Eliteceo

Ok, So I am sure you are farmiliar with the Radbot 1000 tail light. I am looking to buy a good tail light and the radbot 1000 looks to be a winner.

Here is the problem

The website says it has a 3 modes, Constant on, the zzzPOP, and cornea blitz.

On looking at videos on YOUTUBE you will find some lights come with settings that some do not... check it out:

On the FIRST video, i LOVE the first setting he shows...



yet SOME videos show the same light with a DIFFERENT effect... (just pulse NO strobe) like this one


Or EVEN THIS ONE!


Does the radbot not have a consistent performance??

I Really want the first effect in Video number 1 above. The (strobe, strobe, strobe, PULSE, strobe strobe strobe Pulse)...

Please help!!!

ro-monster

It looks to me like the manufacturer changed the flashing modes recently. I have a Radbot 1000 that's about 1.5 years old, and the flashing modes don't match what's now shown on the manufacturer's page for it. Mine has the steady-on mode, the zZz pop mode, and a slow pulsing mode (which must be the zZz mode mentioned in the Bicycling Magazine review on that page). It doesn't have the cornea blitz mode that is shown.

I like this light a lot, but it does have a few irritating quirks. You will need to carry spare batteries; it eats them pretty quickly, and when the batteries get low, the light simply goes out with no warning. It doesn't get dim first, so you don't know when the batteries are about to fail. For this reason, I always run an additional taillight. And you will need to carry a small Phillips screwdriver -- in order to get into the battery compartment, you have to undo a screw.

cyclocommuter

I bought the Radbot 1000 about 2 months ago and I do have the version which is the same as the one on the top-most youtube video... this is also the same as the one on the official Radbot video on PDW's site. 3 Modes... zZz Pop, Cornea Blitz and steady. The version I have does not have the pulsing mode. I use the zZz Pop all the time. My Radbot does dim when the batteries run low.

I use both the Radbot 1000 and the PB SF Turbo on my commuter. I have had instances when either the Radbot or the PBSF Turbo turned off during a ride probably due to road vibrations.

unterhausen

the first video is obviously made with a camera that adds its own artifacts. I am pretty sure that all three videos show the same modes.

Scrockern8r

My bot1000 behaves the same way as ro-monster describes. (also the same as the second video) Mine is also about 1.5 years old. They must have changed the flash modes.
I run in blink mode most of the time, using rechargeable Energizers. I get at least 7 hours runtime.
Very happy with the performance output.

vol

Looks like the manufacturer's video also changed. I remember watching it before (couple months ago fairly recently, as well as much longer ago) and it was not like the current one. The light was like the 2nd and 3rd videos above. If any change, they should have provided a note or explanation. I also remember that some people mentioned that this light used to have a different mode than current (by current I mean the 2nd and 3rd videos above), and that it was discontinued after some users raised concerns. I wonder if this "new" mode is a return to that previous one??

Edit: Take a look at this old thread. I suspect the "new" pattern (video 1 here) is or is related to the "old" pattern mentioned in that old thread.

Eliteceo

Yes...

I have been looking for something like this thread...

So They DID take away the BEST MODE they had... the (_ _ _ ______ _ _ _ _______) Makes sense... Almost like Burger King stopped serving whoppers...Shake my head... Odds are somebody screwed up the programming and it is not cost effective to change it back.

Well, they lost 3 radbot orders here

vol

Eliteceo, I thought since their website video changed recently, maybe they are back to that fancy mode?

Eliteceo

I contacted them and havent heard anything back...

YES , if their current video on their website seen here:
https://www.ridepdw.com/goods/lights/radbot™-1000

If that is the light pattern count me in...

Anyone here buy one recently?

vol

Have you got a reply? I also contacted them and no reply. Is the contact a fake?

Giro

In August 2011 I emailed Portland Design Works the following:Dan Powell at Portland Design works promptly replied:The problem, obviously, is if you are buying them from an online vendor, the vendor and the workers in the shipping department may or may not know exactly which version(s) they have in stock or ship to you. I think there may be a sticker or something designating which version is in the box, but unfortunately it may not be obvious and with several people involved in an online transaction, what you request many not be exactly what you get.

vol

Giro, thanks for sharing the info.

