Posted by Teresa Ibanez
on 12/02/2010
·
Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've had mine for almost two years of heavy use. The light is very bright, providing a great deal of visibility and some illumination of the road in front, which is enough for the city, and batteries last a very long time. Most pleasingly, the mounting system is very durable and it seems likely that it will withstand several years of regular use. The unit appears to be impervious to rain. As with all of the gear I've purchased from Planet Bike, a superior level of design is evident. A good, basic LED headlight.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Planet Bike Beamer 3 LED Bicycle Light with Quick Cam Bracket Mount
Product Description:
Whether you're a 24-hour racer or a super commuter, the Planet Bike Beamer 3 bicycle light will keep your path well lit. The Beamer 3 is equipped with three white Nichia eXtreme v2.0 LEDs, which not only illuminate your way after the sun has gone down, but also make you visible to passing cars or pedestrians. In addition, the light attaches securely to your bike thanks to the Quick Cam bracket mounts, which adjust or remove in seconds without tools. The Beamer 3--which offers up to 100 hours of runtime on two AA batteries (included)--boasts both flashing and steady modes and carries a limited lifetime warranty.
About Planet Bike In November of 1996, Planet Bike was founded in Madison, Wisconsin. In many ways, Planet Bike began as a social experiment that dedicated itself to doing business in a different way. Instead of being just another company that develops and sells products with profit as its end goal, Planet Bike wanted to help bring about positive change for people, their communities, and the environment.
Despite being a simple machine, the people at Planet Bike have always believed that the bicycle has great potential to help improve the world and the lives of the people in it. From the start, they have embraced an alternative corporate purpose which seeks to help get more people on bicycles by making communities friendlier places for the self-propelled. By donating 25% of company profits to causes that promote and facilitate bicycle usage, Planet Bike hopes to make an impact.
Social experiments aside, Planet Bike was born from the heart of a cyclist with a goal of making innovative, high quality, and practical bicycle accessories. Simply put, they strive to design and develop the best bicycle products in the world. In the company's short ten year history, they have made important product innovations within the bicycle industry. Advancements include the 4-line computer which is now a standard in the industry and the world's first self-contained HID light. Not bad for a company that ten years ago started as a one man operation. Today, while still a small company, Planet Bike continues to evolve and improve their product line with the goal of always striving to build accessories that make it easier for people to ride their bikes. Since 1996, Planet Bike's financial support of the grassroots bicycle movement has totaled $500,000. By 2010, they have made a goal to donate $1 million to organizations that are dedicated to making America a friendlier place for cyclists.
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Posted by Teresa Ibanez
on 11/16/2010
·
Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)When I first heard various rumors about this light's pending appearance on the market, I was *really* worried someone was pulling my leg, because the specs read like a dream come true: a compact, self-contained, quick-release headlight that could throw a beam bright enough to truly see *by*, rivaling some batteries-go-somewhere-else units, using merely a pair of garden-variety AA alkalines (I have a *much* better alternative to those, which I'll get to shortly), and coming in at well under a hundred bucks. My local dealer not only confirmed the 2-watt light's existence, but said he could order one for me if I'd like. (*Would* I!)
I've been using the light a good deal for the better part of two weeks, and it does the business. It's the same size as the 1-watt version, save for its jet-black finish. Like all the Planet Bike lights I've bought, build quality is great, the now-renowned quick-release mounting system remains unchanged, which is a good thing, because (1) it's fantastic as it is, IMO, and (2) it allows quick interchange between two of my bikes, one using Planet Bike's Beamer 5 (itself an excellent urban light). You can purchase the quick-release mounts separately, allowing the moving of one light between several bikes quickly and easily.
Short of extreme, high-speed, off-road night-patrol rides, you're not likely to "over-drive" this headlight, allowing for safer road cycling on streets and roads. I don't have to try and remember the surface irregularities when rolling fairly quickly down a particular side street or path I don't often travel; the light offers a reliable heads-up, reducing the need for sudden evasive maneuvers (and pretty much eliminated the possibility of a snakebite flat, dented rim, or worse).
But perhaps the real surprise is the SuperFlash function: if you think PB's SuperFlash taillight is an amazing performer (and it is), you simply *need* to check this headlight out. When using the SuperFlash function at dusk (it's been recommended by some that you do *not* use this function after dark, where it might be potentially blinding), on more than one occasion I've actually had motorists *pull over* to the side. Never experienced that before. I'm definitely a believer in "safety in candlepower."
Battery life appears to be more or less as advertised. But here's a hot tip: forget loading this up with alkalines. Do your wallet (and, as a nice coincidence, the planet at large) a favor, and buy a Sanyo Eneloop battery-and-charger kit, which comes with four rechargeable AA batteries and battery charger. What makes these rechargeables different from other is that, once charged, Eneloop batteries retain 85% percent of their charge for upwards of a year. In other words, their discharge rate is about as good as typical store-bought alkalines. No more "surprises" when you reach to switch on your light which you haven't used in three weeks. You can trust these batteries the same way you trust alkalines, except that when these run down, you recharge them rather than chuck them. They make a great match with a headlight like this, which understandably uses up a pair of batteries somewhat faster than lower-powered lights.
So, we have a winner here: a true high-powered headlight that's as easy to live with as most any other self-contained bike light, and priced well within the means of many more cyclers than wildly-expensive, multi-piece lighting systems. If you're the sort for whom a high-speed downhill run in the woods is a big part of your "balanced" riding repertoire, you might need one of the pricier HID numbers for your ride (good luck with that!). Otherwise, the Blaze 2Watt is likely all the light you could ask for. (By the way, it obviously makes a killer flashlight when needed.)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Planet Bike Blaze 2Watt LED Headlight
Product Description:
The Blaze 2 Watt LED Headlight is our top of the line headlight. You have the choice of steady High and Low power beams and the SuperFlash mode with a unique flash patttern designed to be highly visible, even in daylight. The QuickCam bracket mounts, adjusts or removes in seconds without tools. Run times for High/low/flashing modes are 5 / 12 / 18 hours on 2 AA batteries (included).
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