Review of Blackburn Flea Front HL Bicycle Headlight and Flea Rear Flasher Taillight Combo Pack

Blackburn Flea Front HL Bicycle Headlight and Flea Rear Flasher Taillight Combo Pack
By: Blackburn Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 27
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Cool idea, loses charge quickly

On: 2010-02-05

I commute to work on my bike.Its a 7 mile ride, and depending on conditions (and traffic) takes anywhere from 25 minutes to 40 minutes each way. These lights maybe last three days before they need a recharge (~2 hrs) which makes them very dangerous to use as your only light source. I use them to supplement a more powerful standard battery set, so its not that big of an issue for me when they die in the middle of a ride.

Mounting these lights is really easy. I clip the rear light on my backpack and Ive strapped the "headlight" on top of my helmet. It works really well this way at night for me to point to and flash at turning vehicles that may not see me otherwise.

The idea of having a USB charger is novel, but in practice its extremely annoying because it requires a powered up computer to recharge them, and you can only charge one light at a time. Thankfully the charging time is only about an hour or so.

Bright little guys

On: 2010-01-31

They are really bright. The front makes a good "be seen" light but does not throw out a beam strong enough to see the potholes or beer bottles that you might be about to ride over. But thats as expected. The rear is a sweet little item. I mounted it next to an older rear light and it was so much brighter than the old one that Im going to ditch the latter.
I love the rechargability. They charge just fine from a NiMH AA cell. Not sure how long they will last but I have ridden perhaps 2 hours and they are still going fine.
The rear light mounts easily to my rack trunk. I had a bit of trouble with the front the velcro seemed too long [or my handle bar too thin] but I made it work eventually. I have not found a good way to mount them on my helmet.
Very good price on these versatile little items.

Powerful featherweights

On: 2010-01-30

These little guys can pack a punch. Very light, bright, and easy to mount either on handle bars, seat posts, or backpacks. They have been my commuting companions to and from school and work ( 20+ miles round trip ) for the past eight months and have worked flawlessly. I recently replaced the battery charger for the USB which I purchased through Ebay and now all I have to do is plug them into my laptops USB port or my iphones USB power adapter and not have to worry if my batteries have any life left in them. The lights conveniently flash while charging and shut off once they are ready for use. These lights are more for letting drivers and pedestrians know youre out there rather than spotting out potholes or other obstacles. They work exceptionally well when used in flash mode and its pretty neat to see road signs and reflectors light up two to three blocks ahead of you . An innovative, inexpensive product to keep us cyclists safer on our journeys.

Easy to lose charge and charger

On: 2010-01-30

I originally bought the headlight/taillight set to use as supplemental bike lights. I bought the set with the USB charger and promptly lost the tiny charger and the tiny tail light (I know, my fault). This left me with no way to charge the headlight I still had. So, I bought the taillight as a single with the USB charger. The positives are small size and bright lights. I ended up carrying the taillight in my daypack or pocket when walking to use as a personal safety light if caught out on the road after dark. The small size is perfect for this but, unfortunately, the inability of the thing to hold a charge is not. If the lights sits in my pack for a week or two, it must be recharged to be of any use. Otherwise, it lights up for about 5 seconds (about long enough to attach it to your bag and put the bag on), then goes out. For something to carry "just in case", having to recharge frequently renders it next to useless. Recharging is also a bit of a pain, as you have to find a powered up computer from which to charge it. All in all, not reliable enough to be of any use to me. But it is small and bright.

headlight won't stay charged

On: 2010-01-22

Took this headlight for a night ride up a mountain and an hour into the ride the light shut off a mile before the top, leading to a very dangerous descent. Ive had this light for several months and its been great for zipping around town, but Ive found its not reliable for rides over an hour.

Fails to charge after couple of months

On: 2010-01-18

I liked the small size and weight of this light... for the first 2 months. The recharging method is unbelievably lame, you have to somehow keep an additional extra little add-on device with highly breakable wires around somewhere (how long before that gets lost/broken), hooking it up to a battery to recharge. That method worked about 2 times for me (using a D-cell, as instructed), but now at 3 months old and hardly used at all, my flea light wont hold a charge for more than about 5 minutes.

I wrote to Blackburn asking for assistance or advice: no response. Thats inexcusable. Ill not be buying any Blackburn products again.

