Weaknesses: None so far. Even the battery is pretty light for a lead acid.
Bottom Line:
The instructions suggest you wouldn't use the 6w when you are using the 15w. I find the 6w is good for illuminating the foreground while the 15w picks out the distance. I only travel around 45 minutes on completely unlit track on a 2 hour run, so mostly just have the 6w on. Still plenty of juice in the battery at the end. As the lams are designed to hang below the bars, little risk of damage and no need to remove when fixing punctures. They beat the cateye any day Only four chillies for overall rating as there are better lights watt for watt (e.g. Nightflux) but they are a lot more expensive.
Submitted by
Jamie
a Cross Country Rider
from Penticton
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2002
Strengths: Simple design, Damn Bright, and most importantly "crashable". I run the Dual Spectrums on my bars and the Firefly on my Helmet.
Weaknesses: Vinyl switch covers, lasted a ride or two, came of in a crash and obviously couldn't find them. Having said that, lack of covers have had no adverse effect. As I live in the Sunny Okanagan with very little rain. Occassionally have to replug wiring lead to the lamp itself.
Bottom Line:
Best Bang for Buck on the market. Easy to mount on and quick to take off. Mounting hardware is discreet enough when not in use. Burn time is where it should be in relation to the competition. Good system for any rider especially good for the single track. I use the 10watt, when climbing or slow technical riding, use both the 10 and 15 watt when running at speed. As with any light set, power conservation is Key to your riding enjoyment. Keep up the good work Pete!
Similar Products Used: Vista, My poor brother and his buddy always end up finishing our night rides on my beams.
Bike Setup: Norco Fireball, 2001
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Robert
a Cross Country Rider
from North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2002
Strengths: Easy installation and maintenance. Excellent lumination with 10W bulb. Excellent batter life.
Weaknesses: Zilch.
Bottom Line:
I bought this light at least 6 years ago. There was a period where I didn't touch light/battery for 3 years, and without charging the battery I used the setup for 1-1/2 hours in the trails and it still was shining bright! The 10W bulb is great for the North Shore; even at -5C in the snow, the battery lasts for hours. I recently purchased another 15W light (for high beam), and not only does the combo light bring daylight to the woods, with both lights on the burn time is about an hour and a half. Oh, and my older light has no switch cover, and I've never had a problem. Rain, mud, crashes - it just keeps on working. Great recommendation from Cove Bikes - they rock!
Bike Setup: Cove Stiffee, Hayes mechanical, Marzochi Z5
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Robert
a Weekend Warrior
from Augusta, GA USA
Date Reviewed: November 29, 2001
Strengths: Easy mounting, quick release is great, switches work well.
Weaknesses: Light pattern is way to weak. Even with 15 watts it is not as bright as Vista Light night stick.
Bottom Line:
This light is weak. I checked the light pattern on another page and bought it because of the great light pattern.
Well the light pattern I got is way weaker than what I saw. It does give a large light pattern but not bright enough to ride without a helmet light. The exposure time of the photo made it brighter than it really is.
The 10 watt has a big black dot right in the middle of the light pattern. 5 watt is so weak it adds nothing to the light pattern.
Riding usuing just this light I have to slow down to much.
IF you use this light make sure you get a helmet light like the Vista Light Night Stick which has a great spot beam (Vista has a smaller beam pattern but way brighter)
For the bucks it is a nicely made system. Having ridden in Ontario Canada before I am familar with Canadian products.
Bike Setup: Giant Rainer SE, upgraded rims, tires, and rear derailer
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Acton Vale, Qc, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2001
Strengths: Low price Great company support Blt are now starting to show up at 24hr races (2001 season), just a few, but heh, that's a start!
Weaknesses: I have both the Blazer and the twin Explorer models. If you race 24hrs events then you have to flip your lights over your handlebars or cut off some of your plate number.
Bottom Line:
Great lights for a great price. The Blazer battery died on me after the 2001 24 hrs of Summer Solstice (near Toronto), and Blt send a new one to my LBS at no charge to me, even if my one year warranty was up. So soon after I bought the Dual Explorer kit in show of support. Now if Blt would be at all the 24hrs events in Canada. All they have to do is hitch a ride with the Norco truck right?
Similar Products Used: A use a NiteRider Headtrip for a helmet light.
Bike Setup: Fisher SuperCaliber.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, AB, CANADA!!!