"there may be a sticker or something designating which version is in the box, but unfortunately it may not be obvious"
This from the rep's mouth, I have to think that it was deliberately "not be obvious", otherwise if they knew it's not obvious, why didn't they make it obvious? Understandably, they would not enjoy the scenario in which the one without this mode can't sell.

Seems if we want to be sure, we'll have to wait a considerable time until the old batches are sold out. The one I bought last October was without the zZz pop.

I still have not heard from them, by the way.

Eliteceo

I have yet to hear back from them BUT I did contact them to order one directly from them. they said the same as Giro mentioned above. the new one I ordered shall have the "flash flash flash Ramp"

thanks for the input!!!

chandltp

Yea, I made a similar mistake recently. I had a 5 mode that I really liked and ordered 2 new ones, totally missing the fact that it was a 3 mode. I now run them on constant instead of any kind of pattern. Chews up the batteries in about 2 weeks for my short commute.

Giro

The indenting in my email quote was not as wide as it should have been to clearly distinguish the quoted email from my thoughts. Actually PDW's first email reply did not state how to tell the packages apart. I then emailed them back and they replied but I failed to quote their reply in my posting above. Per the second email from PDW in August 2011:

The packaging will show the three modes, zZz POP, cornea blitz, rock steady. Previously, the packaging would have listed the old flash patterns or had a sticker that listed the change. We only have the new Bots in stock here at our HQ.

It is uncertain how successful a request would be to an online vendor's shipping department to check the package labeling states "zZz POP, cornea blitz, rock steady". I would hope a good vendor should be able to do this. If buying from your LBS, at least you know what words to look for on the packaging.

unterhausen

you can use quote tags even when you aren't quoting something from on the board.

vol

The problem with the name "zZz pop" is that is was called this same name in the old version, too (the one with just slow throbbing without the 3 flashes)---unless I miss-remembered? (if so, then what was that called?) but I'm pretty sure I remembered it right. So there have only been 3 names ever used, not 4:
zZz pop
cornea blitz
rock steady
Where zZz pop refers to both the previous slow throbbing and the new one with 3 flashes. I think so?

CaptainCool

"zzz pop" flashes, "zzz" does not flash.

vol

Yeah, but have you seen/bought radbot 1000 that says on the package it has "zzz, cornea blitz, rock steady" (i.e. without the word "POP")? I distinctly remember I saw "zZz POP" on the package and description, but all my radbots are without that fancy mode. I have never seen this light being described d to have simply a "zzz" mode (without "pop").

Maybe they have never changed the packaging, so when this particular mode disappeared, the box still showed the same as before, and now when this mode is back, the box correctly says it has this mode.

Boy, just for all these discussions caused by the confusion, the manufacturer should really do something about it!

Eliteceo

UDPATE

Ok, so I received a brand new radbot 1k from PDW directly.

I am satisfied.

You may not place your radbot orders without question lol

vol

Congrats! Now can you tell us if there is any sticker on the package that indicates this is the new version, and what it's like? (a picture will be even better!)

CaptainCool

I bought mine around two years ago, and I remember the modes described on the website (and possibly the box) as "zzz," "zzz pop," and steady.

vol

Oh, yes, your are probably right. I think it's the name "cornea blitz" that was not there before. This is really confusing. Now I'm even more confused which name designates which mode. The only clear one is the "steady". It should be clear that "zzz pop" is the one in the first video in the first post in this thread (the one we prefer to have, and has come back in the new batches). So two more modes we need to match the names:

The fast flash mode which has been in every version
The slow throbbing, which is now replaced by the "zzz pop", which many of us have if bought last year. It was not in the very initial version because the initial version is (I think) the same as the new batches now, with "zzz pop".

So, which of these two ise "zzz", which is "cornea blitz"?

ro-monster

zZz mode is the slow throbbing mode that no longer exists. Cornea blitz is the fast flashing mode. Not all versions have had the fast flashing mode. Mine doesn't have it.

vol

Thanks! I didn't know not all have fast flashing. So you have both zZz POP and zZz (slow pulsing)? That would be the ideal one for me. I don't like the fast flashing.