Review of CatEye Bike Head Light

CatEye Bike Head Light - HL-EL400
By: Cateye Average Rating: 2.5 Total Reviews: 3
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Great light, very poor mount

On: 2006-01-14

I bought this light for commuting and to be seen. I am pleased how well motorists see me night or day raining or not. I did not expect it to illuminate the road although it does... barely. The light it self is great for its intended purpose.

The mount is really poor. It constantly slips on the handle bar of my road and mt. bike.

Not really good enough

On: 2005-10-24

This is a reasonable light that certainly does a good job of making you visible to motorists. I would agree with the reviewer about brightness - it is not really bright enough to use as the only source of illumination.

For me the most disappointing factor is the no tools fitting strap. It grips poorly on glossy surfaces - like many handlebars, for example! I ended up gluing rubber patches to the inside of the strap to improve this.

Worse, the strap tensioner actually broke apart after just over a year of use. The pivot pins are just not up to the rest of the build quality.

Pros
- Good light for sodium lit city streets
- Really waterproof
- Solid case

Cons
- The no tools strap simply sucks.
- Youll need another light if it is genuinely dark where you ride.

Not really worth the investment. I bought a cheaper 5-led light - with a proper screwdriver tightened quick release fixing - that I am far happier with.

The CatEye is now an expensive spare flashlight.

Not Bright Enough to Illuminate the Road or Obstacles

On: 2005-07-05

As a bicycle enthusiast who has owned CatEye products for nearly 20 years, I eagerly attached this light to by mountain bike and went for a spin around the streets and trails of Manhattan. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with its overall usability.

The light uses three intense bluish-white LEDs that are very easy to see from a distance when facing the light. However, these are not powerful enough to illuminate a trail, road, or pothole. In short, the light is excellent tool to acknowledge your position to oncoming motorists and other cyclists. The flashing mode is especially easy to see. Yet, the light is simply not powerful enough to illuminate the ground before you. Hence, it is basically useless if you are trying to avoid potholes on roads or vehicle barriers on poorly lit bicycle trails.

Pros
Good Construction
Multifunction
Waterproof

Cons
Insufficient brightness
Uses AAA instead of AA