Submitted by
Goretex Guy
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, Wa
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2011
Strengths: I'm a daily, year round, commuter in Seattle. This is probably the second best taillight, but only because they've come out with another, brighter light. This light is seriously bright and I've gotten feedback from other cyclists that sounds like this: "WOW, what's that taillight?" When you're commuting in traffic in the dark and rain you need to be seen. No problem when you use this light.
Weaknesses: Now that Dinotte has a light with self-contained batteries, using this one with the cheap snaps and the wiring seems a little old-fashioned.
Bottom Line:
A great light if you want to be seen in traffic in the dark.
Bike Setup: 3 different bikes: city, road, recumbent
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
iceblinkluck
a Cross Country Rider
from Plano, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2008
Strengths: Very durable, very bright, 3 different light intensities, easy to set up
Weaknesses: Rubber fitting that goes around the seatpost not as tight so light moves slightly during bike ride. Will check w/ Dinotte if they have smaller rubber fittings. A little pricey, but you get the best taillight in the market.
Bottom Line:
I had this taillight for about 6 months. The best taillight hands down. Made in the USA; not one of those cheap Chinese crap. You will be noticed at the highest intensity setting by at least 1/2 mile away. Also, one of the best customer service. Any question or problem will be addressed within the day. Talk about great service.
Submitted by
PacNWRider
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodinville, Wa
Date Reviewed: August 24, 2008
Strengths: Bright as heck. When I had to send mine in for minor service (see below), I did NOT feel safe on my commute, and I had other flashers in the back!
Weaknesses: Price is a little high for people on a budget... but how much is your safety worth?
Bottom Line:
(mostly cross posted from Endurance 5 post).
All I can say is “WOW”!
I love my Dinotte light system. I have been using the commuter set (front and rear) flasher for almost 2 years, and I still haven’t found anything better. I commute almost daily, year round, rain or shine, here in the Pacific Northwest, and the Dinotte lights have been my daily lights. In two years, I have had almost NO issues (other than other cyclists stopping me to ask what awesome taillight I’m using ? ). The front light is just fine for normal commuting speeds (15-18mph in total unlit dark trails).
I have had 2 minor issues, but with the amount of year-round, “all weather” use, I found those to be a minimal inconvenience, which is an amazing testament to the value and durability of the system. I had one battery (2 cell lithium ion), fail to accept a charge after about a year of constant use, and Rob (contact through customer service), immediately sent me out a new one under warrantee. I had it in a couple days, and I couldn’t appreciate the fast service more. I also recently had an issue with my rear flasher, where the electrical cable was slightly pulling out of the back of the light. It was still working, but I was worried about the rain, so I put a little epoxy on it and contacted Rob again. He had me send it in and they REPLACED it with the newest version! I expected they would repair it, but you can imagine my surprise when they REPLACED it. I couldn’t be happier with the response and speed to which it was sent out! I appreciated them sending it out as I didn’t feel as safe on my daily commute without it.
What more can I say… I love the product, and don’t see myself buying any other brand lights… maybe in the future I’ll upgrade to the newer, more powerful models, but with the amazing performance and reliability considering my daily use, the second-to-none customer service and them standing behind their top notch warrantee (I haven’t found a warrantee better on any other products, particularly the batteries), Dinotte has secured my long term confidence in their products.
I must also say that based on my “in office” testimonials and demoing the lights, I’ve made several other Dinotte converts around here, which is amazing considering how picky some of my friends are with their gear! Well done!
Keep up the amazing product line and service…
4 value rating due to initial price... but definitely worth it if you can afford it! I'd love to try some of the newer, more powerful models at some point.
Similar Products Used: Cateye, and countless others until I started using this one.
Bike Setup: Lemond big sky, expedition tourer, and recumbent trike.
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Submitted by
wiggy
a Cross Country Rider
from salt lake city, ut, usa
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2008
Strengths: a)bright
b)steady beam or flash
c)intuitive mounting system that moves easily from bike to bike
d)AA batteries
e)three brightness settings in solid or flash mode
f)light weight!
g) AMAZING C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E, rob is very quick, precise, and very helpful
Weaknesses: a)ability to put light in to program mode when switching from modes (eg solid to flash / flash to solid)- here is the reset technique just in case http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=391094&highlight=dinotte+reset#6
b)AA battery holder deforms after much abuse - but its very simple to replace (radio shack, rob@dinotte, online, etc...) and not a big issue but one you should be aware of
Bottom Line:
an expensive light compared to the five led lights but THIS LIGHT WILL MAKE SURE YOUR SEEN FROM BEHIND! Its amazing how cars now move over lanes for me at night and during the day. If you do any night time commuting i strongly suggest this light
My previous review has been proven wrong. For some reason my emails were not reaching Dinotte. When we finally got in contact they sent a replacement light for the one that malfunctioned. It took a while but everything ended up fine.
Weaknesses: Malfunctioned in first month. No Longer works correctly.
