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Planet Bike knows their stuff when it comes to bike lights. The Planet Bike Blaze 2-Watt Front Bike Light is a powerful little package. This light steps up the traditional blinky game with a 2-Watt LED.
Planet Bike Blaze 2-Watt Front Bike Light Features
- Bulb: 2W LED
- Modes: High, Low, Flashing
- Battery Life: High=5 hrs, Low=12 hrs, Flashing=18 hrs
- Batteries: 2 AA (included)
- Mounting: Handlebar Quickcam
- Weight with batteries: 122 g
- Price: $60
Planet Bike Blaze 2-Watt Front Bike Light Review
My biggest complaint with blinkies is they are usually only good for just that, blinking. If you’re ever in a pinch and you need a light to see by most blinkies fall ridiculously short. Not so with the Planet Bike Blaze 2-Watt Front Bike Light. While it isn’t my top choice for a primary light it’s at the top of the list if you can only have one light and you’re on a bit of a budget.
The Blaze 2-Watt features a super bright (my terminology) 2-Watt LED bulb. This bulb is brighter than most all of the blinkies I’ve used on steady mode. For my personal preference it wasn’t quite bright enough for me to deem it as my primary light (I ride with one light on steady mode to see by and one on flashing mode to be seen by) it does feature a nice light throw. It provided a nice light throw on the road (partially due to the optically correct lens on the front of the light) but I did find that I could still out-ride the light. What I do like about the light is it is bright enough to work as a solitary light if needs be (most blinkies fall short in this regard). On high steady mode it is bright enough to see by and be seen by.
In flashing mode you will definitely be seen during the day or at night thanks to the “SuperFlash” pattern. It features a fast flash pattern that has an alternating “super bright” flash that is definitely attention grabbing.
The light does have some side cutouts to help with side visibility. I’m not sure just how much it helps but it’s better than nothing.
The QuickCam handlebar mount is awesome. As I said in my review of the Planet Bike Beamer 5 Headlight: “This is the best mounting system I’ve used for a handlebar light. At first it does take a little adjusting to get it just right, but then it’s literally two seconds to get it off your bars and onto your other bike.”. There is a user error downside of accidentally flipping the cam open, but like I said, it’s due to the user.
So far battery life is good. I’ve been using this light (mostly in flashing mode) and I haven’t had to change the batteries. Like I’ve said for most all lights I wish it was rechargeable. Yeah you can use rechargeable batteries but I’d like to have a way to charge it at work if I needed (and yes I could carry spare batteries). If I used it in steady mode more often I would have had to change the batteries a number of times. Five hours of battery life seems low, especially on a light where you potentially need to change batteries.
The Good
- Bright enough in steady mode that you can see and keep a decent speed
- Superflash flashing mode is awesome…good enough to be eye-catching even in the day
- QuickCam handlebar mount is the best handlebar mount I’ve used
The Bad
- Not rechargeable
- If you ride fast all the time you can outride this light
- Battery life in steady mode isn’t the greatest
Bottom Line:
If you are on somewhat of a budget or you only want one headlight the Blaze 2-Watt would be at the top of my list.
Buy Now: Pick up the Planet Bike Blaze 2-Watt Front Bike Light
;)
