Portland Design Works Danger Zone Tail Light

On the left is this product, and on the right is the Planet Bike Superflash. The Planet Bike Blinky Super Flash Tail Light has been the gold standard for many years. It had a single half watt LED and two additional less bright LEDs that flash using a flash-pop arrangement that keeps at least one lamp lit almost all the time so that drivers of cars can always see it. Off axis visibility was good, so that it didn't have to be aimed directly at the driver. It was waterproof and you could drop it repeatedly without breakage. I own several of them and have been very happy with them. But they suffer from a few shortcomings. First, they have a short repeat sequence. Drunk and high-on-drugs drivers can get mesmerized by such a sequence and will run right into a light like this like a moth to a flame. So I've been using the superflash on the sides, not the back. Second, they are very bright up close, but from a distance, with lots of other distracting lights, they get lost in the crowd. A half watt isn't very bright when there are many other 12 volt sources of light. So in a big city, they are less effective. Enter the Portland Design Works Danger Zone. It has two half watt LED that punch through the clutter of other lights in a city, and a longer repeat pattern making a drunk driver less likely to hit you with one of them. You can see from the video that it seems much brighter, though if you stop the video right at the end, both lights have a single half watt LED on at the same time and you can see that, at least at that moment, they are both identical. Otherwise, it seems well built, waterproof and off axis visibility is just as good, just like the superflash. Clip and mounting capabilities are almost identical. It's a little bigger than the superflash. However, the brightness comes with some drawbacks. First, the battery life will go down. Second it's more expensive. However, I think for a rear light, it's worth it. For a side light (I use one on each side for drivers exiting driveways and parking lots, and cross traffic), I'd stick with the superflash, due to cost and battery life issues.

As bicylcle tail lights go, this is not the most inexpensive light on the market; however, it is definitely one of the brightest and most reliable that I've seen and used. I own four other tail lights from different manufacturers of varying price and quality. None of them compare to this Portland Design Works Danger Zone Tail Light. Since I ride with my 18 month old in a child seat (WeeRide LTD Kangaroo Child Bike Seat), being visible to cars is extremely important to me even during daylight. The other lights that I've used were not very visible during the day and were all relatively small in size. This tail light is huge and bright enough to be seen even during the day. The aHA! blinking setting is a lot of fun and sure to catch the attention of drivers coming up from behind you. If you prefer not to be annoying, there is also a boring "constant on" setting (snore!). The light mounts every easily with just a screwdriver and can be quickly detached to clip to a backback or simply to prevent it from getting stolen when parking your bike. Overall this is a very high quality, practical, and fun product at a very reasonable price. I highly recommend it.

Good light, bad mount. I've used this light for 6 years, and just picked up a new one for a new bike. I'm pleased to say the light is still excellent. It's bright, and the modes are highly visible. Having two main LEDs means you can have it flash without ever having it turn off completely. I generally use the fast pulse during the day, and the slow pulse at night. Battery life is good. It uses standard AAA's, which I consider more convenient than custom battery with USB recharge, since you can always swap in some fresh ones (I use rechargeables, and they work fine). Battery life is as advertised for me, really don't need to change them frequently at all, despite the brightness. The mount is bad though. It's certainly easy to attach, just stretch the rubber and pull it around to hook it on to the seat post, which might be nice if you are switching between bikes and don't want to buy another mount. The fit is reasonably secure, but I wouldn't be shocked if it slowly shifted position when riding on rough surfaces. The real problem is that seat post is the only place you can mount it, and even then it has a fixed angle, so it might be aimed poorly depending on the geometry of your bike. If you want to mount it on seat stay or be able to adjust the angle you'll need to buy another $8 mount. The old mount didn't have this issue. There's also no other options included for other popular mounting locations, though you can buy a rack mount. Also I'm sure a tool-less mount increases the risk of theft. Sure someone could always pop the light off, but that seems even more tempting if they can steal the whole usable unit, and even with the light off, there's always the risk that someone will pop off the mount just because they're a jerk.

La mejor luz trasera de bicicleta que he comprado jamás. En la bici, que nos vean bien los automóviles y otros vehículos a motor es primordial para nuestra seguridad, y esta luz llama mucho la atención, por lo que el conductor debería estar ciego para no ser vistos. Este piloto es sencillamente ¡Impresionante! Tiene una potencia de destello muy buena y desde que la llevo, los coches y pasan mas retirados al adelantar, eso da mucha seguridad cuando uno va en bicicleta. La llevo siempre cuando salgo por algún camino o carretera que pasen vehículos, incluso de día. Por el precio que tiene no es para pensarselo, ¿cuanto vale tu vida?.

This light is stunningly bright. I wear it clipped to the back of my helmet. It clips on to the helmet adjuster perfectly. The light is blinding - so watch out for complaints from car drivers who get caught behind you and are being blinded. It really is that bright!!

...and best of all it does *not* use a built-in rechargeable battery. You can put rechargeable batteries in it if you like, carry a spare or pull into any convenience store at night and buy a new one. It's really well built, too. Very happy with this.

Recently started biking after 2 yrs break. This is a 2nd light i bought, for my wife. 1st one works well and bought maybe 5 yrs ago. The battery is good and after my 2 yrs break it still light up. Bought a rechargeable one and have to charge after 2 rides. My main rear light to go. Very bright, unique light pattern and long battery. Highly recommended!

It really is a great product. It is very visible, the mounting and the supports look like they will hold. Easy to attach / detach if needed.