The Knog Blinder Road Rear 150 Light features an output of 150 lumens packed into a sleek package.
It’s proven in testing to be a bright, attention-grabbing taillight, and I’d happily use it on a daily basis – as long as a fundamental part of its design continues to prove resilient to the elements.
Knog Blinder Road Rear 150 details and specifications
Knog has a long history of creating distinctive looking lights, and that design ethos continues with the Blinder Road Rear 150.
It features COB LEDs forming an array that seemingly allows it to illuminate the entire surface of the light.
In fact, it’s an optical illusion. By my count there are 168 tiny COB LEDs illuminating the array plus a larger LED that acts as a strobe.
This strobe LED is internally angled up 12 degrees to compensate for the angle at which a typical road bike seatpost positions the light.
There are nine modes – two static and seven dynamic.
The Blinder Road Rear 150 features an integrated USB-A charging port – like many of Lezyne’s smaller lights. To charge the light, plug the entire unit into a USB socket.
The unit attaches to the seatpost via a rubber strap that features a small clip for easier connection. Three straps of different lengths are supplied for seat posts of different depths.
Battery life is said to be 50 hours, but the most powerful “strobe” mode – one that’s more likely to be seen – is said to last 7 hours 30 minutes.
The most power-hungry mode (unusually a dynamic mode as opposed to the strongest static mode) drains the battery in about 2 hours 30 minutes.
The Knog Blinder Road Rear 150 weighs in at just 43g on my trusty scale (including the mounting bracket and mid-length strap).
It costs £62.99 / $64.95 / €64.95 / AU$99.95 making it one of the more expensive rear lights on the market and also the most expensive in our best bike light buyer’s guide.
Knog Blinder Road rear wheel 150 performance
The Knog Blinder Road Rear 150 is an impressive rear light.
Its 150 lumens are more than enough for you to be seen on the road during the day.
It can only take full advantage of this potential brightness in its “Strobe” setting, but there are three other dynamic settings that allow it to output 100 lumens or more.
You might assume this means that something stronger, such as One of Lezyne’s Strip Drive Pro 300 taillights, for example, would be a more powerful option and you could be technically right. But what is important here, the light quality of the COB LEDs helps the blinder to stand out.
By illuminating the entire rear-facing surface of the fixture, it creates a larger, visually distinctive light source that contrasts with the typical lights you would see day or night.
Additionally, the seven dynamic modes are distinctive themselves, illuminating the board in a mix of disruptive and soft patterns.
All in all, there might be more powerful taillights that deliver more “shock and awe” when in their most powerful modes, but the Blinder seems to do the same job without risking being distracted.
Nine modes is a little over the top – I just can’t think of situations where any of the nine would be better than all the others.
Perhaps five would suffice: a low and a high static mode, plus three different dynamic settings. As it is, I might use one of the redundant modes as a Christmas decoration.
But that’s a problem, and one that fades once you find the setting you like best – “Strobe” is my favorite – and can go back to it instantly thanks to the mode save feature.
“Strobe” is my favorite because it uses the eponymous LED to good effect. Angled to closely match the angle of a typical road bike seatpost, it ensures that the power of the light is directed exactly where I need it.
I have experienced burning times that largely corresponded to the claims. Strobe mode has been used on several shorter rides without charging (and stored in a cold garage in between) and has worked for up to around 7 hours 30 minutes.
Fully charging the device and then letting it discharge in “High” static mode yielded just over the advertised 3 hours 30 minutes – the two small battery level warning indicators around the power button illuminate when 10 percent of battery life remains.
That’s a bit short for my liking – I’d rather say there’s at least 20 per cent left so I have more time to get home and charge it up. But even then, you can always keep it in Eco mode if you have to get through it.
I’ve owned Lezyne lights in the past that had built-in plugs for charging. These had a cover to protect them when used on the bike.
Unfortunately, the Blinder Road Rear 150 does not have a cover.
When attached to the seatpost, the connection points are in direct contact (or at least directly opposite) with the seatpost itself. This, in turn, inevitably leaves those connection points uncomfortably exposed to the elements.
Whether you ride with or without fenders, water gets in when it’s wet.
Although the light has an IP67 rating – in short, you could submerge the unit under water for a limited time – the longer term effects of repeated exposure to such vital electrical parts must be a concern.
In the worst case, you can do without mudguards when all kinds of road dirt, road salt and more could damage the connection points.
If the connection points are wet after a ride you definitely need to clean and dry them (and make sure they are thoroughly dry – I put mine in a warm air cabinet after every wet ride) before plugging the light into a USB charger for charging. plug in connection .
Then of course you have to think about charging, which is not always a matter of course given the distractions of everyday life.
It’s a shame about the otherwise very neatly designed lamp.
The clip system is essentially a simple rubber band that attaches to molded lips, but with a small locking mechanism to hook it together.
This is easier to use than just a rubber band alone, although I found the locking piece a bit awkward to grab once or twice when wrapping the band around a seatpost.
I also like that the packaging is completely plastic-free and there is no pointless paperwork in the box.
All you have to do is follow the QR code printed inside for a quick start guide, and together with the simple instructions printed on the packaging, that’s all the information you need to get started.
Knog Blinder Road Rear 150 Final Score
The Knog Blinder Road Rear 150 is a great taillight that makes the most of COB LED technology to produce an eye-catching array of bright light patterns.
Of course, I was confident that I would be seen driving, whether I used the lights during the day or at night. There’s more than enough power here, while the overall design is sleek.
The only major flaw is the exposed USB charging port – such a design without some sort of cover seems to unnecessarily encourage corrosion, although testing hasn’t found any, and requires you to make sure you’ve dried the ports properly before using them insert into a USB port.
That being said, the Blinder Road Rear 150 is an excellent taillight that deserves a spot on your shortlist.