New Red Zone 8 light

[nigel1963]

Backorder customers have recieved an email about first shipments. There are some photographs of the new light attached.

Can anyone make comparisons with the previous version; the new one is quite different?

[VRE]

Let's hope it works better than the Red Zone 4. I bought one of those, and a few months later it started switching modes erratically, and then refused to turn off. Not impressed.

[il padrone]

Discussion here

From Niteflux

Good things come to those who wait:
Attached are photos of the new Niteflux red zone product. It is improved on the original in many ways:

even easier to see from all angles
much easier switch action
longer runtime
easier to attach to seat posts
repairable/battery replaceable

Also, in response to requests from USA, it is also going to be available in DOUBLE power. That is 8W peak power in flash mode and over 400lm!

We are now finished pre-production test on this new unit. It has taken some time to finalise the design but it will be worth the wait. We are now beginning the first production cycle. This will take around 4-6 weeks.

For those who have asked about getting a new niteflux red zone for xmas, I am sorry but we wont be guaranteeing delivery before xmas.
For those who have asked about international delivery, we usually ship these from a warehouse in USA but there have been changes in the postal system in USA banning all batteries in the short term. This is expected to be reviewed with new rules in place on Jan 1 2013. Niteflx bicycle lights will comply with the new rules and international postage will resume at that time.


If you are receiving this email it is because you have sent a back-order enquiry to niteflux. Sorry we cant give individualised replies to all emails. We get too many. Thanks for your patience, we will be making a special offer to all back-order customers: A free upgrade from 4W version to 8W version. Just reply to this email to book your 8W version if you want it. Otherwise, we will send another email when the first batch of stock is available.

[william]

Sorry to say but I had a Redflux 4 and not only was the reliability of it shocking, so was the customer service. Good in theory... Overprice.
I wouldn't buy from them again.

[Magnum9]

Yet my red zone 4 is the best rear light I have had and nothing comes close in visibility.

[NhiTrac]

Yet my red zone 4 is the best rear light I have had and nothing comes close in visibility.

+1

Had mine since beginning of winter last year. Still going strong.

Interesting design on the new one.

[il padrone]

Is this the red zone 8??



From the AdelaideCyclist blog:

It is the case that some RZ4 units develop problems with the switch when used on a bicycle seat-post. After more than a year in the marketplace, plenty of user info, and some material revisions, we now know that the problem is not caused by any adhesives or other material faults. The problem is caused by stuff that comes up off the road. Not water, because we have done lots of testing in water. It could be fuel, or other chemicals. Some users are much more affected than others because they ride over different roads. Whatever it is, it soaks through the plastic and causes some problems.

We are making a new version that is optimised for seat-post use. it will be a different shape and made of different materials. It will be even easier to see from all angles, will have a longer runtime and be all-round better for seatposts. We will continue to produce the current shape version for backpacks (although this seems to be the minority use for this light).

I just wish they could make one that will mount onto a standard European 50mm rear rack mount

[nigel1963]

Yes, that is one of the photographs sent with the backorder email.

[Mulger bill]

I just wish they could make one that will mount onto a standard European 50mm rear rack mount

C'mon Pete, let thy inner MacGyver fun free, there's always a way...

Shaun

EDIT. I've got the remains of a cf seatpost I overtightened in the shed, a little slice and dice and some epoxy putty should do the trick.

[william]

Dinotte makes the best for rear visibility, day or night.

[Coolabah]

Backorder customers have recieved an email about first shipments. There are some photographs of the new light attached.

Can anyone make comparisons with the previous version; the new one is quite different?

Got mine today.

looks kinda cool - way smaller than I imagined ( tube diameter approx 23 mm , length including endcaps 90 mm, Dunno why but the photo made me think the length was 150 mm or so ) . Consists of carbon fibre tube with silicone (?) end bits. Very limited instructions ( says to log onto website for full instructions but I guess too soon yet...)

Silicone end bit ( ie mini usb charging port end ) : instructions say to add vaseline for easier removal... I added silicone "o" ring sealant which I think is better than a petroleum by-product. End cap comes off much more easily now, but no so easily that it would fall off by itself (?? I think) .
You need to take one end off to charge , the other does not need to be removed to access the switch , very easy to turn on/off.

Its charging up right now will test it out tomorrow ( I leave at O'dark:30 to go to work ) and will post my thoughts if anyone is interested .

edit : edited some inaccuracies , also my initial impressions of this light after riding to work in the dark today are very positive , it has excellent visibility even from the sides of the bike and is at least as bright as my Redzone 4 . Need more use of this light to gain a more reliable opinion of this light but so far so good !

[Coolabah]

Backorder customers have recieved an email about first shipments. There are some photographs of the new light attached.

Can anyone make comparisons with the previous version; the new one is quite different?

Forgot to answer your question . I have had the Redzone 4 for 6 months and have used it 6 days a week, 60 + minutes per day every week with no issues. It is a great light , mine is mounted at the back of my rack attached to pannier bags so is NOT subjected to any waterspray from the road , only direct rain so this may be significant if you read the failure reports ( contamination from roads ) . It is not easy to operate the switch but unless you have arthritis it is OK . Nice and bright.

