The Mini Hornit is a fun hooter for kids big and little. Just don't go out with it in heavy rain.

From the makers of the Hornit, the 'loudest horn ever', comes an offering for kids – a cute insect inspired light come noisemaker. Children can choose from 25 sounds at up to 90 decibels (medium and quiet modes are also available, taking the horn down to a mere 70 decibels). Sounds range from a classic bike bell to the snigger inducing fart noise, and include a wide range of animals and vehicles for good measure.

A nifty feature is the remote trigger, which fits into a headphone jack socket and means that little hands can stay on the handlebars and still operate the horn. Our tester would have liked to see a scrolling sound feature on the remote, as she found once she had chosen a sound for the ride she had to stick with it, or else stop properly to change it over.

It's not really loud enough to qualify as a warning device, unlike the grow-up Hornit which puts out an ear-splitting 140 decibels. But that's not really the point. The Mini Hornit is about adding fun to a youngster's bike.

The light rates at 12 lumens and is very much being seen rather than for lighting the way. Our young tester did not find it to have enough light for riding by past dusk but the choice of white or green, flashing or steady beam was enough to attract other road users' attention.

The Mini Hornit attaches to pretty much any junior bike or scooter handlebar by means of two rubberised wings. These wrap round the bar and fix back onto the Mini Hornit. It was a secure fixing and posed no problems for our user to install or adjust herself.

The Hornit claims to be safe for use in water spray or light vertical rain. This is a pity as in the UK we tend to get heavy horizontal rain very frequently and the Mini Hornit would have to be removed and stowed out of the way of the weather. For this reason as well as the lack of lumens, I was unhappy to let my child use this as her only light source.

The Mini Hornit needs two AA batteries to run and lives up to its claimed seven hours light on constant mode.

Available in black, purple, red or blue, the Mini Hornit is a fun and innovative little gadget which could take pride of place in anyone's stocking this Christmas.

Verdict

Fun, useful little device providing light and sound for little riders

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Hornit Mini

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The ultimate light and sound effects accessory for kids (and big kids!). It has a 12 lumen bike light and produces 25 fun sound effects kids love, from bells and horns to vehicles and animals.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?

12 lumen white light

12 lumen green light

25 fun sounds

remote trigger

wings clip on to fit any bike or scooter

IP33 (shower proof)

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
8/10

No need to reference the instructions.

Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
9/10
Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
3/10

An area for development – currently meting the IP33 standard for very light showers only.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

Our tester loved the daft noises.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

Lack of further waterproofing.

Did you enjoy using the light? She loved it.

Would you consider buying the light? I did, for xmas.

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes, it would make a great present.

Anything further to say about the light in conclusion?

Nifty and innovative.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 5'7  Weight: size 16

I usually ride: Trek 7.5 WSD  My best bike is: Turquoise Cruiser

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Novice

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, general fitness riding, Leisure