this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2023
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Looking for a Tail Light that doesn't suck (lemmy.ca)
submitted 1 year ago by potate@lemmy.ca to c/bicycles@lemmy.ca
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So I commute year round in Calgary and that means cold and dark. I can't seem to find a tail light that isn't disposable garbage and will actually hold up to a few years of use.

Yes you can basically buy tail lights in bulk off Amazon - but I hate tossing dead junk in the trash. I would rather pay more for a light that lasts.

My perfect light would use replaceable 18650 (or whatever size) lithium ion cells, or at least have USB-C with pass-through charging (so that I can run it off an external battery in a pinch).

For front lights I use Outbound Lighting and they are perfect - long battery life, great performance, pass-through charging, works in the cold. Unfortunately Outbound doesn't make tail lights. I've begged.

So anyone have a tail light that they LOVE?

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[โ€“] kersploosh@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Despite people asking about them on forums and Reddit for years, I have yet to see a rear bike light with replaceable 18650 cells.

This site claims that Cygolite makes a few models with pass-through charging. This is the only place I have ever seen pass-through charging mentioned for a rear light.

What kind of brightness and run time are you aiming for? 18650 cells and pass-through charging from external batteries sounds a bit extreme for usual road commuters. Even in rainy, foggy Seattle winters I never felt the need for that kind of power in a rear light.

It's not what you're looking for, but my favorite taillight is an older version of the Knog Blinder Road. Simple, sleek, waterproof, and plenty bright for a rear light. It has an integrated USB-A plug that flips out for charging. Every few weeks I take it off my seatpost and plug in into my laptop at work.

[โ€“] potate@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago

The cygos are nice but are micro-USB which is a dying plug type - the only item I own that uses it is actually my shifters. Not a deal breaker though.

My brightness requirement is 'enough to be seen, not so much that other commuters hate me. It's all battery life. More or less everything works fine at first but I find that very few lights can even make it through one commute when it's cold. A typical day is about an hour and a half total.

I also just suck at remembering to charge my light at the office. I would love something that only needs charging once every few weeks but that means a battery life of at least 20 hours in the cold - and the ability to do that after a few years use.