[bikerneil]

I had a Dinotte 300R tail light and I loved it, but the design of the bracket allows the light to not be secure on the bike. (When I was riding home from work on Tuesday it flew off my bike and I lost the $200 light!).

As I begin my research, I am wondering what tail light is the brightest one out there? I commute in very early morning with total darkness. Price is not an issue, I want the BRIGHTEST light on the market. Light weight is good too. Rechargeable is preferred.


Thanks!

 

[cdalemike]

Hence the reason you do not buy a $200 tail lite :') But, since you apparently have money to burn, you could go with a Light and Motion VIS 180:

LIGHT & MOTION || VIS 180

Only 99 vs 200.

 

[cdalemike]

Double post in Commuting, Touring and Ride Reports...

 

[bikerneil]

I'm looking for a MUCH brighter light than this one. My old Dinotte had 1000 Lumens This one you recommend has 35 Lumens. My top priority is light output. (For some crazy reason my wife insists I be seen when riding in the dark.....)


Thanks.

 

[martinrjensen]

You don't need the best tail light, just a good one and you don't need to be seen from 2 miles away either. Get 2 Planet Bike taillights, mount one just below the saddle and the other hanging off your jersey, that's plenty. Go overboard if you want but it's unnecessary

 

[Rogus]

You don't need the best tail light, just a good one and you don't need to be seen from 2 miles away either. Get 2 Planet Bike taillights, mount one just below the saddle and the other hanging off your jersey, that's plenty. Go overboard if you want but it's unnecessary

This is what's often difficult in answering these types of questions. We don't know the planned use for the light. If it's only at night, then I would agree that pretty much any tail light is sufficient. However, if you're riding at times when it transitions from night to day the brightness of the light is becomes more important. If you use front and rear lights during the day for safety reasons, you have to have a bright enough one to have it show up. I had to upgrade all my lights to more powerful ones that are visible during the day. I have a L&M Vis180 as mentioned previously and a Cygolite Hotshot for my bikes. Both are very powerful tail lights.

 

[Bob Ross]

I haven't seen one in the flesh yet but I'm really looking forward to checking out the DesignShine lights.

 

[Special Eyes]

Mine is. Oh no, wait, my friends newer one is. Oh, crap. I just saw a writeup of the best one today. Uh oh, that's now obsolete, and thirty other people told me THEIRS is the brightest and the best. Oh, I hate when that happens.

Dude, just go to the store and buy a bright one. Then use it.

 

[Milk-Bone]

I use the Bontrager Flare2. It works great and is very bright. Best $18 you'll ever spend. If it falls off you won't feel the pain as much.

Bontrager: Flare 2 Taillight (Model #08921)

 

[Newnan3]

I saw a Planet bike one today that mounts on the helmet and swivels......It seems to me that something higher up would be most effective.

 

[RJP Diver]

A $200 1,000 lumen tail light? Egads!!!

Gordon Gekko was right "A fool and his money were lucky to get together in the first place."

For $200 I'll ride behind you with my Blackburn Flea tail light while waving a flag and yelling at approaching vehicles.

 

[ridingred]

I have two Firefly Supernova lights. One mounted on my seat post and the other clipped on my jersey/jacket. Check out Road ID. Great light at great price.

 

[ohiorick]

I use a Planet Bike Blinky. Works fine for me. It looks like there is no tail light as bright as the Dinoette that you had. I am wondering why you do not consider buying another one of those?

 

[pethelman]

I had a Dinotte 300R tail light and I loved it, but the design of the bracket allows the light to not be secure on the bike. (When I was riding home from work on Tuesday it flew off my bike and I lost the $200 light!).

As I begin my research, I am wondering what tail light is the brightest one out there? I commute in very early morning with total darkness. Price is not an issue, I want the BRIGHTEST light on the market. Light weight is good too. Rechargeable is preferred.

Thanks!

If you want the BRIGHTEST, then the DesignShine DS-500 really is it. On high, it's twice the output of the Dinotte 400R with a highly effective beam pattern... a tight focused spot for extreme distance, and a wide elliptical pattern for off-angle coverage. Other posters are correct though, you don't really NEED a light like this at night. In fact, at night, you have to turn it down to level 3 (Dinotte 400R levels) or lower. This light was really built for unrivaled daytime performance. One thing that is unique, however, is the greater than 90 degree side lighting (from the headlight as well). Gives you about the same side profile as a motor vehicle at night.

I put a lot of time into designing the mount for this light. It's over-engineered to say the least, but I wanted to completely eliminate the possibility of a high-dollar light like this going missing, despite having a quick-release mount. Equally secure on the seat post or seat stay.

Working hard to have some availability after the first of the year. Build progress blog over on the new DesignShineLighting web site. Sorry I can't post the link...

 

[veloron]

I saw a Planet bike one today that mounts on the helmet and swivels......It seems to me that something higher up would be most effective.

I have this light and love it but it's not my only taillight. I use a PB Superflash Turbo mounted on the back of my seatbag and an additional PB Superflash on my backpack (when commuting).

 

[cda 455]

If you want the BRIGHTEST, then the DesignShine DS-500 really is it. On high, it's twice the output of the Dinotte 400R with a highly effective beam pattern... a tight focused spot for extreme distance, and a wide elliptical pattern for off-angle coverage. Other posters are correct though, you don't really NEED a light like this at night. In fact, at night, you have to turn it down to level 3 (Dinotte 400R levels) or lower. This light was really built for unrivaled daytime performance. One thing that is unique, however, is the greater than 90 degree side lighting (from the headlight as well). Gives you about the same side profile as a motor vehicle at night.

I put a lot of time into designing the mount for this light. It's over-engineered to say the least, but I wanted to completely eliminate the possibility of a high-dollar light like this going missing, despite having a quick-release mount. Equally secure on the seat post or seat stay.

Working hard to have some availability after the first of the year. Build progress blog over on the new DesignShineLighting web site. Sorry I can't post the link...

^^I second that^^

 

[George M]

May not be the best, but it sure is bright and cheap.

Cygo-Lite Hotshot 2W USB Li-Ion Tail Light with Charger from ModernBike.com

 

[froze]

Two best ones for the money are the Blackburn Mars 4 but it eats batteries though it is blindingly bright with 180 degree visibility; and the Cygolite Hotshot which is brighter from the rear then the Mars 4 but not by much, but it doesn't have the 180 degree visibility of the Mars 4, but batteries last longer.

Disclaimer: Of course the above is just my opinion.

 

[slomustang]

I was running a PB tail light model which I can't remember. It worked well for my monthly bike commute.

I then upgraded to the L&M Vis 180 and that thing is a beast. I decided to try and ride a bit more to work and as my schedule fluctuates, I wanted a light that would be effective in dusk and dark. The Vis 180 provides the standard red output, as well as yellow (especially for the sides). The mounting/locking system is very secure.

Luckily, I live in an area where I was able to check out a lot of lights in person. I would suggest the same, if you have the opportunity.

 

[denali20320]

I am a big fan of the Blackburn Flea, the combo set is a great deal and they are super lightweight.