We recently got our hands on a a Knog Blinder 4V, and after playing around with it in the terrible weather of late, it’s safe to say that it’s a good piece of kit.
Most of the lights I’ve had – especially for the rear – have been killed off fairly quickly because of rain and salt from the roads. I had 2 wearable Knog Boomers but which both succumbed to water damage whilst being clipped to my bag, and because of this I’ve never really put much thought into what I get. As long as it turns on I’m happy, but recently after riding with others and after using this, my attitude has completely changed.
It pumps out 44-lumens of focused light, which is more than enough to ensure that you can be seen on the roads. The fact that it can be charged via USB is a massive bonus too, as after a long night you can pop it into your laptop/computer to top it up, and not have to worry about draining the batteries on the next ride. When it’s plugged into a USB port there’s a little indicator light that turns green when the light’s fully charged, and red when it’s not. Although it’s good, a minor niggle I have is that there’s no way to tell whether you’ve got 39 hours of eco mode remaining or 1 hour.
A really nice touch to these is the use of a stainless-steel clasp rather than a complete rubber wraparound. It makes the light a million times easier to place on the bike/remove, and is a lot more reliable than all-rubber ones which have broken on me in the past. It also makes the light seem a lot more sturdy and well built. The engraved clasp is a really nice touch too, although I know this was already a feature of the predecessor.
It fits perfectly around standard seatposts/tubing however anyone using aero post or aero seatposts or with an aero seat-tube will struggle to find somewhere to attach this. Although good, it’s only designed to fit tubes of 22-38mm in diameter, so anyone looking to use this on their Time-Trial bike should probably look for something else.
Pros:
- Sturdily built
- Well designed
- 100% Waterproof
- USB charging
- Light – 39 grams
- Very bright – 44 lumens
- 5 good flash modes
- Up to 30 hours burn time in eco mode
Cons:
- Only fits 22-38mm round tubing
- No battery remaining indicator
(Not many!)
All in all, I think that it’s a good, reliable light from a really good brand. It’s definately a bit of a break away from typical knog products but it’s a good thing. Expect to see these on sale this month at around $45.
