untuned

Went to my local bike shop 2day and saw these "Blackburn" combo for $50bucks(are they any good)....seemed a little pricey btw....... $50.

Anyhow I don't wanna spend a lot of money on some lights but I also dont want some huge ugly light...any suggestions.

i r yo

People suck at driving, buy something that will get you seen. I like my cat eyes but there are better lights out there.

peabodypride

ADSR

My colleges student store carries a Planet Bike front/rear set for around 20 dollars. I was considering it until my mom surprised me with a rear PB blinkie (which is awesome, by the way).

rduenas

peabody beat me to the punch. Damn.

redxj

That doesn't exactly help. Blackburn and $50. What model? Flea? If it is the combo set of the Fleas yes they are worth it. I work at a shop that sells those and those little *******s are very bright for their size. The front is brighter than the Planet bike Blaze headlight. Along with myself and two out of three of my coworkers all bought Fleas when we got them. They have a Li-Ion battery built in so they are a rechargeable light. Just attach the charging leads to a AA to D cell battery when they need to be recharged.

untuned

ya for the combo.....I just fear the lithium ion battery will begin to loose its charge after a while.

.:Jimbo:.

Yep second on the thumbs up for the flea. A few guys I ride with are rocking those, nice and small and innovative recharge system in how you can use any battery you have around to fuel it up for its next time on the bike.

Honestly, I had a L & M Vega on my winter cross bike, cool for my off road short cuts, giving me amble light to ride off road in low/no light conditions, but too bright for city streets. I found a high powered/output light to be counter-intuitive to safety, as it seems like everyone thinks That I'm some sort of UFO. Ped's, just freeze up upon seeing my headlamp, and I've had a few of those incidents where cars at intersections do the stop, go, stop, go thing because presumably the had no idea I'm just a cyclist, as they debate whether they can clear the intersection before I reach it myself.

Get the flea. perfect balance of bright enough light, small and portable, and smart charge system, I can't see a single con, except the pricey aspect, but if you feel your life is not quite worth 50 bucks, well, you're just a lost cause, and I can't be of any help!

burglnar

+1 for the Flea. I traded in my Planet Bike Blaze as well for the Flea headlight and it is amazing. The unit is tiny and very inconspicuous. Also the velcro strap system is really good and it weighs nothing but is much brighter than the 1 watt Blaze. I'm still rockin' the planet bike Superlight Blinkie on the rear cause it is also very bright but if I didn't already have 2 of them I'd definitely get the flea tail light to match. It's unbelievable how freaking bright the 4 LEDs on the flea are in "overdrive" mode. It is the first headlight I've had that will actually light up the road enough to see like an actual headlight. Most models are only good enough to provide visibility to oncoming traffic but this one really throws some lumens when all the way charged. Which brings me to battery life.. While it's not fantastic (they claim 6 hours on a charge in regular mode I believe) it is plenty good for a few decent length or maybe one really long night ride. The charging unit is really small (about the footprint of a nickel) and cool and handy but I'd hate to lose it. The light would be pretty much useless without it so keep up with that. They say you can get about 60 charges off of one D cell. Not too shabby! Loving mine so far.

xdrmusclex

The flea headlight is brghter than the blaze 1w? really? I was not going to get the flea combo because I thought the PB blazew 1w was supposed to be brighter

Could someone who owns both post a pic of a light comparison? that would be tops!

untuned

how long does a charge usually last you guys

burglnar

Like I previously stated, I get about 3 medium to long night rides, sometimes more, on flashing (anywhere from 2 to 4 hours per ride) but threw in that "maybe one really long night ride" as a disclaimer to anyone who may ride for more than 6 hours &/or keep it on "overdrive" mode the whole time as a light source rather than a visibility aid.