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2001
Strengths: Canadian Made Price So bloody bright for 10W
Weaknesses: Battery was dead when I bought it. Customer service was great and had it replaced within a week throught the bike store
Bottom Line:
I bought these lights because they were Canadian made and had great reviews off of this site. I had heard of the problems with the batteries and so was a little bit cautious, but they seemed like the best deal out there and they were such a great price (considering how much you can pay...) When I got mine, the battery was dead, but had it exchanged quickly for a brand new one, no questions asked. The BLT light guy responds to his email really quickly and is very helpful. If you want a good light and don't want to put out 200+ dollars, I suggest taking a look at the BLT firefly. Great little headlamp with some strong power. Straps well to the helmet and the battery is hardly noticeable in a backpack.
Bike Setup: Rocky Elevation 2001, Bomber Z5, 747's, 5W on handlebars and 10W on helmet
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Lee Neville
a Cross Country Rider
from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2001
Strengths: Good light with a smart lighting area. Good battery, charge it and forget it.
Weaknesses: none so far, may have to ovalize the ends so they dont become accidently pulled free on the trail. You should have fault tolerance with any type of light you buy anyways. Tape the connections together if need be.
Bottom Line:
Great lights. Canadian made. I have had no problems with switches as others may have. Routinely ride well below freezing and they perform great. The way they mount is certainly different and looks like it may be a weak spot but trust me, the mounting system works. No hassle once you have them where you want them. Get an old bike tube if they dont fit your bars. The light beam isnt adjustable but the way they have designed the seeep it doesnt have to be. Really good lights I think.
Submitted by
lo_dee
a Cross Country Rider
from Southern Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2001
Strengths: Great light spectrum. Excellent mounts. Strong cabling and switches. Good burn time. Low price.
Weaknesses: Big bottle battery. Slow charging 10-12 hours.
Bottom Line:
These lights have given me an extended riding season. Just because the sun sets earlier in the winter doesn't mean you can't ride fast and with confidence at night! These lights give a bright light that is very broad with no dark spots. I ride mostly using the 6 watt until I hit a hairy section then the 15 watt leaves nothing to chance. I can decend fast, and with the broad beam cornering isn't totally blind (although a head lamp is still better for turning overall). If you want a quality light setup, you can't go wrong with these. I have ridden them in -15 C with windchill and they still perform. Cabling is strong with good connectors and the switches are easily accessible and have worked great despite what others have whined about. Made by a Canadian company that knows our climate. The burn times are accurate on the Norco site. I routinely go for 2hours and don't have to worry about riding home in darkness.
Submitted by
Steven Ferry
a Cross Country Rider
from Reading, England
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2001
Strengths: Manufacture support, bright light, water proof
Weaknesses: I have had one failed battery - but this was replaced on warranty
Bottom Line:
These light were great when I bought them and then the battery life just died. I emailed the guy at BLT (Peter Stace-Smith [peterss@norco.com]) and explaned what had happened. We exchanged a few emails and he decided that I had a battery where one of the cells had died. Six days later a new fully charged battery arrives from Canada. These lights are great and the company really backs up their product. I ride with other people sometimes who have paid almost twice as much for lights that are no better.
Bike Setup: Road bike used for long distance commuting
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Aberdeen, SCOTLAND
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2001
Strengths: BRIGHT 1st Class Customer Service easy to setup and use
Weaknesses: burn time on the Spectrum model really gets affected when the temp gets low!
Bottom Line:
I bought both the Blitz & Spectrum models and the bottom line is THESE LIGHTS ARE AWESOME!!!!!
the lights are light, bright and can also take it a hit when you take a fall.
When you use them on the trails, they really light everything up. The Blitz model needs to be seen in action to believe it, the 15w of BRIGHT white light where ever you point your head is brilliant.
The only problem I've come across is that the burn time on the Spectrum battery really gets hit when the temperature drops. I've got my battery wrapped up in a few pairs of thick wooly socks and have also thrown in a gel hand warmer for good measure, this seems to help.
Customer service is also GOOD, I managed to snap the handle bar mounts when I took a tumble a few weeks back. I e-mailed Peter (BLT guy) and received a prompt reply and also a new set of mounts in the post!
My ideal setup would be two Blitz helmet lights and one handle bar light.
Serioulsy do yourself a favour and invest in the Blitz helmet light you won't regret it.
