Review of Blackburn Quadrant Bicycle Light

Blackburn Quadrant Bicycle Light
By: Blackburn Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 31
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Blackburn Quadrant Bicycke Light

On: 2009-12-23

Th light works well. However it is not bright enough for night riding. This light is more suited to being a safety feature to allow others to see you rather than to illuminate the road ahead . You would be much better off with a halogen bicycle light which would provide much better illumination.

Nice light, poor handlebar mount

On: 2009-09-14

I bought this light to make myself more visible during my commute, particularly at dawn & dusk, and on overcast days.

The light itself is fine. As other reviewers have said, it is a "be seen" light, not "to see" light. I like the fact that it has multiple flashing modes.

However, the handlebar mount doesnt work. It not possible to tighten it in such a way that the light will actually stay in the position mounted. The thumbscrew cannot be tightened any more, but even the slightest bump will cause the light to rotate downwards. Im not convinced that having my front tire lit up is making me much more visible than no light at all.

I do not recommend this light.

It worked okay for about 8 months

On: 2009-09-08

I was perfectly happy with this light for about 8 months, in which time I commuted almost every day via bike and only had to change the batteries once. Now it has suddenly broken on me. When I press the button, the light simply flashes on and off quickly, instead of staying on. This of course makes it impossible to use, so I have had to purchase a new light. I wish there was more I could do but I dont see any way to go about it.

Great light

On: 2009-06-29

Ive had this light over an year now, only had to replace the batteries once so far. It is very bright and gets good distance. I ride in San Fransisco and there is tons of traffic. The light does help in showing that I am near by, I feel naked when I dont have it on. It has taken some beatings but has managed to function properly without any problems. Aesthetically it is a bit bulky, but pretty, slim lights dont make me feel safer.

Very good visibility and excellent customer service from Blackburn

On: 2009-06-05

This light is quite bright -- mainly for being seen in traffic, but it will also light up dark areas fairly well. Its visible from a wide range of angles. Its also pretty cool looking. During a particularly bumpy evening tour I had broken the handlebar clamp. I called Blackburn and they shipped the replacement part, just like that. Now theres a company that backs up its products!

Great light, great customer service

On: 2009-04-08

I was prompted to write this because the clamp that attaches my quadrant to the handlebars got rusted shut last winter, and I broke it trying to free it. I called up Blackburn, and they didnt even ask for confirmation that I owned the light - no receipt or anything. They just got my address and sent me a new one, no charge!

As for the light itself, it works great with low-self discharge NIMH batteries. If you dont know what those are, look them up on wikipedia. They are sometimes sold with subtitles like "precharged". Regular NIMHs wouldnt be convenient, theyd be dead within a month in cold weather. I have a set that I havent charged in 6 months and theyre doing fine (light use in that timeframe).

A VERY large light

On: 2009-02-09

Im sure its a nice bright light, but if you want to have some breathing room on your handlebars, this light is not for you. Its HUGE. Obviously if it houses 4 batteries, its going to be a hefty piece but the picture led me to beleive that it would be more squat than it actually is. It is actually quite girthy and was about as wide as a pack of cigarettes (not that I smoke anymore.) If you already have an odometer and a bell etc adding this to the mix might be overkill.

Great until it shuts off.

On: 2008-11-24

I used the light when I rode my bicycle and it worked great. Then I got a high end scooter (Xooter) and the light shuts off intermittently. It is dangerous. I am now shopping for an alternative that can handle the bumpier ride of a scooter.

LED headlight

On: 2008-11-23

This light is bright to oncoming traffic, but not the brightest for you to see with. It has three modes; solid four lights on, two on and two blinking, and all four blinking. I use the two on two off, until I come to intersections, then I switch to all four blinking. People really notice this. My only complaint is that it could be a little more focused so you can see the road in front of you better.

Looks can be deceiving...

On: 2008-11-21

My bike is my main source of transportation, day and night. I bought this inexpensive light hoping it would make my night commutes safer and brighter.

This light doesnt provide enough light to see in urban areas or pitch black paths. The beam is very weak. To see the path ahead of me I have to tilt the light towards the ground, than the bean is brighter. But than the bean is just two feet ahead of my tire - giving me no time to swerve out of the way of any obstructions on the road.

