agarose2000

Got my new Mars 4.0 rear blinkie yesterday after losing my beloved Superflash (I don't even know where I lost it!).

The PB Superflash has been the "it" light for rear blinkies (unless you shelled out $100+ for a Dinotte), but I think it has finally been trumped by the Mars 4.0, which uses the same 2 x AAA design and opens up easily with a coin like the superflash. (The old Mars 3.0 was terrible in that you needed a screwdriver to open it.)

Using the same exact battery set, the Mars 4.0 is literally 2x as bright as the Mars 3.0, which is exactly the same brightness as the PB Superflash (I own all 3 and have used them extensively in the last 3 years.) The yellow side lights seem to be the same brightness as the Mars 3.0, and this is also a plus compared to the Superflash.

This thing is so bright that it hurts your eyes to look at it directly in broad daylight! Although to be truthful, it's beam drops off a lot during bright daylight at an angle. This isn't a problem at night since the beam is so bright that even with the angle dropoff, it's incredibly bright. It's actually blindingly bright at night if you look dead-on straight into it.

Got mine from $19.99 off Amazon, which is also cheaper than the $25 that the Superflash is asking. Comes with a seatpost mount with clip. Very well designed and compact. About the same size as a superflash.

Possibly the only drawback, which I don't really think is fair, is that the Mars 4.0 has reportedly shorter battery life than the Superflash, which is not a surprise due to its significantly higher output. It still kicks major butt after 2 weeks of use though, so not much to worry about.

In my opinion, this is hands-down the rear blinkie to get, with little competition at the current time. Trumps the venerable PB Superflash in price and brightness. If you do a lot of night riding, you definitely have to check this one out.

MWPdx

Useless w/o pics ;-)

agarose2000

See electronics forum for pics

benda18

blasphemy

chucky

I've come to favor my Mars 3.0 over the Superflash because it has much much better side visibility. While the Superflash is bright when looked at straight on, it's basically invisible from even a slight angle.

Good to know that the Mars 4.0 combines the best of both, although one thing to consider if it's as heavy as the Mars 3.0 then the Superflash is much lighter. On a related note I recommend lithium disposable batteries because they are way lighter than alkalines and last way longer too.

BarracksSi

The 4.0 is the same size and close enough in weight to the PBSF.

tatfiend 

If using a Tubus or other rack with European type taillight mounting then the optional PB rack mount is the way to go, making the PB light the better choice. Unless of course you are willing and able to fabricate your own mounting plate to adapt the Mars rack mount to the European rack taillight mount.

randya

why would you want a light that hurts peoples eyes to look at?



are all of you people riding someplace where there are no other cyclists around?

I hate following other cyclists that run equipment like this!

mechBgon

1) improved noticability in daylight.






2) increased detection range in bad driving conditions, so people can react in a controlled fashion.








I have a DiNotte and the even more-aggressive Nova BULL, either of which utterly swamps a SuperFlash/equivalent (YouTube video), and every comment I've ever received from a motorist has been positive. They thank me for showing up well at a good distance. I've had two motorists stop ahead and WAIT FOR ME so they could deliver compliments, one of whom was a sherrif's deputy.

I realize you are an MUP-centered rider with a relatively low-output headlight. I grant that a really powerful flashing taillight is not needed on an MUP because no one's going to be overtaking you very fast... a lower-powered steady-on taillight is fine for that scenario, IMO. But don't imagine that these powerful taillights are out-of-place in all scenarios. They're not.


Reverting to the original topic, I noticed that the Mars 4.0 has a larger "hot spot" in its beam than the SuperFlash (a plus) but I don't like their mount very much, and of our shipment of 4.0s, several were DOA and the one we put out on display failed soon after. Hopefully we just had a bad batch or something. I also found the SuperFlash's blink-blink-BA-BOOM!! flash pattern to catch my eye better. But either one ought to be enough to get you noticed at night even in heavy city traffic.

randya

No, you don't realize anything about me at all, I ride very little on the MUP, OTOH my on-road commute route is filled with other cyclists. When I do use the MUP, it's actually to avoid the large numbers of on-street cyclists during peak commuting hours.

degnaw

If that's the case, it's probably a very low speed, low traffic route with streetlights where a dim blinkie works fine. (On the penn state campus, 95% of cyclists don't use lights and they fare just fine)

I ride on 35-45mph rural roads way off campus, where a PBSF is the absolute minimum for survivability.

mechBgon

Oh, sorry. Well, you must've encountered someone with a PBSF by now. Seriously, are they that hard to cope with? Their output is miniscule compared to, say, a single brake light on an average newer car, which believe it or not is right up in DiNotte 140 territory, just emitted from a larger source.