We did a side by side comparison in the shop the day the Fleas came in and I bought the Flea on the spot because of how much brighter it was than my Blaze. The Blaze didn't have a NEW battery but it wasn't very old either and was still as bright as I could remember it being so I figured it was a decent comparison. I will try to get a photo later today if I have time. Also, the Flea is about 1/8th the size of the Blaze with more light. You do the math.

EDIT: It's also completely obvious that the Flea is brighter in "overdrive" mode than the Blaze in full-on mode when you're actually riding. The Blaze just can't cut it next to the output of the Flea. However, the Blaze doesn't have to be recharged or have the battery replaced as often but it also doesn't have the option to charge so you'll go through batteries (eventually).

dynaryder

I have a 1W Blaze and a front Flea. The Flea is bright,but does not have the throw of the Blaze. On the ground right in front of you it looks brighter because the 4 LED's in a row make a wider,more 'filled in' spot,but shine them out a ways and you'll see farther with the Blaze. Basically,the Blaze makes a better headlight,the Flea makes a better blinky. I do like the ease of mounting with the Flea. I put it on the front of one of my helmets with one of those PB rear blinkys with the pivoting helmet mount on the rear,so when I got bar hopping I don't have to pull lights off the bike when locking up.

One thing I don't like about the Flea is that when the battery drains it goes right from full bright to dim without warning. I wish it would gradually dim the way most lights do,so you'd notice it and know it's time to recharge. Twice I've been riding and had it crap out.

(sorry,no pics,my camera sucks)

uke

DealExtreme: $42.96 MTE SSC P7 C-Bin 900-Lumen 8-Mode LED Flashlight (1*18650) - Sku 13060
DealExtreme: $10.00 TrustFire Protected 18650 Lithium Battery (2500mAh 2-Pack Blue) - Sku 05790
DealExtreme: $8.44 Digital Li-Ion 18650 Battery Charger - Sku 06105
DealExtreme: $1.90 Universal Bicycle Mount - Sku 08274

500 lumens for an hour on high, or 250 lumens for about four hours on medium, or several hours on low.
You can't buy a significantly brighter setup without spending at least $300 or building components yourself.

ianjk

Fleas are nice, I've had mine for a while now and have to say that they are pretty convenient. The headlight does drain the battery down pretty fast on full power, but 90% of my riding is to the store/bar/etc and I don't need the extra hours of life.

The main gripe I have is that the velco is starting to wear/tear up to the little rubberized strip up the middle, I just try to make sure the edge of the "slot" doesn't sit on the little tear there when I attach it.

untuned

does the combo sell for less than $50 anywhere

untuned

bump

bmw5nkj

any planet bike lights are good. get LEDs but don't be lured by knogg frogs. they might look cool but they are not really bright in traffic. i have one but i got that for free so, might as well use it in addition to my other lights.

untuned

iansmash

SUPERFLASH


will burn retinas


get 1 and put it on your pack



yeah it's ridiculous, but your safety should be more important than looking cool


say no to knog rear lights!

peabodypride

More disappointing than the Knog brightness is their quality. The LED is actually bent 90 degrees from the PCB so after continued use the legs start to fatigue and the light stops working. Then the PCB has contacts too small to solder in a new LED.

//fail

dynaryder

https://www.google.com/products?hl=en...num=1&ct=title

j3ffr3y

too small you say? I guarantee it can be done

slugman

+++

maybe 40 lumens from the plastic flea that might on occasion be seen, or burn your retina's out brightness even on the lowest setting from these flashlights that can be used as a hammer in a pinch.

I've got a few of
MTE M3-2 Cree MC-E 8-Mode 700-Lumen LED Flashlight with Assault Crown (1*18650)
on the way to use/for gifts but mostly to check out the MC-E emitter. Only downside is waiting for delivery from Dealextreme as I placed my latest order on the 5th and supposedly the first part just got shipped last night. I've got twofish lockblocks to mount them on the bar.
The flea is neat, but I want to be able to ride at speed in the winter, and my roads and the drivers around suck.