If you want a light to be seen, than yes, this is a good light (it has a nice blinking mode). But if you want a light to see, forget this one and invest in a safer, brighter light.

Nice light, but fragile

On: 2008-11-09

I did a lot of research before deciding to buy this light. There are many appealing features: it is bright with excellent side visibility, it uses LEDs (energy efficient), and it uses AA batteries instead of proprietary rechargeable batteries. The handle bar mount fit my bike easily and it is easy to remove to prevent theft. Ive been using it for months and have been happy with it.

There are a few problems, though. Due to the placement of the light switch, if you ever stow this light in your bag, it might accidently turn on and drain the battery. (The Planet Bike Super Flash has an ingenious way to work around that, albeit it is a rear light) Despite the convenient and easy to use handle bar mount, if this light ever falls off your bike onto the ground (even at slow speeds), it becomes destroyed and unusable. The first time this happened to me, I thought I was careless. But the second time it happened, I decided not to buy a third one. For what it is worth, I own other bike lights that can survive a drop from my backpack, so it is reasonable to expect a good bike light to survive a drop; this one does not. This also makes me wonder if the mounting system has a subtle flaw here; I could have sworn that the light was securely attached in the two times that it fell off.

LED = Long battery life

On: 2008-08-25

If you often travel unlit roads or trails at night, this is NOT the light for you. It simply doesnt light up your surroundings well enough. LEDs are good for seeing them from a distance, but they are not good flood lights. However, if youre like me and simply want to be seen by traffic, this light is perfect. I ride at night on streets that are at least partially lit, so I wanted a light that would allow me to be seen by traffic, and be easy on battery life.

The partial flash mode (where the side LEDs flash and the center ones stay constant on) is very visible by oncoming traffic. I wouldnt use the full-flash mode (all LEDs flash) at night; ever try to ride a bike in a strobe-light? I think thats used more for that dangerous time around sunset, where the sun is low on the horizon and its hard for drivers to see anything.

Bike Light

On: 2008-08-15

Great company, Trustworthy, The product delivers. The Light output gets the attention of drivers, good vision capability.

Don't get this unless you like pushing buttons

On: 2008-01-11

I think this is bright enough for cars to see you on a lighted road, and it has 3 different modes. So far so good. What I dont understand is why there is no way to turn it on/off without going through all 3 different modes every single time.

This means that if you dont want to use any of the flashing modes you have to press the button 3 times to turn it off! My almost 10 year old cat-eye taillight let me switch between settings with a short press on the button, while keeping it pressed down slightly longer turned it off (or on to the previously used setting if it was turned off).

This was my first Blackburn purchase, so one of the deciding reasons for me was that it comes with a "lifetime guarantee" -- thus I figured Blackburn had put some thought into it. I was wrong.

Riding at Night

On: 2008-01-08

My boyfriend used to ride his bike and start around five and be gone till eight or nine. I would constantly worry about him because it was dark and I knew cars couldnt see him. With this light I know that I no longer have to worry because I can see him coming from about a half mile away. I am SOO happy with this light!!

Good Light for Suburbia

On: 2007-11-15

The Blackburn Quadrant is a good light for those riding in the suburbs where there is supplemental lighting from street lights and what not. The light is fairly bright but, its not going to blaze a path down a darkened, unlit trail. It just doesnt have that power.
With that being said, it is more than sufficient for uses on most roads in the cities and suburbs. I use it a few times a week with no problems unless Im going in excess of 20 mph and then things start to get a little sketchy.
Its a nice sized package that mounts easily using a clamshell type of clamp. Theres a thumbscrew type of mechanism on the back of the unit that unscrews to give you access to the battery compartment which uses 4 AA batteries. Battery life on this is very good due to the fact that the LEDs are much more efficient than a conventional bulb. Ive been using mine for about 3 months, 4 hours a week/avg with no decline in performance.
The light has three settings; all four bulbs on, the side two flashing and the other two on constant and, all four blinking. If you just want to be seen, all four blinking will prolong the batteries but for me, in darkness, the strobe affect of the light makes it impossible to use in that mode.
Overall, its a great light for the price with good battery life. If youre looking to blaze through wooded trails at midnight, this light isnt for you but for the rest of us that ride on our neighboring streets before and after work, this is a very good soloution.

