDs and saying 5 stars; and maybe this item is easier to judge; but I have no problems giving it a top rating.

In the past 5 or 6 years; I have used a number of headlights; mostly those with rechargeable batteries and they have served my purpose; but in a sense they have been bulky, or expensive, a bit of a hassle.

I will continue to keep a rechargeable battery headlight that I have since it lights up the road, just in case; but this one is easy to carry with one off the bike for security reasons, has a price that can't be beat, in fact, I find it astonishing that one can get such a good lighting system for under $50 dollars, let alone less than $25 as in this case. It is really a fine product; and very good for local riding (meaning 20-30 miles). For touring, maybe more lighting is needed; but it certainly let's you be seen and I don't have any problems with how well it does illuminate.

I especially went out of my way to purchase this; I often wondered what some cyclists I would see were using with a strobe light type of light on their bicycles; it may have been one of these and I have been pleasantly surprised with it's quality.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Blackburn Quadrant Bicycle Light

Product Description:
An essential measure for any safety-conscious biker, the Blackburn Quadrant Bicycle Light will help make sure you see the road and drivers see you. The Quadrant is constructed in a tough, water-resistant case and utilizes four super-bright white LEDs. This bicycle light features optically-boosted center LEDs that light up what is ahead, and wide angle side LEDs with side-light pipes that provide 180-degrees of visibility. Blackburn's Quadrant light runs on four AA batteries (included) for 110 hours in steady mode, or 300 hours in flash mode.
About Blackburn
In 1975, Jim Blackburn set out to design stronger, lighter, more innovative and more reliable cycling products. The first were bags and racks designed for touring. From there, Blackburn grew. Over the next 30 years, Blackburn's spark of innovation would lead to many revolutionary products, like the first high quality aircraft aluminum rack, the first dual stroke minipump, the first oversized mountain minipump and the first dual stage/dual stroke floorpump just to name a few. For 2005, Blackburn's creative spark is burning brighter than ever. And as we head into our 30th year, Blackburn is re-dedicated to designing smart, reliable, no nonsense accessories that are essential to your riding experience.

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Bell Dawn Patrol Headlight Review

I recently purchased a mountain bike for around the town commuting and needed a good inexpensive headlight for the night rides that I do.

I went to Copelands Sports Store at the mall and found a couple of cheap clearence items in the bicycle section. Then I came across just what I needed! Bell Dawn Patrol headlights! Xenon powered, side portal beams as well. I knew what the word Xenon meant so I decided to take a chance and buy two of the lights to mount on my bike. Total cost (since they were on Christmas clearence = $4.75 each!)

I went home and first put on the headlight mounts. This was totally easy and tool free. Just turn the little round knobs and unhook the clamp and then clamp the hook over your handlebar of your bicycle and then turn the knob to tighten.

Next came the actual headlight unit itself. This headlight takes 4 AA batteries so be forewarned that you can go through batteries quickly if you ride a lot at night like I do.

I quickly invested in a battery recharger and 8 AA rechargeable batteries the same day.

Unlocking the battery holder mechanism can be a real pain at first. You need to really hold the headlight firmly with one hand (in this case your stronger hand, my right hand) and then you take your thumb and second finger in your left hand to push open the unit. It can be a real pain to open the first time you get this light.

I put in the 4 AA batteries and depressed the on/off switch and BOOM, the Xenon headlight came on! It is an EXTREMELY bright light with fresh batteries and you do not want to look directly into its beam.

Riding under ideal city conditions with street lights around you, you will be okay. It's a light to be seen with, not to see what is in front of you as the street lighting will out do these lights.

However when riding an unlighted trail and some streets/cul de sacs where street lighting was minimal I was extremely pleased with how bright the two lights lit up the trail; the ground and the sides as well. With fresh batteries, the light will be pretty bright. Overtime as the batteries run low, you will also notice that the beam will decrease in brightness. This means to get new batteries! There is no low battery indicator light on these headlights.

I would highly recommend that you get two of these lights and a rechargeable battery system as well. It is a fairly inexpensive system to invest in if you just want to be seen. If you want to be seen and BE ABLE TO SEE clearly your riding path, then you may want to invest in a HID (High Intensity Discharge) system which can run anywhere from $55.00 to $500 at your local REI store. These lights are the brightest lights I've ever seen but cost you an arm and a leg.

