Significance of IP64 water resistance?
 

I'm a bit perturbed that my Nite Rider Lumina OLED 950 has nothing more than "IP64" water resistance. If I get stuck in the rain riding, my light is toast. I had this light refurbished once and now the refurb unit has failed again in the same manner after just one moderate rain ride.

I did call Nite Rider about this and he said that the OLED unit might not be the best one for my application. Also, they said if I return the defective one (using their form first) then I will get 30% off on a new one. I will probably go this route and most likely with will get a simpler model with just one power button (Lumina 900 micro). That model retails for $75 so I might get 30% off which isn't bad. The problem I see is that the new one would also have no better than "IP 64" protection.

So I would ask, are there other brands I should look at that have about the same light output (900 lumens approximately) that are going to have better water resistance? Thanks for any links or suggestions.

imo, a brand I'd opt for would be one that has a no questions asked warranty policy & confidently claims it's great for outdoor all weather use. Who offers that is still a good question. Anything that has a port, clamshell assembled unit or even a weep hole for moisture is not going to be reliable in the wet.
I'm always on the look out for a nice bright (400+, usb c) rear tail light that can take a healthy dose of wet weather riding. Most are short on runtime &/or lumens

Check out Cygolite. Well made stuff, made in the USA. One of mine had a battery that wouldn't take a charge. They said they would replace the battery for me. Instead, they replaced the entire light.

IP64 I think should usually be good enough. That's supposed to handle water splashed onto it from any direction. On some devices, the manufacturer's sneakily omit that the usb port... if it has one for charging, might not be covered by their IP64 or any other water ingress claim. And in that case you should ensure that it's dry before trying to charge it.

I've used devices with a lot less protection than IP64 on my sailboat and never had any issues with them other than eventually they fail. But not the first time they see water. I don't depend on liights to see by on my bike as I don't ride at night. But my little Bontrager flares that I use for daytime riding are many years old and still work perfectly. Despite all the rain and wet I've ridden in.

They are IP46. It's that last digit you need to pay attention to for water ingress. 4 is just splashing water from any direction in your IP64. The 6 in the Flare's IP46 is for powerful jets of water being directed at it from any direction. The higher that last number the better. Still there are simply quality issues that some manufacturer's make a better quality product with better control of their quality assurance as it leave the production line. So IP ratings help, but they aren't the end all thing to look for.

My go-to is the Fenix BC30 V2.0. The brightness modes, light distribution, and mounting system work well for me, and build quality seems good. They claim IP67.

The battery arrangements are different from most bike headlights, to the extent that it uses a pair of 18650 Li-Ion batteries that need to be removed from the light (quick and easy) for charging. That suits my preferences just fine, but probably not everyone's preferences, so it's worth knowing about.

I have never had any trouble with Planet Bike Superflash (IPX6 rating) or the Superflash 65 (IP64 rating) lights. The version I use are the ones that use a pair of AAA batteries. I use rechargeable AAA batteries. No USB port to let water in, but you have to use a coin to pry them open to replace batteries. And I make sure the gasket is clean before I close them up after changing batteries.

The plain Superflash has a very tightly focused beam that you need to carefully aim straight back if you want traffic to see it, the Superflash 65 has a very wide beam that does not need careful aiming. I put both on my bikes when touring, on straight roads I use the plain Superflash, but on winding or hilly roads use the Superflash 65. Overcast or rain, I often use both.

For this post I checked their water ingress ratings, I was unaware that they had any rating.

I do not mount my taillights where they get a lot of tire spray, I put them slightly off to one side if I do not have a fender on the bike. Example in the photo below, I did not have a fender on the bike.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cc2988d517.jpg

I don't know the water resistance rating, but I've had the same handful of Cygolight 800's & 850's in the Base2 household since 2014 and only one had the rubber button protector pop off and get lost by clumsy gloved fingers. All are still in service. All have been used in all weather conditions. After nearly a decade, the batteries are getting a bit tired though. Zero problems otherwise.

Another vote for the other posters Cygolight suggestion.

I’m surprised by this. I’ve been an all season commuter and sport cyclist for almost 40 years and haven’t had water problems with lights in decades. I haven’t used a hi-power headlamp in rain for some years, but 300 lumen Knog and a variety of other marker type front lamps have ebdured downpours repeatedly, as have easily a dozen different tail lamps, which I always run.

I think this is a rare issue and may be specific to that model, for whatever reason. It’s definitely weird though, particularly for an established, major brand like Nite Rider. I’ve had several of their products over the decades and never had water issues, but am not familiar with the OLED items. I’m very surprised they admitted it isn’t suitable for rain; why would they make such a thing!

Did you have to pay for the refurbishment?

My Cygolite Streak 450 has been through plenty of hard rain over five years of cycle commuting and another couple years of around-town riding. It's never faltered.

the refurbishment was 30 or $35 I believe.

IMHO, after having one light fail, and then paying for a refurbishment, and then having it fail again - both times under circumstances that didn't constitute real abuse - I don't think that a 30% discount would be enough incentive for me to buy the same brand again.

That might not be completely rational thinking on my part, but more of a vibe - but there are lots of other options out there, and not much "sunk cost" involved.

I agree with @John Valuk. Try a Cygolite product. They have many satisfied customers and not many stories like the problem you've been having.

I haven't actually had a chance to use the OLED but have had a regular NiteRider Lumina 650 for over 10 years and have been in the rain and weather and nary an issue. I actually hadn't used it for a bit and it was still charged and didn't have to charge it for a while after that. My guess is the fancier display is not rated for the weather but I haven't heard of any issues with their other stuff. I will say I do like the Kryptonite lights, the Incite X6 and X8 are fantastic (I have an X8) It is built more like a STVzO light so it has a good beam pattern and the cut off at the top to not blind anyone but is plenty bright. The flash setting are annoying but many lights have those so it is not their fault.

Or as my old grandpa used to say "There's nothing to be learned from the second kick of a mule".

This is particularly funny to me because of something I did just a couple of days ago.

In the process of wrangling a new 4.80-8 "agricultural lug" tire onto a rototiller wheel, I clonked myself on the side of the head when a tire iron slipped.

Twice! Some days I'm a little slower on the uptake than others.