Knog lights: any thoughts?

[carcharias]

I want to buy a USB rechargable front light up to 300 lumen (up to 130$) Have been looking at some Knog brand front lights. Any opinions on the Blinder Road 3 series? They look ok, and seem gutsy....Can anyone give me a run-down on them long term? Any other brand/model recommendations?

Cheers.

[cp123]

i can't comment on knogs but use one of these http://www.mtbrevolution.com/index.php? ... uct_id=137" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; no complaints after a few years

[carcharias]

Ah Cheers cp 123.
I have heard xeccons are very good, including the S12 model. There is the FYXO king bright (xeccon 1211 spiker) probably similar to yours...
How has it been in water/rain ?
Cheers!

[Storm Boy]

I want to buy a USB rechargable front light up to 300 lumen (up to 130$) Have been looking at some Knog brand front lights. Any opinions on the Blinder Road 3 series? They look ok, and seem gutsy....Can anyone give me a run-down on them long term? Any other brand/model recommendations?

Cheers.

Hi Carcharias,

I run the Blinder Road 3. I've had it around 6 months now and it is used daily in rain, hail and shine, night and day.
It has been reliable, and overall I'm pretty happy with it. The light is definitely bright enough for night riding on dark roads, and when there is some street lighting available you can back down on the power levels or go single beam. I would not consider it bright enough for fast descents: you'd really want some serious power for that.
Run time is reasonable considering it's size. On full power, which I rarely use, rated run time is 1 hour. I timed mine and got nearly an hour and a half, although that will reduce as the battery ages. More often I would use it on a lower power setting on a dawn ride, switching to an economical flashing mode once the sun rises. On lower power steady modes, run times are 2-4 hours depending on setting.
The light is equipped with two different sized straps for different sized bars, these are very easy to change/ replace if necessary. The light can move around a little on the bars, but a little care when putting it on the bars goes a long way to alleviating that issue. It is not an issue for me, but others might find it annoying.
I also use the light on my daily commute as a "be seen" light, I find the combination steady/flashing mode works well here. This brings up my only real issue with the light: it's visibility to others when viewed from the side is minimal to non existent. I actually use 4 Knog lights on the commute, the other front light I use at the same time has a much wider spread, which helps here. None of the four lights has had any issues with water. If the bike gets rinsed off after a dirty (road) ride, so do the lights. No issues yet, I happily rinse them under the tap if necessary.
Of the four Knog lights I have purchased over the last two years, all are in daily use. I have had no strap breakage issues: you'll need to follow Knog's method (see their instructions) of attaching them to avoid over stretching the straps as a lot of people would do.

Regards,

SB

[malnar]

you'll need to follow Knog's method (see their instructions) of attaching them to avoid over stretching the straps as a lot of people would do.

Regards,

SB

Is that to angle it down when attaching then tilt it up? I've tried that & it still moves around far too easily. I've tried both straps, under and over bar mounting and additional rubber packing material & haven't found a happy solution yet. I'll try some thicker packing material. I was expecting the shorter strap to stop the movement as I had to stretch it to near the limit, but no. I may have over stretched that strap now.

I have a diamond back (cheap) light that has a similar mounting method except the stretchy strap is much wider. It is much more stable over bumps.

[Storm Boy]

you'll need to follow Knog's method (see their instructions) of attaching them to avoid over stretching the straps as a lot of people would do.

Regards,

SB

Is that to angle it down when attaching then tilt it up? I've tried that & it still moves around far too easily. I've tried both straps, under and over bar mounting and additional rubber packing material & haven't found a happy solution yet. I'll try some thicker packing material. I was expecting the shorter strap to stop the movement as I had to stretch it to near the limit, but no. I may have over stretched that strap now.

I have a diamond back (cheap) light that has a similar mounting method except the stretchy strap is much wider. It is much more stable over bumps.

Hi Malnar,

Knog says "do not rely on metal clasp to provide stretch". What they mean is to stretch the strap and then put the strap around the bar and into the clasp, without using the metal clasp's "over centre" action to provide the stretch. The strap seems to tension up evenly using this method and while not perfect, it works fairly well for me.







Cheers!

SB

[malnar]

Thanks Storm Boy, I'll certainly give that go.

[vinski]

I use the Blinder 3 as well, mainly in the flashing mode. Works fine for me. I have had the issue of the light moving (up) a bit when hitting bumps but its an easy fix as i just push it down slightly again. I agree with the above post that the side visibility of this light is pretty much nothing but for my purposes its fine.

Cheers

[limbot]

Is that to angle it down when attaching then tilt it up? I've tried that & it still moves around far too easily. I've tried both straps, under and over bar mounting and additional rubber packing material & haven't found a happy solution yet. I'

Weird,

I have a couple of ARC 5.5s and using the smaller strap on 31.8" bars I don't have any movement (no packing). That includes on the front suspended hybrid doing bumpy dirt trails.

I don't think about installing, just point down, do up the strap then twist so it's facing forward. I do put it as close to the stem as possible (just a thought )

I know that's no help but.....

[grimbo]

I had two knog lights that both snapped their straps. At the time I put it down to having thicker than normal handle bars. But I wasn't aware of special instructions for stretching and securing the strap, so that may have prevented the breakage if I'd known.

Besides the breakage, I liked the lights and their performance was good.