Bright, easy to use, good value for the price

On: 2007-11-14

This light met almost all my expectations. OK, Ill start with the only thing I dont like: this light IS bright, but note how the LEDs part of the light is open in all directions. As a result, a good part of that brightness hinders my peripheral vision when I ride in the dark, creating an unwanted contrast with the darker road ahead, and that annoys me a little. I wish it was designed with a hood or cover or something on top so that all the LED might is shed straight to the road. Perhaps the more expensive Blackburn Voyager Luxeon that some other reviewers mentioned doesnt have this problem. Well, I hope a piece of duct tape will fix the problem, but this ripped off one star for me.

Otherwise, its a great light for a casual rider like me. I find the mounting clam design to have a sufficient grip, I didnt have to use anything to get it holding well on my handlebar; I guess that will depend on the handlebar type, but honestly I dont find my handlebar to be outstandingly thick (the light I had before definitely had an issue with maintaining a grip on that handlebar).

I enjoy all three modes that the light has. I use full-on for riding on quiet dark streets. I use half-on half-strobe on busy dark streets to make myself more visible to car drivers. I use full-strobe for day-light riding in poor visibility conditions (fog/smoke/dusk/dawn) - and boy does that make a difference in how drivers are considerate about you!

Good light overall, but I hope Balckburn addresses the top cover issue with the next release.

Bright, easy to use, good vaalue for the price

Bright enough for daytime use

On: 2007-11-03

This light is great for night riding, but its especially good for the daytime; its very bright and has multiple lighting modes.

Blackburn Quadrant

On: 2007-10-29

This is a great bicycle light (Ive had it for 3 months or so). I did a ridiculous amount of research before buying this light. Should I spend the $$ on an expensive Cateye? I have a cruiser, and it seems that all the lights out there are either small and ineffective, or big and ugly. I finally settled on this light because of the reviews. It fits all of my criteria. 1) It works. I live in a really rural area with no street lights. It works great on a dark night with no moon and no other lights around. Of course, I am no road biker. If you are planning on going really fast at night around lots of cars, there are plenty of $100+ systems out there for you. For the casual rider who just needs to get from A to B, this light is great. I also like that it has two lights that focus a beam in front of you, and two that kind of light up to the sides of you. The way its designed with those kind of side-shining bulbs also make you more visible to others who arent looking at you head-on. I dont really mess with the modes. "All on" is what I need. Also, because its LED, the batteries last forever. I really dont know how many hours Ive used it. Probably 50-100 hrs, and I havent had to replace the batteries yet. 2) Its not too big. Its maybe 4 x 3 x 2 off the top of my head. 3) I like the way it looks, and it works especially well on my cruiser. The styles blend well. So Im shallow. 4) Price. I really didnt want to spend more than $25. Im just a casual rider.

As for the reviewers who have had a problem with the light staying clicked in place, mine has been fine. It stays in place perfectly (and I unfortunately have to ride over poorly maintained dirt roads to get to the bike path by my house) even over big bumps. And it releases easily when I want it to. I also didnt have any problems replacing the battery. No offense to the other reviewers, but that was one of the first things I looked at after I received it. I didnt even look at the instructions and had NO problems figuring it out.

If you are looking for an inexpensive light that does the job, buy this light.

Great product

On: 2007-10-25

I ordered the Blackburn Quadrant Bicycle light and tail light for my new road bicycle. It arrived on-time and I have been very impressed with the durability and features of this product. I would highly recommend it to anyone with bicycle, who need lights for whatever purpose. The batteries appear to be holding up well, too, which is a great surprise!

Won't Allow You to See the Road

On: 2007-10-02

I bought this light because there are so many positive reviews I found here at Amazon on this product. Most reviews mentioned that this light is very bright, and it allows you see and to be seen. I beg a different opinion. Though I dont necessarily disagree that this light allows you to be seen, it definitely does not allow you to see far and clear enough to drive more than 10 miles/hour on a dark road. Certainly, the light is not as bright as a 1 watt luxeon.

