Seven super bright LEDs Unique side LEDs for lateral visibility Steady, flash and chase modes approximate runTime 50 hours steady, 150 hours flashTwo mountings: belt clip and seatpost clamp Water resistant UsesTwo AAA batteries, included Mtbr Bike Lights Shootout - over 50 bike lights reviewed, photographed and measured here.
Submitted by
Michaelk
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2010
Strengths: Very bright and big lights make you feel safe. Rubberized seals make these watertight.
Bottom Line:
Compared to some other lights these are big. The front light takes 4AA batteries and has 4 leds. The back light has 5 leds and takes 2AA batteries. The front handlebar mount can be put on without tools. Then you slide the light on to the mount until it is secure. Sometimes it takes a bit of coaxing to get it off. The back lite has a clip and bracket for your frame. I was able to modify it a bit to get it to work on the back of a rack. The back lite simply clips in to the holder. It looks like it could easily clip into your back pocket or onto a backpack as well. Both lights have on or blinking choices by pressing the on button a few times. Blinking is attention grabbing and also may save a bit of battery life over constant on. The plastic is hard and durable and has held up but i don't expect it to last forever. Very bright lights.
Similar Products Used: blackburn mars 2.0, 3.0, 4.0
Bike Setup: generic mountain bike
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Submitted by
pm1066
a Weekend Warrior
from Alexandria
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2010
Strengths: Small, rugged package, bright lights, "coin" access to batteries.
Weaknesses: None noted.
Bottom Line:
OF NOTE: the battery compartment is NOT screwed on any more. It has been redesigned to be a standard pry-open with a coin. Excellent light, agree with previous comments. Did a quick dark room test with this and the ViewPoint Flashpoint High Intensity (no longer available, but exactly the same as the C-Dale Hindsite Ultra Tail Light). While the Flashpoint/Hindsite might be slightly brighter when viewed from straight back, the off angle coverage by the Mars 3.0 was better. Wearing one on my bike and one on my backpack I have decent coverage.
Similar Products Used: ViewPoint Flashpoint High Intensity
Bike Setup: Commuter
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Submitted by
Stevewall
a Weekend Warrior
from Chicago, IL USA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2010
Strengths: Quite bright, uses AAA batteries instead of expensive button batteries, substantial build, can be dropped, has belt clip.
Weaknesses: I actually found mine along a bike path, so I guess it came loose and fell off. It looks new, so can withstand bouncing on concrete. Time consuming to change batteries and need to carry a small Phyllips screwdriver in seat bag or have on your pocket Leatherman.
Bottom Line:
Yes the screws are a pain, but I would rather have a water tight unit. I would purchase it.
Similar Products Used: ancient old two LED unit that was not very bright, this unit is very bright.
Bike Setup: Full Campy Holdsworth, taken of a racing Bianci from 1974.
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Submitted by
a daily commuter
a Cross Country Rider
from Yacolt, Washington, United States
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2009
Strengths: Perfectly reliable in all kinds of weather. I lost one of the screws for the battery compartment, but it's still sealed from the elements. The light attaches to the bracket with a clip kind of like a pen clip, which could be used to attach to clothing, though I would not recommend that because bright lights needed to be aimed properly.The amber side lights are a nice touch, and it's great that they are amber instead of red.
Weaknesses: The three long screws make switching the batteries rather slow. The amber LED's seem rather dim, but they are probably bright enough in the dark.
Bottom Line:
It's a solid, reliable light with some nice features, but the one I bought a year ago is not nearly as bright as the newest bright tail lights--I don't know if the Mars has been updated since I bought it.
Favorite Trail: high-speed highways that narrow to one lane, no shoulder. Not favorite, but what I ride every day.
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At: Don't Remember (will
Similar Products Used: Niterider Cherrybomb: The Mars was my first tail light, and a few months ago I bought the Cherrybomb because it is much brighter. I left the Mars on my seatpost and mounted the Cherrybomb on my rack--having two lights is better than just one.
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher Mendota
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Submitted by
Lola Ashwood
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2009
Strengths: Side lights
Weaknesses: Dated LEDs
Bottom Line:
Sitting, in my car, at a red light at night and saw the side light flashing long before I could make out the bike. Picked one up the next day. Better LEDs would bring this dated light back into play. Drivers look through you not at you!
