https://www.blackburndesign.com/lights.html#fleafront


I really like the whole rechargeable thing.
But then again I feel like I always lose lights way before the batteries run out anyways. But whatevs -- anyone got these? yay/nay ?

Liked them until the headlight battery started failing. They are good for bombing around town to grab a beer/run errands, but the low battery life ends up being a pain. Plus the little magnetic connectors will get corroded if you ride in northern regions where they salt the roads.

Work as designed, but the 80 hr life on my 3w LED headlamp and 100+ hours on my battery powered tail light puts the ~3hr runtime to shame.

One other small complaint was that the nylon straps started to get worn out really fast with daily removal.


EDIT: The ones I used where the original battery charged ones.

I have the original battery charged ones as well, and the front light sucked. Didn't hold a charge for too long. The rear one was better, but I still think they are too small and have a ****ty battery life for the 40 dollars I payed. Wouldn't recommend them.

hmm good input guys. yeah, the price is about the same still. ~ $50 for the pair.
But that might be too much to pay for the novelty of USB recharging.
How long would you say was actual usable life of the product?
and construction - decent or fragile?

Devils advocate here....
I have a friend who has been swearing by them for months, and trying to get me to buy a set. He does tend to charge his anytime he thinks he may stay out at night. And he uses them for trips... not 2 or 3 hours night rides.

<same as others... he has the ones that are charged off a AA battery>

I've used my usb charged flea for a while and I'm happy with it.

i'm happy with my usb front flea too. haven't ridden longer than the 2-3 hr battery life to crap out on me. the light is pretty bright but the reach isn't too far. blink mode is bound to cause a seizure considering how bright it is so i usually use my knockoff knog frogs for blinking and leave the flea on. charging is cool since it doesn't need a battery like the previous flea.

I don't get what the draw of USB charging is. I'm hurting for available ports as it is. Can someone enlighten me?

my power strip is waaay more crowded than my usb hub. power inverters are ugly and heavy and expensive.

usb is pretty convenient. for a little blinky, you don't need much more power.


that said, i don't like the flea. they're bright but i just don't like them... i don't like how they attach, i don't like that they dim, and i don't like how expensive they are.

i do like that they're small and rechargeable.

not that it's much better, but i much prefer rechargable battery cells and tactical flashlights. you get much better throw, a ton of options, and it's useful off the bike too. plus i just have a surplus of batteries and keep rotating them out so i never have to wait on a charge. i'm sure as hell not going to buy an extra flea just so i can pick up another, but buying an extra battery is not a big deal.
plus, a tactical flashlight makes a good weapon. try defending your bike from a crackhead with a flea.

yeah the appeal of the USB charging is that you wouldn't have to buy batteries. And for me I'm at the computer a lot, so just plugging it in is easy. fDave, get a usb hub!

My area is actually pretty well lit at night, so I would just use the lights to be seen. Most people so far seem to think these things are pretty decent for that use

Also most of the cheapo front/rear light combos are in that same $40 - 50 range , but the upshot of the Fleas is that they're rechargeable.

cc, how do you secure the flashlights? And which ones are you using?

I have two...

what??! what are you doing with them?

I used to work with a guy that had all kinds of goofy USB powered gadgets on his desk -- like a fan, a fridge that held one 12 oz can, little robo dancing girl .. Most of it was junk but the plasma ball was actually kind of cool

https://www.amazon.com/USB-Plasma-Bal...5015172&sr=8-1

or what about these? expensive, but a great idea (for some applications) --

https://www.amazon.com/USBCELL-AA-Rec...5015432&sr=8-1

I have a set on one of my helmets that I use for around town and bar hopping. I like that I can just leave them on there and not have to remove/attach them to the bike every time I lock/unlock. The fronts do have a low battery life;I'd guess I get about 4hrs or so before it dims and I have to recharge it,and it just dims suddenly rather than gradually like regular battey lights. The rears are pretty sweet though. Very bright,can attach just about anywhere,and pretty decent battery life. I've got the originals and bought a pair of the cheapest D cells I could find to juice them up,and after many recharges I still haven't used the first one up.

I e-mailed Blackburn with the suggestion that they drop the front down to 3 LED's. It would still be silly bright,and should have much better charge life.

I just bought one of these (front light) on the strength of the USB plug-in charger.

I'm surprised by the comments detracting from the product. I think it's an ingenious idea. Also, I don't think the light is targeted toward people going out for night rides and extended rides in the dark.
It hit me as a perfect light for commuting to/from work.

Plug it into your computer all day and have a full charge for the ride home. Easy to switch from one bike to another if you need to.

It might not hold a charge for long but probably long enough to make it home within 2 hours. It's not a full-on night riding lamp.
It makes you visible and street legal at night.

As a bike commuter that sits at several computers all day it made total sense. Your average computer user probably isn't running into an issue of filling up their ports.

flea sucks. I have one and you have to charge it before every ride. Also, it's hard to know when the battery you are charging it off of is out of juice, so I ended up trying to charge mine w/ a battery that I had already used a few times. Just get a cateye if you need a cheap light. Cateyes are not that bad and they are cheap. and if you run out of batteries, you can just stop at the convenience story and buy some.