CGD08
Newly Enlightened
(Best viewed in Full Screen F11)
Hello fellow CPF cyclists!
What's that!? That is the Planet Bike Superflash Stealth. I purchased the stealth version a month ago at a decent price, $22.99. This light is hands-down, the best tail light in its class... in the industry...
Light: Superflash Stealth
Class: AAA lights
Company: Planet Bike
MSRP: $29.99 USD
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Ownership: 1 month
Packing. Note: This product was purchased.
Planet Bike is THE bike company. They donate 25% of their profits to funding bicycle advocacy, offer instant tech support, and are greening up their business practices.
Warranty! On a side note, Planet Bike offers FREE SHIPPING on spare parts, small parts. "Why?" you ask. Well, for one they want to help fix your product for a cost that isn't half or more of the purchase price. They'd also rather help you fix your product, than see you throw it away. :thumbsup:
Since I have been using it, the seat post mount is already on the bike.
Here it is. The Stealth version is aesthetically the same as the original Superflash, only the plastic casing is black and the reflector is clear. Hence the name Stealth.
What you're looking down at is what truly sets the Superflash apart from other tail lights; the 1/2 watt BLAZE LED. No word on what supplier made the emitter. Why not 1 watt? Half watt is more than enough, trust me. Note the optics that magnify and intensify the already powerful red LED.
Here we see the 2 eXtreme LEDs. These are also magnified via optics, two circles in the clear reflector. All LEDs are red, and the 3 together provide visibility for "up to 1 mile". Although, as some users will note, the light can be seen for even greater than 1 mile.
You open the light using a coin... which is just about the only complaint I have for this light. Every time you open the light, the inset area in which you twist your coin gets damaged. The plastic is a little soft there, although the body is made of ABS plastic.
ABS Plastic.
Opening up.
The black plastic case clad with the Superflash trademark. Many cyclists go with the Stealth because white colored bike accessories are very susceptible to getting dirty and also rare.
The clear housing of the components. This half of the light is the the more heavier of the two... we'll get to this later.
This photo lets you see the inner workings of the BLAZE. Note the optics.
Although still restrained by the sealed shut housing, here we get a clear view of the eXtreme LEDs. We'll get to modes in a little.
I usually use rechargeables, but this does not change the light's performance in this review much. The Superflash does however drain batteries fast, rechargeable and alkaline alike. You can see that the button assembly on the light is a small push button.
Some more shots of the button mechanism. It's a clicky switch.
And here we have the rubber gasket. The gasket has been improved from the original version after riders gave feedback to the company, stating that water could get in. No dunk test here, I trust it's rain proof, because you're not going to ride in the ocean.
The clicky button is protected and fully waterproof, as it is inside the light's case. Thus you push on this thin yet sturdy plastic to activate the light, cycle through modes, and turn it off.
Mounting is key. The light comes with 2 gaskets to choose from. I'm using the bigger of the two. The mount is nut free! No seriously, it doesn't require any nuts to hold the scew. You still need a screwdriver though Sorry for those who still can't eat nuts
The mount outside. The Superflash mount is the top one.
The Superflash Stealth mounted.
As with most mounts, you can change the pitch/angle. Mine is directly visible to drivers.
As vertical as can be.
If your seat post is high enough, your Superflash Stealth can work in conjuction with other tail lights! Although, Superflash alone really should be enough.
Now for the outdoor shots. These shots were taken in the following settings:
f 2.8
ISO 200
Exposure compensation +2.0
Shutter speed varies
These shots were taken about 10 steps away from the bike.
Camera flash to let you know what the setup looks like. What you're seeing is the light from the flash bouncing off of reflectors and back into the camera. In fact take a look closer and you'll see that the Superflash Stealth is reflecting light as well. Taken at 1/15.
Note: the the Superflash Stealth is shown mounted with another tail light, the NiteRider TL 5.0. The tests below were conducted light independent. Thus the other light was taken off as to prevent any disparities in light. Simply put, these tests were conducted without the other tail light mounted.
Modes:
The Superflash Stealth has two modes; "Superflash" mode, and steady.
In Superflash mode, the 1/2 watt BLAZE LED blinks fast 2 times, then the 2 eXtreme LEDs blink faster 3 times, alternating on.