Pretty good light

On: 2007-09-09

Nice bright light, works well on dark streets, however, you cant really aim it where you want. You can aim where you want the light in front of you, but there is no aim side to side. Also, Im not sure why there is a total strobe effect, I can see where a strobe along with a constant light is useful, but not all 4 lights strobing.
I havent had it long enough to give a battery drain yet, but I am hoping that with LEDs, the batteries will last a while.

Good light

On: 2007-06-19

I purchased this light based on the reviews below and have found that the issues of the mounting can be overcome by winding some electrical tape around the mounting bracket itself can secure the fixture in place. If the fixture was tight and firm as-is, this this light would recieve five stars from me.

The battery installation issue is non-existant. The batteries alternate casing orientations on opposite sides of the unit itself-- thats why one user needed "ribbons" or tape to secure the batteries in place. Upon close examination of the unit, you will be able to change the batteries rather easily.

The light is bright. The strobe features are indeed bizarre, but a controllable feature nonetheless. Lets see how this thing holds up over time.

Okay light, but difficulty changing batteries + other issues

On: 2007-05-02

The good news: it is a good light for my type of bike commuting (between house and train station on suburban streets with dim street lamps): bright, easy to use, versatile (choice of all four LEDs on; two on, two blinking; all four blinking).

The bad news: It is very difficult to remove two of the four batteries -- the two oriented with the positive end towards LEDs -- when it comes time to change batteries. I couldnt do it with fingers alone, and I have very strong hands and nails. Fortunately, it uses batteries in a miserly way, but when you need to swap them out, it will require a pointy tool of some sort. This is a serious design flaw.

Sadly, there is no piece of ribbon to go under the batteries and help get them out. So, when I put the new batteries in, I put enough scotch tape around the two "difficult" batteries to leave a "tail" I can use to tug them out next time. Id advise others to do the same.

Be warned.

Also, I agree with a previous reviewer that the mounting is so-so: it required a two pieces of rubber to go between the handlebar and the mounting clamp to get a grip sufficient to hold the light steady when hitting even modest bumps. This is more of a quibble compared to the battery issue, though

ADDITIONAL NOTE AS OF OCT. 2008 -- for whatever reason, the light will no longer flash. Clearly something has happened to the switch. Bottom line -- between the battery replacement issue and this issue, it is probably best to look at a different light

good light, but difficulty changing batteries

On: 2007-05-02

If I were writing this review before having just changed the batteries on my Quadrant, I would have given it four or five stars.

The good news: it is a good light for my type of bike commuting (between house and train station on suburban streets with dim street lamps): bright, easy to use, versatile (choice of all four LEDs on; two on, two blinking; all four blinking).

The bad news: It is very difficult to remove two of the four batteries -- the two oriented with the positive end towards LEDs -- when it comes time to change batteries. I couldnt do it with fingers alone, and I have very strong hands and nails. Fortunately, it uses batteries in a miserly way, but when you need to swap them out, it will require a pointy tool of some sort. This is a serious design flaw.

Sadly, there is no piece of ribbon to go under the batteries and help get them out. So, when I put the new batteries in, I put enough scotch tape around the two "difficult" batteries to leave a "tail" I can use to tug them out next time. Id advise others to do the same.

Be warned.

Also, I agree with a previous reviewer that the mounting is so-so: it required a two pieces of rubber to go between the handlebar and the mounting clamp to get a grip sufficient to hold the light steady when hitting even modest bumps. This is more of a quibble compared to the battery issue, though

Good Buy

On: 2007-04-12

Looks a bit odd on some bikes, but it does its job well. I detach mine in the daytime and when i park so nobody steals it--Ive used it for about a month and the mounting hardware has been holding up well.

Its very bright for a non-luxeon system and it conserves batteries well. For a headlight system that does not use a dedicated remote battery pack, Id think its safe to say this is the most compact and cost effective solution.

Convenient, Portable, Reliable; Reasonably Priced what more do you want?

On: 2007-02-28

Im generous, at times, in reviewing books or CDs and saying 5 stars; and maybe this item is easier to judge; but I have no problems giving it a top rating.

