Portland Design Works Radbot 1000 1W LED Tail Light, Red/White, One Size

2017.05.10 See update at the bottom.I have been a fan of Planet Bike products for years, and have owned PB fenders and lights. However, there is a fatal flaw in the famous PB Superflash design that has never been addressed, and there are a few additional reasons to pick this light over that when it comes time to pick a good bike taillight.The fatal flaw in question is of two parts. The first is that the lamp is made of two pieces that are held together only by friction. The second part is that the heaviest part (the AAA batteries) are installed into the half of the light that is separate from the mounting tab (the back half). All it takes is a good bump from a pavement edge or pothole, and half your Superflash is left behind in the street. That has been the ultimate fate of both Superflash lights, and one knock-off model, that i have owned. Sadly, PB didn't take advantage of the model refresh for the "Turbo" 1W variant to fix this problem.There are cheap knock-offs available that also typically have the same problem, but if that was their only flaw they'd probably be viable (as "disposable" lights). Unfortunately, i've had several of these, and they all tend to change modes and/or turn off when you hit bumps while biking. That's a bit dangerous...There is a somewhat less expensive Sette brand model that was inspired by the Superflash and it has in fact improved upon the design and fixed the flaw: although it is of two parts held together by friction, the batteries install into the base piece that holds the mounting tab. It also has a better switch and is more compact. Unfortunately, of the two of these I have owned, both have developed intermittent problems after a short period of time. It seems the advantages of the more intelligent design are betrayed by the cheapness of the manufacturing process.So what does that leave us? Well, the Radbot 1000, of course! Not only is it cheaper than the Superflash turbo with the same 1W LED, but it is held together by a screw, and the batteries mount into the base piece, anyway. Other advantages it has are that the switch requires a sustained contact to change modes, meaning that it is not likely to suffer from the intermittent problems any lamp with a momentary contact switch can develop, and that it has a built-in reflector, meaning it will provide some benefit even when it is off or the automobile behind has very bright headlights. Furthermore, it comes with a rack mount, which is a $5 extra accessory for the Superflash. What a great bargain!It loses a star for a combination of three things: having poorer sideways visibility than most other models, having a battery compartment design that has space for the batteries to come loose, and having the mounting tab so near the top of the lamp that the bottom of the it interferes with fenders when in the rack mount. The batteries have only come loose once, and was when i dropped the light (so not really an intended use), but there's no need for the gap in there that gives them the space necessary to pop loose.In conclusion, save your money and buy the Radbot. Otherwise, plan on replacing your Superflash periodically.Update: Unfortunately, this model apparently suffers from the same problems as the Sette one mentioned above: good design, poor quality control. Mine only lasted for a few months before becoming completely flaky and ultimately dying. Also not mentioned above was a CatEye blinky that did its darndest to lose its battery cap... and ultimately succeeded. Why is it so hard to find a model of blinky with both intelligent design and decent quality? After a while of (dangerously) riding without a taillight, i'm back to try yet another one. Cross your fingers. I'll update with my findings...

The media could not be loaded. I'd heard about the Radbot 1000 tail light and decided to order one and use it for my upcoming century ride.It is a 1-watt LED with a large reflector below the light which gives additional visibility when approaching-from-behind car's headlights hit it. This one-two combo, a super bright flashing 1-watt LED and reflector gives it a significant edge compared to other bike lights. I also want to mention that the reflector acts as some sort of insurance that in the event your batteries die on you mid-ride in low or no daylight situations, you will still have some visibility as soon as approaching headlights hit the reflector. That is significant fail-safe mechanism in my opinion, at least in dusk to night situations.Powered by 2-AAA batteries, you can expect about 30 hours of operation according to Portland Design Works but if you use non-rechargable alkaline batteries you will likely see the light lasting up to 50 hours or more in zZz Pop mode. That's what I get. Running the light in steady on mode will greatly reduce your battery life to about 12 hours (according to Portland Design Works. I never use that mode so couldn't advise you on that.)It comes with a variety of mounting hardware that makes it convenient to mount, either on the back of a seat bag, or attach it to the seatpost or seatstay. Whatever works best for you.Compared to the PlanetBike Blinky Superflash  Planet Bike Blinky Superflash Tail Light  which uses a 1/2 watt LED, the Radbot 1000 provides twice the light. The Planet Bike Superflash is nice because of the additional 2-LED's that flash opposite the strobing 1/2 watt LED, but in lieu of the 2 additional LED"s the Radbot 1000 offers a large reflector.They are comparable in price but there is a slight size difference and obvious brightness difference. Both are quite visible but the Radbot is both brighter and a bit larger. I like the actual button on the Radbot as it makes it easier to select modes and turn on & off.The Superflash is a worthy light but the Radbot 1000 deserves your consideration as well. Both are great.UPDATE: 1/8/2011: Portland Design Works has created a lot of confusion by first eliminating the zZz Pop mode from the Radbot 1000 and replacing it with the zZz, mode due to complaints from people who felt that the light was "off" for too long of a period of time. Now people are complaining about the mode that replaced it so Portland Design Works is going back to the zZz Pop mode. Unfortunately, as the Rep told me, there are now both versions out in the marketplace and there is no way to know which one you are going to get. So if this concerns you, you may want to order directly from Portland Design Works website to be sure you get what you think you ought to get.

