Review of Bell Dawn Patrol Bicycle Light

Bell Dawn Patrol Bicycle Light
By: Bell Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 6
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Not durable enough

On: 2008-06-28

Ive had this light for maybe 2 years, and while the light is okay as far as being bright enough to shine on the road, the quality of the thing itself stinks!

But, to be fair, I should mention that I keep my light on my bike which I store outside where it is exposed to bad weather and such. Therefore, the quality has gradually deteriorated, whereas it would have been a more decent light were I to have taken better care of it. The button to turn the light on broke months into its use. Someone I know figured a way to rig it to work again.

-Take it off the mount and keep in away from rain and it should last longer.

The reason I give it three stars: It is a MAJOR pain trying to open this thing up to change the batteries; totally aggravating.

Also, this light doesnt swivel on its mount which would be helpful while riding at night to see.

Overall, I dont recommend this Bell Dawn Patron Bicycle Light.

Inexpensive light is basic and bright

On: 2008-06-21

This is a basic bike light that has a few nice design features: a) tool-free method for attaching the base to your handlebar; b) easy click-on system for attaching the light on the to base; 3) easy push-button release switch for removing the light from the base; and 4) tool-free opening of light case to get into the battery/bulb compartment.

The only flaw is that the light may not be easy for someone with weak fingers to open because it takes a bit of a good precise push on the buttons on both sides to open the light.

Also, I wish that there was a flashing light mode for when I bike during the day.

Other than that, a good basic bike light.

works great

On: 2007-11-17

it works great... I wish that it would swivel left and right but its great for an inexpensive bike light

Good product

On: 2007-10-26

Its bright and powerful and 4 AA rechargable batteries run for about 90 mins,in it,. better than any of the lousy ones which need C batteries.

Eh....

On: 2007-10-17

This is a good product in theory. In practice not so much. If you set it to a distance that would be useful to see ahead its a bit too weak. I also cant get the thing to stay where I want it. It doesnt tighten down enough. It does help you see pedestrians in dark clothing before you run them over and cars can see you a lot better. Just dont expect it to light your way.

***The Dawn Patrol Headlight is a Good Light to Be Seen! ***

On: 2005-01-18

I recently purchased a mountain bike for around the town commuting and needed a good inexpensive headlight for the night rides that I do.

I went to Copelands Sports Store at the mall and found a couple of cheap clearence items in the bicycle section. Then I came across just what I needed! Bell Dawn Patrol headlights! Xenon powered, side portal beams as well. I knew what the word Xenon meant so I decided to take a chance and buy two of the lights to mount on my bike. Total cost (since they were on Christmas clearence = $4.75 each!)

I went home and first put on the headlight mounts. This was totally easy and tool free. Just turn the little round knobs and unhook the clamp and then clamp the hook over your handlebar of your bicycle and then turn the knob to tighten.

Next came the actual headlight unit itself. This headlight takes 4 AA batteries so be forewarned that you can go through batteries quickly if you ride a lot at night like I do.

I quickly invested in a battery recharger and 8 AA rechargeable batteries the same day.

Unlocking the battery holder mechanism can be a real pain at first. You need to really hold the headlight firmly with one hand (in this case your stronger hand, my right hand) and then you take your thumb and second finger in your left hand to push open the unit. It can be a real pain to open the first time you get this light.

I put in the 4 AA batteries and depressed the on/off switch and BOOM, the Xenon headlight came on! It is an EXTREMELY bright light with fresh batteries and you do not want to look directly into its beam.

Riding under ideal city conditions with street lights around you, you will be okay. Its a light to be seen with, not to see what is in front of you as the street lighting will out do these lights.

However when riding an unlighted trail and some streets/cul de sacs where street lighting was minimal I was extremely pleased with how bright the two lights lit up the trail; the ground and the sides as well. With fresh batteries, the light will be pretty bright. Overtime as the batteries run low, you will also notice that the beam will decrease in brightness. This means to get new batteries! There is no low battery indicator light on these headlights.

I would highly recommend that you get two of these lights and a rechargeable battery system as well. It is a fairly inexpensive system to invest in if you just want to be seen. If you want to be seen and BE ABLE TO SEE clearly your riding path, then you may want to invest in a HID (High Intensity Discharge) system which can run anywhere from $55.00 to $500 at your local REI store. These lights are the brightest lights Ive ever seen but cost you an arm and a leg.

But for just normal city riding to just be seen the Bell Dawn Patrol Xenon bicycle headlights work just fine for me.

(Also I have crashed once on my bike once before, and one of the lights popped off the handlebar mount. I also lost my batteries inside as well... oh well. :( )