Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - New tail light for me: Cherry Bomb

OK, I gotta tell you how much I like the Nite Rider Cherry Bomb. I am slammed for the next few weeks, so I can't do video or photos right now, but you can believe me when I tell you this is a great light.

Just got it today from NB. It was 14.00!

I have a PBSF, and I put both lights on a patio table on flash mode and walked in the dark about 80 feet away to look.

The CB had newer batteries, but there was a visible corona around the CB that was significant in size and brightness over the PBSF. I will test the lights by swapping batteries soon.

I like the flashing pattern, as there isn't a huge drop off in light when the secondary LEDS are flashing.

It also seems to focus the light with a wider pattern, even if it is meant to be positioned in a horizontal position.

Anyway, I just got it, haven't ridden with it, but I think it is bright enough to catch attention in daylight. I will find out and report back.

It is a super light for the price. I am extremely happy so far.

i got one of those a few weeks ago, and they are great. still on the same batteries, and the flash pattern is very easy to see. it has a much better "spread" than any other i am aware of (and my wife has the superflash, so i too can check them both.)

So are two cherry bombs better than one cherry bomb and one PBSF?

The NiteRider website doesn't have a video of the Cherry Bomb. It seems to me that should be something they need to put up so that people can see the flash pattern.

I also checked YouTube and there were no videos of it.

How did you get it for $14? The Nashbar website shows it at $19.99.

http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_174586_-1

As soon as I give in and buy 2 x PBSF and 2 x Bspoke rear lights, they go out of fashion....

As soon as I give in and buy 2 x PBSF and 2 x Bspoke rear lights, they go out of fashion....

Theres always something brighter (http://www.nightlightning.co.nz/adventure_lighting_products.htm#AftaBlasta) just around the corner...

Cherry bomb looks good though.

I have a cherrybomb and was rather underwhelmed with it. Compared to a superflash it is very horizontally biased, by design, and doesn't have alot up verticle which means if it isn't pointing very close to right at you it is very dim. It is possible I got a dud but straight on it is very good.

I have a PBSF myself, but was able to compare the cherry bomb and PBSFs on a club ride. Judging from this the cherry bomb is a big step forward - it seems to be quite a bit brighter and the flashing has more on-time (all this applies only to visibility from straight back). It was way more visible over long distances. In addition, it was quite unpleasant to ride closely behind the CB rider.

EDIT: perhaps these observations are a bit careless; please see post #11.

mrjhmm>>
I guess Nashbar was watching the thread and raised the price! I don't know why it was so low at that time.

evblazer>>
Perception, I guess. It hurt my eyes when I held it at arms length. For me, the CB was considerably more noticeable than the PBSF, side by side, flashing in the dark. During my commute, before dawn, I could see the CB flash lighting up traffic signs behind me. I thought the wide-angle, or horizontal focus was a plus. Very little of my commute is straight line. I think would help having a little more visibility off angle.

Bottom line: It is a pretty good light for those not willing or able to buy a Dinotte. And there are certainly worse things you can put on as a taillight.

Ok...where can I get a cherry bomb ?

I just found this:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=166948

... it seems that the quality and freshness of the batteries makes all the difference between PBSF, NR cherry bomb, or Princeton Tec Swerve. (Who would have thought ? :crash:)
My casual observations on the club ride are herewith withdrawn.

I have two of these (http://www.serfas.com/product_details.asp?ID=598) and they are (to me) better than my PBSF's.

I have two of these (http://www.serfas.com/product_details.asp?ID=598) and they are (to me) better than my PBSF's.


Those Serfas tail lights look good, but they only take CR 2032 batteries.

I had problems with the Cherry Bomb's mount.
First problem: a rattle between the light's clip and the mount. Fixed with a piece of sticky foam tape. Second problem: the light does not stay in a stable position when riding over big bumps. I tried various shimming and screw tightening to no avail.
Third problem: the switch doesn't always work. Multiple presses on the switch are sometimes required.


I was ready to buy the CB when an REI employee pointed out how easy the cover pops off. I tried several and found that he's right.

Ok, that's the cherry bomb off my shopping list....

What's REI ?

have a look at the blackburn 4.0 it has a 1 watt led :D

have a look at the blackburn 4.0 it has a 1 watt led :D

Or fit 2 x superflash, be more visible and get 1 watt of light and some redundancy.....

:D

The flash from the 1/2 watt led on the Superflash seems to stand out a bit more to me. Maybe it has something to do with its placement above the two smaller led's instead of between them like on the Cherry Bomb. The flash from the 1/2 watt led on the Mars appears to me to get a little "lost" between the smaller led's in that video footage.

I found that the large burst from the SF was still catching my attention even when I was concentrating on looking at the Cherry Bomb, but the inverse was not the case for me.

However, both taillights seem to be pretty effective.

Ok, I'm convinced the (Smart) Superflash were a good buy.

However, when I bought them I also bought 2 of the Bspoke rear lights.

The smart Superflash rear lights don't 'superflash' - the Bspoke rear lights do.

I'm surprised the Bspoke rear lights aren't mentioned more, they actually 'superflash' and I think they are better than the portrait superflash - as the landscape design means the Bspoke take up less seat post and is more visible.

I'd recommend the Bspoke over the Superflash every time.

:)

Ok, I'm convinced the (Smart) Superflash were a good buy.

However, when I bought them I also bought 2 of the Bspoke rear lights.

The smart Superflash rear lights don't 'superflash' - the Bspoke rear lights do.

I'm surprised the Bspoke rear lights aren't mentioned more, they actually 'superflash' and I think they are better than the portrait superflash - as the landscape design means the Bspoke take up less seat post and is more visible.

I'd recommend the Bspoke over the Superflash every time.