Blackburn Flea

On: 2010-01-08

I have been using the front and rear Flea lights for a few weeks. I commute by bicycle on streets and paved bike paths. Both lights are small but powerful. The front light is bright enough to illuminate the unlighted parts of the path. Not as well as my 10w and 15w halogen lights of course, but well enough. The rear light is clearly visible in any of the 3 modes. The attachment method is simple and secure for the front; the clip on the rear light is so secure that I have difficulty with it. Thats the only reason I didnt rate it a 5 star. I havent tried the (to me) unusual recharging method yet. Overall, I am very satisfied.

The best and smallest bike lights ever!

On: 2009-12-29

You cannot believe how small, lightweight and bright these lights are. I ride in daylight, sometimes toward dusk, and I have the front light set to flash, and the rear light, too. Its hard to miss me coming and going, and thats a good thing because we have many tourists, biking and driving while chatting with friends, or talking on a cell phone or both. I have had tourists and locals tell me they dont like the bright, flashing lights, and thats just fine with me.
The price was nice, too.
What sold me on these lights was a review written by a professional bike courier in NYC. He evaluated 5 different light systems, and pronounced the Blackburn Fleas best in show.
Clever charging system, good battery duration, and mountable anywhere using the included Velcro strips.

Visible at all costs, at a low cost

On: 2009-12-26

These are the best compact bike lights I have ever bought. I have been commuting by bike and riding at night for a long time, and in this category of lights these are the best. Their compact size and reasonable battery life means that I take them with me wherever I go. They are sturdy in construction and extremely waterproof (pretty much anything short of a sustained dunk). The LEDs are some of the brightest in any lights, which is surprising considering their are not amplified by those reflective flashlight cones. The clip for the rear light is quite solid and tight initially, but it does loosen up a bit (which can be good or bad depending on how tight you want to keep it). The front lights have such a small profile that I put 2 of them in the vents in my helmet (they are easy targets for theft when left on handlebars). The charging mechanisms for these is a little awkward, but it does work pretty well, though the batteries take longer than I expected to charge up. If you dont want to deal with this charging mechanism, Blackburn sells a USB charging cradle for these, which is how I charge mine up. They are "smart charged", so you dont get the problems of charge memory like you do with cheaper trickle chargers. The battery life on these is almost exactly as what Blackburn advertises (see their site for the exact times).

I could go on for days about these little lights. I have gone through so many bad ones over the years (poor construction, bad battery life, etc.), but I would highly recommend these if you want to be seen at night (the blinking and "chase" modes are particularly effective). In my experience, these are best mounted on a jacket or backpack in the rear and in helmet vents in the front for the best visibility, but no matter where you mount these they will let everyone around you know of your presence.

Great thought, poor execution

On: 2009-12-04

I have owned and used two sets of these for 6 months now, riding about 4-5 times a week on pavement, 45 minutes each outing, usually starting out just before dawn.

On the plus side, these lights are small and bright and are good "be seen" lights. They are easy to mount and are light weight.

On the negative side - first, they are really a pain to recharge. The battery idea is cute but the reality is its annoying - I charge 2 rechargeable AA batteries in my battery charger, then hook one of those up to the flea charger and charge one light, then switch batteries and do it again for the other light, then recharge the batteries again, and repeat the whole process about once a week. And since we have two bikes and two sets of lights, double the process... ugh. The headlight worked well at first but as the days grew shorter in the fall and we were starting out in darker and darker conditions, in the end, it was just not bright enough to ride with before sun up. It is really just strong enough to use as a daylight running light and little else.

Finally, after just six months of use, one of the tail lights quit working. Very disappointing. Time to find a replacement and it wont be from Blackburn.

Blackburn Flea Combo

On: 2009-11-22

Very pleased so far with this bike light combo. Havent used it enough yet to require recharging so unsure of battery life. Works great as to what I intended it for -- a front and rear light to get me home if caught after dark or if out at a time when some light might be required (ie early or late in the day or a cloudy/foggy day). Velcro mounting straps work well. If I choose, the combo takes up very little space in the seat bag on my Burley recumbent.

Best lights

On: 2009-11-20

This is my second set. I love these lights. Surprisingly bright, light (b/c Im a weight weenie), and easy - to charge, mount, etc. I really appreciate that they are rechargable (b/c Im a green weight weenie)

Great Commuter Light

On: 2009-11-13

This is tiny, very bright light best suited for commuting on partially lit roads. The headlight throws a very good amount of light, especially for its size and price. The mounting system is fast, obvious and secure. The charging system is extremely clever and very tiny. Its also the biggest opportunity for problems.

