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review
Knog Blinder Mob V Kid Grid Rear Light.jpg£37.99
VERDICT:
A well-made, bright and well-designed light
Weight:
42g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The Knog Blinder Mob V Kid Grid Rear Light is a great little unit that emits more than enough light and also has some good design features.
As the name might suggest, the Blinder is great for pumping out light – 44 lumens to be precise, which is more than enough for riding at night. It has five different sequences: two solid settings (one brighter than the other), one flashing, one with a jazzy concentric LED flash that speeds up and then turns solid, and one with concentric LEDs. It might sound banal, but having a bit of variation is good, and I was impressed with the options available.
> Find your nearest dealer here
The light sits well on most seatposts thanks to the three different straps included in the package. I used it on a mountain bike, a track bike and a road bike with no issue (I didn't use it on an aero post, though apparently it'll fit on one of those too). It stays in place well and firmly thanks to decent quality rubber and a thick metal buckle to keep it secure.
Operating the light is through one button behind the top of the unit. Holding it down turns it on or off, and a quick press changes the setting. It is simple to use and I found it easy to access the button even when reaching behind the saddle while on the bike. It's also highly waterproof – there was no issue whatsoever when using it in soaking conditions.
Claimed battery life ranges from 2.5 hours on steady high to 60 hours for eco flash. I left the light on in the steady low setting (5.8hrs claimed run time) at the start of the working day and it ran solidly until about 4pm; I didn't leave it on for 3.5 days, but used it on the eco flash mode throughout the review without needing to charge it, so I can believe the claim.
Charging is done through the built-in USB connector, which sits behind the buckle on the strap. It is simple to plug into the wall or laptop, although given the exposed nature of the USB it's worth wiping it off first. Charging takes 3-4 hours, so just sticking it in the laptop at the start of the day means it is fully charged by lunch.
> Read more road.cc reviews of rear lights here
At 42g (claimed 41g) it is unlikely to weigh you down, and its RRP of £34.99 strikes me as about right for a good quality USB light.
Overall, I was really impressed with this light. It is very well made with strong straps, a decent buckle and well-thought-out sequencing. The light pumped out is impressive and I'd say the battery life is as much as anyone is likely to need.
Verdict
A well-made, bright and well-designed light
road.cc test report
Make and model: Knog Blinder Mob V Kid Grid Rear Light
Size tested: Dimensions: 26x76x62mm, Rear
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?
A commuting light that's easy to use and bright enough to be seen.
Knog says: 'An attention seeking, limelight snatching party animal, perfect for those darkened inner city streets and urban commutes.'
It does everything it needs to in a compact and well designed package.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?
LIGHT OUTPUT : REAR 44 lumens
DIMENSIONS : 26 x 76x 62mm
WEIGHT : 39g
RUN TIMES : Steady high 2.5 hrs, Steady low 5.8 hrs, Strobe 7.2 hrs, Fancy flash 12.3 hrs, Eco flash 62 hrs.
Rate the light for quality of construction:
7/10
Well made, good straps, waterproof and bright.
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
8/10
Well designed and thought out, simple to turn on/off and easy to operate even just by touch.
Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
8/10
Multiple straps make it easy to transfer between bikes with different seatposts. The buckle and thick rubber also keeps everything in place well.
Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
8/10
No issues at all.
Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
8/10
In the low settings it gave 6 hours on solid and 60 hours on flashing, great for everything I needed. Relatively quick charge too.
Rate the light for performance:
8/10
Bright and easy to use.
Rate the light for durability:
8/10
Well made, waterproof and sturdy.
Rate the light for weight:
7/10
Rate the light for value:
5/10
Some are more expensive, others are cheaper, but this sits at about the right place.
Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well, it kept me highly visible, didn't run out of juice at inopportune moments and stayed on the seatpost well.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the light
The sturdiness was a real highlight, everything feels well made.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light
Perhaps that you need to wipe off the USB before charging.
Did you enjoy using the light? Yes
Would you consider buying the light? Yes
Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your score
A well made, bright light that did everything I needed it to. It has a good range of sequences and good battery life.
About the tester
Age: 27
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
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.
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8 comments
Poor value, because Knog's rubber bands don't last long. I've had 2 and won't be buying a third.
My experience of Knog lights is different. My original Knog single LED lights are still working after 10 years use. Knog replaced my Blinder road rear when the strap snapped after 12 months of daily use with no quibbles. The light came with a 24 month guarantee. Was easily able to use the light with a couple of zip ties until I sent it off for replacement. The second one is still going strong 15 months later. The new design has replaceable strap and I will be buying again if my current one fails.
Unless you put a light on your bag/panniers/rack/anything else like I've seen thousands of people do? You could even put this on your helmet with a cable tie if you wanted.
Problem with mounting on a bag/pannier is the angle it's sitting at will change as the material flexes.
Helmet is a poor choice for a primart light, turn your head and the light becomes almost invisible.
Rack etc is OK, but there is the issue ofa solid means to mount it. My point is that almost all lights are designed to fit to a seat post, mounting anywhere else means cable ties, or other homemade bodges.
Seems that almost ALL rear lights are now seatpost mounted, something that is simply put, useless, on a bike with anything on it's luggage rack. The number of bikes I (almost) see with a rear light obstructed by a bag on the rack or a jacket hanging down from the rider over it is scary.
Most of the Busch and Mueller rear lights mount best on the rack. For example https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toplight-Line-Light-Battery-Powered-black/dp/B0... Cateye lights can be mounted there as well as on seatposts.
Looks and sounds like a decent enough light, but what I would like to see is a slight curve in the unit itself.
Right now all the led's are facing in exactly the same direction, which is slightly downwards on most seat posts. When you have a column of led's like this, if you curved the housing they would all point in a sligtly different direction. The bottom ones would point slightly downwards, half way up would be more or less horizontal and the top ones slightly upwards (towards the eyes of lorry drivers).
I imagine this would add a small cost to the unit, but would be worthwile in my opinion if it makes it more effective.
Hopefully someone will be along to tell me that what I'm after already exists...
What a fantastic idea, I do hope that somebody picks up on this and makes one. Ones with leave behind brackets can be aimed, but these strap on long lights don't seem to compensate for the many different seatpost angles.