:)

Very Nice Price here:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Smart-B-Spoke-12-Watt-LED-Rear-Light_16721.htm

The one thing that became clear too me from the thread quoted above is, that the reassuringly long run times of all of these tail lights are pretty misleading.
For really bright tail lights - one better changes batteries often.
Which model of these discussed lights is not really relevant; fresh batteries are. I better get some more hybrid AAA rechargeables (e.g. Eneloops) and strengthen my illumination.

The one thing that became clear too me from the thread quoted above is, that the reassuringly long run times of all of these tail lights are pretty misleading.
For really bright tail lights - one better changes batteries often.
Which model of these discussed lights is not really relevant; fresh batteries are. I better get some more hybrid AAA rechargeables (e.g. Eneloops) and strengthen my illumination.

They might not be as bright on 1.2V cells. :(

Everything is a compromise. My expectation would be that alkalines might certainly be brighter for the first few hours, but that the NimH batteries would be winning out for the majority of the runtime. I am still not planning on changing batteries every day.

I guess it is worth a try? But there are certainly some battery experts on this forum who can give some better educated estimates.

Everything is a compromise. My expectation would be that alkalines might certainly be brighter for the first few hours, but that the NimH batteries would be winning out for the majority of the runtime. I am still not planning on changing batteries every day.

I guess it is worth a try? But there are certainly some battery experts on this forum who can give some better educated estimates.

Alkalines tend to drop slowly through the entire runtime, whereas NiMH are reasonably constant voltage over most of their life, they drop quickly at the start and end.
Depending on the led driver the battery voltage may not matter so much.

I tested two cateye ld600s and the AAA alkalines outlasted the NiMH ... yes I was surprised.

Regardless AAs have around 2.5x the runtime, I'm a little disappointed these new lights all rock AAAs.

Oh, and if anyone has seen a 1W red led being driven at 1W they'll agree all of these blinkies are feeble. 30 hr runtime off 2AAAs? 1/10W

Alkalines tend to drop slowly through the entire runtime, whereas NiMH are reasonably constant voltage over most of their life, they drop quickly at the start and end.
Depending on the led driver the battery voltage may not matter so much.

I tested two cateye ld600s and the AAA alkalines outlasted the NiMH ... yes I was surprised.

Regardless AAs have around 2.5x the runtime, I'm a little disappointed these new lights all rock AAAs.

Oh, and if anyone has seen a 1W red led being driven at 1W they'll agree all of these blinkies are feeble. 30 hr runtime off 2AAAs? 1/10W

are there any tail lights with a 1W led being driven at 1W?

are there any tail lights with a 1W led being driven at 1W?

This might come the closest. Promised 20 hr runtime on three AAAs.
BLT Fantom XR9, but it is $41.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=528386

Oh, and if anyone has seen a 1W red led being driven at 1W they'll agree all of these blinkies are feeble. 30 hr runtime off 2AAAs? 1/10W

Does that mean that 20 hrs from 3 x AAA would equal 9/40 - nearly 1/4 W ?

3AAA = 4.5V 1000mAh = 4.5W for one hr... 0.45W for 10hrs, 0.225W for 20hrs.
Thats with ideal batteries, no driver losses (so maybe really only half that).

This might come the closest. Promised 20 hr runtime on three AAAs.
BLT Fantom XR9, but it is $41.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=528386

I had thought about that one :) thanks, will probably get it at some point as it does seem rudely bright :D

I had thought about that one :) thanks, will probably get it at some point as it does seem rudely bright :D

Read Znomit's post #28 above - don't expect it to be staggeringly bright, if it runs fr 20 hrs on 3 x AAA.....

it may not be amazing but from this picture http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=8684877&postcount=6 it looks pretty decent compared to a smart superflash

it may not be amazing but from this picture http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=8684877&postcount=6 it looks pretty decent compared to a smart superflash

It looks more directional...

If you want insane amounts of red light maybe you should consider a red LED torch ?

I might get both :o!

Read Znomit's post #28 above - don't expect it to be staggeringly bright, if it runs fr 20 hrs on 3 x AAA.....

As always, a comparison is helpful. The Fantom data seem at least vastly better than the ones of the other commercial blinkies (except the dinotte, which is in a rather different price range).

is there a way to mod the lights so that they get driven at 1W but for shorter run times?

is there a way to mod the lights so that they get driven at 1W but for shorter run times?

Well....as it is 3 x AAA, I guess you could direct drive the LED.

Though that would depend on which LED is in the light.

:)

might get the blackburn 4.0 as it is a bit cheaper and mess around with it!

might get the blackburn 4.0 as it is a bit cheaper and mess around with it!

This would be a pretty drastic change to the design. I would expect you would need to provide for some heat sinking in these tiny housings.

it may not be amazing but from this picture http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=8684877&postcount=6 it looks pretty decent compared to a smart superflash

Or you could put 4 of them together http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=191796&highlight=son+of+death+star

Or you could put 4 of them together http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=191796&highlight=son+of+death+star

WOW !!! Still an amazing setup !!!! These were the old BLTs with 3 small LEDs, or not?

Another alternative is the Vetta light which is supposedly brighter than the Superflash, but likely is a hassle because of the separate battery pack (http://www.vetta.com/product_show.asp?ptype=whole&id=60)

On sale again at Nashbar

http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_174586_-1_201365_10000_201366

might get the blackburn 4.0 as it is a bit cheaper and mess around with it!

Got one yesterday.
Its very small, VERY bright and a good beam pattern. :love:

I played around with it on the bench, its unregulated ... crazy bright with 4.2V input.
Occurs to me that maybe a lot of these lights could run off an external 3.7V 18650. :innocent: