I was recently in the market for a new rear bike light and decided to test my luck with two different bike lights (a 120 lumen and a 15 lumen bike light), which both can be bought on AliExpress and Amazon for only a couple of dollars. To my surprise, one of the lights impressed me so much with its build quality and battery life, I would recommend the light to all cyclists. Scroll below to find out about the battery life and product details for both lights.
Small plug: If you want to save 3% on AliExpress and 1-5% on Amazon, and earn $10, follow this link to sign up with Ebates, or click here. You can earn $10 after spending $25 during you first shopping trip. Ebates sends physical checks every month to pay out what you earned on your online shopping. Since 2016, I have earned over $198 from cash back rebates earned with Ebates.
120 Lumens Bike Light:
$9 on AliExpress or $12 on Amazon
The 120 lumens rear bike light was the light that really impressed me. The brightness and battery life really rung true to the listed description and were the key factors in my product approval. In most non-branded bike lights, the stated lumens are way off, but from what I can measure this light is quite close to 120 lumens. With that many lumens you can run the light as a day and nighttime bike light and safely be seen from a good distance away. The light is able to emit 120 lumens because it uses a 15 LED COB (chips on board). The light also comes with a rubber mounting strap that can fit 22mm to 32mm seat posts and a short USB charging cord.
Battery Life:
The battery life is not stated in the product description or anywhere on the product post that I could find, but it should be. I did find another listing and the battery life that was stated was incorrect compared to what I found during my testing (blinking = 11hrs and full power = 3.5 hrs). Misstated or not, the battery life really impressed me! I was blown away with how long the light stayed on in the full power mode and in the blinking mode. This light will provide you with the peace of mind on your long rides or could provide an entire week worth of bike commuting trips. The battery is a 650mah Lithium battery.
Charging: It is stated that it takes two hours to fully charge the battery, however, from my experience it roughly takes an hour to fully charge the battery. There is a small LED that is lit when charging and turns off when fully charged. I would recommend that you do not charge this light unsupervised or through the night. Like all electronic devices you should only keep them plugged in charging until they are fully charged.
Blinking: 6 hours and 42 minutes Full Power (Always on): 4 hours and 34 minutes
Colored Light Options:
Red or White | Red/White | Red/Blue | Red/Blue/Pink | 7 colors Red/White/Blue/Green/Yellow/Pink/Sky blue
I chose the Red/White combo so I could use it as a front light if needed. I would recommend just buying two Red/White lights, so you can use one as a rear light and one as a handlebar light.
Light Modes:
The light has 4 modes or six modes, depending on if you bought a single colored light or the dual combo. Since I purchased the dual combo my light has the 6 modes listed below.
Full power – red | Half power – red | Full power – white
Blinking – red | Strobe – red | Dual color blinking
Recommendation:
I 100% would recommend this light to any one looking for a great light to throw on their seat post for day or nighttime riding, bike commuting, solo or group rides. It should provide enough battery life to see your ride to the end, and provide the assurance of being seen while out on the busy roads.
15 Lumens Bike Light:
$2 on AliExpress or $9 on Amazon
I did buy this 15 lumens rear bike light first and was pretty impressed until the other 120 lumens bike light arrived. The 15 lumens light is a great option for a student riding around a college campus or a quick/short ride down to the coffee shop. Outside of those typical rides, this light will not stand up to the demands of a longer ride. The battery life is not great, but compared to its price, I think it could be the new silicone blinky. The light is constructed with a 5 LEDs board which are spaced evenly down the length of the plastic case.The light also comes with two rubber o-rings that can fit 22mm to 32mm seat posts and a short USB charging cord.
Battery Life:
The battery life is stated in the product description and seems not to be true per my testing. The description states the full power mode is 4 hours and strobe is 8 hours. I’m not even sure how they came up with those results, because I didn’t even get close. I’m sure just based on the feel of it, the battery is substantially smaller than the 120 lumens bike light, which is why it lasts so much shorter.
Charging: It is stated that it takes two hours to fully charge the battery, however, from my experience it roughly takes an hour to fully charge the battery. There is a small LED that is lit when charging and turns off when fully charged. I would recommend that you do not charge this light unsupervised or through the night. Like all electronic devices you should only keep them plugged in charging until they are fully charged.
Blinking: 2 hours and 48 minutes Full Power (Always on): 58 minutes
Colored Light Options:
Light Modes:
The rear light has 4 modes, but you will read in the description that the light has 3 modes. Two of the modes are very similar, with the speed of the blinking lights the only difference between the two. The modes are consistent among the 3 different colors.
Up/Down Light Strobe | Blinking Strobe | Faster Up/Down Light Strobe | Full Power
Recommendation:
Like I mentioned in the short summary for this light, I would recommend this light for college campus riding and short trips to the coffee shop. I do not think it is bright enough for day time riding and for nighttime riding alone. If you do choose to use this light on any roadway at night, I would recommend that you use two on the rear and the front. The white light will not be bright enough to illuminate the road, but is bright enough to warn oncoming traffic.
Video to come.
Disclaimer: As mentioned on my other posts and like most sites, if not all websites, the links above are affiliate links that help to keep this site running. Feel free to follow them if you like or you may search for them yourselves on both marketplaces.
-thebidon
