Don't take this the wrong way b/c I'm an ex-skateboarder / urban biker (urban meaning...jumping off stair cases and walls etc...) and when I see so many threads about tail lights...I get a bit confused. I can understand expending so much effort on headlights b/c I want to be able to see the trail when I'm bombing rocky singletrack at 20-30 mph...but the tail light is perplexing me a bit.
First off...I respect your decision to be seen. You are intelligent for doing so. I however, have a little different mentality. My commute is not terribly congested with traffic. I spend at least 1/2 the time on the sidewalk...or jumping off the curb. I'm 33 years old...so you'd think I would have grown up by now.
A few Q's:
1. Is your thirst for the ultimate tail light sort of a geek hobby like mine regarding headlights?
2. How old are you?
3. Have you been struck by a car and are somewhat paranoid?
4. (this one is important to me) When there's a perfectly good sidewalk / paved path paralleling the street...why do you stay on the street in the way of traffic, risking your life and the lives of the idiots who don't see us until it's too late so they slam on the brakes and get rear-ended by a delivery truck?
I just don't see the bother in hitting the sidewalk when I've been told by officers: "Sure...it's the 'law' to ride on the street...but you cause less problems when you ride on the sidewalk, so we'd prefer to have you ride there."
I have a good tail light, but I don't always use it. Maybe your responses will change my priorities.