Weaknesses: Not water resistant. Condensation enters unit. Screws rust, making screw removal difficult. I have had three of these, condensation killed all of them.
Bottom Line:
Good for about 3 - 6 months, depending if you get rained on.
Any unit with metal screws or corners will ultimately leak or the screw heads will rust so battery replacement is not possible.
Similar Products Used: Several models from Cateye, Sigma... all have the same long term condensation problem
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Submitted by
magnum man
a Weekend Warrior
from Pinckneyville, IL, USA
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2008
Strengths: 1) Bright.
2) Mounting is very solid.
3) Construction of Light is very solid.
4) Can be viewed from behind, sides, top and bottom.
Weaknesses: 1) Getting case apart to install battery was trying. But this is minor.
2) A little higher than others, but well worth it.
Bottom Line:
I placed this light side by side to my old Planet Bike 3 LED light. The Blackburn Mars 3.0 was a little brighter, but the 2nd flash pattern was definately an eye catcher.
Its not that the Blackburn Mars 3.0 is that much greater of a light, it is just better in a few minor ways. Such as the extra blinking pattern, the more solid mounting and casing of the light and the way it can be viewed.
Bike Setup: Schwinn Voyaguer and Schwinn Solution.
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Submitted by
Bituman
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2008
Strengths: Cheap, bright, highly visible
Weaknesses: Need a small phillips screwdriver to change batteries, no big deal for most.
Bottom Line:
Very good deal. One of the cheaper versions of this type of light while at the same time one of the most visible. I am not using the provided mount, I clip the light to the back of the seat bag on my MTB. Thus used, it's quick and easy to mount.
Brand new out of the box this did not work. Certainly followed install instructions and I'm pretty capable (10 years of racing, Cat 1 Road, Expert Mountain, Computer Guru) and this thing does nothing.
Purchased mainly due to the favorable reviews here and the fact that I don't want to be killed by the inhumane drivers here.
Submitted by
Footay
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Louis, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: December 16, 2007
Strengths: Very bright - not seizure-inducing, but close. Compact. Clip allows for quick removal of light unit while mounting bracket remains on bike.
Weaknesses: Two of seven LEDs are low-output bulbs mounted on the side of the unit. The concept of side-lighting is OK, but the brightness of these LEDs renders them ineffective. Also, there appears to be a quality-control issue, as one of these side LEDs didn't work on two units I bought. Screws for battery replacement may be an issue if one is ham-fisted and applies too much torque and strips out the threads. Removing the mounting bracket takes a minute or two, not the typical 10 seconds. Mfg's website should contain photos that clearly show the mounting bracket.
Submitted by
S M
a Weekend Warrior
from New York, New York
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2007
Strengths: Bright, variety of settings
Weaknesses: Mount
Bottom Line:
Excellent cheap LED rear light... removing batteries is a bit of a pain as it's 3 long screws... but it's built to remain weatherproof. Flash setting keeps battery longevity, the unit is light enough to use on a frame, messenger bag, or helmet if need be. The clip it's attached to unfortunately doesn't have a good mount (I have mine on a Bell Stowaway bag, with packaging tape and a twist tie) so it can snap off easily. If you can secure it, it's a great light... but it does seem prone to falling off.
Submitted by
Andrew Nash
a Cross Country Rider
from SLC, UT, USA
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2007
Strengths: compact, bright
Weaknesses: clip on light flimsy
Bottom Line:
I had it for more than a year and used it almost daily for commuting. I didn't have to replace the batteries very often and it was brighter than previous lights. I rode in rain and slush and it still worked. I liked the mounting bracket, unfortunately, that's all I have left. It was my favorite light until I went over a bump and the clip broke.
Strengths: Small, well designed, easy to remove if needed, runs forever, lots of blinky lights on all sides
Weaknesses: kind of a pain to change batteries, one of the side LED's and one on the front didn't work (still plenty left on there to keep blinking away)
Bottom Line:
not sure if it really lasted the advertised hours or not, but i ran them all winter and only had to change the batteries once, so that was good enough for me. cheap, bright, weatherproof... rain, snow, slush, salt, it got it all, and still runs like a champ. what else do you need in a taillight?
Act quickly--at [URL="http://www.steepandcheap.com/?id=KztfFWXE"]SAC[/URL] for $11.96 + s&h.
You get the Mars 3.0 taillight and the quadrant headlight. Read More »
