Originally Posted by
JohnJ80
I have a Cygolite 150 and a Bontrager Flare R. The Cygolite is 150 lumens and the Flare is 65 lumens. Of the two, I prefer the Flare and think it is a more visible light. Bontrager put a very nice lens in front of the LEDs and it shows up as a high bright larger dot than does the Cygolite that shows distinctly the 4 LEDs. I can tell very little difference in brightness between the two when looking at them behind but my eye is more drawn to the Flare. I think this illustrates the benefit of lenses vs pure output power.
I also have a See.Sense rear taillight that is supposed to put out 200 lumens. I'd put it third behind both the Cygolite and the Flare. There is virtually no lens over the LEDs and they look like tiny supe rbright pin points of light but less noticeable than either of the other two. In the taillight world, the lumens war is winding down and it's going to be a battle of the optics.
I have not had good luck with the Cygolite brackets. They are kind of fiddly and I've had them break before. I think the Bontrager bracket is inherently better and more robust.
I also do not like the two button interface on the Cygolilte. I wind up dimming it or changing the mode instead of turning it on or off. So it's more fiddly and I don't like that. The Flare has a simple one button interface and it's a lot easier to use.
John, as far as I know the Cygolite Hotshot 150 only has the one LED so I don't know why you say it has four. I agree though that if you don't use the Hotshot 150 on a regular basis it is easy to forget how the buttons work. You just have to remember that the button on the left is what is used most of the time. Quick press ( QP ) the left button and it turns the light on. QP again and it will change modes. Press and hold and it will turn the lamp off after it does a quick short flash. Button on the right is basically just used to modify the different modes or to put another way, it will vary the duration of the different flash types. Only on steady mode does the right button vary the intensity of the light.
Looks like Bontrager also has another version of the Flare-R called the Flare RT. The RT is suppose to be able to work with some kind of wireless remote but the product description doesn't say where the remote is sold at ( FWICT). About the optic on the Flares; I can't help but notice though that both of the 2018 versions are using a dimpled optic so I'm not sure if this is something new or like the originals. Anyway I take your word that the Flare is bright.
As you know I like to test new things from time to time. Been a while since I've tested a brand name rear light. I was thinking about testing one of the newer Serfas lights and some of them look to be very interesting. I might trek on down to the local Trek bike store and see if they will let me demo one of the flares. Sadly I can't do that with the Serfas lights. Only way for me to get one of those is on the web. Anyway Serfas is selling an improved model of the original
Shield light that they now call the Spectra 150. Brighter than the original ( which was damn bright btw ) the Spectra has a better mode selection, an auto-safety mode to extend run time and some mini-LED's ( COB leds ? ) inside the lamp to increase visibility from the sides. At $60 they are reasonably priced. Wish I could pick one up at a local store. I like having the option of easily returning the item if it is not up to my expectations. Too bad none of these are sold at REI.