Cateye Wearable X Rear Light

The Cateye Wearable X USB rechargeable rear light packs a decent punch, offers good battery life, and can be mounted in a variety of different ways.

• Pros: Good brightness, impressive battery life, loads of mounting options
• Cons: None really

I am always an advocate for being well lit; regardless of the debate of helmets, high-vis and so on, the truth is that when the nights draw in, cyclists need lights.

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One element that I particularly like about modern lights is that they are increasingly multi-functional. Whether that's the Fabric FL150 which acts as both a front and rear light, or lights like the Cateye Wearable X, which can be mounted almost anywhere. The wearable element seems to be a big growth area for light companies with some of the big players moving into the area. Knog, for instance, has its Bandicoot Headlamp at Kickstarter stage, and several other companies are launching wearable options too.

As the name suggests, the Cateye Wearable X is, indeed, pretty wearable. A strong clip across the back means you can wear it on your rear pocket, on your bag, on the back of your helmet, or just use the included strap and mount it to your seatpost. It's powerful enough to be used by itself, but the mounting options give you plenty of scope to use it as a secondary light if you're looking to be extra visible.

It pumps out 35 lumens, which for a rear light is a decent amount. You can go brighter, but with a super-bright back light you run the risk of being that idiot who blinds everybody behind them when you get the angle wrong. The Cateye isn't particularly blinding, but certainly pumps out enough lumens to make sure you're seen.

This is impressive given that it is such a slimline unit, only about twice the depth of an iPhone. It's this that makes it so wearable, as it doesn't get in the way wherever you clip it on. I wore it mainly on the back of my rucksack for my commute, but also clipped it on the central pocket on my jersey and on my collar. It was a little annoying against my neck, but everywhere else it worked perfectly well.

The light has six modes: High, Low, Flashing, Rapid, Pulse and Vibration. Selecting these is simply a case of pressing the single button until you find the setting you want. The light also has a memory so when you turn it on it automatically reverts to the last mode used.

Turning the light on and off is simply a case of holding down the same button.

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Battery life is entirely dependent on the mode used, from 1 hour on high mode, up to 30 hours on flashing. I used it mainly on pulse mode and found that the 10-hour battery life cited was pretty accurate.

Charging takes 2 hours through a USB cable which plugs into the bottom of the light, with the socket protected by a rubber dust cover. One nice element is that when the light begins to run out of juice it automatically switches to flashing, so you should get home safely. It also has a low battery indicator light to help identify when you need to recharge.

An RRP of £29.99 for a utilitarian and useful light is pretty good. You can get similarly bright lights for less, but they don't all offer the same flexibility of use, what with its small dimensions and wearability. You could argue that the Lezyne Femto Duo is wearable on a helmet and is £5 cheaper, but it doesn't have the same kind of flexibility of mounting options because of its size and shape. Or you could go brighter for the same money – like the NiteRider Sabre 80 Rear Light – but again, it doesn't have quite the same focus on wearability.

Overall, there isn't much to not like about this light – it can be fitted almost anywhere, it's bright enough for most uses, and it's got a decent battery life. It also has enough mode options to suit almost any ride.

Verdict

A simple, slimline design that works really well with its variety of mounting options