Submitted by
Kenny
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Alberta
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2000
Strengths: Price BRIGHT metal housings customer service
Weaknesses: seemingly takes forever to re-charge (maybe not unique to BLT - my Vista takes a long time too) rubber switch condoms are coming off
Bottom Line:
I run the BLT Spectrum 15/20 watt combo (use my Vista on my helmet).
I did months of research on lights before my first 24 Hour race in Canmore this summer. I found the BLTs to be, by far, the best value for me. In addition to being a great value, they have performed flawlessly through hours of riding so far and have provided burn times right around what they are said to provide in the literature (even in sub-zero temps the past few weeks on the way to and from work). I can also attest to the benefits of having the lights set up under the bar as I've crashed with no damage at all (although this was a problem at the 24 hour race....number plate blocked out the lights - no problem, flip mounts up instead).
The customer service has also come in handy and I can vouch for the fact that Peter the BLT Guy is first class. I had a really stupid set up question that Pete responded to (email) VERY quickly.
Oh, for what it's worth, the red anodized metal housings look super cool...way cooler than anything else I've seen.
Buy these lights and be done with it!!!! They are a great value for everyone from daily comuter to 24 Hour Race freak (although you'll need a couple of spare batteries if you race solo - you freak of nature!!)
Favorite Trail: The bulk of Canada west of my house
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Similar Products Used: Vistalite 5w
Bike Setup: '99 Rocky Element & '92 Kona Cinder Cone (commuter)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tod Strickland
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2000
Strengths: I have used 3 different BLT lights over the past 10 years and have been very, very happy with them. Latest is a black plastic 15W single that is excellent. Goes on and comes off the handlebars easily, small and portable and blindingly bright.
Weaknesses: Can't think of any weaknesses.
Bottom Line:
For a commuter who likes to go off road every chance that he/she can, this light is excellent.
Similar Products Used: A wide variety of AA battery powered lights. This beats them solidly.
Bike Setup: 1997 KHS Sport with a Terry Liberator Seat, suspension seat post, RST shocks up front and over 15,000 km.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2000
Strengths: Kick a$$ lights and customer service.
Weaknesses: Old switches.
Bottom Line:
This is not a review to blow smoke up anyone's a$$. I just want to say that the lights are excellent and the customer service is even better.
Last week my lights completly went on me during a very ugly night in the UEL. I visited this site to see if anybody had experienced the same problem with the Spectrums as I had and if there was a fix. Someone had posted how they had talked with "the BLT Guy" Peter and how helpful he was so I thought I would drop him an email. Well long story short, Peter said I had a set of lights with the old faulty switches and to send the lights in to him and he would get them fixed up. Peter was good to his word and I received my lights last night by courier. The old style switches were replaced and I got a new power lead and it didn't cost me a penny.
If you are looking for a great set of lights, for a reasonable price, and a company that stands behind their products buy a set of BLT's!
Similar Products Used: Only light set I've ever used.
Bike Setup: Rocky Hammer Race. Using a set of Spectrum (10W, 15W)handle bar mounted lights and a Blitz (15W) helmet light.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Kanta, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2000
Strengths: Price, Connectors
Weaknesses: Switch Covers
Bottom Line:
I have used the Spectrum and Firefly for a year now. I use them for commuting and twice a week on the local trails. I strongly suggest having both handle bar and helmet mounted lights. I have plenty of light for a 1.5-2 hour ride even when the temperature dips to freezing.
The only annoying thing about these lights is the flaky plastic switch cover, which falls off after a couple of rides.
At the price point, the BLT lights are an exceptional value. BLT has thought of the little things. Since the lights mount under the bar, they are safe from the trees, rocks and falls which break off the lights my friends have. All the connectors are the simple RCA type. When the cables get snagged on branches, the connectors simply pull apart with no damage to the connector, light or the battery (they fit tightly enough so that they don't accidentally come apart). Some complain about the plastic mounts, I don't mind them since they make it really simple to take the lights on and off the bike.
I have received excellent service from Peter 'the BLT Guy'. He is cheerfully providing me with a replacement bulb, which, in his opinion failed earlier than it, should have.
I would (and have) recommend these lights to anyone who wants a set of workhorse lights, which don't cost a fortune. If I had to do it over again, I would certainly buy BLT lights, except instead of the Spectrum/Firefly combination, I would get the Blazer and the Blitz. You don't need two lights on the bar and a brighter helmet mount would be good.
I'm back and I'm finishing up the Lights here for review.
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