8/15/2023 0 Comments Cateye bike lightModels that offered a variety of color combinations to suit more people’s preferences were great, but we didn’t eliminate glasses that lacked such options. Design: An unsightly logo or brand name emblazoned on your sunglasses can ruin an otherwise great pair of shades (paging the previous design of the Gamma Ray Cheaters, which Gamma Ray has since corrected), so we looked for pairs with a minimal design.In our testing, we found that full-metal hinges helped-the hinges made arms easier to fold and unfold-but we considered models that had plastic hinges, too. Build quality: Even cheap sunglasses should feel solidly constructed and be able to withstand your throwing them into a backpack or onto the backseat of a car.Comfort: Although comfort is hard to evaluate because people’s faces and tolerance for glasses vary widely, we sought frames that were lightweight and pleasant to wear for long periods of time on a variety of face shapes and sizes.Some people are willing to take good care of their shades and pay more for style, excellent build quality, or other bonuses, so we also tested some higher-quality pairs, and for those we set our price cap at $70. Price and value: After speaking to people who tended to break or lose their sunglasses, we decided that a good pair of cheap sunglasses should meet all our other criteria for less than $30.When you shop for sunglasses, always make sure to choose lenses with 99% or 100% UV protection or UV400 labeling (“UV400” means that the glasses block all light rays with wavelengths shorter than 400 nanometers, which is the cutoff for UV light). Goel, MD, told us, when you use lenses without UV protection, you end up allowing more damaging UV rays to enter your eyes than if you were wearing no sunglasses at all, and you leave your eyes vulnerable to a slew of nasty ailments (more on that in the UV protection section). I do like PB lights…they’re very bright great battery life very affordable (I paid $20/$28 ea), but if they can’t survive another rain storm, I might have to upgrade to another brand. ![]() The Blaze would not switch modes or even turn off unless the batteries were removed! Luckily, Bike Nashbar replaced it with the same model at no cost. (the light was mounted inverted, under my bar bag.) Moisture drops built upside inside the plastic lens (and the affected the chip), even though it looks sealed, and cannot be opened. ![]() Unfortunately, my 1st Blaze LED went on the fritz after ONE day of riding in light rain. My tail blinky’s electronics malfunctioned after an all day ride in a storm, but I was able to take it apart and let it dry….still works. (They now have a 2-watt model) Planet Bike’s lights work great…as long as you don’t ride through extended wet weather! In my experience, Planet Bike lights are NOT waterproof. I currently use a PB Superflash Blinky LED on the back, and a PB Blaze 1-watt LED up front. What about you? Have you ever used this light? What do you think of it? Most importantly, what kind of bicycle headlight would you recommend? ![]() The Cateye HL-MC200 might make for a great little commuter light (which is mainly how I’ve been using it), but even for short trips this bicycle headlight seems to do nothing but disappoint. I’ve never used the light on any kind of bicycle tour or trip of any length… and frankly I don’t think it would last through such an event. In addition to being a compete battery hog, it is far from electrically sound (large bumps frequently cause the light to switch off), nor is it waterproof. The light uses 4 AA batteries and even at full charge seems to last no more than 20-30 minutes (if that). The problem with the light is not that it doesn’t work or that the light is not bright enough, but that it simply burns through batteries like nobody’s business. Sadly, it is one of the worst bike lights I have ever encountered and certainly not a product I would ever recommend. The Cateye HL-MC200 Bicycle Headlight has been in my arsenal of bike gear since my freshman year of college (over 7 years ago).
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