Just turned on my Redzone 8 for a quick test ( even tho not fully charged yet) and almost took away my eyesight. This thing is BRIGHT. Warning : do NOT look directly at this light when you turn it on , this almost should come printed on the light ( joking , we don't need more warning signs against our own stupidity )

Anyway , will strap it onto my bike tomorrow for a field trial.

[nigel1963]

Backorder customers have recieved an email about first shipments. There are some photographs of the new light attached.

Can anyone make comparisons with the previous version; the new one is quite different?

Its charging up right now will test it out tomorrow ( I leave at O'dark:30 to go to work ) and will post my thoughts if anyone is interested .

Thanks Coolabah.

What are your thoughts now please.

[Coolabah]

Thanks Coolabah.

What are your thoughts now please.

Sorry for the late response I must've missed your post.
I really like it. Compared to the Redzone 4 it appears to have a wider field of view- easily >= 180 degrees ie when looking at it from the sides & rear . My impression initially was that it is much much brighter than the Redzone 4, but I now think it is just a fair bit brighter rather than mega heaps .
methodology of simple comparison test : I turned off all the lights in my garage and put each light on steady beam aimed at a distant wall , covered each in turn and looked at the light spread and perceived brightness on the wall, kept covering one then the other numerous times. note : I am asuming that both factory settings have the steady light at 100 % (can't find any documentation for the new light ) , also I do not know if the older battery in the redzone 4 is skewing the results (I don't have a brand new redzone 4) ... both were fully charged immediately before the test.
It is much easier to operate the switch compared to the redzone 4, and there is no chance of losing the USB port cover on the new light

[KonaCommuter]

[il padrone]

Yeah, great light in many respects. Only shortcoming is where to mount it? On most of my bikes it is just not going to be practical. On my bikes when loaded for a touring ride it would be impossible to mount in a place it can be seen, without engineering some sort of Heath-Robinson mount.

It staggers me that a manufacturer would design a light so that it can only be mounted on the seat post

[biker jk]

Yeah, great light in many respects. Only shortcoming is where to mount it? On most of my bikes it is just not going to be practical. On my bikes when loaded for a touring ride it would be impossible to mount in a place it can be seen, without engineering some sort of Heath-Robinson mount.

It staggers me that a manufacturer would design a light so that it can only be mounted on the seat post

Moreover, I don't see how the velcro will stop the Redzone 8 from slipping down the seat post on bumpy roads.

[Howzat]

Moreover, I don't see how the velcro will stop the Redzone 8 from slipping down the seat post on bumpy roads.

Looks like the rubber ends would provide grip to prevent slippage.

[Howzat]

Yeah, great light in many respects. Only shortcoming is where to mount it?
...
It staggers me that a manufacturer would design a light so that it can only be mounted on the seat post

To be fair, this looks so bright you could just throw it in your panniers and you'd still be visible from the moon.

[MattyK]

My 3 cents: What the heck is the point of this arms race? I mean, if you can't look at the thing because it's so bright, what will drivers or your riding buddies think of it? I can't see any situation where being observable from behind from 500 metres away is going to be of any use whatsoever. The only way you should run that much power is if you diffuse it through a large surface area and don't strobe it.

On the other hand, from that video above it might make for a good disco porn rave... glowsticks? pffft.

[Ross]

Great video, thanks for posting. It shows how dim PBSF and Cyclolite Hotshot are in comparison. What sort of battery does it use? Pity it can only be mounted on seatpost, it would be good to be able to mount it on rear stays the same as some do with Fibre Flare.

[il padrone]

It shows how dim PBSF and Cyclolite Hotshot are in comparison.

Some years ago I was in a support vehicle for an Audax Oppy team. Driving along at night in the country, I calculated that the riders' tail-lights (mix of Planetbike Superflash and Cateye LD-600) were clearly visible from 4-5 kms away.

To paraphrase Howzat, do you really want to be visible from the moon ??

[biker jk]

I have Cygolite Hotshot. It's excellent and great value for money ($33). Very, very bright at 2W which is superior to my Radbot. I find the battery life on the Radbot is very poor while the Hotshot's Li-ion battery is significantly better. It came with a seatpost mount which works well (so long as it's tightened properly).

[Magnum9]

It isn't about brightness, but visibility. All the narrow super flash type lights are only visibly at a narrow angle from behind. The RZ lights are visible at 90 degrees either side of the bike and create a pool of light on the ground all around the bike.

[Coolabah]

Looks like the rubber ends would provide grip to prevent slippage.

Yep. And it works very well , could not get the light to budge at all once strapped up. The end bits appear to be silicone to me (?) . I did try to mount it at other locations with a narrower bar diameter eg seat stays but no luck. Having said that , I am starting to love this light !!! It would not be that hard to mount it elsewhere with a very simple custom bracket even if we are just talking cable ties & a small piece of gaffer tape- it is only new so I'm pretty sure someone with more handyman skills than me will eventually come up with a cheap & elegant solution.
in response to other comments ( dunno how to multiple reply - oops )
1) Mounting on seatpost : Apparently & according to one email I received , the manufacturer has information that the majority of lights are mounted on the seatpost but he still will offer the RZ 4 for other situations
2) Brightness- you can actually choose to not run it on full power- factory spec settings are low flash, non flash, full power flash & I suspect you can program changes to this- once instructions available. . I like full power for those really sunny days - no-one is blinded but you ARE still visible. Maximum 2 presses of the button will cycle you to your next favourite setting