But for just normal city riding to just be seen the Bell Dawn Patrol Xenon bicycle headlights work just fine for me.

(Also I have crashed once on my bike once before, and one of the lights popped off the handlebar mount. I also lost my batteries inside as well... oh well. :( )

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bell Dawn Patrol Headlight

Product Description:
Black, high impact plastic. Bright headlight with illuminated side lenses. Fits all bicycles. Mounts on handlebar stem. Uses 2 "C" batteries not included.

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Cateye EL-220 and TL-LD270R Bicycle Headlight and Tail Light Combination Review

This set of lights is very easy to install. The front light is very bright... I think I can see upto 6-8 feet ahead when I ride in almost complete dark environment. Build-quality is quite good... not so filmsy as well as the plastic finishing is not so cheap-feeling (unlike some that I saw at Walmart). I like this very much!... so that I want to ride my bike every night!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cateye EL-220 and TL-LD270R Bicycle Headlight and Tail Light Combination

Product Description:
Perfect for bicyclists commuting in low-light situations, this battery-powered package combines a five-LED white headlight and a three-LED red tail light. The extra-bright headlight features a wide beam that illuminates plenty of road and can be set for flashing mode (useful for cycling under city lights) or constant mode. Cateye's OptiCube technology optimizes lens and reflector brightness. The tail light can be mounted on handlebar or seat post. Powered by four AA batteries, the headlight runs for up to 120 hours. Powered by two N batteries, the tail light runs up to 90 hours in constant for flashing mode. Each light comes with a mounting bracket.
About Cateye
Founded in 1946 in Osaka, Japan, CatEye is the leading manufacturer of cycle computers, lights, and reflectors to cyclists in the world. In 1964, CatEye was the first in the industry to create a flashing lamp for bicycles, followed by their first battery headlamp in 1982, and the very first bicycle head lamp using white LEDs in 2001. The company's Opticube lens and reflectors make the brightest and most efficient LED headlights. while their LD500 remains the only rear safety light that can meet the rigorous CPSC standards for reflectivity.

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Cateye EL-700RC Triple Shot Rechargeable LED Bicycle Headlight Review

Overall technology:

This light uses old LED technology which make it shine only 130 lumen and the NiMH battery make it weigh over 800 grams (1.5 lbs) total.

Attaching to your bike:

The system it uses to attach to the frame is cumbersome and not very reliable. The size of the battery gets in the way of the water bottle.

The light mount quick release doesn't work well.

Vendor of this light and CatEye:

I didn't do enough research before purchasing it because CatEye doesn't use lumen in their advertising for obvious reasons. Their rating of 20000 candlepower is meaningless.

To return it, this vendor charges 20% restocking fee which is ridiculously high especially if you buy a high price item such as this.

How does it compare?

To compare its brightness I took it with me on a tour of specialized bike stores and REI and shined it along the lights in those stores (TriNewt, various cyglites). At REI all lights were brighter including a 90 dollars Cygolite with just one LED!

Trail Performance:

On the trail it performs OK and since your eyes are dark adapted, it shines just enough light to see the path ahead. Battery lasted 4 hours but it dimmed very noticeably after 3 hours.

Basic features missing on this light are flashing modes and low beam modes.

Battery and charging:

The battery charging system and the battery are designed poorly and the first charge is going to be very idiotic with indicator lights not showing anything appropriate. Subsequent charges seem to work OK but you have to watch it charge and unplug it when its done or the battery will be damaged as the charger is not a smart charger.

Final Thoughts:

What I really want is the Cygolite TridenX for only 60 dollars more but can't justify either taking a 30+ dollar loss on this light or buying another 230 dollar light.

UPDATE: I decided to mod this light with newer LEDs (~240 lumen max each - original about 80 at 1 Amp), a new driver (1 Amp with potentiometer so that I can change brightness), new reflector optics and now it's finally bright with a nice throw. It cost me around 65 dollars for the parts and now I have a 700 lumen light which is more than 3 times brighter than before and using about the same amount of power (slightly more if cranked up to 1 Amp).

Now that I know the inner workings of this light I have to say this:
- Engineering of the product is mediocre. Brittle bolts break when turned.
- Poor product support where upgrades should be easy and done at factory every year so that they don't advertise outdated products as new.
- Designing the product with an adjustable driver.
- Using AA NiMH battery cells is really cutting corners that don't need to be cut.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cateye EL-700RC Triple Shot Rechargeable LED Bicycle Headlight

Product Description:
3 high-power LEDS with Opticube lens. Single bright setting with 3.3 hour run time. Intelligent 3-hour charger. Handlebar mount. Tough die-cast aluminum body is virtually indestructible. Locking cable connectors to prevent blackouts. 710 grams (25.0 oz) light, battery and mount.

