Whether it’s due to the rapid increase in lighting technology, the number of car vs. cyclist incidents, or the tech industry trying to home in on the bike industry, there have been a lot of lights released recently. And that’s a good thing. More options make it easier to light up and keep yourself seen. Also, increased competition usually leads to better products which seems to certainly be the case with front and rear lights.
After successfully funding their Laserlight headlight, Blaze is back with an impressive new tail light. If the overall brightness doesn’t attract your attention, the way it mounts to your bike just may…
Built with 24 LEDs housed in an aluminum, water proof casing the Burner provides over 180º of illumination with a thin strip visible around the perimeter of the light. Thanks to the IP7 rated casing, Blaze claims the light is water proof, not just water resistant.
In addition to standard solid and flashing modes, there is also an auto mode which uses a built in sensor to determine when to turn the light on and off. The sensor measures the ambient light and will turn the Burner on when it starts to get dark, or you ride through a tunnel, under trees, or any situation with low light. The company is looking for feedback through the Kickstarter on how to program the available flashing modes stating the LEDs have 60 levels of brightness which could make for some interesting patterns.
Battery life is claimed to be about a month under “standard urban usage,” with a claimed weight of 100g.
It may seem odd to get excited about a mounting bracket, but the Burner does seem to have it all sorted out. The mounting bracket itself clamps down around c-shaped piece of rubber on the bar (for the white LED version) or seat post. That rubber bit forms a spherical shape that allows the bracket to rotate and provide the perfect angle for different seat post angles.
Better yet, the actual light attaches to the Mag-Sphere bracket with a strong magnet. This allows for rotation of the light for the indexed horizontal or vertical setting, and makes it a snap to remove the light once you get to your destination and lock up your bike. The bracket is bolted on and stays in place when you’re not using the light.
Additional magnets are used for the charging cable rather than a micro USB port which could let dirt and water into the light.
Burner rear lights start out at $59 during their Kickstarter and are also available paired with a white LED Burner, or their novel Laserlight which projects a laser bicycle outline out in front of the 300 lumen headlight.
