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review
Lights - rear
Knog Blinder MOB Mr Chips rear lightKnog Blinder MOB rear light

Knog Blinder MOB Mr Chips rear light

8
by George Hill
UPDATED Fri, Dec 11, 2015 15:50

First Published Dec 11, 2015

10
£34.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Powerful and small light, ideal for commuting in the dark winter months
Weight: 
39g
Contact: 
todayscyclist.co.uk
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The Knog Blinder MOB Mr Chips Rear Light is versatile and powerful, giving you effective visibility during the changeable winter months. It has a decent battery life thanks to its use of LEDs, which also create a good level of illumination. The only slight issue I have is the way that it charges, which might not be ideal straight after a long, wet ride.

There are hundreds of rear lights out there, from those that film behind you or shoot lasers onto the road, to simple single-mode on/off units. The Knog Blinder leans towards the simpler end of the market, with five modes pumping out enough light to make sure you're seen.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

The most important aspect of any rear light is how visible it makes you. The Knog Blinder is strong in this area, especially when you consider its 42 x 42mm size. It pumps out 44 lumens of light – not the brightest, but a decent amount.

One of its biggest positives is its versatility. Because of its fixture system it can be used on a variety of seat tube widths and shapes. I managed to fit it to regular seatposts, aero posts and mountain bikes really easily without needing to switch straps or brackets.

Like the front light of the same name and design, tested here, battery life is very much dependent on which of its five modes you use – the full 44 lumens on a steady beam, a slightly lower output beam, regular flashing, pulsing and flashing on left/right sequences. The full beam lasts for around four hours, but the lowest flashing mode is claimed to last for around 60. This was the mode I typically chose to use, and that certainly doesn't seem an ambitious estimate.

Another aspect of the mode sequencing I like is that it remembers which one you used last, so you can just turn the light on and ride, without having to cycle through to find the right one.

To help you identify when the battery's running out of power there's a charging light above the on button. It will also automatically switch to a lower power to save energy. Another useful setting is 'storage' mode, which drains the battery to an optimal level for storage if you are not going to use the light for a long time.

> Check out our guide to the best rear lights here

The only aspect of this light that I am a bit suspect of, and the same goes for the front light, is the way it charges – by plugging directly into a USB port. The USB element of the light is uncovered and I would be wary of charging it straight after wet rides. That said, it's not hard to dry it beforehand and the USB itself is totally waterproof, so water will not affect the light.

Overall, this is a really nifty and useful light for this time of year. Because of its good battery life and effective illumination it can essentially be left on your seatpost and just turned on when needed. The charging light is a nice addition too, and the versatility of where it can be fitted is a definite plus. The only thing that concerns me is how it plugs in to be charged, but that's easily remedied by drying the USB beforehand.

Verdict

Powerful and small light, ideal for commuting in the dark winter months

road.cc test report

Make and model: Knog Blinder MOB Mr Chips rear light

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product 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?

It is aimed at urban cyclists who want to be seen, but without having a huge light on their bike. To help with this it is designed to be small, bright and easy to use.

I think that it certainly achieves this, with bright lighting, minimal space used on the bike and a long battery life.

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

LIGHT DIMENSIONS: 42 x 42 x 62mm

WEIGHT: 37g

MATERIALS: UV-Resistant Industrial grade silicone. Polycarbonate Lens, Polycarbonate Optical grade PMMA Lens, Hard-Anodised aluminium fascia.

USB: Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery

REAR OUTPUT: 44 lumens (LED Rating)

BIKE ATTACHMENT : Three removable silicone REAR light straps for posts 22-32mm+ and AERO POST COMPATIBLE

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Well made, looks like it could certainly survive a fall, although with the well-made straps this is unlikely to happen.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Does exactly what it needs to, lights you up and makes you visible on the roads in the dark.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Long battery life, use of LEDs and the ability to put it in storage mode to conserve battery life longevity means that it is likely to last a long time.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

You can get cheaper lights, but in terms of return on investment this offers good bang for your buck.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well, the battery lasted a long time, the light was certainly bright enough, and it was simple to fit.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The use of LEDs because they are both very effective and conserve battery life.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The exposed USB, although this can be easily wiped dry.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

A light that can be put on your seatpost and almost ignored, just needing a charge once every 60 hours or so. It is an ideal commuter light.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 27  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Evo 6  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking

Knog Blinder MOB Mr Chips rear light 2015
Knog Blinder MOB Mr Chips rear light
Knog 2015
Knog
George Hill

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

Add new comment

10 comments

Avatar
BikeBud | 8 years ago
0 likes

Hi Sean

From my perspective when I mentioned the angle, I meant that when mounted on a seatpost the light faces downwards towards the road, rather than facing along a horizontal plane to make it more visible to drivers approaching from behind me.  

