Ravemen TR350

The Ravemen TR350 is a very good light – well built, bright enough for any type of riding and the battery life is great. However, the 350-lumen output requires a large capacity battery, which makes the light quite bulky and heavy.

My preference for a rear light is that it offers a range of modes suitable for any type of riding and a good battery life to avoid the need for frequent recharging – the TR350 delivers both of these requirements.

Build

As with the TR200 that I recently reviewed, the Ravemen TR350 feels robust and well made. The aluminium case is sturdy, and it has held up to being dropped a few times without any issues. In fact, it feels a lot more robust and durable than many other rear lights I've used.

The light comes with an aero seatpost pad, along with short and long rubber bands that allow it to fit securely on both aero and standard posts. I tried it on my partner's Liv Langma's aero seatpost and my Specialized Roubaix's non-aero post, and it mounted securely on both. However, the long rubber band wasn't suitable for a very deep aero seatpost seen on some time-trial bikes.

The packaging says it comes with a round seatpost pad too, but it wasn't included in my package. It was also missing from the TR500 Steve reviewed so perhaps Ravemen needs to update its manual.

The light is pretty bulky and comes quite weighty at 100g. It's not a big deal, but if you have a lightweight race bike you may prefer something a bit smaller or subtle.

Modes

The light has six modes – three constant, three flashing.

The constant high mode has 50 lumens, medium 20 lumens, low 10 lumens. The warning flash has the highest 350-lumen pulse during the flashing sequence, rapid flash has 100 lumens and slow flash has 100 lumens. Battery life ranges from 7.5 hours for constant high to 39 hours for slow flash. I mainly used the medium setting and I think I achieved pretty close to the stated run time – but it's hard to monitor when it lasts so long!

The 350-lumen flash is ridiculously bright and pretty much overkill for most riding, with the other flash options more suitable for most of the rides I do. When the battery runs low, the light switches to a five-lumen constant mode to help you get home safely before it runs out.

Beam

The TR350 features three slightly recessed LEDs, providing visibility from a range of angles and giving extra confidence when riding in the dark or busy urban traffic. The light is angled downwards slightly to avoid dazzling other road users.

Its memory means it'll turn on in the last mode you used, which is handy as you'll probably use the same mode most of the time.

Battery

The stated charge time for the 1600mAh battery is 4.5 hours via its USB-C port, which is fairly slow compared to most rear lights, but I feel it's understandable given the battery's size and capacity.

The battery indicator turns yellow when it needs recharging (though the manual doesn't actually say at what the battery life is at that point). It blinks blue while charging and turns a solid blue when fully charged.

There's an auto-off feature that switches the light off if you haven't moved in a few minutes. It worked well if I forgot to switch the light off, but it never turned itself off when waiting at traffic lights. It wakes up to the lightest of touches so you don't need to worry about it not turning back on.

A brake light feature emits a 150 lumens burst for two seconds when braking is detected – which is probably not what your clubmates want on a group ride.

It seems these modes go together so you can't have auto-off enabled but braking mode deactivated. I would have like to be able to do this as I often ride in a group where that super-bright braking mode is less appreciated.

The light has a water resistance rating of IPX4, which means it's splashproof. I tested this during moderate rain and wet roads and there were no issues or signs of water ingress. However, this rating is lower than that of some of its competitors, which are rated IPX6 (can survive jets of water) or even IPX7 (can survive being submerged).

The charging port is covered by the usual rubber bung and located at the bottom of the light so if there is any water ingress then it should drain out naturally.

Value

At £59.99 the TR350 is relatively expensive for the level of output it offers.

Hollis thought the Lezyne Strip Drive 300+ LED Rear Light was an excellent option and at £40 it's a chunk of cash less.

The saddle-mounted Knog Blinder Link – Saddle Light received a very positive review from Stu and is a little cheaper at £56.99.

If you are happy to spend even more, the Exposure Boost-R with ReAKT and Peloton received an excellent review and is now priced at £100.

However, the build quality of the TR350 feels excellent and it should last a long time.

And if you're looking for further illumination, our best rear bike lights buyer's guide will shed some light.  

Overall

The Ravemen TR350 is a very good light with excellent build quality and battery life. It worked well on different seatposts though it does look a bit bulky on a race bike.

Verdict

Excellent quality, super bright and a great battery life – but it is a little bulky