Es una luz trasera muy brillante y bien construida, ya veremos que tal gasta baterías pero usando recargables no creo que haya problema...muy recomendada y el envío llegó un día antes de lo marcado!

Very bright and VERY noticeable -- there is no possible way someone can NOT see you while running the Radbot 1000. I own a couple products by PDW and love them all, this one is my favorite among rear-leds for cycling, I previously used the danger zone (which is also great), but prefer this one because it comes with a reflector and is a bit brighter. In comparison to the Danger Zone, the Radbot only has one LED, but don't let that fool you, it is ultra bright, brighter than the individual lights in the DZ.Excellent quality, well built. I get the impression that PDW really cares about their products. I use rechargeable batteries and found them easy to replace. I'm only taking off one star because my Radbot shipped with dead batteries (one battery had actually blown up, this did not affect the unit.. the included batteries were a cheap no-name, I would rather them either ship without batteries or include a quality brand, that's my only reason for 4-star, it is otherwise a 5-star item).The RadBot features three different modes, always on, flash and fade and cornea blitz. I usually use the flash and fade, but if I really want to make sure I'm noticed, it's time for the cornea blitz, which truly goes by it's name and I promise will impress anyone you show it to. It's also nice that the power button needs to be held for a second to turn on or off, there's no way to accidentally activate or deactivate it.I carry it with me when I am hiking, the cornea blitz would be perfect in an emergency situation where you need to indicate your location. I also have it in my car console, if there were a breakdown around a corner this could be useful to indicate a hazard to oncoming traffic. The mounting clip can be secured to your pocket or backpack (not only the mounting device). I have also used the "always on" function at night as a flashlight to protect my night vision, it's multipurpose outside of cycling. Recommended.

I love this light! I got one for my partner and thought it was so amazing I got one for myself as well. They are very bright, they have three settings (I kind of wish that the flashing setting didn't flash quite so fast - it kind of hurts to look at), they are sturdy and fit onto the bicycle easily. I appreciate that it runs on easily change-able (or rechargeable, if you have them) AAA batteries and that it comes with an included reflector.I would have given it five stars, as I think it is a really excellent bicycle light, except for a few minor points:-The extra nuts and bolts that come in the box don't fit and are useless as far as we could tell.-For some reason this light has regular condensation problems. I have had to open mine up, pat it dry, and then leave it open near a heater until the condensation dries up several times.-The batteries that came with the light in the package were corroded upon arrival.

The media could not be loaded.  I’ve had better lights, as in more lens acreage, IMHO tiny bright lights are a nonsense. And those previous lights snap together which eventually fracture or they pop apart while riding and you loose them. Which is what happened to my last one. But what makes me satisfied with this one is that it sits well into the rack mount and is a little bit difficult to get out again so I feel confident I won’t loose it riding and that it is held together with a screw and doesn’t snap together so shouldn’t separate while riding. Plus it has a slow flash mode which is kinder to the rider behind me.UPDATELight has been great. Really like it. Added a vid of the 3 modes.

I am very happy with this light, it is very bright and as I work late shifts and live out in the sticks, visibility is crucial.The design is great. Due to my own laziness, I didn't bother to read the instructions and at first I couldn't get it to switch on. So it is my own stupid fault that I had sore eyes for a couple of hours after looking directly into it as I did work out that you need to hold the button down for a couple of seconds. This shouldn't put you off, it's a good design feature as it is less likely to switch itself on if you have it in your bag/pocket. Just don't do what I did!Great value for money, good quality. I would recommend this to anyone cycling on dark lanes/roads at night.