I recently picked up a new front light which I’ve been using on my Montague Boston folding bike, the Knog Blinder 4. Knog really blew up a few years ago when they introduced their Knog Frog light, a small single L.E.D. soft body light, that could stretch to attach just about anywhere. Since then, they’ve continued to develop more powerful and more practical bike lights, as well as locks and some additional accessories.
The Blinder 4 keeps up Knog’s tradition of sleek aesthetics, and still utilizes a stretchy rubber mounting system, which allows it to attach to a wide range of handlebar or frame tubing widths (anywhere from 22mm to 35mm). This time around Knog also uses a more sophisticated latch, so you won’t lose this one:
This model uses 4 L.E.D.’s which Knog claims will produce 80 lumens of light. I’d say it lives up to it’s name as a “Blinder”, as it’s no doubt bright enough to be easily noticed by fellow road users. If you’re looking for a light to illuminate your path on a pitch black trail, then this might not be ideal, but it produces a considerable amount of light for it’s small size.
In blinking mode (perhaps to most useful for being seen), the Blinder 4 should last for 40 hours. I’ve owned this light for about 2 months, and while I don’t use it daily now that it stays light out so much later, I’ve only charged it twice. So far I’m very pleased with battery life, but how that holds up over time is something to keep an eye on.
The Blinder has 4 different modes: the solid beam, and 3 different blinking patterns, and if you’re particularly fond of one, it even remembers which one you were using when it turned off. As you can see my Blinder has a circle pattern on the front but they’re available with a few different designs and colors (an X, an arrow, 4 seperate L.E.D.s, etc.) .
Perhaps it’s greatest feature is that it’s rechargeable via USB. You’ll never have to buy batteries, or even wonder where the charger is for it, because the USB plug is built in, and folds out of the way when not in use:
Overall this light has impressed me thus far. It looks good, it’s bright, it’s rechargeable, and it fits anywhere. It’s turned out to be a perfect companion for my Montague folding bike. Considering you’ll never buy batteries for it, the $45 price tag isn’t too bad either. I’ll let you know if my impression changes in the coming months.
