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The Planet Bike Blaze One Watt light ... but where is the off switch? |
Price: $45
Where purchased: REI
Use: Back-up Light for overnight brevets; urban commuting
I had high hopes for this light. Lightweight, bright, portable, a long run time on 2 AAs. I bought it last summer before I headed off to California for the Santa Cruz 1000K. I mounted the bracket on my handlebars and stowed the light as a back-up in my handlebar bag. If I used it at all during the ride, it was simply to rummage through the front bag at night. It saw no use as primary light; my Schmidt Edelux performed flawlessly.
Since then, I've used the light as a commuter light. It's easy to swap the mount on and off various bikes. It's not as bright as the Edelux, but it doesn't have to be to light the city streets. The one or two times I've used it in the countryside without the Schmidt it has been adequate. However, I don't want adequate in a bike light; I want strong to very strong.
On Tony G's latest 200K, held on 1.1.11, the light got its biggest test to date. We were socked in by a heavy fog all day and we rode through moderate rain during the afternoon. I used the Blaze in flash mode during the day to increase my visibility for oncoming cars, and I switched it to a steady bright mode as darkness descended. The light wasn't very good on the wet roads, but frankly neither is my Edelux.
All good so far. Safely back to the ride finish, I put the bike in the back of my car for the two-hour drive home. About halfway there, I noticed the Blaze was still ablazing. When I attempted to turn it off, no luck. I cycled through the three modes (low, high, flash) and back to off. The beam remained on with the brightness of a standlight.
Is the light supposed to do that? Maybe that's how it acts when the batteries begin to run low, although all three modes still seemed to be plenty bright. Maybe it was the rain, although it did not appear any moisture had penetrated the light's seal. Maybe it was the extended use in flash mode.
Whatever the cause, I took it back yesterday to REI and swapped it out for a new one. I've read a few other complaints online about this light, usually involving the mount or the soft push button on top. Those have not been an issue for me. But a battery light that will burn up your batteries between rides is a real problem.
Since then, I've used the light as a commuter light. It's easy to swap the mount on and off various bikes. It's not as bright as the Edelux, but it doesn't have to be to light the city streets. The one or two times I've used it in the countryside without the Schmidt it has been adequate. However, I don't want adequate in a bike light; I want strong to very strong.
On Tony G's latest 200K, held on 1.1.11, the light got its biggest test to date. We were socked in by a heavy fog all day and we rode through moderate rain during the afternoon. I used the Blaze in flash mode during the day to increase my visibility for oncoming cars, and I switched it to a steady bright mode as darkness descended. The light wasn't very good on the wet roads, but frankly neither is my Edelux.
All good so far. Safely back to the ride finish, I put the bike in the back of my car for the two-hour drive home. About halfway there, I noticed the Blaze was still ablazing. When I attempted to turn it off, no luck. I cycled through the three modes (low, high, flash) and back to off. The beam remained on with the brightness of a standlight.
Is the light supposed to do that? Maybe that's how it acts when the batteries begin to run low, although all three modes still seemed to be plenty bright. Maybe it was the rain, although it did not appear any moisture had penetrated the light's seal. Maybe it was the extended use in flash mode.
Whatever the cause, I took it back yesterday to REI and swapped it out for a new one. I've read a few other complaints online about this light, usually involving the mount or the soft push button on top. Those have not been an issue for me. But a battery light that will burn up your batteries between rides is a real problem.
