So I commute year round in Calgary and that means cold and dark. I can’t seem to find a tail light that isn’t disposable garbage and will actually hold up to a few years of use.
Yes you can basically buy tail lights in bulk off Amazon - but I hate tossing dead junk in the trash. I would rather pay more for a light that lasts.
My perfect light would use replaceable 18650 (or whatever size) lithium ion cells, or at least have USB-C with pass-through charging (so that I can run it off an external battery in a pinch).
For front lights I use Outbound Lighting and they are perfect - long battery life, great performance, pass-through charging, works in the cold. Unfortunately Outbound doesn’t make tail lights. I’ve begged.
So anyone have a tail light that they LOVE?
Lupine Rotlicht.
Very bright, excellent quality, repairable, USB charging and also has a brake light function.
Oh man these are a USB-C port away from perfection - I’m ordering one! The replacement parts including batteries is incredible. I mean, they’re expensive as all hell but it should last pretty indefinitely.
*gah! $40USD to ship to Canada…
I’ve had good luck with the rechargeable “Superflash” lights. I assume you’ve already tried those? A back-up kept in my pannier, and one on the bike. (Charge both at work.)
Planet Bike seems to have mostly disappeared from the Canadian market - their new Rojo 100 looks sweet though!
I bought a MEC brand tail light a couple years ago. I commute year-round in Edmonton and that thing has yet to fail me. I’m not sure if it’s pass-through capable, but the battery life is surprisingly good.
They might not have exactly what you’re looking for, but MEC stuff is definitely rugged in my experience.
I don’t think they make them anymore… I’m fairly sure I had the same one you’re talking about (slight oval shape, button on the back), I lost it a few days ago (I didn’t put it on right) and when I went to get another one there weren’t any there, not even on the website. They only had the $60+ which serve the same purpose for 3x the cost. :(
I think the quality of Moon lights is very high, my one got lost but I liked it a lot while I had it. Cateye lights are alright. Avoid Lezyne, I’ve had them crap out on me.
The ultimate is a dynamo setup, but that’s more expensive/complicated.
I really like the Garmin varia too, but it’s better described as a great radar with a pretty good light attached to it. Not sure you’d like it though, it’s battery life isn’t great (because it’s running the radar and communicating via ant+/bluetooth.
I just picked up Lezyne KTV drive lights. It’s a pretty good system with decent battery life and flash mode memory. It also has a built in USB A plug so no cables are required. I don’t think there’s any light that meets all your requirements so I think you’re going to have to prioritize.
Battery life on my Varia is pretty decent, plus it can be run with external power if you’re on a really long ride and you need extra run time.