Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - DX viewpoint flashpoint ripoff

Is DX's flashpoint ripoff (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3639) any good? I need a backup/supplement for my (one) PBSF and i've heard this is the brightest light available from dx; Has anyone compared one of these to a pbsf, and would four of them be as bright or brighter?

Pretty bright. Not as bright as the Planetbike though but almost. Ugly looking and badly built. One of them just fell off on first ride [fixed properly but clamp broke], and another had a few LEDs not working. For the price its OK as a spare.

I have several. It's an almost exact copy of my Cannondale rear blinky. The strobing patterns are different and the mount and clips aren't as good but it's just as bright and the batteries last forever. I have one on the back of my messenger bag for commuting to class that's secured with a zip tie wrapped around the light and through the light strap on the bag. My recommendation is to put some glue between the body of the light and the clip when you slide the clip on to keep the clip from detaching from the light body. Even then don't be suprised if it falls off unless you've made improvements. If you're willing to rig a better mount it's a great light. I have one screwed to a little piece of L channel I attached to the back of my mountain bike's saddle. The stock clip would never survive ever a light trail but with my improved mount it's not going any where and if it get's busted up there's nothing to cry about at that price.

I use one of those mini bungee cords and hook one end to the small hole in the back of the light and one to the frame (get creative).....the down pressure keeps it snug without having to worry about glues, etc., and it's easy to take it on and off when you need to change the batteries.

For quality, no....it's not the best. Beyond the mount I've had issues with the thin, brittle battery contacts. I replaced one with a portion of a spring from a ball point pen and that has worked well ever since.

On the bright side (pun intended), it's very noticeable (esp.for the money)....and despite the various issues has performed great (in winter cold, and even rainy conditions) for two years.

It's a complete piece of rubbish due to the brittle plastic used and horrible mount. I bought some to give to friends who rode to my house and left after dark with no lights, and all which have been used have either broken at the mount or have fallen off while riding.

Geez - the PBSF is like $25. Well worth it. Just get it and don't worry about it. It'd be different if it's comparing a $350 LED light setup to a $50 P7, but $25 is no big deal, even for starving college students, for a one-time, extremely useful purchase.

Geez - the PBSF is like $25. Well worth it. Just get it and don't worry about it. It'd be different if it's comparing a $350 LED light setup to a $50 P7, but $25 is no big deal, even for starving college students, for a one-time, extremely useful purchase.

I already bought a PBSF for like $18 - i'm just trying to see if I can get more out of my next $18 by buying this.

I already bought a PBSF for like $18 - i'm just trying to see if I can get more out of my next $18 by buying this.

No, you can't.

No, you can't.

um, just to make sure, I meant more light; the mount doesnt really matter because I plan to epoxy these to a strip of metal permanently attached to my bag.

um, just to make sure, I meant more light; the mount doesnt really matter because I plan to epoxy these to a strip of metal permanently attached to my bag.

As taillight are rather directional, how do you plan to make this work effectively?

As taillight are rather directional, how do you plan to make this work effectively?

By 'bag' I mean either a pannier or a seat bag, as opposed to a backpack or something.

um, just to make sure, I meant more light; the mount doesnt really matter because I plan to epoxy these to a strip of metal permanently attached to my bag.

I've tried this with some of the DX lights.

It's a nice plan as long as you can still get to the power switch and also the battery compartment........

Which I wouldn't bank on.

:)

Is the battery accessed by popping the front off, similar to the superflash? (its hard to tell from the pictures) Or is it something that wouldn't be accessible if I covered the back of the light, minus the switch area?

Is the battery accessed by popping the front off, similar to the superflash? (its hard to tell from the pictures) Or is it something that wouldn't be accessible if I covered the back of the light, minus the switch area?

The front pops off. There is a slot on the side to stick in a coin to pop it off.

Also keep in mind that there is reverse polarity protection, so if you have a battery in and put in the other the wrong way, which is easy to do as the markings are extremely hard to see, it will overheat the battery in a matter of seconds.

Also, the seal to keep out water is flimsy, is prone to moving around, and doesn't make a seal where the coin slots are on either side of the light.

P.S. I have one of these lights in front of me as I'm typing this.

You know, given that ViewPoint is Performance Bike's store-brand and it looks exactly the same... I'm betting it's made in the same factory as the VP model and not so much a ripoff as another way to buy the same thing.

If so, I'd recommend against it. Features good, build quality bad.