My only Cygolite Hotshot is the older SL 50. It's been a mixed bag but I'd buy another newer, stronger Hotshot based on two years with this one.

For most of the first year the SL 50 worked as advertised. After about a year it would no longer hold a charge for as long as when new. Now at just shy of two years of use it needs to be recharged after every ride, or even after just sitting unused for a few days. It won't hold a charge for long.

I do wish there was more adjustability in brightness on the flashing modes. The SL 50 can be dimmed only in steady mode.

And a little better side visibility would be nice. The Hotshot's primary strength is a penetratingly intense light in a very narrow aperture. This effectively alerts tailgating drivers to move aside. Moving only a little to the side greatly reduces the laser beam brightness -- I've noticed this in group rides following other cyclists who use the Hotshots on the most annoying strobing modes. Just moving to the side reduces the intensity. But that's not necessarily a good thing in all circumstances. Hotshots are not particularly visible from the side, such as crossing an intersection perpendicular to oncoming traffic. (Nothing beats wheel mounted LEDs for side visibility.)

That's the closest I can come to a few complaints. All things considered it's been a good taillight.

On the plus side, it's very lightweight. I'm guessing that comes at the expense of using a smaller battery that's likely to fail sooner.

That light weight means it will always go with me even on the road bike when I'm shooting for personal best times. It doesn't weigh enough to matter.

Between the light weight and sturdy clip it has never fallen off, including the web strap on my Serfas saddle bags and homebrewed straps on the backs of my helmets. I've picked up many a stray taillight that's popped off another cyclist's bike in group rides, but the Hotshots seem to stay put. The taillights that pop off tend to be either the heavier models that use AAA or AA batteries, or wire clips. The replaceable battery models seem to generate enough momentum to require a much sturdier connection between light and mount. And those older style wire clips were useless.

The next best taillight I've used is the Blackburn 2'Fer. It's not quite as penetratingly bright as the Hotshots, but has better side visibility, is very lightweight with a sturdy clip, offers steady and flashing white and red modes all in a single unit, and the battery seems good as new after almost three years of use on nearly every ride.