Review of Planet Bike Blaze 1/2-Watt LED Bicycle Light with Helmet and QuickCam Mounts

Planet Bike Blaze 1/2-Watt LED Bicycle Light with Helmet and QuickCam Mounts
By: Planet Bike Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 13
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not very bright

On: 2008-10-24

I commute daily to work. This light is not very bright. The beam is narrow. It slides on my narrow mountain bike handlebars. I spent about $125USD on a brighter and wider light. I recommend getting Planet Bike rear lights, but not this front light.

Very Bright

On: 2008-10-02

A friend of mine bought a $150 light similar to this one for his helmet and recommended it for night riding.

When I went to the Planet Bike web site, the light wasnt available. But this one was, and it looked pretty similar.

Its a great spotlight - really nice for aiming from atop my helmet to see details on the road ahead. In fact, on a dreary Seattle morning, I can see the light in front of me.

Im quite happy with the power this light has. I havent used up the first set of batteries yet, so I cant comment on battery life.

great light, at a great price.

On: 2008-09-08

I was really impressed by the scope and brightness of this light, on the first night...and have come to love it even more, over a few weeks. It not only produces a strong and broad beam, but the battery life is quite long. I am a bike-commuter, and rely on my lights everyday. this one has not failed me yet, and it even got left on the bike in a couple of rainstorms. I just replaced the original batteries after 6 or 7 weeks of daily use.

Bicycling lights matter

On: 2008-05-23

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R33TK6T4XQNSDT This little light does it all and doesnt hog batteries. Small, easily mounted, very bright with directed light. I gave it four stars not for this light, but for the engineers at Planet Bike..the 1 watt LED...is about the same price but with twice the illumination potential...only trouble is...the 1 watt does NOT have "blinking" capacity. As a cyclist, you want all your lights to have a steady mode and a blink mode..which is why I bought this. You can see the pics yourselves. Its a very good light. Highly recommended.

Wow, a very good light

On: 2008-05-02

Im the type of guy who rides a bike every night and for the first time I feel like I found the perfect light ever. Its very small and lite weight. It has one LED light which is bright but not too bright. If you were going to go really fast in the dark, you wouldnt be able to see everything with this light but it is good enough for people to see you at a very far distances. The part that I love about this led light is that it only needs 2 AA batteries. So far I been riding for weeks and havent had to change them yet, unlike my old light which needed 4 AA batteries and only last up one week. If youre looking for a light that doesnt take too a lot of power but still gives a strong light beam I would have to say that this is the one to get

Its ok....

On: 2008-04-18

The power of the light is actually quite weak. Its bright in dark places but in lighted areas the beam of light is deluted. The light only provides a beam of light so dont expect it to light up the whole street. On the plus side, if your use of the light is to get notice by motorist, this IS a good light. It provides excellent visibility for motorist.

planet bike blaze light

On: 2008-04-12

bright enough for commuting around town. the flash mode is a nice feature, & probably makes you more visible, while saving battery life. affordable, compact, easy to use. the negatives are with the helmet mounting: straps are not long enough to span 2 helmet slots, & the system does not have a swivel to adjust the angle.

can you see me now? BRIGHT!

On: 2008-03-11

really bright
good design, compact
fairly easy to install
comes with some helmet attachment gizmo, havent used it

Bright Light

On: 2008-03-04

Good, durable bright light. The clamp makes it easy to transfer light to different bicycles. Helmet strap is OK, but light is a bit heavy for a helmet light.

another great accessory from Planet Bike

On: 2007-12-31

This company can do no wrong. So far, Ive bought five or six different items made by Planet Bike, and all of them perform excellently. This new headlight continues the trend, replacing my older, still working light from the same manufacturer. Though somewhat bigger, it has the same sturdy construction as its predecessor, but there have been some small improvements, such as the improved mounting bracket and much-improved lens. It is also about double the brightness of the older light--more than adequate for urban use. Use this on your bike at night and you will be seen, and it does throw enough of a beam to illuminate the road in front of you if youre not traveling too fast. Definitely a light worthy of the name.

Surprisingly Bright

On: 2007-11-22

Over the last couple years Ive accumulated several bike lights. Unfortunately, most lights under $100 are usually pretty dim and are usually more useful for being seen by car drivers than actually lighting up the road. Fortunately, with newer LED technology, inexpensive bike lights are becoming more capable. The Blaze is a big improvement over the Cateye EL-500 (LED) and the Planet Bike 5000x (halogen) that I have been using. The LED in the Blaze is brighter than both of those lights, its only drawback being that it is more of a spot beam than a flood. Depending on your needs, this can be a good or bad thing. Ive found the Blaze very useful as a helmet mounted light to be used in addition to a handlebar mounted light with a brighter, wider beam. The Blaze is enough light to manage with on its own, provided you keep your speed below about 15 mph. It comes with both handlebar and helmet mounts and runs on 2 AA batteries. It appears just as bright with rechargeables as with alkalines.

All in all, the Blaze is an impressive little light, given its low price. For light that rivals a cars headlights, youll still need to spend well over $100, but the Blaze proves that advanced LED technology is starting to trickle down into the really cheap lights, and thats a good thing. Even a year ago, it would have been impossible to find an LED light this bright for less than $50. Highly recommended for those on a budget or as an addition to a brighter light with a wider flood beam.

Not your mother's night light...

On: 2007-11-21

This is a great light as long as you dont have unrealistic expectations; it wont illuminate the whole road or give you the brightness of the more expensive lighting options available. I feel plenty safe riding my bike at night with this light as it allows me to see reasonably well and adequately alerts those pesky car drivers that there is another vehicle on the road. The single 1/2W LED is much more powerful than any of the other 2-3 LED headlamps or flashlights that I own and the magnification produces a strong focused beam. Hardcore night-bikers might argue for much more expensive systems and the gadget gurus might insist on strapping on several more lights, but overall this is a well-constructed, practical light that will more than suit a good majority of commuters and more casual night-riders. For me, its perfect.

Good price, great product!

On: 2007-10-01

I bought an "affordable" LED light at a discount store and I must say I grew tired of it, the light was decent but it was heavy (4 AA batteries) and bulky. The answer is the Planet Bike Blaze, its EASY to install, lighter (2 AA batteries), compact, and the light is brighter than my previous light. It can even be placed on your helmet. If youre looking for an fair priced product and great quality, I recommend this product.