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Looking for a Tail Light that doesn't suck

So I commute year round in Calgary and that means cold and dark. I can't seem to find a tail light that isn't disposable garbage and will actually hold up to a few years of use.

Yes you can basically buy tail lights in bulk off Amazon - but I hate tossing dead junk in the trash. I would rather pay more for a light that lasts.

My perfect light would use replaceable 18650 (or whatever size) lithium ion cells, or at least have USB-C with pass-through charging (so that I can run it off an external battery in a pinch).

For front lights I use Outbound Lighting and they are perfect - long battery life, great performance, pass-through charging, works in the cold. Unfortunately Outbound doesn't make tail lights. I've begged.

So anyone have a tail light that they LOVE?

17 comments
  • Despite people asking about them on forums and Reddit for years, I have yet to see a rear bike light with replaceable 18650 cells.

    This site claims that Cygolite makes a few models with pass-through charging. This is the only place I have ever seen pass-through charging mentioned for a rear light.

    What kind of brightness and run time are you aiming for? 18650 cells and pass-through charging from external batteries sounds a bit extreme for usual road commuters. Even in rainy, foggy Seattle winters I never felt the need for that kind of power in a rear light.

    It's not what you're looking for, but my favorite taillight is an older version of the Knog Blinder Road. Simple, sleek, waterproof, and plenty bright for a rear light. It has an integrated USB-A plug that flips out for charging. Every few weeks I take it off my seatpost and plug in into my laptop at work.

  • I think the quality of Moon lights is very high, my one got lost but I liked it a lot while I had it. Cateye lights are alright. Avoid Lezyne, I've had them crap out on me.

    The ultimate is a dynamo setup, but that's more expensive/complicated.

17 comments