In steady mode, the 1/2 watt BLAZE LED is steady, while the 2 eXtreme LEDs are off. This shows that they are really there as support, and the BLAZE LED can do well alone. I prefer Superflash mode.
Superflash mode. Taken at 0.5".
Steady mode. A beautiful flower corona. Superflash mode is still equally bright, and this may just appear to be brighter due to the longer exposure. Taken at 0.5".
Now for some indoor shots of the light in action at a closer viewpoint. These were taken in Superflash mode.
The 2 eXtreme LEDs. Taken at f 2.8, ISO 200, EC 0.0, 1/8.
The picture of review! The 1/2 watt BLAZE LED. Taken at f 2.8, ISO 200, EC 0.0, 1/8.
Well we're almost done. The next small segment is important for Superflash owners.
IMPORTANT:
Listen guys, about the problems with Superflash.
A few customers were having problems with the original Superflash and early Stealth models which included literally dismounting or having a bad seal.
What happened was that when a cyclist would hit a heavy bump, the two halves of the light would literally seperate. I call it Spontaneous Dismount. Thus since it's a tail light people can't see if they lost it or not. The logical explanation I give everybody: The half that is the lightest is also the half securely mounted the the bike. The heavy half that has the components, LEDs, batteries, is all on this other side. Thus you can understand how this might be possible. Rest assured! Planetbike says they've improved the gasket, so I'm guessing that was it. This also fixes the dew/water seeping into the light. Thus a better water tight seal.
They've fixed these problems. So how do you know if your light is okay?
I contacted tech support via email a month ago, before my unit arrived:
This is what you do (for both the original and stealth)
Here's a photo:
Mine says 08
So if your's says 08 in the middle of the clock, no worries. It's a year stamp. The previous version is 07. Again, this is what Planet Bike told me via email. Good luck!
Thanks for reading. Show me those thumbs! :twothumbs This review took forever! Your cookies and views are appreciated. But please reply and
too!
Hello fellow CPF cyclists!
What's that!? That is the Planet Bike Superflash Stealth. I purchased the stealth version a month ago at a decent price, $22.99. This light is hands-down, the best tail light in its class... in the industry...Light: Superflash Stealth
Class: AAA lights
Company: Planet Bike
MSRP: $29.99 USD
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Ownership: 1 month
Packing. Note: This product was purchased.
Planet Bike is THE bike company. They donate 25% of their profits to funding bicycle advocacy, offer instant tech support, and are greening up their business practices.
Warranty! On a side note, Planet Bike offers FREE SHIPPING on spare parts, small parts. "Why?" you ask. Well, for one they want to help fix your product for a cost that isn't half or more of the purchase price. They'd also rather help you fix your product, than see you throw it away. :thumbsup:
Since I have been using it, the seat post mount is already on the bike.
Here it is. The Stealth version is aesthetically the same as the original Superflash, only the plastic casing is black and the reflector is clear. Hence the name Stealth.
What you're looking down at is what truly sets the Superflash apart from other tail lights; the 1/2 watt BLAZE LED. No word on what supplier made the emitter. Why not 1 watt? Half watt is more than enough, trust me. Note the optics that magnify and intensify the already powerful red LED.
Here we see the 2 eXtreme LEDs. These are also magnified via optics, two circles in the clear reflector. All LEDs are red, and the 3 together provide visibility for "up to 1 mile". Although, as some users will note, the light can be seen for even greater than 1 mile.
You open the light using a coin... which is just about the only complaint I have for this light. Every time you open the light, the inset area in which you twist your coin gets damaged. The plastic is a little soft there, although the body is made of ABS plastic.
ABS Plastic.
Opening up.
The black plastic case clad with the Superflash trademark. Many cyclists go with the Stealth because white colored bike accessories are very susceptible to getting dirty and also rare.
The clear housing of the components. This half of the light is the the more heavier of the two... we'll get to this later.
This photo lets you see the inner workings of the BLAZE. Note the optics.
Although still restrained by the sealed shut housing, here we get a clear view of the eXtreme LEDs. We'll get to modes in a little.
I usually use rechargeables, but this does not change the light's performance in this review much. The Superflash does however drain batteries fast, rechargeable and alkaline alike. You can see that the button assembly on the light is a small push button.
