Review of DINOTTE TAIL LIGHT SYSTEM

DINOTTE TAIL LIGHT SYSTEM
By: DiNotte Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 2
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The Brightest Tail Light

On: 2007-12-07

Half of my 24.4-mile round-trip commute is on busy commerical streets that have a distracting array of light sources - cars, traffic signals, illuminated signs on buildings, and even some neon. The morning ride is dark year round, and the afternoon ride is mostly dark after daylight savings time ends. The DiNotte is the only bicycle tail light Ive found having the power to stand out in the clutter. Its an amazingly bright LED that is too bright to aim straight back - that would blind approaching drivers. Its designed to mount pointing down toward the street at an angle, casting a large elipse of red light on the pavement. From many miles of experience, I can say that drivers notice this light at a much greater distance, and given more time to react, almost always accord more room when passing. Drivers will see this light - period.

There are three levels of brightness configurable in steady-on mode, and three distinctive flash patterns in blink mode. Producing this much light does drain batteries much faster than most tail lights. I have the AA battery model, and use rechargeables. DiNotte rates the light for 6 hours in my favorite strobe and pause mode, so to be safe, usually recharge after 2 days of riding, or about 4 hours of use.

The mount attaches to the seat post using a sturdy o-ring as a sort of rubber band. Another o-ring holds the light to the plastic mount. The mount is an improvement on prior attempts, but is still seems a bit flimsy. The light housing is machined from aluminum - very well made. The battery pack is housed in a small bag that straps under the top tube.

This is not an inexpensive bicycle accessory, but if youre a serious commuter in the dark winter months, it will enhance your safety by a large measure.

Pros:
Drivers will see this light from a long distance in all conditions
Variety of flash patterns
Cons:
The mount is not very rigid

Like no other taillight

by: slider2699 On: 2007-09-30

Wow. If you do ANY riding on dark rural roads, this is the light for you. DiNotte makes two versions, the AA rechargeable version and the Lithium Ion version. I have the AA version, and Im very satisfied. DiNotte now includes a mount, which solves the problem lots of people had with the light. It still mounts to the seatpost, so using a rack trunk or Carradice bag is out of the question. There are plenty of workarounds, if you search online.

The light is so bright, it actually projects an aura of light behind you. Its so bright that cars give me plenty of room when they pass. Plus, its very small, very well designed, and made by a small American manufacturer.

Is it perfect? No. As with any high powered light, batter maintenance is a hassle. I also use Planet Bike Supeflash blinkies, and I can get several months use out of a set of AAAs. DiNotte claims 12 hours or so on flash mode, but I just recharge my batteries every night. Rechargeable AAs dont last forever, as they will only withstand so many discharge cycles. But there are plenty of places to buy cheap rechargeables in bulk online. I use Tenergy 2600 mAh batteries, and theyre easy to find. But its probably a good idea to carry a couple of sets of lithium AAs with you if youre using a rechargeable battery light.