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Blackburn Voyager 4.0 Luxeon Bicycle Headlight Review

Safety is everything when you're in the dark, and require any light to get out of danger.

Headlights in comparison:
- Blackburn X3.
- Generic 5 LEDs torches
- Luxeon 2 LEDs custom mount flashlights

Adaptive Design:
The light can be mounted on virtually all bike handle bars. I have a custom hybrid road bike, my wife is a Sidewinder FX mountain, my 8 year old son's is BMX, and my little 1 year old is a Schwinn Mark III trailer. The quick release handle bar mount accommodate a handle bar tube as small as 1/4 inch, up to 1.75 inches. This is practically the sizes for 99% of the bikes' handle bar tubes and trailers' frames. The cool thing is, the mount also has an adjustable side-to-side angle for your light. It's perfect when you need a quick adjustment on your light beam from left, to right, and back to center, based on your travel path. If you need a quick use of the light as a flash light, the mount allows you to quickly remove the light by squeezing in the V-clip, and slide forward for a fast dismount.

Visibility:
- Morning hours: At dawn, with just a crack of sunlight in the horizon, your light only gives you enough lumen to see about 5 feet away. But, to motorists, your light is bright enough to be seen at 1/2 mile away.

- Night hours: When the sun starts to sink into the horizon, your visibility increases significantly. If there's still some light before dusk, you still able to see about 7 feet in front of you, and you can be spotted at 1/2 miles away. When there's no light left, and all you have are street lights, you can see about 10 feet in front of you, quite clearly, within a 3 feet spot light circle. The halo around your spot light (4 feet in each direction) gives you enough light to see obstructions, but not enough to clearly identify the obstruction, such as a log, or a shredded tire piece. You can bet you can be seen by motorists up to 1mile away. In total darkness, you can see 15 feet in front of you within the 3 feet spot light circle, and the halo around the spot light area can be seen quite clearly to identify everything, down to a 1 inch bolt. You're now can be seen as far as 1.5 miles away at level ground, and as bright as a motorcylists headlight. When the vehicle is close by, the LEDs can be quite blinding. If you mount the light onto your head with a helmet mount, you bet you can temporarily blind the drivers, like I have. There are passengers screaming out indicating that the LEDs are way too bright, and drivers honking horns to tell us to crank the brightness down. Sorry, can't do that. Our safety goes above the irritation the drivers may have.

In comparison with the Blackburn X3 (2.3 watts and uses tons of power), this 1watt (powered by 4 AA-batteries) gives enough light to get you through the dark nights, or a fraction of the price. Combine with the X3, or another Voyager 4, you can light up the roads regardless of how much street lights are on, and how bright they are. Rather than spending hundreds on the expensive lights, the Voyager 4 can act as your first 10 feet supporting light on your handle bar, and your X3 helmet mounted light can act as your mid and long range spot light. In combination, these two lights illuminate my paths on my long commutes.

If you're going into dark trails or riding downhill faster than 15 mph, using only this light, you will outrun the light. This only gives you a good visibility of 15 feet ahead of you if you travel at 10 to 15 mph. You need to use this in combination with a good spot light for a far forward visibility. X3 is a good combo, since it only cost $60, rather than the $150+ for the X6 system, or the more expensive LEDs and Halogen/HID systems. This will give you the effective 20+ feet of illuminated path for less than $100, and you can max your speed out at 40 mph like I do with my road bike down the hills.

Side marker LEDs:
There are two yellow blinking LEDs that acts as side markers. These proves to be useless on all levels. They're not bright enough as effective visible markers, and they're draining the batteries for nothing.

Power usages:
There are three settings and three level of power usages:
- Solid highest brightness: The LEDs are on continually. The power usage at this state will eat up your Duracel batteries within 4 hours, and rechargeable NiMH within 3.5 hours.

- Solid medium: The LEDs are on continually, but the brightness is reduced by half. The power usage at this state will eat up your Duracel batteries within 6 hours, and rechargeable NiMH within 5 hours.