I get that you've improved the side visibility - great stuff, but we need the mountings to account for the angle of the seatpost.  

With my Knog blinder I have to fix it so the bottom of the light is on the seatpost clamp, which will presumably strain the rubber fixing more than usual.  As pointed out, on older models this is already a weak point with the light.  

Avatar
Sean Knog | 9 years ago
0 likes

Thanks for the comments. I have attached an image which may help in showing the different beam angles of the lights (apologies if this is not totally clear). And if you need any further specs or details then this press release should help >>  http://www.knog.com.au/media/newsletters/press/Knog-MOB-Press-Release.pdf as well as this fun instructional video >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83nOMINrud0.

Arowland, i'll also pass your feedback on to the designers here at Knog regarding the curved lens. Just an fyi, we do manufacture ligths with side visibility such as the new POP r lights and the Blinder Road R70.

Ride Safe.

Avatar
arowland | 9 years ago
0 likes

That's a rather misleading photo. It looks as if it has a central yellow panel surrounded by red. The picture on http://todayscyclist.co.uk/ looks like a central red LED panel with a reflective surround. With 64 LEDs, I would have liked to see that flat panel curved right round so it gives as much to the side as to the rear and more than 180° visibility. It is a commuter lamp, after all, and side junctions are the most dangerous places in towns.

Avatar
BikeBud | 9 years ago
0 likes

Hi Sean

Good to see your response on here!  I'd heard from a friend that you were improving the strap -- looks like that's done now.

Had a look at the link in your reply, but I can't say it is particularly clear with reference to the beam angles.  Any decent diagrams or pics to explain how?  

Avatar
Sean Knog | 9 years ago
1 like

G'day Guys, Sean here from Knog.

With regards to your comments, we can confirm that the straps for the new Blinder MOB lights have been updated, so that they are tougher, more durable and are also interchangeable. That means that you can swap out the strap on the light to suit different sized seat posts (even aero style posts) - a complete overhall on the Blinder 4 model. Taking in to account the angle of the seatpost the beam angle of these lights range from 35° to 120° depending on your ride to ensure that you are clearly visible to other road users.

You can find out heaps more info on these lights over at http://www.knog.com.au/blindermob, or feel free to drop us an email at peeps [at] knog.com.au and we'll happily discuss further.

Ride Safe.

Avatar
BikeBud | 9 years ago
0 likes

As per other comments, I agree that the technical elements of the Knog lights are "brilliant", but let down by a poor strap and no thought about the angle when fitted to a seatpost - surely basic considerations when designing something like this.  

 

 

 

Avatar
harrybav | 9 years ago
0 likes

Why does it point downwards?

Avatar
lister40 | 9 years ago
1 like

Had the original Knog Blinder and the rubber mounting system tore very quickly rendering it totally useless. The nice guys at Knog replaced it with another and it tore similarly and is now also fantastically bright and stylish but am unable to attach it to my bike. Unless that mounting system is totally reworked I'd go nowhere near it. I had one of those Lezyne fancy rear lights and it jumped out of its bracket never to be seen again. You cannot beat 2 AAA's and a plastic jubilee on a cheapy for me.

Avatar
davel replied to lister40 | 9 years ago
0 likes
lister40 wrote:

Unless that mounting system is totally reworked I'd go nowhere near it.

Totally agree: it was the clip that snapped on mine. Great lights, daft mounts.

Avatar
BennyBikeFace | 9 years ago
0 likes

Side visibility looks poor.

Also these Knog lights (generally) don't allow an angle to be applied to them - i.e. the angle of the seatpost/tube that you attach them to dictates the angle of the light. I'll stick with CatEye.

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