Bottom Line:
Buyer beware. This would be a great light if it didn't malfunction in the first month. I hoped that the customer service would fix the problem, but after sending an email I was told that a new light would be sent in the mail. Over a month later no light and the Dinoote team is no longer responding to my emails. It's just too bad.
Strengths: VERY bright, compact, O-ring mount, customer support, fast delivery, helpful website.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
I commute in Chicago every day, all year round. It took me awhile to decide to buy this tail light, but I realize now that I should have bought it long ago. The brightness is in a class by itself. There are just too many bad, inattentive drivers. Your tail light needs to command their attention, from a distance.
Most tail lights are visible in darkness. I need a light which is also highly visible at dawn, dusk, and in bad weather.
I don't know why people are concerned about the O-ring. I think the mount is ingenious. I am so sick of plastic bike stuff that bends a couple times, and then breaks. I'm sure DiNotte would send a couple O-rings gratis upon request, but I don't think it will be necessary.
I also use one of their headlights, which I am happy with.
Strengths: Small, light, easy to install, excellent battery life, VERY bright
Weaknesses: Can occasionally rub leg if mounted on seat post -- aftermarket mounting brackets are available to fix this.
Bottom Line:
This is an amazing tail light. As I looked at alternative products I didn't see anything nearly as bright as this light. If you look directly into it you'll probably have a seizure.
Not only is it visible from a long distance, it's so bright that cars will see it even if they can't see you directly, which protects you when you're around a bend in the road, down a hill, etc. I have done several rides before sunrise since purchasing this light a few weeks ago and I have noticed that cars give me a lot more room as they pass -- they see this light long before they get close. I feel much safer with this light and I believe it's well worth the price. I was so impressed with the quality, performance and weight that I bought the 5W headlight a few days later. Dinotte's customer service is outstanding -- Rob is responsive, helpful and courteous.
Similar Products Used: Various cateye, blackburn, etc.
Bike Setup: Road
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Submitted by
Joe Miller
a Racer
from Benicia, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2007
Strengths: People constantly comment on how bright the light is. One neighbor came over at 4:00am because he saw the flashing red lights and though their was police activity. In one sketchy neighborhood, some criminals ran because they thought I was a cop car...
Weaknesses: Expesive - but what can I say, my loved ones who bought the light for me thought I was worth the $150 (think that thru)...
Bottom Line:
I love this light. I am buying another for the backside of my helmet. (Go ahead, hit my bike, just don't hit my head!)...
Bike Setup: Lights used for 24 hours training, night riding training for endurance events...
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Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Cayman Islands
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2007
Strengths: Very bright. I was riding home at dusk one evening and the wife drove up. She said that you had to be blind to miss me at 1/2 mile. Brighter than many cars brake lights. Quick mount / dismount for security - on or off in 10 seconds
Weaknesses: Possibly cost but there is nothing else out there as bright!
Bottom Line:
As the other reviewers have said, expensive but worth it. My life would cost a whole lot more.
Weaknesses: I hate cables, but thats the nature of the night light beast!
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is I use my gas-powered bicycle to commute when I'm too tired or apathetic to pedal myself the 18 miles round trip. I go fast and I ride with crazy automobile drivers. I need to be seen on this ride. This light was worth every penny to a commuter like myself. Anyone who is doing any kind of riding that interacts with cars should use this light. I look brighter than a motorcycle or moped to approaching traffic. The light is so bright it leaves a big cloud of red on the road wherever I ride. If you have other cyclists trailing you, TURN IT OFF! You WILL blind them. Make no mistake this light is to be used at the back of the pack. It's simple to use with one button control. I'm still not sold on the O-ring mounting system, cause I'm rough and break stuff often, but with the O-ring and a couple zip ties I have this thing mounted so securely it will take many beatings.
Similar Products Used: cateye tl-ld600 and 2 cateye tl-ld1000 I also ride with a tiny Vistalite Eclipse strapped on my helmet.
Bike Setup: Dont laugh! A townie 8 with a subaru engine from www.bikeengines.com spare fuel canister in the water cage, a light and motion arc li-ion ultra, super cushy gel saddle and I go faster than any cyclist (34mph) and burn about one gallon of gas for every 180 miles (yes, i weigh 220lbs.!) Beat that with your "eco-minded" prius!
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Submitted by
Tom Borgman
a Weekend Warrior
from Ashford, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2006
Strengths: Crazy bright, with an extremely compact and elegant design. Variable brightness and flash settings. One-button control.
Weaknesses: We'll need to see how durable the O-rings used for mounting are, but I think it's preferable to clunky mounting hardware.
Bottom Line:
I have never seen a taillight as intense as the Dinotte. Frankly, I think you need to take a bit of care to make sure it doesn't shine in the approaching driver's eyes. It's that bright.
Dinotte talks about getting respect with this tail light, and after using it, I see what they mean.
To be sure, it's expensive, but part jewelry and part flamethrower, this tail light is top notch. Highly recommended for anyone riding in traffic.