Some more shots of the button mechanism. It's a clicky switch.
And here we have the rubber gasket. The gasket has been improved from the original version after riders gave feedback to the company, stating that water could get in. No dunk test here, I trust it's rain proof, because you're not going to ride in the ocean.
The clicky button is protected and fully waterproof, as it is inside the light's case. Thus you push on this thin yet sturdy plastic to activate the light, cycle through modes, and turn it off.
Mounting is key. The light comes with 2 gaskets to choose from. I'm using the bigger of the two. The mount is nut free!
No seriously, it doesn't require any nuts to hold the scew. You still need a screwdriver though Sorry for those who still can't eat nuts
The mount outside. The Superflash mount is the top one.
The Superflash Stealth mounted.
As with most mounts, you can change the pitch/angle. Mine is directly visible to drivers.
As vertical as can be.
If your seat post is high enough, your Superflash Stealth can work in conjuction with other tail lights! Although, Superflash alone really should be enough.
Now for the outdoor shots. These shots were taken in the following settings:
f 2.8
ISO 200
Exposure compensation +2.0
Shutter speed varies
These shots were taken about 10 steps away from the bike.
Camera flash to let you know what the setup looks like. What you're seeing is the light from the flash bouncing off of reflectors and back into the camera. In fact take a look closer and you'll see that the Superflash Stealth is reflecting light as well. Taken at 1/15.
Note: the the Superflash Stealth is shown mounted with another tail light, the NiteRider TL 5.0. The tests below were conducted light independent. Thus the other light was taken off as to prevent any disparities in light. Simply put, these tests were conducted without the other tail light mounted.
Modes:
The Superflash Stealth has two modes; "Superflash" mode, and steady.
In Superflash mode, the 1/2 watt BLAZE LED blinks fast 2 times, then the 2 eXtreme LEDs blink faster 3 times, alternating on.
In steady mode, the 1/2 watt BLAZE LED is steady, while the 2 eXtreme LEDs are off. This shows that they are really there as support, and the BLAZE LED can do well alone. I prefer Superflash mode.
Superflash mode. Taken at 0.5".
Steady mode. A beautiful flower corona. Superflash mode is still equally bright, and this may just appear to be brighter due to the longer exposure. Taken at 0.5".
Now for some indoor shots of the light in action at a closer viewpoint. These were taken in Superflash mode.
The 2 eXtreme LEDs. Taken at f 2.8, ISO 200, EC 0.0, 1/8.
The picture of review! The 1/2 watt BLAZE LED. Taken at f 2.8, ISO 200, EC 0.0, 1/8.
Well we're almost done. The next small segment is important for Superflash owners.
IMPORTANT:Listen guys, about the problems with Superflash.
A few customers were having problems with the original Superflash and early Stealth models which included literally dismounting or having a bad seal.
What happened was that when a cyclist would hit a heavy bump, the two halves of the light would literally seperate. I call it Spontaneous Dismount. Thus since it's a tail light people can't see if they lost it or not. The logical explanation I give everybody: The half that is the lightest is also the half securely mounted the the bike. The heavy half that has the components, LEDs, batteries, is all on this other side. Thus you can understand how this might be possible. Rest assured! Planetbike says they've improved the gasket, so I'm guessing that was it. This also fixes the dew/water seeping into the light. Thus a better water tight seal.
They've fixed these problems. So how do you know if your light is okay?
I contacted tech support via email a month ago, before my unit arrived:
This is what you do (for both the original and stealth)
- Open your superflash.
- Look at the inside of the plastic casing which is either white or black depending on your model.
- Look for a clock in the casting which will have numbers 1-12 going around it.
- In the center there will be a number.
- If your number is 08, YOU'RE FINE!
Here's a photo:
Mine says 08
So if your's says 08 in the middle of the clock, no worries. It's a year stamp. The previous version is 07. Again, this is what Planet Bike told me via email. Good luck!
Thanks for reading. Show me those thumbs! :twothumbs This review took forever! Your cookies and views are appreciated. But please reply and
too!
Last edited:
Sorry guys. What an epic fail, I forgot runtimes.... PB says it runs up to 100 hours on superflash mode.
