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Experiences of Hornit DB140 or similar?

by bob_c
Thu, Dec 14, 2023 10:25
6

When commuting in the dark/wet I'm a lot more cautious, partly due to the conditions themselves but also because it is a lot harder to make eye contact with drivers to confirm that they have seen me. I've been thinking about whether a loud horn could possibly be useful on certain roundabouts, or when passing junctions.

Does anyone use one like this i.e. a quick blast just to alert drivers who might be looking "through" you, or not looking?

I've no interest in using it to make pedestrians leap out of the way, or to assert my right of way etc... Just to try and improve safety in a small way when commuting.

Does anyone have a Hornit DB140 or similar, and any comments about real-world use?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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6 comments

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baggiero | 4 months ago
0 likes

I used to commute across London (W4 to E1) and found my hornit very very effective at preempting pedestrian step-offs, moped erratics and potentially car-dooring when filtering. But as others note, in non-urban settings it's probably too loud and brash. It has two settings (one slightly less loud), mind, but neither is car horn-like. 

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bob_c | 4 months ago
1 like

Thanks all - much appreciated! Based on the comments I'll probably pass. It seems like it's much too loud to alert pedestrians (I'd use a bell anyway), and too odd-sounding to reliably alert drivers!

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andystow | 4 months ago
2 likes

I was tempted to buy one from my LBS, but wanted to hear it. Luckily they were okay with unboxing it and installing the battery to test it. It was loud, but sounded so unlike a car horn that I doubted any driver would know what to make of it. It went back on the shelf.

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mtbtomo | 4 months ago
4 likes

I have a hornit also (not sure if it's the 140 - mine takes 2xAA batteries and has a thumb remote button), they are VERY piercing and I think would scare the life out of pedestrians. That said, it's possibly what's needed for drivers to take note. I've not actually used it for any length of time as I found I wasn't used to using it when I really needed to and much preferred to opt for my usual choice use of the King's English 3

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chrisainsworth1967 | 4 months ago
2 likes

I bought the Hornet off Amazon but have since disgarded it. Far too loud for cyclist use - scared the life out of the first person I used it on and would hate to think what a horse would make of it. Might be fine in a busy city but for quiet country lanes it's too loud

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ktache | 4 months ago
3 likes

Airzound II, don't use it much, bracket is only on the good bike, and it takes up a bottle cage space. But you can communicate with drivers in the language of cars.

Sounds like a proper horn. Had a night-sun siren before, but that was a high pitched squeal, so didn't attract the attention.

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