Knog has come a very long way as a company since the early days of the Frog. One of the original purveyors of lights with silicone straps, Knog admits they learned the hard way that non-replaceable straps aren’t the way to go. To address the issue (along with continuing to honor warranties), Knog is rolling out 21 new bike products and every light among them now has a replaceable strap.
That extends down to the all new POP Lights – at an impressive retail price under $20. One of their best product ranges yet, Knog has something for everyone, including roadies with aero seat posts…
Corresponding to the number of LEDs, the POP front lights will be available in the POPi and POPii with one rear model called the POPr. Clad in one of 10 fun new patterns from black to leopard skin, the POP series is meant to be cheap without being boring or lacking in features.
Designed with a replaceable silicone strap that is accessed through the housing after removing the guts of the light, each light is powered by one or two AA batteries. Built with 5 lighting modes in a water resistant package and up to a 150hr run time, POP lights should be an easy choice considering they will sell for just $17.50 for the POPi and POPr and $24.50 for the POPii.
Going hand in hand with their quest for better lights that are more reliable, Knog is introducing a complete new range of “be seen lights” with the Blinder Mob series. Again using completely replaceable silicone straps, the lights have a new USB charger built right into the mount as well. Focusing more on beam patterns rather than lumens, the Mob runs deep with 15 – 120 degree beam angles depending on the situation. Starting with the single LED Eyeballer, the LUMILED provides a 15 degree angle which is said to be ideal for single riders. Jumping up to the Four Eyes and the Face, the 4 Surface Mount (SMT) LEDs front and rear provide 35 degree illumination for an all-around commuting pair. Next, the Kid Grid cranks things up with 16 SMT LEDs front and rear with a 90 degree beam angle for increased coverage front and rear. Finally, Mr. Chips offers a truly unique light with 36 front, 64 rear Chip on Board LEDs with 120 degree lighting. All of the rear lights are available in the square profile, or the classic tall rectangular light body.
In addition to the removable silicone straps in multiple sizes, Knog gets credit for updating their lights to work with aero seatposts. Available on all of the new Knog premium tail lights, the v-shape notch allows the light to stay in place on aero posts while the rounded primary body keeps the round post functionality. All of the Mob front lights are shipped with the Short and Medium straps for 22-27mm and 27-32mm bars, while the rear lights will be shipped with all three straps which includes the 32+mm strap. Along with being replaceable, the new straps are compression molded to reduce the potential for breakage. Knog mentioned that they are continuing to honor the warranty for current lights within the appropriate time frame.
Weighing in around 35-41g, the IP67 water proof lights include a rechargeable lithium Polymer battery which is good for anywhere from 2.4-75 hours. Lights with more LEDs include wild new flash patterns that are sure to get you noticed by passing cars but also include the standard steady and flash modes as well. All of the Blinder Mob lights will sell for $44.95 each.
Over on the Blinder Road side, since these excellent lights already had replaceable straps the big story is increased lumens. Now offered in the Blinder Road 250, 400 and Blinder Arc 220 and 640, the lights offer some serious punch in an easy to use, rechargeable package. The Blinder Road rear gets an update as well with the new red lenses and 70 lumen peak brightness.
To round out the 21 new bike products, Knog was showing the new Milk Man Combo and Party Combo locks. Meant as low security locks, the two locks use resettable combinations and should be enough to keep your bike safe for short periods of time in low-crime areas. Both selling for $25, the Milkman Combo uses a 900mm ratcheting locking braided steel cable and checks in at 132g while the Party Combo uses a silicone overmolded 620mm long, 5mm/12mm thick cable and weighs 300g.
While not technically a cycling product, considering the iPhone is one of the most used cameras on the globe, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the new Knog Expose Smart or Wrap iPhone lights used on the road or trail. Building off their Qudos GoPro light, Knog is bringing that lighting technology to smartphones with an auxiliary video light, and a light built into an iPhone case. The $49.95 Expose Smart is a Bluetooth LE enabled smart light that either attaches directly to the phone with the included clips or can be positioned remotely with the mini tripod. Compatible with Apple iPhones, the light communicates with the phone through BTLE which allows adjustment of the light from the phone as well as using it for a remote flash.
If you’d rather have the light built into the case, the Wrap iPhone light uses a “dumb” light that does not include BTLE connectivity. Instead, the light can be turned on with an external button and the 9 LEDs are 6x brighter than the on board flash. Said to offer as much protection as the average silicone iPhone case, the Wrap includes its own battery that will power the light from 20min – and hour depending on the use. The case’s battery will not be able to charge the phone. Available in iPhone 5 and 6 compatible cases and in black or white silicone overmolded cases for a soft touch, the Wrap will sell for just $35 – cheaper than most plain cell phone cases.