- Steady fast blinking: The power usage at this state will eat up your Duracel batteries within 8 hours, and rechargeable NiMH within 7.5 hours.

If you use your light on and off, an hour or two each day, you can go as long as 9 hours for the solid light, or as long as 13 hours on blinking mode. Just be warned, when the batteries reaches the 1/2 way point of power spent, the LEDs will automatically dim to solid medium brightness strength to conserve power until the batteries are drained completely. The trick is to use the lights in blinking mode, which utilizes the highest power level or maximum brightness. The only annoyance is the blinking.The shell is nothing to laugh about. Although the batteries is housed in a twistable housing shell, the shell will not snap or fall apart on accidental drops. The shell survives so many of our three to 5 feet falls, onto hard concrete while we prepare for our trips, and launches from our mounts on quick stops because we did not ensure proper mounting attachment onto the mount. There are minor nicks and scratches because of the harsh surfaces, but the brightness remain the same regardless.

Overview:
If I have to invest in an effective headlight that doesn't break the bank to shine my path, this is it. Not only it's inexpensive, but it's a versatile to have on any equipment for good visibility in the dark. A couple of these strapped to your handle bar and helmet, and you're set to venture the highways and byways of the modern day. My suggestion is to use a combination of strong spot light (such as the Blackburn X3), in combination with this light acting as a flood light. With this combination, you can't outrun your light combos.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Blackburn Voyager 4.0 Luxeon Bicycle Headlight

Product Description:
The new Voyager 4.0 will boldly go where no commuter light has gone before. With a potent Luxeon 1 watt LED emitter churning out 45 darkness-scalding lumens through a sophisticated beam-shaping optical lens, there is plenty of light to see the road or bike path. And unique to Blackburn, two independently controlled amber side LED's provide 180 degrees of feel-good, be-seen visibilty. The emitter uses the same anti-dimming Constant Current Technology as our powerful System X lights, and four AA batteries will provide 4 hours of runtime at full brightness or 10 hours on low. There is also separate flash modes for the side LED's and the main beam.

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Cateye TL-LD1100 LED Bicycle Tail and Safety Light (Red) Review

I purchased the Cateye TL-LD1000 at my LBS. It was an impulse buy when I was taking home a new bike. The light appeared impressive in the packaging---big with LOTS of LEDs, so I thought it would compare favorably with the lights I used on my other bike(that frame was at the manufacturer being repainted after being hit by a truck)---the Planet Bike Superflash.

The Cateye light is a capable taillight. It's well made, and offers side visibility. However, it is not nearly as bright as the Superflash, which is cheaper, to boot. The Cateye light is larger than the Superflash, heavier than the Superflash, and eats batteries at a greater rate than the Superflash. My LD-1000 has been relegated to use on my town bike, which is only ridden in well-lighted neighborhoods at night.

So, if you need a taillight which will give you confidence at night----buy the DiNotte taillight. It's quite expensive($150+) but it puts out 140 lumens---which is brighter than most HEADLIGHTS. If the DiNotte is out of your price range, buy the Superflash. Buy several. If you are set on buying the Cateye, you won't be disappointed. It's a good light. But there are better options.

Also, the blurb in the item description is not accurate. Cateye's HL-EL530 is not anywhere near the brightest LED headlight on the market. It may be the brightest for under a hundred bucks, but it's not close to the Niterider MiNewt or TriNewt, the DiNotte headlights, the Light and Motion headlights, or especially the lights from Lupine. Those are all much more expensive, but is lighting REALLY where you want to pinch pennies? It amazes me when I see guys on 5 thousand dollar Madones riding at night with three dollar blinkies and Cateye headlights. Meanwhile, I ride a Gunnar with a DiNotte 600L.:-)

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cateye TL-LD1100 LED Bicycle Tail and Safety Light (Red)

Product Description:
Featuring 10 red LEDs, this tail light is bright enough to be visible even during daylight and has two LEDs on each side to provide bright side visibility for extra safety. The light also incorporates Cateye's OptiCube technology, which was developed for headlights, to optimize brightness. Each row of LEDs is independently controlled by a side-mounted switch and offers four different modes, for a total of 16 combinations. Three of the modes are flashing to attract extra attention from motorists. The light mounts easily on any seat post from 18 to 44 mm in diameter. A clothing clip is also included.
About Cateye
Founded in 1946 in Osaka, Japan, CatEye is the leading manufacturer of cycle computers, lights, and reflectors to cyclists in the world. In 1964, CatEye was the first in the industry to create a flashing lamp for bicycles, followed by their first battery headlamp in 1982, and the very first bicycle head lamp using white LEDs in 2001. The company's Opticube lens and reflectors make the brightest and most efficient LED headlights. while their LD500 remains the only rear safety light that can meet the rigorous CPSC standards for reflectivity.

