Cygolite Hotshot
 

I saw one of these at the LBS today. Seems to reasonably priced and fairly bright.

Anyone have any experience with this tail light?

I'm running PB Superflash (2 or 3 depending on which bike). How does the Hotshot compare to PB Super Flash?

Thanks.

Yeah, I bought one as soon as they showed up at a distributor. I put up a thread here with some pics and stuff: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...able-taillight

Good points:

1. very powerful, definitely daytime-visible if aimed right
2. amazingly inexpensive
3. rechargable
4. lightweight and compact
5. for those using both streets and MUPs, you can set the steady-burn mode very dim for MUP, then switch to a full-power flashing mode for the street


Bad points:

1. no rear rack mount
2. easy to lose the micro-sized nut from the mounting bracket, it's not captive
3. the beam is highly focused and needs to be aimed quite carefully, something average consumers don't seem to be good at :(
4. habit-forming (I now have two of them)


Anyway, for those already looking at premium 2AAA-powered blinkies, the Hotshot is quite tempting for just a little more money.

I bought one about 3 weeks ago. It is a great light and really bright. I've used a PB super flash for about the past year before getting the Hotshot. Within 1 week of using the Hotshot someone in a car actually rolled down their window at a red light and complimented me on how easy it was to see the taillight from far away. I've never gotten a compliment from a motorist when using the PBSF.

However, about a week ago the Hotshot stopped working altogether. I had it connected to the USB charger after a ride (through my computer) and even after a couple of hours charging it didn't stop blinking (it blinks when charging then goes solid so you know when it reaches full charge). I unplugged it and plugged it back in. This time it went straight to solid. I unplugged it again and pressed the power button and nothing happened. I don't think it's the switch because I can hear it clicking. I'm not sure what happened. I returned it to REI last night and got a new one. I'm hoping the first one was just a fluke because I really like the brightness of the Hotshot and like the USB charging ability too.