PlanetBike One Watt Blaze

I had tested one day at the store my lights, after discovering how the aforementioned ViewPoint Lazer was actually quite dim, against the lights on the rack. And this is where I got quite a lot of proof that not all 1W lights are created equally. One of my rules of buying lights is that you never buy two of the same manufacturer for a light. So I decided to try the PlanetBike for the second front light to replace my Performance Bike branded ViewPoint Lazer light, since I gave it to somebody who didn’t have any lights.

One thing PlanetBike invented is an eyecatching blinky pattern. The idea is that instead of blinking in a normal on/off pattern, the light should blink in a semi-random way that doesn’t look like anything else. Plus, in order to save even more battery life, not all of the blinks will be at full power. I’m not sure if every light did this that it would be eyecatching anymore, but for now it’ll do. Also, the light comes on first in low-power mode then high-power mode.

The part I need to give PlanetBike praise on, which is deeply rooted in my desire to do weird things with bikes, is the ease of removal. See, I’ve got a Bogen SuperClamp to mount my camera to the handlebars. However, I don’t have enough handlebar space to have both the SuperClamp and a light (and a bell) mounted. The PlanetBike cam-mount ends up making it easier for me to remove the whole works instead of just the light. There’s one slight trick to the bracket, which is that there’s a ratchet and strap inside of the mount… so you do want to read the little instruction sheet.

I have to also give PlanetBike props for using the least possible packaging. It’s just a piece of folded cardboard, no plastic or other crap.

Because of the mount, the 1W Blaze gets the position of honor on my handlebars.


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