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Topeak Red Lite 4-LED Ultra-Bright Rear Bicycle Light Review

I'm changing my review after two months of use. Yesterday the unit broke off my topeak trunk rack when loading it in my car trunk. I will not replace it with the same light. Before it broke it looked like the clip mount was also breaking anyways. It just was not bright enough. There is another light I have which is much stronger called the planet bike superflash, which I will buy a second one and have two mounted.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Topeak Red Lite 4-LED Ultra-Bright Rear Bicycle Light

Product Description:
A ultra-bright 3 LED tail light with wide angle lens. Features a steady and blinking function. 3 ultra bright L.E.D. tail light, with on/off, blinking and steady selection. Wide angle (220 degree) reflective lens. Mounts to seat post, Topeak seat bags, or seat stay. Bulb: 3 L.E.D. / 10000 hrs (life time). Battery: Lithium Battery. Burn Time: 60 hrs (constant hour). Weight: 16 grams (without battery).

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Blackburn Quadrant and Mars 3.0 Combo Bicycle Light Set Review

At first I was hesitant to get a battery powered headlight and taillight, but after I installed it (with ease), I LOVED IT!! The LED headlight is very bright and the LED taillight is virtually impossible to miss (I think it is as prominent as some motorcycle taillights). The ability to flash each light and the taillight also having orange lights on the side makes it even more visible. Mounting the lights on my bike only took 15 minutes and only the taillight needed for me to use a screwdriver (to tighten and tweak the angle). The LEDs are really great and so far after using it for over 4 hours, I see no fade in the light power. The headlight has four LEDs with 3 modes (4 steady, 2 blink 2 steady, and 4 blinking (which looks like a strobe light)) and the rear also has 3 modes (steady, steady blinking, and random blinking). Be aware that you will need a jewelers screwdriver to open the rear taillight to install the batteries. Each of the lights detaches from the bike mounts and allow you to use them when camping or to clip on the taillight to your bookbag or clothing for visibility when walking along a highway or where cars are present, and the headlight can be used as a nice flashlight. The only thing I have to say is that you still need to look out for cab drivers in the Big Apple, since they can't stand that your lights are brighter than theirs and seem drawn to bikers while driving. Get this light, you won't regret it, I sure didn't. :-)

Click Here to see more reviews about: Blackburn Quadrant and Mars 3.0 Combo Bicycle Light Set

Product Description:
An essential measure for any safety-conscious biker, the Blackburn Quadrant and Mars 3.0 Combo Bicycle Lights will help make sure you see the road and drivers see you. This combination of lights includes one Blackburn Quadrant light and one Blackburn Mars 3.0 light. The Quadrant is constructed in a tough, water-resistant case and utilizes four super-bright white LEDs. This bicycle light features optically-boosted center LEDs that light up what is ahead, and wide angle side LEDs with side-light pipes that provide 180-degrees of visibility. Blackburn's Quadrant light runs on four AA batteries (included) for 110 hours in steady mode, or 300 hours in flash mode.
The Mars 3.0 is constructed in a tough, water-resistant case and utilizes seven super-bright red LEDs. This rear bicycle light features lens optics that increase its visible distance, and side LEDs that provide 180-degree safety-boosting visibility. Blackburn's Mars 3.0 runs on two AAA batteries (included) for up to 50 hours in steady mode, or 150 hours in flash mode.
About Blackburn
In 1975, Jim Blackburn set out to design stronger, lighter, more innovative and more reliable cycling products. The first were bags and racks designed for touring. From there, Blackburn grew. Over the next 30 years, Blackburn's spark of innovation would lead to many revolutionary products, like the first high quality aircraft aluminum rack, the first dual stroke minipump, the first oversized mountain minipump and the first dual stage/dual stroke floorpump just to name a few. For 2005, Blackburn's creative spark is burning brighter than ever. And as we head into our 30th year, Blackburn is re-dedicated to designing smart, reliable, no nonsense accessories that are essential to your riding experience.

Get 21% OFF

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