I go on group rides with riders who have PBSFs, and we don't think twice about leaving them running. The DiNotte, yeah, I only run the DiNotte when I'm at the rear of the paceline as "rear guard" If we're still out there when it's twilight, I usually pull out my ANSI Class III vest and stick to the back of the group with the DiNotte on 5-pulse mode. Kind of like a CIWS on a warship... ignore THIS, cell-phone zombies

agarose2000

This Mars 4.0 light is likely not meant to be used on a group ride where you're following someone closely. It's too bright for that.

But for commuters who tend to space each other out and not be in drafting distance for more than a short stretch, it's an awesome light that can get the attention of distracted motorists. If anything, 98+% of riders I see at night use either an insufficiently bright light (likely bad batteries as well) or no light at all. Overly bright rear blinkies has NEVER been a problem for me while I'm driving, and I drive in an area where there are significant numbers of nighttime cyclists using multiple blinkies.

I saw a guy with 3 PBSFs mounted on his panniers and rack, and it was an awesome setup for night - easy to judge distance, and very, very safe. No way in heck that was too bright. I doubt the Mars would be a problem as well.

By FAR, more annoying, are the new-generation of car headlights that are nearly equivalent to high beams on normal. They claim to have "excellent cutoff" to reduce blinding effects, but I find those lights the most blinding thing on the road. My neighbor has an Acura with this, and even he admits that it's terrible for oncoming motorists/cyclists. In contrast, I have NEVER even come close to being blinded by a cyclist light in my car. And I live near Stanford, where there are abundant numbers of cyclists, even at night.

randya

1. when you're driving, you're not usually following directly behind other cyclists, like you would be if you were cycling

2. most cars have tinted windshields these days, even if it's not obvious

randya

funny how some people think extra bright lights, front and/or back, are a substitute for good riding skills

dwr1961

Far from a substitute... Rather a necessary compliment. Are you having a bad day or something?

Cyclist0383

I've found that the Mars 4 is also bright enough for daytime use. A great light, all in all.

degnaw

Uh, it's illegal in the United States to apply tint to a windshield.

agarose2000

I'm always amazed at the assumptions some of the forumites make. Like running good rear lights = bad bike handling skills.

I ride as fast as Cat3/2 cyclists, and can descend with the best of them even in winding mountain canyons, even if I'm on a time-trial bike with "inferior" handling. I'm also pretty good on a mountain bike. I'm also experienced as a regular bike commuter on the busy streets of Los Angeles, in rush hour, where there are limited bike paths and TONS of irate drivers.

Even with all this, I actually bought not one, but TWO Mars 4.0 blinkies for commuting to make sure I have maximal visibility from the rear. And that doesn't include the high-vis yellow vest, reflective bag, anklestrap, and Fenix headlight. And trust me - even with all this AND a good dose of extreme caution,I always have at least one car coming way too close on a daily basis.

And no, I wouldn't use the Mars 4.0 on a paceline or other group-type ride. But I said that already. If you're one of those folks that loves to draft on the commute and gets annoyed by the lights on the guy ahead, I need to mount more of these lights to keep folks like you further back!

Sailguy

I have two Mars 4.0 blinkies and I find that they are junk in comparison to my one PB superflash. The reason is that both suffer from "Turn Itself Off Syndrome". Quite often I find that both of my mars 4.0s would shut themselves off by the time I got home from my ride. Even with brand new batteries. The issue is from the spring inside on the side of the light that is subject to the downward forces of bumps in the road. I managed to remedy this on one of my mars 4.0s by shoving a small piece of paper to remove the play that the spring provided, thus keeping the battery in constant contact with the upper terminal. If allowed to "bounce" too much, the battery would arc and corrode the terminal. Over time, the ability to turn on the 4.0 would diminish until the contacts were cleaned.

One of my Mars 4.0s had the clip break under normal use within the first 4 months of use. I was riding along the road and it just broke. It wasn't even an especially bumpy segment.

I have had zero issues with my PB Superflash. I do think the 4.0s are brighter, and I was really excited to have them at first. Now I will never buy them again.

10 Wheels

PBSF has good warranty.
Send a problem light to them and get a new one back.

mechBgon

I can guarantee that any cyclist using my current commuting route will have far more to worry about than a fellow cyclist who's running a Mars 4.0 taillight. Having two or three lanes of oncoming cars coming over a rise with 2000-7000 lumens (per car) of low-beam headlights aimed at one's face, tends to put 2AAA bike taillights into perspective.

It will be a fine day for my city when the entire right lane of the Monroe Street Bridge is clogged with cyclists using bright taillights

Sailguy

@10 Wheels..

THe PBs are fine. The Mars 4.0 has a fundamental design flaw. They may be okay mounted to a bag or backpack, but not directly to the bike. I would just rather replace them w/ the PBs so I don't have to worry if they will be one when I get home or not.

10 Wheels

What tail light do you use?

MNBikeguy

This is failing as miserably as your last thread attempt.
Are you a troll, or just inexperienced?