When attached to a battery to charge, the light flashes intermittently and then stops when fully charged. If you hook up a dead battery, or the battery dies while charging, you might think you charged the light and find yourself riding home in the dark as I did. Because its got a sealed lithium ion battery, if you forget to charge you cant just pull into a convenience store for emergency batteries. On the plus side, recharging with a fully charged NiMH rechargeable battery works fine.

For an inexpensive light, the headlight throws an acceptable amount of light to commute. Moving fast on a very dark road, you would only have enough down road visibility to see what youre about to hit but probably not avoid it. Mountain biking with this light would be silly. The flash mode is bright enough to get the attention of drivers at least 100 yards ahead of you.

Overall, this is a great deal.

Bicycle lights

On: 2009-11-05

Small and rechargeable. Good fit and good product. Mailed in perfect working order. Thinking about buying another set.

blackburn flea review

On: 2009-10-30

After receiving the light combo pack, I read the instructions and then mounted both on my road bike. The next day I went riding at night for two hours. The rear flasher was very easy to mount and worked flawlessly. However, the front headlight worked for one minute and then shut off. I tried three more time with the same results. That night I recharged the front headlight. The day I did a night ride and the same problem reoccured.
So, my advise is to only buy the rear flasher !!!!

Small, bright and affordable

On: 2009-10-23

Great little light set for those early morning rides. Bright enough to do the job but not so big as to take away from your sleek new road bike. Price for the pair was the same as just the rear Flea in the store.

Great lights but be careful

On: 2009-09-29

These are the Blackburn lights, but they dont include the USB or Solar chargers listed on the Blackburn website. So the only way to charge these lights is by using the battery charging option. In fairness to the seller, they dont mention them; so it really is a case of buyer beware! Other than that, the lights are decent, fit nicely in a seat pack in case you need them at dusk to be sure youre seen by drivers.

Blackburn Flea Combo

On: 2009-09-11

Size is definitely the main reason for getting this product. If youre a roadie who rides mostly at night like me, theres no better product.

Only qualms are: charging style and mounting. For the former, I guess itll take some time to develop a wall outlet style of charger for something so small. Regarding the mounting: I still prefer good old rubber-based clamping devices: the metal on the rear clip of the rear light can cause scratches on the seatpost.

Other then the aforementioned problems, its an ok product overall.

good, but has problems

On: 2009-09-06

Used Flea Headlight/Taillight combinations on two tandem bicycles during RAGBRAI (Register Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa) 2009 because we started in the dark most days. They are small, bright, unobtrusive & easy to recharge. The light that they put out is truly amazing. BUT, one of the headlights started to shut off every time we hit a bump after a few hours use and one of the three LEDs on a taillight also failed. I have always liked Blackburn products and I have no fear that these problems will get fixed when I get around to addressing them with the factory.

awesome lights

On: 2009-08-29

small but very, very bright. They attach anywhere and weigh nothing.
I love the rechargeable feature.

Perfect for my needs

On: 2009-08-28

I ride about 20 miles with group of guys in the morning before work. Flea components provides plenty of light. Need to be charged after each use or youre SOL. Other than that, i really like them.

buy these

On: 2009-07-23

Easy to charge and charge lasts a looooooong time, especially on the rear. Super small to the point I just leave them on the bike and only ride for workout not commuting. I must have owned a dozen different lights in the last decade and they are all pathetic compared to these.

Dissapointing battery life

On: 2009-05-15

I already owned the Blackburn Flea Rear red light and loved it, so I purchased this one to replace my heavier front light. I only ride during the day, and use the front and rear lights on flash for visibility to cars. The Amazon site stated that the light lasted "3 hour runtime steady, 6 hours runtime flash" per charge. The light I purchased from Amazon only lasted 2 hours or less per charge when used in flashing mode. Recharged and tried 3-4 times, never got better. Returned the light to Amazon (they were out of stock so I couldnt exchange it for a new one) and they were great, refunded my money. Then went to my local bike shop, bought another one. This one lasts around 3-4 hours on flash - better, but not long enough for my regular rides. Disappointing.

Awesome light

On: 2009-05-07

Its quite amazing how something so small could produce so much light. I purchased both the front and tail light combo and love everything about each light.