In the past 5 or 6 years; I have used a number of headlights; mostly those with rechargeable batteries and they have served my purpose; but in a sense they have been bulky, or expensive, a bit of a hassle.

I will continue to keep a rechargeable battery headlight that I have since it lights up the road, just in case; but this one is easy to carry with one off the bike for security reasons, has a price that cant be beat, in fact, I find it astonishing that one can get such a good lighting system for under $50 dollars, let alone less than $25 as in this case. It is really a fine product; and very good for local riding (meaning 20-30 miles). For touring, maybe more lighting is needed; but it certainly lets you be seen and I dont have any problems with how well it does illuminate.

I especially went out of my way to purchase this; I often wondered what some cyclists I would see were using with a strobe light type of light on their bicycles; it may have been one of these and I have been pleasantly surprised with its quality.

Very nice light

On: 2006-12-27

This light has several settings which will turn the 4 LEDs on, have them flash, or a combination of the two settings. Its quite bright, and really an excellent deal. Its also very easy to install, with no tools necessary. The batteries in particular are very easy to install, which Ive found not to be true of many other bike lights.

This light is definitely an excellent deal for the price.

SUPREME-BIZZARE HEADLIGHT!!!!!

by: inovatechno On: 2006-12-06

SUPREME HEADLIGHT-because it really lights up the road!!
Has a durable automotive type/plastic housing which is extremely water resistant!!!
Super bright, uses only a small amount of battery power!

BIZZARE HEADLIGHT-Especially in the "strobe" or flashing mode-really gets you noticed!

When illuminated, looks like a lamp right off of an ALIEN SPACECRAFT-Looks like no other light and that feature alone
will get you attention from other riders on the path!!!

Put some "CUSTOM" on your bike-buy this light,
Get it from AMAZON-The nice people with nice prices!!!

Very bright, high quality for the price!

On: 2006-11-16

This bike headlight is amazing! The light is always bright, and I have yet to change the batteries in over a year of owning it. It was my sole source of light after hurricane Wilma hit in Ft. Lauderdale. After that it sat for about a year. I pulled it out a month ago to begin using it for my commuting bike. Same batteries, and it is still going strong. Not sure how that happened, but....? The problem with the clip not holding can be easily fixed by pulling up slightly on the locking tab. I had a problem with it coming off, and since I bent the tab up, it has not happened again. I ride on some pretty horrific pavement with 27 inch road bike tires, and it has not fallen off again. The mounting system is incredibly easy, so it can be swapped quickly between bikes. All around a great product, that makes you be SEEN!!

Good light, needs better mount

On: 2006-09-22

Unable to maintain a tight clamp on my Minoura Spacebar - bumps will jar the light either up/down or left right.

Good light, needs better mount

On: 2006-09-21

Unable to maintain a tight clamp on my Minoura Spacebar - bumps will jar the light either up/down or left right.

Excellent light

On: 2006-08-26

This light is great for lighting the path and for making you visible. It has three modes: continuously on, 2 lights constant and 2 lights flashing, or all lights flashing. I personally find the last setting produces a strobe-light effect that is hard on your eyes. The second works best, providing a bright light, yet with some flashing so you can be seen better. Ive also not had any problems with the mounting. However, I leave it on the bike all the time, whereas the other reviewer seemed to indicate they put it on and take it off frequently.

Bright, aerodynamic, long-lasing!

On: 2006-08-20

This is a superb headlight!! The light reflects off of a stop sign two blocks away(really well!). I have had the light for a couple weeks and have used it most nights, and every night it comes back with its awesome brightness! Mounting was a breeze, I dont know what the previous person reviewing this item was experiencing. It took me less then 3 minutes to open the packaging, install batteries, and mount it. If you screw it on tight enough, it will stay in place VERY firmly. This product is highly recommended.

Inadequate mounting

On: 2006-06-06

The LEDs are quite bright, and will last longer than either conventional incandescent or halogen bulbs. They also conserve battery power to an amazing extent. Unfortunately thet clip that holds the lamp to the handlebar mount is so small and weak that after attaching/detaching the lamp a few times it will begin to detach itself at every bump in the road.