Tiny light, big visibility
After years of not riding my bike, I’ve been riding a bike almost daily the past six weeks. I love getting around on two wheels. When I ride at night, I put front and rear lights on my bike. I’ve been using a Knog Blinder R-150 Rear Bike Light, along with a Knog Blinder 600 Lumen Front Light.
The tiny Knog Blinder R-150 Rear Bike Light, which is about the size of my thumb, maybe a wee bit longer, is bold and bright, with nine different lighting modes and a dedicated strobe LED for maximum visibility in a variety of conditions (for example, riding on the bike path vs riding on city streets). I’m going to list them here because I think the names will provide some insight about their light patterns: High, Peloton, Strobe, Impact, Beacon, Wave, Bounce, Burn, and Eco. The burn time varies with use and mode, from 2.5 hours to 50 hours.
I haven’t always used a rear light, mostly out of laziness. Now that I’ve been using the Knog Blinder R-150 Rear Bike Light I will never go without a rear light again. Nothing is more important at night than being visible to cars. All I have to do to change modes is click once on the power button.
I really appreciate that the Knog Blinder R-150 Rear Bike Light is rechargeable. I am so done with battery-operated devices. This light is designed to be charged via a USB-A port, so it can be charged with an adapter or even via computer. I have to say I don’t really like this feature for a few reasons. First, if the light is dirty, it’s a pain to clean it off before charging. Second, USB-A is on the way out, so I don’t have a port on my other devices. I’d rather see Knog have a universal USB-C charge cord that works with all its lights. Red and green lights around the power button indicate low power (red) and charging (green).
The Knog Blinder R-150 Rear Bike Light is fairly easy to use. I just strap it around the bike seat post. However, I’m not that keen on the method of attachment. Unlike the Knog Blinder 600 Lumen Front Light, which sits securely in it’s mount and has a simple strap with holes in it (like a belt), the Blinder R-150 Rear Bike Light has a bit of a fussy attachment mechanism that is not always “one and done.” The stretchy band that straps around the bike post can come apart, and that’s not ideal for me. I think Knog designed it that way so that the band can be replaced when necessary, but I don’t like having to keep track of a piece that is not permanently attached to the light. Too easy to lose.
Bottom Line
I really like the performance of the Blinder R-150 Rear Bike Light. It’s bright, bold, and versatile. It holds a charge for a long time. It’s fairly simple to use, although it could be simpler. Having said that, I’ve been using it for weeks and haven’t lost the attachment band. Also, this light is solid, well-made. I’ve used cheap lights before that were clacky and not reliable. I like that I can count on this little light.
I also really like that I can remove it when the bike is parked and toss it into a pocket.
images from Knog.com