[TheKaptone]

I have the knog blinder 5.5. It is very bright and throws a lot of light. The brightest setting is only good for an hour but the fish last for ages. The charging cable is a bit short imho but that is not really a deal breaker

[carcharias]

Thanks for the advice.
Had a look around and found something else.

Cheers.

[carcharias]

http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/05/30/rev ... more-60731" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I read the comments section of this review and comments on Amazon.co.uk.
Seems to be a bit of a problem?....silicone straps breaking + 1 hour on max is not enough.
Anyway, thank you all for the posts.

[rangersac]

I like their lights, particularly the rear ones which are very solid and visible, but after personally snapping straps and hearing plenty of stories about others doing the same, the attachment system is clearly a weak point.

[Xplora]

It's a clever and smart little package. I have been using the arc 5.5 (?) and just got the Road R for the rear. The silicone straps might be a weak point but crappy output, crappy battery life and ugly are huge for most of the competition. The easy removal is awesome for those who ride back from races in the dark.

[sir_camel]

I've had straps snap on the front and back lights. Knog were very good about sending replacement lights and straps.

[herzog]

I want to like these Knog lights, as I have a few of them, but I have to agree with some of the other comments above about the silicone straps.

They may have a decent lifespan for someone who only rides weekends in dry weather, but they are simply not fit for purpose for a daily bike commuter. The straps will fail, rendering an otherwise functioning light useless. When you use it every day, you need to take them on and off more frequently for charging, and riding in the wet you're going to get some grit on the bars and rubber. This combination will kill the straps pretty quickly. I use the recommended mounting procedure.

What I don't get is why they don't use a grade of silicone rubber with a higher tear-strength, or make it thicker, or both.

That said, Knog are pretty good at replacing them.

Another issue is the Blinder Arc model. This is the one shaped a bit like a flashlight - it constantly rotates upwards on the bars. I've tried everything and cannot resolve it. It does make me question the degree of real world testing they do on these things.

So there you have it, some genuine and well intended end user feedback - I hope they take it on board.

As I said, I want to like them, if that makes sense - they suit me well for ease of use, size/shape, durability (of the light mechanism), USB rechargeable, reasonable price etc. Just deal with the achilles heel and they will be perfect.

[queequeg]

I've got a couple of the Knog Blinders for my rear lights, which I use as a second light in conjunction with my Planet Bike Superflash. Battery life is terrible even on low power settings. I got these as they are small and don't need AAA or AA batteries. I'll need to take both lights on the Syd to Newcastle overnight this year as I get about 4 to 5 hours max from them on low power. They won't last the distance of the ride.

The strap design is pretty flimsy. It is a case of when they will break, not if they will break. As mentioned above in another post, read the instructions on how to use the buckle properly.

[caneye]

so glad i read this thread.
i've got a blinder4 rear light. very happy with the brightness and the pulse mode, i use it with my Fly6 when commuting.
thanks to this thread, i checked the rubber strap on the Blinder and true enough, there's a big tear that i've somehow missed. it was just a matter of time before it broke.

i've got no issues with the run time though. i can get 4 hrs with plenty left. charges a lot faster than my Moon Comet too.

i also have a Blinder2 mounted on the front. i like the blinking mode but it's not bright enough to be my main primary commuting light though.

[AUbicycles]

One tip mentioned to be by knog for preventing movement is to fasten the blinder or arc light... but have the light pointed down. After fastening, rotated it so that it is pointed correctly.

I am told that this helps. I can confirm the problem with the straps breaking too easily.

[queequeg]

I have had a weird problem with my Knog 4 LED Rear Blinder (square one). From a full charge I ride to work (1 hour). Battery low light not illuminated.
When I head home, on 3 separate occasions now, the battery has been completely dead when I go to turn it on.
I am beginning to think someone is turning my
light on in the bike cache just to annoy me, unless there is a fault that causes the battery to complete discharge.

[herzog]

Possible. Maybe next time take it with you when you park the bike and see if there is a difference?

[carcharias]

Plenty of cheap NiMh rechargable batteries around (Aldi, Ikea, Sanyo Enerloop, Ansmann, etc) the latter 2 brands more expensive. Granted, the run-times for lights are less than alkalines, I get reasonable times for a Planet Bike superflash 1 rear light on rechargeables. Plus it's easy to carry charged spares. 2x AA cell light which is OK for a "be seen" (most of the time) Laughs, light, which I admit,I sometimes run with a larger light. Seems to be good to have separate batteries such as AA & AAA's no?
I don't like the idea of ditching a whole light because the battery cannot be replaced if/when it develops a fault,...just seems wasteful to me...

[obsessedinfishin]

Great lights and recharging method. Can handle wet weather very well. However after the silicone straps failed I will not buy again. Integrated strap mounting method is terrible on the 4 Square model. One the strap breaks, its in the bin.
Scott 32mm seatpost does not help. Currently wired on as a backup commuter light.
Will be relegated to the ever growing pile of failed rear lights.

[Espresso_]

I've had my Knog Blinder rear light for a while - over two years now - and used on three different bikes during that time.

My strap (and the rest of the light) is as good as the day I bought it. I have been using the correct strap method since day one.

Perhaps unrelated but I have only been using these on 27.2mm posts the whole time. I wonder whether a slim post is a part of the secret of success?

E