The front light is incredibly bright in its normal mode and if you crank it up to overdrive mode it gets even brighter. The flashing mode is very noticeable and Im positive that drivers coming towards you will see the flashing. Theyll probably even be annoyed by it.

The tail light is equally impressive and features a steady mode, a flashing mode, and a chase mode which is essentially the lighting pattern that occurs on a police cars roof lights. The red lights are very visible and my family said they could clearly see the tail light even though I was at the very end of my street. Both the front and tail lights can attach to your bike in a variety of places via the Velcro straps provided.

The charging system for these lights is a little different then traditional systems. Each light comes with a small set of jumper cables that attach to a regular battery as the opposite magnetic leads attach to the light itself. The whole system is small just like the lights themselves but works surprisingly well.

Overall, the Blackburn Flea lights are very small but also very bright and are a great investment for someone looking to ride during the nighttime hours.

First-rate bike light

On: 2009-03-24

The Flea front light is just great: really small, really bright, mounts and unmounts really easily (important in urban environment).

The charging is a little quirky -- essentially mini jumper cables that attach to the light and to an AAA,AA,C, or D cell -- but it works.

Highly recommended. Far better choice than the Blackburn quadrant, which this light replaced.

Based on its performance, I am going to buy the rear light, too.

Great Light

On: 2009-03-01

Best light for its price range. Small, light, easy to mount and brighter than any other light in its price range. I havent any draining issues but then again I keep my night rides minimal.

Bright & Light

On: 2009-02-26

These lights are very bright and weigh very little. They really get motorists attention. The red tail lights have a steady mode and two different types of flashing modes. The white front lights have a bright mode, a brighter mode and a blinking mode. The rear lights come with a clip which attaches to a seat bag. The clips are very tight, so no one should be concerned about the lights falling off going over bumps. The front lights come with a velcro strap which has tacky side to keep it from sliding around on the handlebars. I wish the front lights had the versatility of being mounted elsewhere. Since they do not, I bought a separate light to mount on the drops to face rear in the blinking mode (more lights for motorists to see as they approach from behind). The lights charge great from a D battery. Dont try alkaline. The lights wont get enough juice from them.

Good Light

On: 2009-02-08

Very good light. Innovative charging system, light weight, and easy to put on and take off.

Got Blackburned -- It's a Dud

On: 2009-01-28

The light arrived dead. I pressed the switch for 20 seconds to get it out of sleep mode, as per the instructions, several times to no avail. I recharged it all night, zilch, nada.

This light used diodes which are infinitely less fragile than bulbs, so this speaks of Blackburns QA quality.

True, mistakes happen, whats more telling, though, is what the manufacturer DOES when told he put out a dud and you got it.

I called Blackburn support and instead of support I got a recitation of their policy, that is, pass the buck to Amazon. So I have to send it to Amazon, and if Amazon doesnt do the right thing, get it back from Amazon and send it to Blackburn.

We are not talking about a $1000 DVD player here folks, its a measly $21 dollar bicycle light, for Gods sake.

This is another case of an online business following a shop next door business model: "Just bring it back"

Visionaries at Blackburn cannot envision that maybe, just maybe, a good fraction of people buying a 17 gram bicycle light are weight weenies who own sub-15-pound carbon bicycles that cost between 5 and 10 grand, and who dont care for packing a bad light and standing in line at the post office -- maybe twice -- for a $20 light.

What can this light cost Blackburn to make? Two, three dollars? Why not just say, "So sorry, Sir. Another one is on its way, overnight"

Then I would be writing another kind of review entirely.

Buy something else.

Great light combo

On: 2008-12-01

I love these lights! They were very easy to mount, with no wires to worry about. (The taillight clips on easily to an under-seat bag or could clip somewhere on you if youd rather.) The LEDs are very bright in the headlight and the taillight is plenty visible at night. Ive only had these for a few weeks, but Ive used the taillight in flash mode consistently for my past 3 or 4 rides (avg. 20 miles or so each) and I have not needed to recharge yet. Theyre great!

Includes a charging system

On: 2008-11-02

I havent been using this as much because you have to recharge it each use. Includes a charging system that drains juice from any standard 1.5v battery, AAs, C-cells.

drains juice

On: 2008-11-02

I havent been using this as much because you have to recharge it each use. Includes a charging system that drains juice from any standard 1.5v battery, AAs, C-cells.